We are planning to fly into Phoenix on March 21 and spend a week in the area. We are thinking of 2 days in Phoenix and then head north to Sedona area..and then ??? We want to see and do not spend our time in an auto driving. We are walkers, so will do some hiking. Will we have time to go to the Grand Canyon? Since we plan to fly out from Phoenix we are not sure how much time we need to return to Phoenix. Any help getting us started will be wonderful! We are a couple with a 17 year old. We have always spent our spring break time on islands, so being away from a beach is very foreign! Any recommendations will be appreciated.

That time of year the desert around Phoenix is very beautiful with wildflowers and cactus blooms. Some nice hikes around Phoenix, like the Superstition Mountains area. Sedona is great, about 2 hours north of Phoenix.

Will we have time to go to the Grand Canyon?

Sure, it's about a four hour drive from the PHX airport, couple of hours from Sedona. Spend a couple of days up there hiking on the rim (or below it if you're really fit).

Since we plan to fly out from Phoenix we are not sure how much time we need to return to Phoenix.

Safest bet is to return to Phoenix the night before the flight. I posted the drive times from Sedona and GC above, but early in the AM weekdays the freeway is very crowded and occasionally you get stuck in a traffic jam, maybe enough to miss an early AM flight, so if you have a late afternoon flight I'd stay the last night up north but for flights earlier in the day it's safest to be in town the night before.

Bill

Just wondering if you have made hotel reservations in Phoenix yet, because the time you will be there is still Spring Training for the west coast baseball teams, and Phoenix/Scottsdale will be very crowded.

Be sure to reserve rooms early. We had trouble a couple of Marches ago in Arizona. They have the Grapefruit League and could have pro golf plus others escaping the end of the winter.

Aduchamp, correction, in Arizona (as opposed to Florida), it's the cactus league. Makes sense. No grapefruits growing in the desert LOL

Thanks for the comments! I have not made reservations yet, but will do so soon. First I have to do some more research to make sure this is a GO! I know that we may be to late for reservations at certain hotels, but hopefully not all. My husband leaves the planning up to me for vacations, so I need to get in gear for this trip! I just enjoy getting "info" from FODOR'S Talk people, as they have been very helpful in the past. So thanks! More suggestions appreciated!

You will have time for the Grand Canyon, and it is worth the hike to Indian Gardens. The weather in March aat the GC can be hot or three years ago we had snow so watch the weather. If you want to hike into the canyon, there is a nice trail down to Indian Gardens. Neither my son (10 at the time) nor I were great hikers, but we are quite active, and we did well going leisurely there and back in about 7 hours. If you want to stay at the Lodge near the trail, you should book your room ASAP since they fill quickly. The room and shower were especially nice after the trip up. The distance is not that far, and the climb is not steep, but it is continual on the way up. Would also agree with Bill H that the Phoenix traffic can be gridlock or very slow so be in Phoenix the night before your flight unless the flight is late afternoon. The desert should be colorful then so it is a great time for a visit!

Sorry, meant to write Cactus League.