KayOh

Hi,
We are going to a wedding in Phoenix in Feb and plan to visit the Grand Canyon and Sodona afterwards. We have 7 days/6 nites. We like to walk/hike but couldn't do an all day hike. We are also thinking of doing the train out of Williams. Should we plan for more days in Sodona or GC? We were thinking of going to Sodona on Sun, staying for 3 nites, driving to Williams for the train (train trip takes all day)on Wed., after the train going on up to the Grand Canyon (getting there late evening), staying 3 nights and driving back to Phoenix on Sat. Would we be better off with another day in Sodona and one less in GC (the train does give us several hours in Grand Canyon Villiage or we could take a bus tour of the rim)? Thanks for any advice! karin

Sara

I don't understand why you would take the train trip from Williams to the GC and back, if you are then going to drive to the GC and spend a few days. It seems redundant, and you'll be seeing mostly the same things. If it's just for the experience of taking a train ride, I have a better suggestion. Spend an extra day in Sedona, and take a ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad, which leaves from Clarkdale, about 40 minutes west of Sedona. It goes through the secluded and beautiful Verde River Canyon, and is very scenic. We took ths trip in April when we were visiting Sedona, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We passed ancient native cliff dwellings and a bald eagles' nest. The ride lasts for four hours, and each train car has an associated outdoor gondola car that you can go out onto - we spent the entire time on the outdoor car, which was great, but if the weather is too hot, cold, or rainy, you can choose to sit inside instead. Each car has a snack bar as well. According to their website, they have one trip a day in February, from 1 - 5 pm. Check out http://www.verdecanyonrr.com/ for more info.

While you're in Sedona, I recommend taking the Broken Arrow tour with The Pink Jeep Company - We did that and thought it was immensely fun (and we saw some stunning scenery). They're the only jeep company that offers this particular tour. We did a different tour with "A Day inthe West Jeep Tours", and didn't like it nearly as much - especially as the canopy on their jeep was so low it obscured a lot of the view, and I had to duck down and twist my neck to be able to see anything - very uncomfortable. Pink Jeeps' canopies were much higher, and we were happier with our experience with them.

mom2boys

Sorry I can't speak for Sodona - never been. However, we just returned from the Grand Canyon. You MUST tour the rim of the canyon. Grand Canyon Village is just just a shopping center. We did not use the bus service but saw many peolpe doing so. The park service encourages the use of the bus. Three nights will give you a good fell for the canyon. You haven't experienced the Grand Canyon until you have been below the rim - even if you only go a short way into the canyon - it is a very different expeirence than looking over the rim. The views from teh watch tower at Desert View are amazing.. Every overlook is different. We can't wait to return.

youngtom2910

Well--my wife says I want to move around too much when we travel. So what I would recommend is that you-- guess what-move around more!

I personally think that 3 days each at the rim of the Grand Canyon and Sedona are both too much, unless you are into taking photos or hiking or something.

I would vote you cut the sites down to 2 days each and explore the northeastern part or Arizona for 2 days--either Canyon de Chelley or Monument Valley.

courtneycwo

Just spent a week in Sedona this past October - took a one day trip to the Grand Canyon via a van tour company (there are several) and really enjoyed it. We loved the Canyon - did a short hike - had a picnic - absolutely lovely. The remaining 5ish days in Sedona were spent going on day hikes - lounging around our fabulous hotel pool - hitting a spa one day. It was a relaxing trip - the scenery was breath taking - I never felt a moment of boredom. It was our 10th anniversary and we splurged and stayed at the Enchantment Resort which was delightful - a spot that I will never forget. Have a great time!

TheWeasel

I too don't see the point in taking the train from Williams to GC, and then driving back to GC that evening. I've never done the Verde Canyon train, but I would do that instead. Then drive up to GC for 2 nights, and add the extra night to your stay in Sedona.

I think GC is great, but for people that aren't big hikers, your options are limited. You can either walk along the rim, or hike a short distance into the canyon and back. Sedona has a lot more short hiking options, plus other things to do as well. I'm not a big fan of Sedona, but I think it would suit you better than GC.

Aileron

What is the driving distance and time from Sedona to the Grand Canyon? What is the name of the town where you arrive (for Mapquest purposes)?

cheribob

There is another problem with taking the train into GC. Once you are inside the park there is no way to get around B/C the shuttle doesn't run in the winter time.

I know, it happened to me.

Also, you can hike partway down the Kaibob trail. It is extremely scenic and you don't have to share the trail w/ the donkeys.

lyntom

I agree with Youngtom; 3 nights at each probably are too much if you are not going to do a lot of hiking.

That said, you should go below the rim at the GC even if you only go down a couple of miles. We did this 2 summers ago and it was stunning. So much better than just walking along the rim trail. Going about 2 miles down is not a hard hike at all. We also took the shuttle bus and got off at various points and walked. Very nice.

Sedona is beautiful. We spent 2 nights there, did some fishing and hiking and the Pink Jeep Broken Arrow Tour. That was fabulous. Can't say enough good things about it.

We left Sedona around 6 in the morning, drove hwy. 89, ate breakfast on the way and were at the canyon by 9 a.m. Spent the whole day walking/hiking, etc. Stayed in a second floor canyon view room in Kachina Lodge.

Another great option is to drive on to Page and tour Antelope Canyon. I was going to suggest a float trip down the Colorado River, but I guess not in February!

The drive to the GC is not bad at all; I would recommend that over the train.

emd

Maybe we should start referring to Sedona as "Sodo". It has a nice ring to it, like Nola, Soho, etc.

