Which Way Should Your Backyard Face in Arizona?

In Scottsdale, a backyard that faces north or east usually puts your patio in shade on summer afternoons, while a south or west exposure trades that summer shade for warm winter sun. Neither one is wrong. The right choice depends on when you plan to be outside, and the sun's path over the desert makes the difference more noticeable here than in most of the country.

How the sun moves at Scottsdale's latitude

Scottsdale sits at about 33.5 degrees north.

In summer, the sun climbs nearly overhead. Around the June solstice, it reaches roughly 80 degrees above the horizon at midday. It also rises well north of due east and sets well north of due west, so on a long June evening the sun is dropping toward the northwest, not straight west.

In winter, the sun stays low in the southern sky. Around the December solstice, it tops out at only about 33 degrees at midday, and it rises and sets south of east and west.

What that means on the ground:

• Summer midday sun is easy to block. Because it comes from high overhead, a roof overhang or patio cover shades the space below it.
• Summer late-afternoon sun is the hard one. It comes in low from the west and northwest, slipping under covers and hitting back walls and windows head on.
• Winter sun reaches deep. Low southern sun slides under patio covers on the south side of a house and leaves north-side spaces in shade for much of the day.

The case for a north-facing backyard

With a north-facing yard, the house itself becomes your shade structure. On a July afternoon, the patio closest to the back wall sits in the building's shadow while the front of the house takes the heat. From May through September, when triple-digit afternoons are common, that is a real advantage, and it is why people who have lived through a desert summer so often ask for north exposure.

Two things to know before you treat north as automatically best:

• The far end of the yard still gets sun. Because the summer sun rises and sets north of east and west, the back of a deep north yard can catch early morning and evening light in midsummer.
• Winter can feel cool. From roughly November through February, the patio nearest the house may stay shaded most of the day. A January breakfast outside can be chillier than you expect, and a pool tucked close to a two-story home may see little direct winter sun.

What a south-facing backyard offers

A south-facing yard is the winter yard. In the cooler months, the low sun pours across the patio through the middle of the day, just when winter weather here is most comfortable.

In summer, the high midday sun is nearly overhead, so a deep covered patio still gives you shade around noon. The open yard beyond the cover, though, takes full sun for most of the day. Shade trees, sails, or a pergola beyond the main cover help extend the usable space.

West-facing yards and afternoon heat

A west-facing backyard is the most demanding exposure in summer. From mid-afternoon until sunset, the sun hits the patio, the back wall, and any rear windows directly, and it comes in too low for a standard overhang to stop.

West can absolutely work, but plan to invest in shade:

• A deep covered patio, deeper than you might want on a north yard
• Shade trees on the west side, chosen with their mature size in mind and placed with care around the pool and foundation
• Shade sails or exterior roll-down screens for the late-afternoon hours
• Window coverings or shading for west-facing rooms

The upside: in winter, that late sun is welcome.

East-facing yards: mornings outside

An east-facing yard gets morning sun and afternoon shade from the house. Summer mornings are the gentlest time to be outdoors here, and by afternoon the patio falls into shadow, so an east yard often lives much like a north yard on summer evenings.

How to check a home's orientation yourself

Three quick checks:

1. Satellite view. Open any mapping app in satellite mode. North is at the top by default. Find the house and note which side the yard is on. A home whose front door faces south has a north-facing backyard.
2. A compass app. Stand at the back door, face the yard, and read the heading. That is your yard's exposure. Few lots are perfectly square to the compass, so a northeast or northwest reading behaves mostly like north, with a bit of morning or evening sun.
3. Stand in the yard at 4 p.m. On a warm day, this is the most honest test. Is the patio in shade? Is sun hitting the back windows? Where do the shadows of the house, walls, and neighboring two-story homes fall?

If you can, visit morning and late afternoon. Trees, walls, and next-door rooflines can matter as much as the compass.

Pools, patios and balconies

Pools. Sun exposure shapes how warm the water feels and how long your swim season stretches. A pool in full south or west sun tends to hold warmth longer into fall and warm up sooner in spring. A pool shaded by the house gets less winter sun.

Patios. The depth of the cover matters almost as much as the direction. A shallow overhang on a west yard does little after 3 p.m. A deep cover on a south yard handles midday summer sun well and still lets winter sun in at a low angle.

Balconies. Upper-floor balconies have no house to shade them, so direction matters even more. A west balcony takes the full afternoon sun. North and east balconies tend to be the most usable on summer evenings, while south balconies shine on winter afternoons.

Matching the yard to how you live

Start with when you want to be outside. If your outdoor life happens mostly from November through April, a south exposure gives you the most sun when the weather is at its best. If you picture summer evenings on the patio, north or east will feel easier. If you love a west yard, budget for shade from the start.

The best backyard in Scottsdale is the one that is comfortable at the hours you actually use it. Spend an afternoon in the yard before you decide, and let the shadows make the case.