mavgavetann

Hello All,
We are planning on flying into Phoenix getting a car and then we would like to visit the following. We have a friend in Prescott we would like to see. Then we were planning on the South Rim of the GC, then to Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, (my Dad worked on the reservation and I really want to go there), then to Sedona and back to Phoenix. My stepson says we must go to Zion. Can we fit that in too? How about Bryce Canyon? We have 9 full days, and one partial day at each end of the trip, for those days, we must be in Phoenix. We were planning on camping and/or staying at hotels. What will the temps be like out of Phoenix? Any advice appreciated.
Thanks,
Mav

ceb1222

Hi Mav-

What time of year will you be making this trip? Temps in Phoenix depend on time of year...

From Prescott to the South Rim is about a four hour drive. I would spend an overnight at the Grand Canyon, depending on your desire to hike or just to look the big hole in the ground! From Grand Canyon Village to Monument Valley is a little over a six and a half hour drive... I haven't done it, but I assume the scenery along the way is pretty incredible, so I would make it a day trip drive. Once there, Canyon de Chelly could be an easy day trip... From there, Bryce is another day-long drive, but again, a scenic one. Bryce to Zion is under three hours. And then Zion back down to Sedona is 6.5 hours.

So, to answer your question, is it doable? I think you'll be pushing it. If you don't mind doing one big road trip the entire time (I love driving, so I probably wouldn't mind it, but if you have young kids, it may be a problem), you could probably make it. That's provided you're not hikers and just want to "see" all these things. You'd have enough time to get to all places and take pictures... If you had to cut things out, Zion and Bryce are the most "out-of-the-way" for you on this trip. They're beautiful parks and are must-sees, but I would save them for another trip, if this seems too chaotic. Zion and Bryce are an easy drive from Las Vegas, and you can find cheap flights to Vegas pretty often...

Hope this helps.

mavgavetann

Thank you! We are going in mid October and would like to hike some. Young children are not an issue. After a closer look at a map the choice seems to be between the eastern side of Utah/AZ or Zion/Bryce. If only we could go over the Canyon rather than around it! From reading other posts it seems Zion/Bryce are spectacular. I may be talked into giving up my desire to see Canyon de Chelly. How about the petrified forest and the painted desert? Are they worth a visit on the way from Chinle to Phoenix?

lisatravels

Hi Mav,

My family and I really liked the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest. I saw landscapes there the likes of which I have never seen before and they change drastically throughout the park. If you decide to focus on AZ I would also recommend visiting the HOPI mesas, located about an hour and a half north of Winslow. The ancient town of Walpi is perched on the top of First Mesa - very dramatic - the town is still used for cermonies. Near Flagstaff are ancient Native American ruins at Wuptaki and Walnut Canyon, near Wuptaki is the Sunset Volcano park. All three are worth a visit. The drive up from Prescott to Grand Canyon is very scenic and you could make it into a day trip - stopping in Jerome (artist colony in former coal mining town), Sedona and other spots.

If you decide to go to UT you would want to cut out Monument Valley also as it would take you out of the way. Have you already booked your flight? If not and you choose to go to UT you may want to consider flying into Phoenix and out of Vegas, hence cutting down on some of your driving. I found the price to be comparable to flying in and out of same airport. If you drive from Grand Canyon to Zion you might want to stop at Antelope Canyon - I've heard it's beautiful but didn't actually get there myself. If you have time and do go to UT drive the scenic route from Bryce to Torrey and visit the Capitol Reef Nat'l Park.

I would recommend making this two separate trips - do AZ now and come back and do UT later. The Nat'l parks in southwestern UT are very beautiful also.

tovarich

Have visited all the sites you mention and my advice would be the following itinerary:
- 1. Phoenix -Prescott
- 2. Prescott-G.Can(Tusayan)
- 3. Visit G.Can
- 4. G.Can.-Bryce canyon
- 5. visit Bryce canyon
- 6. Bryce can.- Monument valley (Kayenta)
- 7. Mon. Valley - Can. de Chelly
- 8. Can. de Chelly- Sedona
- 9. Sedona- Phoenix
All the above is easily doable and you'll have ample time to get a good impression of the important things. Paul

mavgavetann

Thanks for the replies - I am so glad I found this board. We have family in Phoenix so we are starting there. They are loaning us their vehicle and their camping equipment so a good place to start. Here is our new tenative itenerary:
Fri - Arrive Phoenix
Sat - Hang and then Sat eve drive to Prescott. Sleep in Prescott.
Sun - Visit Sedona then drive to National Forest my stepson (Tim) has recommended for camping near GC.
Mon - GC.
Tues - Drive to Zion
Wed - Zion then drive to Bryce.
Thurs - Bryce Canyon then drive to Page.
Fri - Back to South of Page, pick up Tim and drag him to Canyon de Chelly, and perhaps stop at Hopi reservation on the way.
Sat - Visit Canyon de Chelly then drive to Flagstaff.
Sun - Visit Flagstaff, return to Phoenix.
Mon - Return home.
May be a lot of driving, but gas is cheap right? (sarcasm). I have spoken with other people and they say Bryce is a must. Tim says Zion is a must. I want to see Canyon de Chelly. We also have family and friends to visit. I wish we had booked a couple more days out there. Oh well, if we behave they may let us return. Thanks for your suggestions - this is all tentative so I'm open to more.

Mav