Sedona to Vegas

Old May 3rd, 2016, 12:52 PM
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Sedona to Vegas

I am taking my daughter to Sedona and the Grand Canyon for her 18th birthday. We are flying into Phoenix on Tuesday the 14th, arriving at 9:30am. We are renting a car, then heading to straight to Sedona. We will also be visiting the Grand Canyon, then flying out of Vegas on the 18th about 5pm. I would love suggestions on what not to miss between the two areas (Sedona-Vegas). Love anything nature related, so trails, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, deserts, etc.. Not interested in hanging out in Vegas. Would love trail suggestions in Sedona (by foot and by car) with views. Would also love suggestions on things to do/see between the Grand Canyon and Vegas. Willing to drive further out of Vegas (Mojave Dessert, Red Rock Canyon). Thanks so much!! I came here for help with my PNW trip and was able to plan an amazing trip because of all of the advice/suggestions!!!
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Old May 3rd, 2016, 01:09 PM
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>>flying into Phoenix on Tuesday the 14thwhat month? Could make a huge difference.
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Old May 3rd, 2016, 06:27 PM
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Sorry, the 14th of June. Thanks!
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Old May 3rd, 2016, 09:25 PM
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OK -- your hiking/outdoor activities should be limited to early morning hours -- it will be very <RED> HOT
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Old May 4th, 2016, 02:37 AM
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On the way to Sedona, stop at Montezuma's castle and well.

On the way to Vegas, stop at Hoover Dam and do the dam tour.

If it isn't too hot, go to Valley of Fire from Vegas.
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Old May 4th, 2016, 08:12 PM
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Excellent hikes in Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. Check out dreamsedona.com
Look at the west fork trail easy and very scenic. Involves crossing stream. Hike is along creek with towering red canyon walls. There is a park information center on your drive into Sedona. Excellent resource.
Enjoy
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Old May 4th, 2016, 08:17 PM
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Forgot to mention that the west fork trail is near the top of oak creek canyon. Not hot at all, relatively speaking. Near Flagstaff which is at 7,000feet. The hikes around Vegas will be hot. There is a ski mountain near Vegas that may offer possibilities.
Sedona is at 5,000 feet I believe.
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Old May 6th, 2016, 10:13 AM
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Thanks so much for the tips! We're looking forward to the West Fork trail!! I just added two more days to our trip, so now we're arriving Sunday morning at 9:40am. Hopefully this will allow us to include all of the following in a more relaxed pace: Sedona, Oak Creek, Grand Canyon, Horseshoe, Antelope, Marble Canyon, Jacob Lake, Zion, Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam. Question is, where should we spend our nights to make best use of our time, and what deserves the most time? I'm thinking Sedona and Zion need two overnights?
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Old May 6th, 2016, 04:44 PM
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Just did a trip that included most of the places you are going - it was in March so heat wasn't much of an issue but we really loved Valley of Fire. And the absolute highlight was Antelope Canyon - make sure you make a reservation, which you can do on-line for free. Otherwise you will have a long wait.

On a previous trip I went to horseshoe bend - that was in August and it was very hot but still worth it.

Zion definitely needs two nights.

If you are going to the south rim of the grand canyon be prepared for huge crowds in June. The north rim is much less crowded and more pleasant, but it's about an hour from any real town so most people stay in national park lodging, and that could be sold out by now for this coming June.

Here's the link to the trip report I did from this past March (Sedona, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Valley of Fire) - http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ath-valley.cfm

Here's a link to our previous trip to the region (August 2010) which was North Rim GC, Horseshoe Bend, Zion - http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...parks-trip.cfm

Here's the photos - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/southwest_us
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Old May 7th, 2016, 06:55 PM
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We have just done something similar. A warning:

Driving into Vegas from Zion was not a fun experience. Traffic nearing Vegas was not fun. The security lines at LAS are not fun. And you have to gas up, drop off your car at the rental car centre AND shuttle (mercifully quick in our case) from the rental car centre to LAS airport - be sure to know which terminal you need. Given all this, I recommend you delete any idea of detouring to Valley of Fire - we found it to be a lengthy detour just to get there - not something you want to attempt when you have to catch a 5 p.m plane.
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Old May 11th, 2016, 07:33 PM
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In Sedona don't miss slide rock. We also hiked to a bunch of incredible swimming holes that were straight out of a story book. I would google and get info.
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Old Aug 30th, 2016, 10:55 AM
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Now that the summer is winding down and the kids have returned to school, I finally have time to report on this incredible trip!!

After landing in Phoenix, we were a little delayed with a phone issue, but made it to our hotel in Cottonwood at about 2pm. I was a little worried about staying in Cottonwood and being 15 minutes away from Sedona, but really glad I made that choice. We stayed at the Iron Horse Inn and it was just the cutest, most perfect place for the two of us! Beautifully decorated rooms and service was top notch! Loved the free Starbucks, too!! The drive I was worried about turned out to offer the most amazing scenery of the red rocks! We also saved quite a bit by staying in Cottonwood as opposed to Sedona. So glad we discovered this gem of a town! Will always stay there now when visiting Sedona.

