Ever tried to schedule a Zoom call with someone in Phoenix during the summer? It’s a nightmare. Honestly, it’s the kind of thing that makes you want to throw your calendar out the window. You think you know the offset, but then March hits, the rest of the country "springs forward," and suddenly Arizona is doing its own thing. Again.
Arizona is weird. In a good way, mostly, but when it comes to the clock, they are fiercely independent.
Right now, if you are looking for what time is it in AZ, the answer is straightforward: Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time (MST). They are UTC-7. They don’t move. They don’t shift. While your smart oven and your car dashboard are probably screaming at you twice a year to change the time, Arizonans just keep on living their lives.
The Great Daylight Saving Defiance
Most of the United States plays this ritualistic game of musical chairs with their clocks. Not Arizona. Except for the Navajo Nation—more on that mess in a second—the state hasn't touched its clocks since 1968.
Why? Because the sun is a literal furnace.
Imagine it’s July in Scottsdale. The temperature is 115°F. The last thing any sane human being wants is an "extra hour" of sunlight in the evening. In other states, daylight saving is about enjoying a late sunset on a patio. In Arizona, that extra hour of evening sun just means your air conditioner has to work like a galley slave for sixty more minutes.
It's expensive. It’s exhausting.
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Back in 1967, Arizona actually tried daylight saving for one year. It was a disaster. People hated it. Parents were furious that their kids were waiting for the school bus in the pitch black or trying to go to bed while the sun was still blazing at 9:00 PM. The energy bills skyrocketed.
So, the state legislature basically told the federal government, "Thanks, but no thanks." They opted out via the Uniform Time Act of 1966, joining Hawaii as the only other state to stay on standard time year-round.
The "Time Traveler" Experience
If you’re traveling through the Southwest, you’re going to get confused. There is no way around it.
During the winter months (November to March), Arizona is on the same time as Denver and Salt Lake City. Everything feels normal. But when the rest of the Mountain Time Zone shifts to Daylight Time, Arizona stays put.
This effectively moves Arizona into the same time slot as Los Angeles and Las Vegas for half the year.
- Winter: AZ = Denver time.
- Summer: AZ = LA time.
It makes sense if you don't think about it too hard. If you're driving from California into Arizona in the summer, your phone won't even tick. You cross the Colorado River, and the time stays exactly the same. But do that same drive in December? You’ll lose an hour the moment you hit the state line.
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The Navajo and Hopi Loophole
Now, if you want to get a headache, look at a map of northeastern Arizona.
The Navajo Nation is huge. It covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Because they have territory in three different states, the Navajo Nation decided it was easier to just follow Daylight Saving Time like everyone else. They want to be on the same page as their neighbors in Albuquerque and Salt Lake.
But wait.
The Hopi Reservation is entirely surrounded by the Navajo Nation. It’s an enclave. And the Hopi? They follow Arizona’s rules. No daylight saving.
So, if you’re driving from Tuba City (Navajo) to Moenkopi (Hopi) in the summer, you will change time zones. They are literally right next to each other. You could walk across the street and "gain" or "lose" an hour. If you keep driving through the reservation, you might change your clock half a dozen times in a single afternoon.
It's a logistical circus for tour guides. If you're booking an Antelope Canyon tour, you better double-check if the operator is using "Navajo Time" or "Arizona Time." Most sticking to the Page, AZ area stay on Arizona time to keep people from missing their slots, but it's always a gamble.
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Real-World Impact: More Than Just a Clock
It’s not just about being late for dinner. This weird time quirk affects everything.
Take sports, for example. If you're a Diamondbacks fan living on the East Coast, the game times are a moving target. In May, a 7:00 PM start in Phoenix means a 10:00 PM start for you. But in April? It might be 9:00 PM.
Television networks hate it. Businesses with East Coast headquarters hate it.
But the locals? They love it. There’s a certain pride in not bowing to the "arbitrary" tradition of changing clocks. It’s a badge of honor. It’s a statement that says the desert environment dictates the lifestyle, not some federal mandate from 1966.
How to Check the Time (Correctly)
If you're still asking what time is it in AZ because you have a flight or a meeting, here is the cheat sheet:
- Check the Month: Is it between the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November? If yes, Arizona is the same as Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
- Check the Location: Are you on the Navajo Reservation? If yes, you are one hour ahead of Phoenix in the summer.
- Trust Your Phone (Usually): Most smartphones are smart enough to recognize the GPS coordinates and adjust. But if you’re near the border or on the reservation, manual override is your friend.
Honestly, the best way to handle Arizona time is to just accept that you’ll probably be an hour early or an hour late to something at least once. It’s a rite of passage.
The next time you’re in the desert, don't worry about the clock. Just watch the sunset. It’s going to happen when it happens, regardless of what the rest of the country thinks the "time" is.
Next Steps for Your Trip
If you're planning a visit to the Grand Canyon or the Navajo Nation, your best move is to set your phone to a fixed "Phoenix" time zone manually in your settings. This prevents your clock from jumping back and forth as you hit different cell towers on the reservation. Also, always call ahead to confirm tour times in local "Arizona Time" versus "Navajo Time" to ensure you don't miss your window at spots like Monument Valley or Antelope Canyon.