Hello! I'm planning a trip to Sedona in April (7th - 13th). Any suggestions for this itenerary?

Sedona - First 3 nights at the Sedona Rouge Hotel
Monument Valley - 1 night (Hampton Inn... should i pay $50 more for Gouldings lodge? Would like to photograph the sunrise...)
Grand Canyon - 1 night (staying at Holiday Inn express... everything else booked)
One final night in Phoenix (downtown Wyndham) before we fly out... anything to do in downtown phoenix?

Is one night at the grand canyon and another at monument valley enough time?
Worried about unpredictable weather so am hesitant to book two nights at the GC...

is there anything i should definitely not miss along the way??

should we finish our trip in sedona rather than starting there? not sure about that one...

any feedback much appreciated....

Definitely yes for Gouldings. Keep trying for rimside rooms at Grand Canyon and/or when you get there check at Bright Angel for rimside rooms. I cannot think where downtown Wyndam is, but there are restaurants and museums downtown....Museum of Phoenix, Science Museum...Pizzeria Bianco, others in Heritage Park downtown, Compass Room at the Hyatt...not far from downtown, Heard Museum and Phoenix Art Museum and Arcadia Farms Restaurant.

I think your schedule sounds good.

My only suggestion would be to consider only 2 days in Sedona and spend that additional day at the Grand Canyon. However, there is plenty to do in Sedona (and it is beautiful there), so you'll be good either way.

Check out:
http://attractionguide.com/phoenix/
for what to do in Phoenix.

Also, be sure to drive the scenic route from Sedona to the Grand Canyon (instead of the express way) if you have the time--it's a great view around every turn, although it does take longer.

Have fun!

The hotels inside Grand Canyon Nat'l Park book really early, but rooms often open up late. We were able to get a room at the El Tovar about one week before we were going. I would suggest calling the hotels directly every day & you might get lucky. If you can stay in the park, you should.

<Grand Canyon - 1 night (staying at Holiday Inn express... everything else booked)>

You may want to look again. I just checked their website and they have rooms available at Yavapai, Maswik and El Tovar for the 11th.

Agree with suggestion to stay at Goulding's... don't miss it. Average accomodations, below-average food, but the view is worth it. Try to book the full-day tour.

On your way between Phoenix and Sedona you should stop to see either Montezuma's Castle or the Tuzigoot ruins. I liked Montezuma's better, but both provide an amazing peek into the past civilizations of this area.

As far as the weather at the G.C., two nights will actually give you a better chance of seeing things. Last April my sister (who had never been there) and I went and we encountered 6" of snow while getting there. Couldn't even see into the canyon. The next day, there was fog, but by noon it was gone and the sights were what you would expect. If we had somewhere else to be, we would have missed out. I also agree to keep trying for a room near the rim - any of the Park Service rooms would be fine. Check Xanterra's website often.

Well, I hope the OP is checking this thread. I just looked again at lodging availability for his trip to the S. Rim, and there are still rooms open.

I'm wondering if OP looked for lodging within the park itself, or just in Tusayan when he said "staying at Holiday Inn Express...everything else booked". I'm curious because I checked not even 3 hours after his original post, and that's when I found rooms in 3 different lodges. Just in case OP needs the website for lodging in the park, here it is: http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/

We were just at the Grand Canyon over New Years and really lucked out with a 50 degree sunny day. It was beautiful.

While in the area you may want to check out Jerome. It's an old mining town that was literally built on the side of a mountain. It looks real artsy with great shops and cute restaurants. My sister told me about a great town museum there. We didn't have time to stop since we were trying to make it to Sedona for late afternoon photography light.

While in Phoenix we loved the Frank Lloyd Wright home and architecture school. Even my teenagers thought it was fascinating. Great, informative tour guides. You really think the man could just walk in the room at any time.

thanks so much for all the advice... i did get a room at El Tovar (must have had website issues first time around when i tried to book). anyways, i am thinking about trying to sneek in a side trip to antelope canyon? any suggestions on guides in that area...