SammyCat

Hello everyone. My husband and I are planning a trip for mid-May. We are in our mid 30's and in great health but definitely NOT althletic. We'd like to do some moderate hikes. As far as dining goes, we'd be interested in local southwestern cuisine. (We get a lot of the fancy stuff in LA).

I have gotten so many great ideas from the message boards, but I'd like some help with the "holes" (???) in our itinerary. Also, if you think any of the ideas I have so far are terrible, please let me know, too. (I haven't done much with day 6 and 7 yet)

Day 1 - Drive from LA to Sedona (7-½ hours drive).
??? Where to stop along the way for lunch
Check in at Matterhorn Lodge for 3 nights.
Check out Hillside Sedona and have dinner at Shruges’ Restaurant.

Day 2 - Sedona. Hike the West Fork of Oak Creek Trail.
??? Other activities
??? Dining Suggestions


Day 3 - Sedona. Hike Boynton Canyon Trail.
Lunch at Enchantment Resort.
??? Other activities
??? Dinner

Day 4 - Drive to Grand Canyon (2-½ hours drive).
Check in at Holiday Inn Express.
South Kabib Trail (3 miles round trip).
Dinner at El Tovar

Day 5 - Hike Bright Angel Trail (3 miles round trip).
Lunch at Bright Angel Lodge.
RimTrail w/ Shuttle.
???Dinner Suggestion

Day 6 - Drive to Scottsdale (4 hours).
???Hikes/Activities
Day 7 - Apache Trail or other...??

Day 8 - Drive home to LA (6 hours).

teddysmom

Hi. My husband and I were in Sedona last June and I would definitely recommend the Pink Jeep tour. It takes you on "roads" that no car can travel on and you see some wonderful scenery. You also make a couple of stops to walk around and see breathtaking views. Plus the ride itself is great! It was a lot of fun and one of our best memories of that trip. I highly recommend it. You do need to reserve in advance. We did the most popular tour they have, but I forget the name of it. They'll know what you want. Have fun. I love Arizona!!

giro

Once in scottsdale you may want to consider hikes at Pinnacle Peak in North Scottsdale, or McDowell Mountain trailhead at 128th Street and Via Linda, or either Squaw Peak or (more challenging) Camelback Mountain. Remember that all these hikes need to be done in EARLY morning because of the heat with Sufficient water.
Apache Trail is about 6-7 hours roundtrip so you may not want to do all that driving after coming in from the grand canyon and going back to LA.
Less strenuous activity in Scottsdale might be a tour of Taliesen West.
Enoy

seattlesue

We just returned from Sedona and we loved the Matterhorn! We had great views of the red rocks and just loved it there. I would also recommend taking a Pink Jeep tour, we took the Broken Arrow and it was a fun trip. Our favorite dining spot was the Cowboy Club, which is walking distance from the hotel. Be sure to try the cactus fries and have something buffalo. The atmosphere is fun and the servers are great. Oaxaca is next to the hotel and has a great happy hour. There are some great shops to walk to, but Talaquepaque is also a fun place to check out as well.

teddysmom

Yes, thanks Seattlesue, the Broken Arrow is the Pink Jeep tour we also took . Couldn't remember the name. It was great. Again, highly recommend it.

amwosu

I second the suggestion to do Pinnacle Peak or Camelback rather than drive the Apache Trail since you'll be driving back to LA the next day. The Apache Trail is very nice but so is the view from Camelback, even if you only go part way up.

You need to google Camelback to see where to park on Invergorden near the Phoenician entrance and the name of the road that you walk on to get to the trailhead. There really is no obvious park entrance. I have friends that were just there last week and drove and drove around looking for the trailhead parking lot.... never did find it and misses what I think is a highlight of the area.

lthompson

I, too, recommend the Pink Jeep Broken Arrow tour. Awesome!