Need advice Sedona & Grand Canyon

17 years ago

DH and I are thinking of going to Sedona & Grand Canyon. I have lots of questions I'm hoping people out there can answer.

We can't tell how long we'd like to go. We were thinking of 5 days?

Can we do Grand Canyon as a day trip, or is it worth it to get a hotel and make it a 2 day trip?

What are the best things to do in Sedona? I love nature and hikes. It seems like there are a lot of those, but I can't tell which one(s) are best.

There are some jeep tours in Sedona. Is it worth it or is it OK to just rent our own car?

Anything else of interest we need to know?

THanks in advance for your advice!

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Comments (6)

eastsider
17 years ago
Hi,
We went to Sedona about 3.5 years ago. (husband, son--14 months, grandmother, grandfather) We had a great time, it's truly beautiful. You'll notice that pretty much every photo you ever see of the SW is of Sedona. I did the driving to the Grand Canyon and thought it was a really long drive for one day. If you enjoy hiking, you may consider the canyon hikes that are quite popular, rather than a day trip. (some of the hikes are quite long) We didn't do a lot of hikes in Sedona, but there are supposed to be some really interesting hikes that end at a "vortex." Not so easy to sense spiritual energy while chasing down a toddler dropping cheerios left and right, so we didn't partake. Lots of great restaurants, galleries, etc. Have a great time--it's just lovely!
willsgram
17 years ago
My husband, daughter and I visited some friends in Sedona several years ago...just beautiful! The friend took us up into the hills in his jeep and the scenery was breathtaking...if I were going back to Sedona, I would definitely do a jeep tour. We left Sedona and drove to Williams, AZ (probably a two hour drive), spent the night at a motel and took a train to the Grand Canyon. We only spent the day there, but you could easily spend the night and do some hiking, etc. and then take the train back to Williams, the next day. There are several lodges and motels there, I believe. Leaving Williams, after the Grand Canyon visit, we drove to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, then on to Tucson, where my daughter was living, at the time. Great trip!
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Yes to the Pink Jeep Tour and L'Auberge. Also: Drive up to the top of the mesa on which Sedona's airport sits. The view is awesome. We always stay at Sky Ranch Lodge there when we're in Sedona, because of its location. There are many good restaurants. Two of our favorites are Rene's, a French bistro in Tlacapaque (tah-la-ka-pah-key) Square, and the Mexican restaurant also in T.S. But you don't go to Sedona to eat. You go there for the stunning scenery and the shopping and art galleries. If they have time, they really should drive up through Oak Creek Canyon and up to the top of highway 89, again for the scenery and the view from the top. It's my favorite drive in the world. In fact, if they've never been to the Grand Canyon, this is an easy one-day trip from Sedona that shouldn't be missed! Start early, drive up the 89 to the top of Oak Creek, then head east and north to the Grand. They can have a wonderful lunch there, stroll along the canyon edge, and revel in the wonder of that place. Have lunch at El Tovar Lodge; it's a GREAT experience, but call on the way up to reserve a table, just in case. After walking off lunch, go window-shopping in the Hopi House, and then drive back to Sedona. That is a perfect day trip. Just bring a warm jacket and maybe gloves, for the Grand C. in February. But do not do the trip if snow is forecast! Another half-day trip is to head south from Sedona, through Cottonwood, to the town of Jerome. Jerome was a mining town, then abandoned, and is now slowly being reborn. It sits on a mountainside - a very, very easy drive. The view from Jerome across the Verde Valley, past Sedona and north to the Mogollon Rim just cannot be described in words. There are some nice cafes in Jerome, and it has a gentle ghost-towny atmosphere. There is a delightful little picture/paperback book entitled Westerns of the Red Rock Country: 43 Movies Filmed in Sedona, by Bob Bradshaw. It's well worth buying and reading in advance, if possible, and taking along. You will never view westerns in the same way! Broken Arrow (with Jimmy Stewart) is the most famous movie filmed there, but there were many more, as well as TV shows. What a great trip to plan and take!
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devorah
17 years ago
We found it was definately worth it to give the Grand Canyon a full day plus. You want to catch the sunset and the sunrise. I just loved watching the mule train take off in the morning. The pack leader on one of those days was very funny so his opening spiel was worth catching.

We hiked about half the time and took the tram the other half. We didn't try to go down into the canyon. If the distance between two lookouts was a mile or less we walked, if more, we took the tram. In the evening we took a late tram east of the cabins to watch the sunset and then took the last one back to our cabin. The trams run a sweep to pick up any stragglers so you aren't likely to get left behind.

We didn't spend a lot of time in Sedona. Just before sunset, everyone heads up toward the airport to watch the sunset. I loved the Sedona rock cathedra.

Don't miss Jerome which is southwest of Sedona - and make sure that you visit the museum and watch the history video. We really enjoyed it. Montezuma's castle is worth visiting also.
bnicebkind
16 years ago
We are thinking of going in early May. What places (hotel/resort) offer 2 bedrooms and are nice and well located? How does Flaggstaff compare to Sedona? Does Sedona have many "good" shops and galleries, or more T-shirt/tourist tacky type of shops? Favorite restaurants? Would you stay in Jerome, or make it just a day trip? If staying, what place do you like? Also, how far is Prescott from Sedona and is it worth visiting?
devorah
16 years ago
I can't really be of help to you. We just stayed at a basic motel in Sedona, on our way to meeting my brother and visiting Jerome. From there we went to his home in Phoenix. I can't speak about the shops either except that there are tons of them and I imagine that some of them are good since there is so much money around there.

We didn't get to see Prescott though I wish we had. My brother's car broke down and we spent our time at a garage on the outskirts of town.

I found Flagstaff to be very disappointing. There wasn't much there there or if there was, we missed it. I had high expectations of the University that were dashed by reality. We didn't make it to the museum.
marge727
16 years ago
bnice--If you want to stay near Grand Canyon take a look at the Grand Hotel in the village of Tasayon (not sure of sp)its right outside the entrance to Grand Canyon. Cute little village and there are also other hotels--I think a Holiday Inn across the street.We had reservations at the El Tovar in the park and arrived 1 day early so we had to stay at the Grand Hotel and it was nice. big lobby--hunting lodge look.
Sedona was charming, picturesque, but the drive in and out are interesting. Other than that --the food was good, artsy craftsy shops. I agree with Devorah, Flagstaff was interesting but not memorable. My son lives in the Phoenix area so we visit Arizona often. You can check to see if there are Indian sites you can visit, we have done that and some are interesting.
No question, Grand Canyon is the place to spend some time. there are paths, shuttle buses if you don't want to walk. Places to just sit and look at the view. We enjoyed staying at the El Tovar, we are trying to stay at the National park lodges one by one and you do have to book over a year ahead.
My favorite is the Ahwanee in Yosemite NP. wow!

Need advice Sedona & Grand Canyon

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