Arizona itinerary suggestions.
 

I'm planning a trip to Arizona with my husband in late March. My original plan was to fly into Phoenix, rent a car and drive to the Grand Canyon and stay on the South rim for 3 nights, then drive to Sedona and stay for 3 nights at a nice B & B. I didn't realize it's a 4+ hour drive from Phoenix to the GC. It's also been suggested that 3 nights may be one night too many if we're not avid hikers. I would also really like to visit Bisbee-the Copper Queen Mine Tour sounds really cool. My thought was to do Sedona last as kind of a way to relax at the end of our trip. Does anyone have any suggestions about the best way to combine a trip that starts with a flight into Phoenix, includes the GC, Sedona and Bisbee and perhaps a location or 2 in between? Would flying into Las Vegas be any better? I think staying in 3 places would be the most we'd want to do. Thanks for all your help.

I'm sure you've seen, by looking at a map, Sedona and Bisbee are in opposite directions from Phoenix. I've never done both on the same trip but if I did:

Day 1: Phoenix to Bisbee and overnight.
Day 2: Bisbee to Sedona and overnight (GC is too far from Bisbee to comfortably drive in one day and still be able to stop for attractions and views).
Day 3-4: Drive to GC & overnight.
Day 5-6: Drive back to Sedona and overnight.

Depending on your interest in western history, you might also want to make a stop in Tombstone which is on the way from Phoenix to Bisbee.

Have a great trip.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into doing something along those lines. I'm sure the sensible thing to do would be to stick with the Northern part of the state but I'm not sure I want to be sensible.

My husband and I just got back from a trip to Arizona for our honeymoon. We were there for a week and ended our trip with 2 nights in Sedona after spending time at the Grand Canyon. Personally, I didn't find Sedona all that relaxing in comparison to the Grand Canyon. It was much more developed and touristy and after spending the first part of our trip in relative isolation I found it to be a bit jarring to my nerves. Since Sedona's on the way to GC from PHX, I might start my trip there and then journey on to GC. On the way back down to PHX you could stop and visit Montezuma's castle or Montezuma's well if time permits to break up the drive. We didn't have time for either of those attractions to my disappointment. I considered driving in from Vegas instead, but the drive seemed to be about the same length but I think the drive from Vegas is less interesting. You may want to see if there's a price difference depending on what airport you fly into. Good luck with the planning!

Dana, I would also do as dwooddon suggests, assuming you don't want to be reasonable and stay in the northern part of AZ! All in all, Phoenix to Bisbee without stopping should take you about 4 hours. I would add that the drive from Phoenix to Bisbee doesn't get scenic for about, oh, 3 hours--then, the last hour is quite nice, with great views of the Huachucas; you could also drive through Patagonia and Sonoita on your way there, adding only about 20 min to the trip and sparing yourself more time on I-10. Another nice stop along the way, up or back, is the church known as the White Dove of the Desert, San Xavier del Bac, which is right off the highway just south of Tucson. Most people end up staying at the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee, which isn't very fancy but is very old and quaint. Cafe Roka is a great spot for dinner. There are B&B's around as well, but I'm not familiar with any myself. Good luck planning, and have a great trip!

You might try to fit in a 1/2 day in Jerome, an old mining town between Phx and Sedona. Worth a look/see. Very charming shops and beautiful views.

Hi - actually, if you really want to do Bisbee and Northern Arizona, why not fly into Tuscon (since Bisbee is just under 2 hours South of Tucson) and then have your return flight out of Phoenix? I have relatives in Tuscon and we always have sales conference in Phoenix. I would never think of doing both Sedona/Flagstaff/Grand Canyon and Bisbee in one trip -- way too much time spent in the car! To get the best out of both it takes two trips to AZ.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I've booked 3 nights at the GC (at El Tovar) and 2 nights in Sedona at a B & B. I've given up the Bisbee idea. I want to book 2 more nights somewhere else but I haven't decided where that should be. I was considering Tucson but I'm not sure how long it'll take to get there from Sedona. It looks to me to be about 235 miles but according to a friend that used to live in Phoenix she said it only takes 2 hours-which is about the most I want to drive to get to our final destination. I'm considering flying into Phoenix and out of Tucson but I haven't checked prices on that yet. Anyone have any comments??
Thanks!

you are missing a big part of Arizona if you don't make an effort to get to the Navajo Reservation. A good jumping off point for the Rez is Flagstaff, which is about 1-1/2 to 2 hours from the South Rim of the Canyon, and about an hour north of Sedona. Flag is also lovely city in and of itself, and well worth a trip.

From there, go east and northeast to Tuba City, which is the edge of the Rez and right near the Hopi Reservation.

A truly different and beautiful experience.

Niskyboss-
Thanks for the suggestion-going to an Indian reservation was actually one of the things I wanted to look into. Did you take a formal tour or can you go on your own? We'll definitely make this a part of our trip. Perhaps we'll stay in Flagstaff for the last 2 nights of our vacation. Thanks for the tip!!

no formal tour is necessary. Just get a few good maps and guide books.

What we liked to do is just get in the car and drive and stop when we came across something interesting -- a trading post, arts and crafts center, etc. The best thing, if you can find one, would be to go to a flea market or swap meet. Lots of great Navajo jewelry (silver and turquoise) and you can get a real flavor of the culture. We have been to one in Tuba City twice. Tuba is about 2 hours from Flag.