marguerite

Three friends and I are planning a trip to the south rim of the Grand CAnyon in September with a side trip to Sedona. I would like some suggestions about where to stay in Sedona, how long to stay at the Grand CAnyon, how long to stay in Sedona, special hiking trails, whatever.

We are flying from Nashville, TN, and are not sure whether to fly into Las Vegas or Phoenix. We have reservations for three nights at the Best Western Squire Inn. Anyone have any experience with this inn?

Thanks for any help or info.
Marguerite

rain_monkey03

I would recommend flying into Sky Harbor (Phoenix). You could do Sedona on the way out of Phoenix. I recommend Slide Rock and Oak Creek Canyon. I think the best thing to do for the Grand Canyon is to stay in Williams and take the Grand Canyon Railway into the Canyon and they allow you to spend the day there because they have trains going back all day. I generally only spend one day at the Canyon but some people really get into it and spend a few days. There are hotels near the canyon to stay in. Have a Great Trip!

LPOWMACBACK

We went to Sedona, Grand Canyon & Vegas 2 years ago... Sedona was my favorite, son & husband loved GC the best. Anyway, we flew into Phoenix, rented a car and drove (1 1/2 hours) to Sedona where we stayed at the Hilton Sedona (LOVED IT!!!) for 2 nights. We stopped by the side of the roads and hiked... it was fantastic! Our favorite thing to do there which is "A MUST" was the Pink Jeep Trip. We took the "Broken Arrow" one and it was nothing short of spectacular! After Sedona we drove to GC (wonderful 2 or 2 1/2 hour drive) where we stayed in their Maswik lodge. It was actually very nice (cathedral ceiling, ceiling fans... saw 3 deer right outside our window upon arrival)! After 2 nights we drove to Vegas (5 hour drive) where we stayed at the Mirage for 4 nights. I like to end a vacation in semi-luxury... so this was a perfect trip for us!
One word of advice, unless you're going to stay in Vegas, don't bother flying into it... it's too far from Sedona & GC.
ENJOY!

Cher

We went all over Arizona a couple of years ago and spent 3 nights in Sedona (Enchantment Resort) and 3 at the Grand Canyon (El Trovar). Given the rest of our agenda, I thought that was just right. For a trip just focused on those 2 areas, we could have definitely spent an additional night in each area. We really like the outdoors and there was plenty to do in both areas in terms of hiking and outdoor exploring. We loved staying at the Enchantment. Although a bit pricey, it was truly a great experience as it's located right in Boynton Canyon. There are lots of hiking trails in Sedona, and they had some great hiking maps at the resort that we used. I think that flying into Phoenix would be more convenient than LV. It's an 1 1/2 to Sedona. Then when you drive from Sedona to GC, be sure to drive up Oak Creek Canyon ... very scenic. For the Grand Canyon, I would definitely recommend staying somewhere right in the park, on one of the resorts right on the rim. There's nothing like taking an early morning walk along the rim and just taking in the sights. There are several accomdodations to chose from ... I would take any of them over staying outside the park.

kaudrey

Hi,

Well, I respectfully disagree with rain_monkey that you should stay in Williams when visiting the GC - you should stay IN the Canyon. Go to the national parks website and you can find descriptions of all the different lodges. Pick the one that fits your budget and still has rooms (they fill up).

Fly into Phoenix. I spent 2 days in Sedona at Sky Ranch Lodge, which is great - up the hill just out of town - great views and it's easy to drive into town. The visitor's center in town can give you maps with all kinds of hiking trails. If you want to hike a lot, you could easily spend 3 days in Sedona. I second the Pink Jeep Broken Arrow Tour.

I'd spend at least 2 days in Grand Canyon if you hike, if not more. See a sunrise and a sunset. Hike down different trails (I took a ranger led walk which was fun, and then hiked some on my own).

Have a great trip!
Karen

mwessel

I'm with some of the other posters in that you should definately fly into Phoenix unless you plan to spend some time in Las Vegas.

How long will your trip be? I would go for three nights in Sedona and two at Grand Canyon unless you are really into the hiking and plan to do all the big trails. I would recommend staying IN the park at Grand Canyon. Sunrise and sunset are not to be missed. We stayed at Kachina and it was lovely.

In Sedona, we too, stayed at the Hilton and would recommend it highly. Our room had a gorgeous view and you couldn't beat the great pool area. We hiked Boynton Canyon and loved it! Also, plan a side trip from Sedona to Montezuma Castle (a five story cliff dwelling made by ancient Sinagua Indians) and the little mining town of Jerome.

Whether its on the way up to the Grand Canyon or on your way back down to Sedona, you might want to stop off and see Wupatki Indian ruins. Take the 395 loop off of 89. Very worthwhile.