I second the Verde Valley Rail trip in Clarksdale (25 min from West Sodo) if you want to get in a train ride. It is great, esp. in Feb.- you may see nesting bald eagles from the train then (bring binoculars).

tmt

After arriving in Sedona with a plan to stay only 2 nights, we added a 3rd night. We could have stayed longer. Don't miss sunset at the top of the hill by the airport vortex. After sunset, we climbed (not far or difficult) the airport vortex. We did bring flashlights from the hotel which we helpful. We went to Jerome for lunch - beautiful view, but were we not passing close by, we would have been fine missing it. Lots of things to do around the area, not just in downtown Sedona.

kaudrey

Aileron - you don't have to mapquest it. Look at www.nps.gov which will have directions, but if you just look at a map of Arizona, there are only 2 choices:

1) 89A North to Flagstaff, then 89 North to 64 west, or

2) 89A north to Flagstaff, to 180 north all the way up to the canyon (joins with 64).

Karen

tinamidon

We did 2 nights @ Grand Canyon (Stay in the park--Bright Angel Cabins were good for us) which was plenty for us to do a small amount of hiking. More than that would have been too much for us. We then drove to Sedona for 2 nights @ Enchantment which was awesome and the drive from the Grand Canyon was beautiful (the part closest to Sedona). We then drove to Zion for 2 nights and continued on to Vegas as part of a 10 day trip. It was great!

don512

I would agree with doing the Verde Canyon Railroad if you are in it just for the train ride. I've heard very good things about it. When i was planning my trip to the Grand Canyon, I too thought about doing the railroad from Williams. But some friends of mine that had done the train trip said that it really wasn't worth it. They said that the ride was boring and actually not very scenic along the way, basically transportation to the Canyon for people who wanted to see it and only spend a few hours.

Aileron

Thanks, Karen!

KayOh

Thanks to everyone...We were planning the train just for the ride, but now will do the Verde Canyon train, sounds much more like what we wanted. I also appreciated hearing that the shuttle doesn't run then, we had been planning to use it! but we will have a car so we can overcome that problem.
We will look into the Pink Jeep tours - I have heard they are great, though we were always sceptical of jeep tours vs. being on our feet...
We have been to Zion and Bryce - they are unbelievable and we would go back in a minute - but we haven't seen the Grand Canyon and will be starting from Phoenix.
Thanks again for your help. Karin

gcmaven

Shuttle info you were given is out of date. There are two shuttles. The village shuttle went to an all year schedule some time ago. Only the west rim shuttle has a season. Check www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon for the current info.

There are 3 main route from Flagstaff to GCSR. Karen left out the best winter route (also best if you don't like getting stuck behind an RV doing 20 mph uphill). Take I-40 west 30 miles to the first Williams exit/AZ rt 64, which goes north 60 miles to the south entrance. This is the flatest, straightest route, which also has the least shade so snow and or ice burn off quickly. But I would suggest making the most of a round trip by taking that route in, then exiting by taking the east rim drive to Desert View, then continue 25 miles east to the Jct with US 89. Take a mile detour north to visit Cameron Trading Post and have a Navajo Taco, then head back south. You can do the loop drive through Wupatki/Sunset Crater Nat'l Monuments on the way back to Flagstaff (or you can do it vice versa).

You might want to consider taking one of the days at Flag for the Museum of No AZ, Lowell Observatory, Riordan Mansion (great craftsman style double house, with original furnishings) State Park, etc.

Oh, and another vote for the scenic Verde Canyon RR as opposed to the GCRR train that is basically just transportation (and they use diesel engines in the winter, so you don't even get to experience steam).

Hope this helps!

Aileron

KayOh,

Regarding the Pink Jeeps, I was in Sedona in January for a day and wanted to see the red rocks from Schnebly Hill Road.

Fortunately for me, Hertz had had a problem with my reservation at PHX and they upgraded me to a Land Rover LR3 with off road capabilities.

We drove on the trail, stopped whenever we wanted, wherever we wanted. I drove at the speed that was confortable for me and my guest.

We passed a number of jeep tours, among them, several Pink Jeeps.

Every time I saw one, I remarked how uncomfortable the people looked. I saw one woman hanging on for dear life to a roll bar. Another looked like she was going to "lose her lunch."

If you can afford it, I suggest you take your own vehicle.

Next time I tour Sedona's trails, I'm going to rent a Hummer.

kkj

I work in the tour industry in Arizona and thought I could help you out.

The Grand Canyon Railroad is a nice train trip. But it is just that a train ride. If you are driving to the Canyon yourself later it would just be a waste of your time.

Verde Canyon Railroad. Absolutely take this ride. It will take you into a part of Arizona that isn't available by car. Very scenic. In fact I've never had one complaint about this trip.

Remember that it will be winter in the Canyon and Sedona. Please remember to dress accordingly. You should have snow.

Also wanted to put a plug in for Red Rock Jeep Tours in Sedona. Not as well known as Pink Jeep but they are very good.

You also might want to take a helicopter ride over the Canyon. You can catch these in Tusayan. Two that I would recommend are Maverick and Papillion. I would probably do Maverick as my first choice.

Have a great trip.

skigirl

We were in Sedona and GC last summer and loved both places. I have to say we loved the Pink Jeep tour - it was very informative and for the most part, given the terrain, we went VERY slowly, to places I can't imagine taking a rental car. We were never hanging on for dear life and felt no car sickness at all, and my older daughter is prone to it. It's not a thrill ride or anything, it really is a great way to get into the red rock area. There are plenty of hikes in Sedona that are not all day. We did the Bell Rock trail and it was fairly easy and only a couple hours at best.

The drive from Sedona up 89 to Flagstaff is not to be missed - in addition to the scenery we saw several elk along the way. If you wanted to do a little something after the Grand Canyon you could exit out the east side and visit the Cameron Trading Post. We just stopped for lunch but several prior posts mention that it's a nice place (basic but nice) to spend the night. The Navajo tacos are awesome.