We are going to be in Phoenix for 3 full days at the end of March (arriving Tuesday afternoon and leaving early morning on Saturday). We are mainly interested in hiking and, given the short-ish duration of the trip, probably not going to do long drives. What would the best use of our time be? We are mainly looking at three locations - Phoenix, Sedona, and GC but open to any suggestions (neither of us has ever been to Arizona). Should we stay in Phoenix for the whole time and do day trips from there? Or would staying in Sedona for the first two nights be better? Is booking a one day GC tour from Phoenix worth it?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Welcome to Fodors! Unless there is something you really want to see in Phoenix, rent a car at the airport and drive to Sedona. If lodging in Sedona is too expensive you can stay in Flagstaff. You should be able to get a tour from either Sedona or Flagstaff to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. There are good hiking trails in the Sedona area and good paved trails along the rim of the Grand Canyon. A couple of things to see in Flagstaff are the Lowell Observatory and the Riordan mansion on the campus of NAU.

Sedona. Oak Creek Canyon is spectacular and the town bills itself as the “Day Hike Capital of America” and the region has more than 100 trails. Just west of town is the Red Rock-Secret Mt. Wilderness with the Robbers Roost cave on a ½ mile trail. Lots of outdoor activities including hiking, mt. Biking and horseback riding. Visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and Red Rock Canyon State Park, Slide Rock State Park. See Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. There are many shops selling Western and American Indian artwork and jewelry. The weather is mild year-round. There are two visitor centers: Sedona Visitor Center and the Red Rock Ranger Visitor Center (for hiking, camping, etc).

I live in AZ and agree with the above posters. Go to Sedona and Grand Canyon. We live an hour and a half south of Phoenix and rarely go there. We keep on driving past it up to Sedona.

Thank you all for the great suggestions! Our plan now is to drive directly to Sedona from the airport then come back the night before the return flight. On to research the best trails...

Good plan!