Arizona State and Grand Canyon University in 2 Days: A Fly-In Visit to Tempe and Phoenix
A parent-first plan for flying into Phoenix to see Arizona State's Tempe campus and Grand Canyon University: official sign-ups, getting from Sky Harbor, parking, a hotel next to ASU, meals, things for siblings and desert-weather tips.
Old Main, ASU Tempe campus (Jun 2021). Photo: Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 26, 2026. The small [S#] links open the page each fact comes from. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
Check before you go. Tour times, sign-up rules, parking and seasonal closures change often, sometimes weekly. Every campus section below links to that school's official visit page and shows when we last checked it. Confirm there before you book or drive. College Visit Guides is not affiliated with or endorsed by any college or university. Names are used only to identify them.
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Arizona State University, Tempe campus · Grand Canyon University (Phoenix)
Days
2: ASU one day, GCU the next. Fly in the day before.
Fly into
Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), about 10 miles west of ASU's Tempe campus. The free PHX Sky Train links the terminals to Valley Metro Rail.
Best base
Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU, about a 9-minute walk from ASU's Welcome Center. Alternate: Graduate by Hilton Tempe.
Car or transit
Light rail works for ASU; plan on a car or ride app for GCU, about 24 minutes' drive away.
Registration
ASU requires it; walk-ins are rarely accommodated. GCU says a reservation is best but drop-ins are welcome.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents flying in with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, to see two very different schools in the Phoenix area: Arizona State's Tempe campus, home to its Big 12 sports, and Grand Canyon University's campus on Camelback Road in Phoenix.[S4][S6]
ASU is one university with several campuses across metro Phoenix, so first confirm which campus houses your student's major. This guide covers the Tempe campus.[S4]
Why this order
Arrival day: Sky Harbor is about 10 miles from ASU's Tempe campus, so an afternoon flight still leaves time to check in and walk around.[S5]
Day 1: Experience ASU, with a 30-minute admission presentation, an academic fair and a 60-minute student-led walking tour.[S3][S4]
Day 2: GCU's general campus tour runs two hours, starting with a 15-minute presentation; GCU says most visits last two to three hours in all.[S6]
ASU's Tempe check-in and GCU are about 24 minutes apart by car with no traffic.[S16]
Arizona time
Most of Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Saving Time. Set your clock to local Arizona time (Mountain Standard Time) so you don't arrive late; ASU enforces a late-attendance policy.[S4]
Tour availability varies by season.
ASU and GCU post their visit dates only on their own schedule pages; check both before you book flights.[S2][S6]
Due to Homecoming events, ASU's Tempe tours on November 21 meet at the Memorial Union instead of the Welcome Center.[S3]
GCU's reception center is closed Nov. 26–27 (Thanksgiving) and Dec. 24–25, with a half day (8 am–3 pm) on Dec. 31.[S6]
2. The suggested 2-day plan
Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, using addresses geocoded with OpenStreetMap Nominatim.[S16][S17][S18]
Nominatim placed GCU at GCU Arena (3300 W. Camelback Rd.), so treat GCU times as approximate to the reception center.[S18][S7]
Arrival day: fly into PHX and check in in Tempe
PHX → Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU
Driving (no traffic)
~15 min, 6.5 mi
Walking
Drive, ride app, or Sky Train + light rail[S16][S11][S5]
PHX → Graduate Tempe (alternate)
Driving (no traffic)
~16 min, 7.0 mi
Walking
Drive, ride app, or Sky Train + light rail[S16][S11][S5]
The free PHX Sky Train runs 24/7 between the terminals, the Rental Car Center and the Valley Metro Rail station at 44th St. and Washington.[S11]
Day 1: Experience ASU on the Tempe campus
Omni Tempe → Future Sun Devil Welcome Center (660 S. College Ave.)