After we checked in and gave ourselves a bit of time to recover from our travels, we took off for the trails. We spent four hours hiking to Devil's Bridge and was rewarded with the most amazing sweeping views of Sedona. The hike wasn't too bad. The end had a bit of a climb, but nothing too strenuous. We were there from about 4pm-8pm so it wasn't too hot. In fact, by the time we were headed back, the sun was setting and there was a nice breeze to cool us down. Definitely recommend this hike!!! After our hike we headed back to Cottonwood and picked up some take out from a restaurant across the street from our hotel. Most restaurants closed at 9pm and we made it back just in time to order for pick up.

The next day we left Cottonwood and spent some time exploring uptown Sedona, had lunch at the Thai restaurant, and went swimming at Slide Rock. We probably would've enjoyed Slide Rock more if we went in a little further into the canyon where there might have been less people. Great place for a dip and the kid got some tanning in.

From Slide Rock, we headed to our hotel in Flagstaff. After checking in, we headed out to downtown for dinner and souvenir shopping.

The next day we were at the Grand Canyon by 10:30am. We spent the entire time walking the South Rim. Saw lots of wildlife, including chipmunks, hummingbirds, and mule deers. We didn't stay for the sunset because the kid was drained.

We started the next day driving along the South Rim on Hwy 64. Stopped at some great view points, including the Watchtower. The drive along 89 towards Page was gorgeous! We detoured onto 89A to cross the Navajo Bridge and explore a bit at Marble Canyon and see the Vermillion Cliffs. We grabbed lunch at Cliff Dwellers, awesome place!!! Food was fantastic and the views were great!! What a find!!

We headed back towards Page after lunch, but detoured again, this time onto Lees Ferry Rd. We had to find a spot to dip our feet in the Colorado River! Found a nice secluded spot right by the boat ramp. It was very exciting! LOL!! The drive on Lees Ferry Rd offered incredible views of the cliffs! We passed a very chic looking photo shoot!

Our next stop was the sunset at Horseshoe Bend. We were so glad we chose to do the sunset there, it wasn’t hot at all and the colors were incredible! And Horseshoe Bend in real life was just as magical and breathtaking as the photos we’ve seen of it!

We took the 8:20am tour at Lower Antelope Canyon the next morning. Again, really glad about the timing. Even that early, the sun was harsh, but still bearable. Can only imagine how awful it would have been if we took a later tour. You have to stand out in the sun before actually going down into the canyon. Anyone planning on doing a tour, be sure to have water! The tour was amazing, the colors were unreal! The kid said this was her favorite activity from the whole trip. I’m sure the tour guide helped contributing to that factor with the extra attention he devoted to her since it was her birthday that day. Thanks again, Brooks from Ken’s Tours!

A note about where the tours are located: Lower Antelope is on a reservation, so you’ll have to pay the $8 fee to get onto the property, cash only.

After the tour, we had lunch at Antelope Point Marina. Very nice atmosphere and the food was great!

We headed into Utah after lunch. Great drive, some parts just incredible!! We did a driving tour of Bryce Canyon. Amazing views at Inspiration Point!

We stayed at the Historic Smith Mountain B&B in Glendale that night, owned by two lovely ladies who had their fair share of adventures in their younger years. Breakfast was great and beds were comfortable! We met two young ladies there on an adventure of their own, hitting the same spots we were but in reverse. We were both going to the Narrows the next day, and out of all those people in the crowd, we spotted each other during our hikes. We were all having a great time and it was fun running into them again! They were off to Page the next day.

The Narrows was an amazing experience! Would love to go back one day to do the whole length and camp overnight! We only made it to the Fork that day. Also hope to do the Subway when we return.

We stayed at the Majestic View Lodge in Springdale that night. Nice hotel, close enough to return to the park the next morning for a nice short drive before heading into Nevada.

The drive into Nevada, along the Virgin River Gorge, might have been my favorite drive in the whole trip! It was so beautiful and unexpected!

We stopped in Valley of Fire and drove the length of the park. We got out a few times for photos, but no hikes there. The heat was so intense it was hard to be outside for more than a few minutes at a time. There were hikers out, not sure how they were doing it. The colors at Valley of Fire is definitely worth the detour! The red rocks, wispy white clouds, and blue sky made for gorgeous patriotic photos!

Next stop was the Hoover Dam. We didn’t spend too much time there. It was about 1pm and the heat was unbearable. We walked down to the bridge, then I had to go back up to get the car while the kid waited by the fan. She nearly passed out.

Made it to the Vegas airport for our 5pm flight with plenty of time to spare. Had a great trip and cannot wait to go back with the hubby!! Thanks again to everyone for all of the tips that was so helpful in planning this trip! If you’d like to see photos: http://everlinkonline.blogspot.com/2...d-trip_22.html
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Old Aug 30th, 2016, 11:17 AM
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What a wonderful mom/daughter trip! The photos are great. We love this part of the world. Time to start planning the next trip.

Thanks for coming back with the report.
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Old Aug 30th, 2016, 11:39 AM
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Thank you, emalloy! Really in love with that part of the country!! So different from the East Coast!
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