Grand Canyon, Sedona from Las Vegas
 

My wife and I will be going to Las Vegas in a couple of weeks to visit a relative and want to take a brief trip/detour to the Grand Canyon and/or Sedona. We will have no more than 3 days/nights and we are trying to figure out if we should do just one or the other or whether it is reasonably feasible to do both. We have been to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon but not to the South Rim. We have never been to Sedona.

If we were to try to do both, my thought was to drive from Las Vegas to the GC early (we would be going on a Wednesday and we can get a room reasonably close) , check-in to the hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon and early evening at the Canyon. Check out in the a.m. and leave bags so we can spend the morning and early afternoon on Thursday and then drive to Flagstaff or Sedona. Go to Sedona on Friday and drive back to Vegas on Saturday morning.

Is this too ambitious? It would be nice to see both areas, but I don't want it to be a forced march. We would like to do a little light hiking and I'm sure I will be back to the area sometime.

Thoughts appreciated. :-)

What is it that you hope to do in each place.

Knowing that we can help decide how much time you need in each place.

GC is far from one of my favorite places. But if you haven't seen it you should.

The town of Sedona is nothing. T-shirt store, art galleries and restaurants that close at 9PM. Hower, it's the surrounding red rocks that are amazing.

So if you intend to do some hiking you'll have a good time.
Doesn't have to be long hikes.

Thanks. I guess that may be part of the problem. We don't really have anything specific in mind other than to do some general sight-seeing and hiking. This was sort of a last minute thing so we didn't get a chance to do the planning we would normally do. I'm sure we will have a good time no matter what we decide to do. The scenery will be beautiful and it is something different.

As I said, we have been to GC, but only the North Rim. We had a great time and did a good bit of hiking that trip, combined with a visit to Zion and Bryce. Perhaps going only to Sedona may be a better bet this time. We can go hiking and then check out some of the art galleries and people watch. It would be a nice little get away for a couple of days and we can relax, stay in one location and not feel rushed.

IMO - the Grand Canyon is aptly named and should be the #1 destination/sight for those venturing to the Southwest.

I would suggest you stay at the South Rim this trip - and do some hiking, etc - and enjoy Sedona another time - as it leaves you further away than from Vegas than does the GC.

Sedona has some beautiful red rock formations, but IMO uno mas, Monument Valley - two and a half hours west of the GC (Secona is about two hours away) - is much more spectacular.

Hello:
Sedona and Grand Canyon are both so unique and beautiful. Both destinations need to be experienced!!

Sedona is an amazing charming town. Activities ranging from hiking, biking, Jeep/ATV/Tomcar/Hummer/Segway Tours, Helicopter/Bi-Plane/Hot Air Balloon Tours,Horseback Riding and Kayaking can all be enjoyed in Sedona. Sedona is also home to over 80 galleries and shops, delicious cuisine, and the perfect accommodations to suite every one.

I hope you have time to explore both areas, they are stunning. Enjoy Arizona!

If you have time for one day in Sedona and are efficient you can get a feel for the area.

I would do the very short Boynton Canyon Vista hike in Sedona West. Not the full Boynton Canyon hike. This is a Vortex site and extremely scenic.

Then you can either wander around the Bell Rock area or either hike or as most people do a Pink Jeep tour of Broken Arrow. Very, very scenic.

Then go to Crescent Moon Picnic Area (another Vortex site) and find a spot where you can see cathedral Rock with oak Creek in the foreground. Get there about and hour before sunset and watch Cathedral Rock go deep orange as the sun goes down.

Can you do all that in a day? If you are efficient.
And none of it is very difficult.

About GC. Obviously different opinions are what makes the world go around.

Thanks everyone for your input. While there seems to be a split of opinion as to where to visit, I get the feeling that everyone is in agreement that trying to visit both Sedona and GC in the short amount of time i have is not the best course of action.

Tomsd, we took a nice vacation to the "Four Corners" area two years ago and spent some time in Monument Valley. You are right. It is spectacular.

Myer, many thanks for your thoughts on some things to do in Sedona.

I'm wishing we had a little more time, but there is always next trip.