Best places to fly drones in Arizona
Arizona has some of the best legal flying in the country, thanks to national forest land open to drones outside wilderness areas. Cities and counties can't regulate drones under state law, except takeoff and landing in their own parks, and Phoenix and Tucson use that to limit drones to designated parks. Arizona State Parks, Maricopa and Pima county parks, and all national park units ban recreational drones.
Cities
Top spots in Arizona
Airport Mesa
Arizona Model Pilots Society Field (Adobe Dam)
Camelback Mountain
Catalina RC Modelers Field
Catalina State Park
Central Arizona Modelers Field
Coyote Basin
Danny Lopez Park Model Airplane Field
Desert Foothills Park (Lower Field)
Dynamite Park
Esteban Park
Flagstaff Flyers Hebestreit Field
Grand Canyon National Park
Lockett Meadow
Mountain View Park II
Red Rock State Park
Saguaro National Park (West)
Slide Rock State Park
Sonoran Desert Flyers Field
South Mountain Park/Preserve
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Tucson Mountain Park
Tucson Radio Control Club Field
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Werner's Field
Wupatki National Monument
Arizona drone laws
- Fly under 400 feet and keep the drone within your visual line of sight.
- Recreational pilots must pass the FAA's free TRUST test. Drones over 250 grams must be registered with the FAA.
- Get LAANC authorization before flying in controlled airspace around airports.
- Under ARS 13-3729, cities, towns and counties can't make their own drone rules, except for takeoff and landing in parks and preserves they own.
- It is a crime under Arizona law to fly in a way that interferes with police, firefighters or emergency services.
State parks
Arizona State Parks & Trails says all recreational drone use is prohibited in state parks. Commercial filming for news, publicity or promotion may be allowed with a Filming Permit.
No-fly areas
- All Arizona state parks for recreational flying.
- National park units, including Grand Canyon, Saguaro, Sunset Crater, Walnut Canyon and Wupatki.
- Maricopa County and Pima County regional parks, outside designated club fields.
- Congressionally designated wilderness, including the wilderness areas around Sedona and Flagstaff.
Arizona drone FAQ
Can you fly a drone in Arizona state parks?
Not recreationally. Arizona State Parks & Trails prohibits all recreational drone use in state parks. Commercial filming may be allowed with a Filming Permit.
Can you fly a drone in Sedona?
Yes, in parts of the Coconino National Forest outside designated wilderness, like Airport Mesa, if you follow FAA rules. Drones are banned in Red Rock and Slide Rock state parks, and can't take off or land in the wilderness areas around town.
Where can you fly a drone in Phoenix?
Phoenix allows drones to take off and land only at designated parks, including Coyote Basin, Werner's Field, Mountain View Park II, Dynamite Park, Esteban Park and Desert Foothills Park. Some, like Coyote Basin, are inside Deer Valley Airport's Class D airspace and need LAANC.