lear1

Taking Amtrak to Flagstaff and renting car. Planning on driving to Grand Canyon and Sedona (probably two nights at each) then heading back to Flagstaff to pick up Amtrak again. Should we drive to GC or Sedona first? Does it matter? How long is the drive from Flagstaff to GC or Sedona? And how long is the drive from GC to Sedona or vice versa? We are a mixed group of seniors, adults in our late 30s and toddlers. Please help.

tugozi

We visited Grandcanyon and Sedona two springs ago with an active 3yr old.
Made Flagstaff as our base. Stayed at Marriot on the highway.
Both of them are driving distance to Flagstaff. Check the weather. Visit the GC on the cooler day. we used the scenic route to Sedona. Felt like took a long time. Watching GC during sunset is priceless. Flagstaff is kind of between GC and Sedona.

If you are planning on a lots of hikes, visit GC first. That is what we did. Sedona is more like a beatiful town to relax. They also have jeep tours where yo can sit down and relax. I liked the locally made salsas.

lear1

Thank you. So you would suggest we use Flagstaff as our base instead of overnighting at each for two nights? Did you do day trips only or did you overnight at either place? How many nights did you spend at the Mariott? I like the tip on visiting GC on the cooler day so that's how I will decide which to go to first. Also saw info on jeep tours. How was that with the 3 year old? There will be 3 toddlers on this trip and wasn't sure if the jeep thing was appropriate for them. Sounds like fun to me though.

lilaki

hi lear1,

we were in GC/sedona/phoenix in 2005 (a little dated by now) ... i would definitely recommend STAYING in the GC park ... there's a good range of in-park accommodations (book EARLY!) and the restaurants were also very good (and reasonably priced) -- esp. seeing that you're a captive audience in a national park! we stayed a total of three nights in GC in the bright angel lodge (very close to canyon). if i were to do it again, we could totally do four nights and not get bored. we didn't do a ton of hiking -- we did various trails but nothing like a rim-to-rim hike.

following GC, we drove to sedona (i think this took about 2 hours?) and stayed two nights. which was one night too long, IMHO. we did a jeep tour (definitely recommended), did a hike through boynton canyon, watched a sunrise @ the airport strip, etc. we're not really into crystals/spas/ psychics/vortexes so maybe that's why we were a little bored? i found sedona pricey -- both for food and accommodations.

i can't comment on flagstaff ... we drove past it on our way from phoenix to the GC. i don't think it matters which order you visit - depends on what you want to do. however, i would really recommend staying in GC park vs. driving in from flagstaff everyday.

lear1

Thank you lilaki & tugozi! Any other input would be appreciated as well.

LSky

We stayed in Flagstaff but if doing it again, I'd stay in the Grand Canyon. Not in the park but in the town outside that offers hotels with pools and spa tubs. We didn't do a lot of hiking in the canyon because it was icy but after a long hike what is better than a nice soak?

The lodges in the park offer a nice view of the canyon. We didn't stay there but judging from the outside - ugh! When we first saw them, we wondered why all these government buildings were lining the canyon. Oh, they were the hotels! It's hard to fathom that in one the most beautiful spots on earth that anyone thought to line it with horrid architecture. From what I had read, the rooms are small and the service awful. One step inside the El Tovar for a drink and I wanted out, it smelled musty.

On the way to the GC, we stopped at Wupatki National Monument on the way to the canyon and while I wanted to visit Sunset Crater my husband was anxious to get to the canyon. It was a nice drive up from Flagstaff and Wupatki was interesting, we left early enough in the morning to see quite a bit of wildlife.

Sedona is breathtaking. I don’t know how much hiking you’ll be doing with the toddlers but it seemed to be well worth a jeep tour. I could have stayed 2 nights in Sedona.

But all of this may not help if we don't know what you're interested in seeing?

Bill_H

Should we drive to GC or Sedona first? Does it matter?

Doesn't really matter ... I'd probably do Sedona first, saving the best for last.

How long is the drive from Flagstaff to GC or Sedona? And how long is the drive from GC to Sedona or vice versa?

According to Mapquest, Flag to Sedona is "Estimated Time: 54 minutes Estimated Distance: 29.28 miles" This is driving thru Oak Creek Canyon (there are two other ways in from Flag).