Check in at least 30 minutes before your start time. Programming includes a 30-minute presentation, an academic fair and a 60-minute campus tour, based on availability.[S3]
The shorter ASU Express option is a 15-minute student-led presentation and a 60-minute walking tour, about 1 hour 15 minutes in all.[S3]
All visitors must register online before arriving; walk-ins are rarely accommodated due to high demand.[S4]
Check in at the Future Sun Devil Welcome Center, 660 S. College Ave., Tempe, at least 30 minutes before your start time.[S3]
Experience ASU: a 30-minute presentation, an academic fair and a 60-minute student-led walking tour. ASU Express: a 15-minute presentation and a 60-minute walking tour.[S3][S4]
Optional Barrett, The Honors College visit in Tempe: a 30-minute information session and a 45-minute walk of the honors residential community, checking in at the Vista del Sol Community Center, 701 E. Apache Blvd. Barrett Enrollment Services: 480-727-7039.[S3]
Visitor parking
Garages near the Welcome Center: Fulton Center structure (715 S. College Ave.), the Stadium structure (E. Veterans Way) and Lot 67 (215 E. Sixth St.).[S3]
Parking costs $3 an hour to $16 a day. Surface lots are paid with the ParkMobile app or the AMP system. Allow at least 15 minutes to park and walk.[S3]
Getting there
From Sky Harbor, take the 44th St. Sky Train to Valley Metro Rail eastbound. Tempe campus stops are Mill Ave./3rd St., University Dr./Rural Rd. and Veterans Way/College Ave.[S5]
What to know
Bring water, sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen, and wear comfortable walking shoes; the tour is outdoors.[S4]
Contact
Running late (Tempe or Polytechnic): 480-727-4531[S3]
Last checked Oct 26, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Tours depart from the Antelope Reception Center (ARC) in Building 18, Student Advising Services. A reservation is best, but you can drop in.[S6]
General campus tour: two hours, beginning with a 15-minute presentation. Academic campus tour: 1.5 hours, also starting with a 15-minute presentation.[S6]
Optional excursions include GCU Chapel, held Monday mornings during the academic year. Parents and family are encouraged to come along.[S6]
Visitor parking
Enter from 33rd Ave. off Camelback Road (campus address 3300 W. Camelback Rd.). Show a driver's license to the public safety officer at the entrance for a temporary visitor permit.[S7]
Getting there
About 24 minutes by car from ASU's Tempe campus and 19 minutes from Sky Harbor, with no traffic.[S16]
What to know
Wear comfortable walking shoes and clothes for Phoenix weather, and bring water; the visit includes time outdoors.[S6]
Expedia hotel links are affiliate links: if you book through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hotel · Our pick
Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU
7 E. University Dr., Tempe
Why here
Within a five-minute walk of ASU's campus, per the hotel; our routing puts it about 9 minutes on foot from the Welcome Center.[S9][S17]
Good to know
A AAA Four Diamond hotel with a rooftop pool (6 am–10 pm) and four dining outlets, including Lucero.[S9]
Parking is valet only, $39 overnight. Check-in 4 pm, check-out 11 am. Connecting rooms are available; a single room can't hold five or more guests.[S9]
Without a car, the free PHX Sky Train connects to Valley Metro Rail at 44th St., and the light rail stops on ASU's Tempe campus. Cabs wait on the north side of Terminals 3 and 4.[S11][S5]
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
At the Omni Tempe
Eat
Lucero
Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU, 7 E. University Dr.
One of the hotel's four dining outlets, steps from campus.[S9]
Confirm your student's major is on ASU's Tempe campus, then register on ASU's schedule page.[S4][S2]
Reserve a GCU tour on its visit page, or plan to drop in during ARC hours.[S6]
Set your phone to Arizona time (no Daylight Saving Time).[S4]
Check in 30 minutes early at ASU, and bring a driver's license for GCU's parking permit.[S3][S7]
Pack water, sunglasses, hats and sunscreen.[S4][S6]
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.[A1][A2]
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.[A1]
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.[A1]
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.[A1]
Division I (Arizona State University, Tempe campus and Grand Canyon University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.[A1][A3]
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.[A2][A3]
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
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Sources
All checked Oct 26, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
