Arizona-Grand Canyon Trip
 

My adult daughter and I have five days in Arizona and want to see the Grand Canyon and Sedona. What else is possible in five days over July 4? I know it is hot, but we are in decent shape and can tolerate some hiking. We are very active, not big foodies or shoppers and want to see the most possible (perhaps Lake Powell, Phoenix etc?)

We'll be in Sedona and Scottsdale as well for the 4th of July..
Sedona is hot but not as hot as Scottsdale..
I would base yourself in Sedona for 3 days and drive up for the day to GC..
Scottsdale for the other 2 days and stay at a 5* hotel resort for under $150 a night..we love the Phoenician or the Royal Palms..normally these rooms are over $700+ a night and the activities during the 4th are great.
We were at the Phoenecian last 4th of July and it was 113 degrees!
Expedia is a good idea to get rates.
Sedona, we like staying at Enchantment Resort for the high end or Sedona Rouge or BW Inn of Sedona for moderate price.
2 hour drive from PHX to Sedona and Sedona to GC is about 2+ hours to the South Rim.
Have fun!

Lake Powell over a holiday weekends is a ZOO! Anytime between July 3 & July 6th, I'd avoid Lake Powell. If you can squeese it in before or after those dates, I'd say maybe.

I'd see where you can get logding and go from there. Other things to do: In the Sedona area you have Montezuma Castle National Monument. Near Flagstaff there is Walnut Canyon National Monument. Not far from the S. Rim is Sunset Crater National Monument and Wupatki National Monument. Those and Sedona and the Grand Canyon should keep you busy for 5 days.

Utahtea

is it possible to include Page, Arizona and see Lake Powell, the Rainbow Bridge in this time. Did I see correctly that Page from the Grand Canyon is only 138 miles away. Is that highway driving?

To see Rainbow Bridge, you have to take the boat trip on Lake Powell which takes 5 for the half day cruise and 7 1/2 hours for the all day cruise. You have to hike 2 miles on both cruises. http://www.lakepowell.com/activities/tours-overview.cfm I don't want to discourage you because the boat trip to Rainbow Bridge is one of my favorite things to do.

Depending on which dates over the 4th of July weekend you drive to or from Lake Powell will depend on if you run into boater traffic. If you are headed to Lake Powell on Friday, July 3 or headed from Page to the Grand Canyon on Monday, July 6th, then plan on it taking well over the three hours it would usually take to drive. Hwy 89 between Page and Carmel Jct. is a very good two lane paved road. It's the 4th of July weekend that's going to mess up your plans.

Utahtea

and if you want lodging at the Grand Canyon Park, I'd advise making that booking NOW.

Just a quick correction - Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument are just a few miles outside of Flagstaff, not the South Rim. You know, you could base yourself in Flagstaff as an alternative. You'd be 90 minutes from the GC south rim, 45 minutes from Sedona, and have all the local Flagstaff attractions as well. Around July 4th, we'll be mid/high 80s in temperature. Keep in mind that our monsoon season usually starts around then, so plan for your outdoor activities to take place in the morning.The rains come mid-afternoon.