flagstaff versus sedona
 

Hi,
Back again for more help. This board has given me great information for other vacations. Here's my dilemma: Flagstaff or Sedona as a base for our stay in AZ. Certainly a day trip to Grand Canyon is in order. We enjoy hiking, biking, outdoors and historical sites. I would love to take my children to some Indian sites as well.

What's the vote? Not into amusement parks or shopping, but I won't convulse if I happen to see some.

Best location for base camp?

Thanks.

Sedona--hands down --no contest

Sedona is very touristy and Flagstaff is more of a college town with some great restaurants, shopping, etc. I have visited both and my choice would definitely be Flagstaff.

It's cheaper to stay in Flagstaff, but if you want a good night's sleep stay in Sedona. Trains run through Flagstaff 24/7 and they are loud! Also, there really isn't anything to do there. Sedona is nicer.

Either would work well for your plans. Flagstaff would be cheaper and is more kid friendly. There are tons of places to eat and hotels to stay in. Little America is a great hotel and is away from the train noise. Flagstaff will put you closer to the Grand Canyon. Easy drive for a day trip to Sedona. Would be my pick.

Sedona is warmer this time of year. Tons of hiking and biking trails. Also some nice petroglyphs. Much smaller town. Most places close early. A great place to eat dinner(even with kids) is Cafe Rustica in the Village of Oak Creek.

Enjoy.

Have you considered splitting it between several locations? Places to visit are far apart and you will spend twice as long in the vehicle driving than needed if you moved locations.

How long do you have for this trip?

Driving from Sedona to the Grand Canyon and back in one day will kill over 4 1/2 hours of just driving time. Even the drive from Flagstaff will kill over 3 - 4 hours of drive time depending on which route you take. Unless you want to drive after dark, you won't be there to see a Grand Canyon sunset or sunrise for that matter!

I would highly recommend at least one or possibly two nights at the Grand Canyon.

Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly are excellent Indian sites. The drive on Hwy 264 between Tuba City and Hubbel Trading Post National Historic Site will give you a real feel of how the Navajo's live today.

Wupatki National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument and Montezuma's Castle Monument are excellent accient publeo dwellings.

Utahtea

We have a week in March for this trip--our spring break. while it is obvious Flagstaff is closer to the GC, won't we be dealing with Baseball Spring Training crowds?

I'm anti-social. I don't need crowds, which is why I'm intimidated by the GC set up. I was there as a child and remember it as being awesome, but everything I've read about the park now makes it a real pain to visit. Too bad, isn't it? I wish I could plan a trip there a year in advance, but that just isn't practical for us.

We typically rent a condo on VRBO and use that as a base camp for our trips. If there is a better location than Sedona or Flagstaff for our purposes please feel free to let me know.

Thank you for your replies.

I'd move around, instead of staying in one place. Flagstaff is like every boring small USA city - Wal Mart and K Mart etc. Sedona has beautiful parts (the Red Rock State Park etc) but is very touristy. Be sure to see all the Indian sites mentioned here by utahea -- they are wonderful.

Do you use Tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews? Perhaps you could find a nice, small place in Sedona.

If you happen to be near Phoenix - be sure to check out the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. It is just fabulous and if you like to hike you will certainly appreciate the amazing scenery, plants, birds etc there.

http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu/

If you decide to stay in Sedona, check out the Sky Ranch Lodge. It's on a mesa above the town, so it's quiet. The grounds are lovely, so it's a nice place for kids. Eat at the little airport next door. Don't worry about noise. Only small planes come and go, including some vintage bi-planes which are fun to watch.

Thank you for all your input. I'll follow up on the places suggested. Always good help!

beentheretwice,

It might help to know what other places you want to visit. Keep in mind that it can still snow in March in Flagstaff! Been there....seen that!

Another option might be Williams, AZ.

Utahtea