Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Phoenix trip
 

We are planning to fly into Phoenix in the beginning of April and drive directly to the GC. After 2 nights and 1 full day there we are heading to Flagstaff for two nights to see the surrounding scenic sites. Then we are heading to Phoenix through Sedona(but not stopping overnight) for several days of R&R. Does anyone have any suggestions to this itinerary? Should we skip Flagstaff and stop somewhere else instead?

If you're interested in Pre-historic sights between Phoenix and Flagstaff:<BR><BR>Montezuma's Castle is an easy side trip from the interstate (can be done in less than an hour total):<BR>http://pages.prodigy.net/drsawyers/PICT1350.jpg<BR><BR>Tuzigoot, is a bit more out of the way but also quite interesting:<BR>http://pages.prodigy.net/drsawyers/TuzigootPan01.jpg<BR>

I don't know why anyone would not stay overnight in Sedona. It's so beautiful there, and the sunset on those redrocks is not to be missed! The scenery is breathtaking. Last year on the way back to Phoenix we stopped for lunch at Jerome, former mining town in the mountains. It's now a haven for artists. Nice place to stop for a few hours, the restaurant we ate at used to be the town's general store. We also stopped at a place called Arcosanti, a prototype &quot;arcology&quot; under construction -- something different from the usual touristy stuff. But skip it if you're pressed for time. There's plenty to see in Phoenix and Scottsdale.

I agree, stay in Sedona a couple of days. Much more beautiful than phoenix which is just a city. There are some nice resorts in Scottsdale.

My trip sounds similar to yours (also an April trip). <BR><BR>Stay at Flagstaff (drive from Tucson)<BR>Drive to GC for some hiking<BR>Stay in Tusayan (for some hiking the next day)<BR>Stop by Jerome and drive to Sedona.<BR>Stay in Sedona (pink jeep tour, hiking)<BR>Stay in Sedona (more hiking)<BR>Drive to Scottsdale<BR>

I would change your one night in Flagstaff to one or two nights in Sedona. Staying in Flagstaff will probably be a let down. Sedona is wonderful though.

I prefer staying in Flagstaff rather than Sedona. Although Sedona is beautiful, I find the very upscale, touristy feel of the town not to my liking. In my opinion, Flagstaff is also beautiful and much more down to earth. It's also a college town, so there tends to be more variety in its nightlife. I prefer the much greater diversity of Flagstaff...and I love those San Francisco Peaks!

I've done the trip two ways: back to Phoenix via an overnight in Sedona, then this past year, 4 nights in Flagstaff. Unlike Sedona, Flagstaff was not the destination, it was a jumping off spot for hiking Mt. Kendrick, then Humphreys Peak trail but the latter hike was snowed out unfortunately...road to trail head open only to cars with chains day we had scheduled it, touring Walnut Canyon Nat'l Monument, Meteor Crater, Sunset Crater, Wutpatki National Monument, plus one other more remote Sinagua ruin our archaeologist son-in-law knew of. Very little of that was left standing but there were pottery shards virtually everywhere so it was fascinating seeing what you could find (and leave). Oh the temptation!! The only time spent in Flag was dining. There are a fair number of things to explore in the area, some requiring drives of an hour or so from Flag.<BR><BR>Sedona is the destination, with hikes all around and jeep tours etc. It is full of tourists and cars and the aforementioned son-in-law and daughter (Phoenix residents) avoid it at all costs. He won't even go, so the year we saw it, we had to do it without him! LOL The surroundings are simply beautiful, the shops are quite interesting (though you've got to picture how everything &quot;southwest&quot; is going to look once you get it back home), but crowds and attitude galore. It was Scottsdale dressing down for an afternoon outting. :&gt; If I were to skip anything, though, it'd be Phoenix.

Considering that the best scenic sites in the Flaggstaff area are the Grand Canyon and Sedona, I would opt to spend the two nights in Sedona rather than Flagstaff. Or one night in each place. You might stop and see Jerome and Montezuma's Castle on your trip back to Phoenix. Is there a reason you want to stay in Flagstaff?