Clearing up the Confusion • Traveling with Purpose

Arizona’s Time Zones: A Guide to the State’s Unique Timekeeping

Are you planning a trip to Arizona and confused about what time it is here? You’re not alone. I’ve lived in Arizona for decades, and I still have to take a second to consider the Arizona time zone. I have to remember what time of year it is and what the time difference is when I’m connecting with other time zones. The good news is that most people living in Arizona never have to worry about changing their clocks. If you’re not dealing with another region, it’s as simple as setting and forgetting [I’ll explain the exceptions below.]

I do, however, get questions from confused visitors trying to figure out if they should set their watches forward, backward, or just wing it when they’re here. This post will help you understand Arizona time zones, so you’ll never be guessing about it.

Is Arizona Always in Mountain Standard Time?

Whether you’re scheduling a Grand Canyon tour, catching a flight into Phoenix, or planning a video call with family back home, understanding Arizona’s time zone situation is crucial. The short answer: Arizona observes Mountain Standard Time (MST) year-round, but things get more complicated when you factor in daylight saving time and some of the state’s Native American Nations [Indigenous reservations] in Northeastern Arizona. As a longtime Arizona resident who’s navigated these quirks countless times, I’m here to clear up the confusion so you can focus on enjoying your adventures in our beautiful state.

Arizona Time Zone Map

The map above from TimeandDate[.]com shows which areas observe Daylight Saving Time in the summer months. Here are some facts to help in understanding Arizona Time Zones.

• Most states “spring forward” in the USA on the 2nd Sunday in March [but not Arizona].
• Most states “fall back” on the 1st Sunday in November [but not Arizona].
• During the changes, in spring the clocks are moved forward from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. and in fall they are moved back from 2:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m in other parts of the country.
• Did you know that daylight saving time lasts for a total of 34 weeks (238 days) every year, about 65% of the entire year?
• California and Nevada are in the Pacific Time Zone [in pink in the map above], which is an hour earlier than Mountain Time, and these 2 states observe Daylight Saving Time.
• Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah [tan in the map above] are in the Mountain Time Zone and also observe Daylight Saving Time.
• Arizona [green in the map above] is in the Mountain Standard Time Zone, but does NOT observe Daylight Saving Time [*see exceptions in the Navajo Nation below].
• An easy way to generally remember the time is that Arizona time zone matches the Mountain States Time Zone in the winter and is only 2 hours earlier than the Eastern Time Zone.
• Arizona time zone matches California and Nevada in the summer, and is 3 hours earlier than the Eastern Time Zone

Current Arizona Time

Are you still confused? Here’s the easiest way to find out what time it is in Arizona right now. Visit the “Time and Date” website, where you can see the current time. You can even look up the time difference between Arizona and another location.

The Navajo Nation Exception

The Navajo Nation, the country’s largest Native American reservation, presents a notable exception to the Arizona time zone rules. While most of the reservation lies in northeastern Arizona, portions extend into New Mexico and Utah. To maintain consistency across their entire territory, the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time and matches the Mountain Time Zone throughout the year, putting them one hour ahead of the rest of Arizona during the summer months.

How to Avoid Missed Appointments

Follow these tips when dealing with Arizona Time Zone(s) to prevent mix-ups:

• Always confirm which time zone it’s in when booking tours or making reservations (ask “Is that Navajo time or Arizona time?”)
• Manually check your phone’s time when you arrive at your destination
• Set alarms or reminders based on actual appointment times, not just what your phone shows
• Allow extra buffer time for important appointments during the summer months
• Consider turning off the automatic time zone on your phone and manually setting it to avoid constant switching, but be careful that you don’t forget about changing it.

The bottom line: In summer, expect your phone to be one hour ahead of the rest of Arizona when you’re in the Navajo Nation.

Places to Go in Arizona’s Navajo Nation

If you’re planning to visit any of the destinations in the Navajo Nation in Northeast Arizona, you’ll want to keep track of the time. Your cell service may not reflect the accurate time, so be sure to double-check if you have reservations or time commitments anywhere.

I’ll be writing about some of the popular sites, so sign up for my newsletter and follow me on socials if you want to learn more about them.

• Canyon de Chelly National Monument
• Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
• Antelope Canyons
• Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
• Window Rock

The Hopi Reservation: An Exception Within an Exception

The situation becomes even more confusing with the Hopi Reservation, which is entirely surrounded by Navajo land. The Hopi do not observe DST, aligning with Arizona’s time zone standard practice. This creates a peculiar scenario where you can experience multiple time changes during a short drive.

For instance, traveling from Flagstaff to the Hopi Reservation in July means starting in Mountain Standard Time, jumping forward one hour when entering Navajo territory, then jumping back an hour again upon reaching Hopi lands—three different times during a drive of just over an hour.

Why Arizona Skips Daylight Saving Time

The decision to forgo Daylight Saving Time (DST) stems from Arizona’s climate. As one of the hottest and sunniest states in the nation, Arizona residents depend heavily on air conditioning. Observing DST would extend more activities during daylight into the evening hours, forcing air conditioners to run longer during the hottest part of the day. By maintaining standard time, the state reduces energy consumption by limiting peak sunlight hours during typical waking times.

There’s also a quality-of-life factor: during Arizona’s brutal summers, many people avoid outdoor activities until after sunset. Standard time “allows the sun to set” an hour earlier by the clock—around 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m.—giving residents a tiny bit of relief from extreme heat sooner in the evening.

Important Note: Sunset Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Cool Temperatures

As a long-time resident, I need to warn you that just because the sun goes down, it doesn’t mean that temperatures are bearable for outdoor activities after dark in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas. June, July, and August are historically the hottest months of the year. On many days, high temperatures exceed 105 F [40.5 C] and even 110 degrees Fahrenheit [43.3 C]. The low temperatures in the coolest part of the night are consistently in the mid-80s F [30 C]. It’s not uncommon for it to still be 100 F [37.8 C] at 11:00 pm or later in the summer months.

More About Arizona

Arizona’s Unique Time System

To sum up, Arizona has one of the most unusual approaches to time in the United States. In 1967, the state opted out of the Uniform Time Act, choosing to stay on Mountain Standard Time year-round instead of switching to daylight saving time (DST) each spring. This means that while most of Arizona maintains a consistent time throughout the year, the state effectively matches Pacific Time [like California] from mid-March to early November (when other states “spring forward”) and returns to matching Mountain Standard Time [like Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah] the rest of the year.