Flag to GC is "Estimated Time: 1 hour 35 minutes Total Estimated Distance: 78.51 miles "

Two nights in Sedona and 2 at the GC is a nice split. Both are more interesting than Flagstaff to most people. In the GC I'd stay either in the lodges near the rim or, if the pool is important as you mentioned in an earlier post, at Tusayan 7 miles south of the rim. The Tusayan hotels are newer and nicer, the GC hotels are adequate but have the advantage of being much closer to the rim.

You would probably enjoy the IMAX movie of the GC at Tusayan, maybe mid-day or at night. Early AM and late afternoon is when you should be on the rim soaking in the sights. The canyon looks best early and late in the day.

MichelleY

I agree with Bill H. I would stay at the rim, but if you need the pool, stay in Tusayan.

I would skip a jeep tour with toddlers. May be too scary for them, plus you don't want to shake up their developing brains There may also be minimum weight restrictions for the seat belts.

Good luck and report back after your trip.

MY

lear1

Thank you all for your help. Planning this trip was overwhelming for me but thanks to your input, I was ready to tackle it. The IMAX movie sounds like a fun way to get out of the heat for a bit. Thanks again!

DebitNM

Don't even think about doing a jeep tour in Sedona with either the toddlers or the seniors!!! I doubt any reliable company would allow toddlers, and for the seniors - well, think of them being like a James Bond martini - shaken, not stirred -- after a jeep tour over the red rocks in Sedona.

Deb

lear1

Thanks for your reply. I emailed the jeep tour operator and was informed they accommodate toddlers as young as 18 months. They provide car seats and supposedly go no faster than 7 mph. How fun can that be? I think we'll pass. Has anyone visited Rock Slide State Park? It looks like fun from what I can see on their website. I'm wondering if anyone who has gone with young children can comment.

Bill_H

Regarding the jeep tours from Sedona, they are not meant to be rugged, hard-core back-roading (your comment about "supposedly go no faster than 7 mph. How fun can that be?") but instead are designed to get people into the beautiful red-rock backcountry, including some well-preserved Anasazi Indian ruins. Downtown Sedona is congested and a bit tacky with all the shops. The attractions for many are the scenery outside of town.

FWIW the Phoenix newspaper (Arizona Republic) commissioned a tourist survey of the popularity of 781 'tourist activities' available in the state. The Sedona Pink jeep tours were ranked # 1 by visitors (for comparision the Grand Canyon ranked # 9 and the Skywalk ranked 760 out of 781).

Slide Rock State Park is very popular, also pretty crowded. I think the children would enjoy it, especially on week-days. There is limited parking and once the parking lots fill up people are turned away, something that happens often on weekends.

lear1

Thanks, Bill H. Will keep an open mind about the jeep tours. I was worried about the kids originally then thought perhaps it would be boring. Sounds like visitors love it. Will be there on a weekend so will give Slide Rock State Park a shot. Hopefully we get there early enough and will not be turned away. I agree, I think the kids will enjoy it. Thanks again!

Bill_H

Lear, I haven't taken one of the jeep tours (I have my own 4 WD) but a couple of times I've been photographing outside Sedona when the pink jeeps pulled up. The people would get out (this was near Indian ruins) and wander around a bit while the guide gave a talk, then they would clamber back in and drive off to the next spot on their route. So they aren't in the jeep all the time. And contrary to an above post most were senior citizens.

Here's a link to the tripadvisor site, which ranks the pink jeep tours as # 1 out of 77 Sedona tourist attractions ... http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...a_Arizona.html

You mentioned Slide Rock State Park ... it is also ranked highly, # 9 of 77 ... http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...a_Arizona.html

You can get an idea of the other attractions in Sedona from those web sites too.

DebitNM

We also have our own 4 WD vehicle so we don't do the Jeep tours. We also see jeeps while we go off road in Sedona.

There is a lot of jostling, bouncing etc. I suppose it was a generalization about toddlers and seniors, but I think it is worth being aware that even though the jeeps go slow [they have too] there is a lot of "movement" that might bother the seniors and the toddlers might find some of the precarious angles the jeeps take, scary.

Deb