elamfivecoat9398

Hello everyone! I’m heading to Sedona in mid December and looking for some itinerary suggestions. Me and my family are mainly outdoor people and we love easy to moderate hikes. So far, this is my itinerary:

day 1: fly into Phoenix EARLY and drive to Sedona. I would like to do an afternoon hike

day 2: church in the morning from 8 to 9, rest of day totally free

day 3: day trip to the Grand Canyon

day 4: completely free

a few places that I’ve read about and would like to visit are:

bell rock
cathedral rock
devils bridge(I know it’s crowded but is it worth it?)
doe mountain
fay canyon
west fork trail
boynton canyon
red rock crossing

i know I probably won’t be able to fit all of these into one trip, and I also don’t want to be rushing around the whole time, but any itinerary suggestions would be great!!

Jean

I think you have to watch the weather forecast and then make your plans for the day. Always be prepared for the temps to drop 15-20 degrees after sunset. When hiking, always carry warmer layers (and rain gear if advisable that day), esp. if you're starting out in the afternoon.

elamfivecoat9398

Ok thanks. Will it be too cold and wet to do the west fork trail?

Barbara

There could also be snow.

elamfivecoat9398

What hikes do y’all recommend for my itinerary? Do you think the devils bridge hike is worth it because I’m not really a fan of big crowds

elamfivecoat9398

Heading to Sedona in a few weeks and looking for some easy to moderate hikes to do. I’m arriving at about noon and I have the rest of that day then 2 full days in Sedona. Hiking suggestions would be great!

(I’ve heard devils bridge trail is very crowded but do y’all think that it’s worth it?)

Moderator1

Welcome to Fodors elamfivecoat0398. Your two threads about the Sedona trip have been merged

elamfivecoat9398

Thank you!!!

oldemalloy

I would try to get a night at Grand Canyon even if it meant paying for a night in Sedona that I was not using. Alternatively you could put GC at the beginning or end of the trip. Do plan to get there and or leave when there is daylight, we have seen mule deer and elk on or near the roads both from the south and East as well as in the park near the village.

I would want to see sunrise and sunset as well as stop at the pull offs along the rim, the VC, and hike along the rim trail as well as down into the canyon a bit. That is too much for a day trip from Sedona. If you use the east entrance for either going or leaving, you could stop at Wupatki for some ancient Native American history and/or Sunset crater for some geology.

elamfivecoat9398

Unfortunately I can’t stay a night at the Grand Canyon because everything I looked at was booked! But hopefully I can make it work.

pasandy91

keep trying..........people cancel all the time

janisj

^^^ Ditto. Make a cancelable reservation somewhere else, then keep trying for an opening in the park. Especially this year with many people changing their plans semi-last minute there will something opening up. Places like the GC and YNP, folks tend to book up to a year ahead and 'stuff happens' in the iterim

tomfuller

You can click my name to get to the trip report for November 2019 my DW and I took to AZ. We landed late at Phoenix-Mesa and spent a night in Mesa before picking up our rental car. We stayed a week in a motel along the old Rt. 66 in Flagstaff and made our road trips from there. At the elevation of the south Rim, expect to see snow on the trails. Last year we drove through some snow between the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff near the Arizona Snow Bowl on the way back.
I honestly saw all that I wanted to see of Sedona on our day trip there from Flagstaff.

oldemalloy

I agree keep trying for lodging in GC, we have even walked up and scored a room in el Tovar last minute. There are two different numbers, one for elTovar,Maswick,Kachin and Thunderbird and another for Yavapai. Do call on the phone as they book cancellations that do not show up on line till later, people and tour companies make reservations a year ahead then cancel when they find they can not use them, so they free up as the time gets closer.

HappyTrvlr

Are you aware how the coronavirus is surging in Arizona now? ICU beds are in short supply already and Christmastime is predicted to be worse. I would not visit AZ at this time, high risk. Follow Phoenix and Tucson newspapers, TV news to keep up to date.
The Navajo nation is being devastated.