My family is planning a two week stay in August in Arizona and Utah visiting most of the National parks. We are flying into Phoenix and out of Las Vegas. Our planned itinerary is as follows: Sedona, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley on the way to Moab, over to Capitol Reef and down Rt. 12 to Bryce and Zion. I know it's an energetic schedule, but with two weeks we're hoping to touch upon many of these areas to "get a feel" for the country. We may or may not get back to see them all again as there are so many places in the country to see and never enough time to see them all!! We were wondering where to concentrate our time. At first I thought two nights would be enough in Sedona, one in the Grand Canyon, four in Moab, one or two each at Bryce and Zion and a few here and there along the way. We are not hikers so most of the sightseeing will be on scenic drives and short walks. Will two nights in the Sedona area be enough to see what's there? To stay longer may mean sacrificing time on the end of the trip or in Moab, where I think we're going to have more places to see. Also, which park takes more time to see...Bryce or Zion? Help?? Thanks for any input.

We stayed 5 nights in Sedona last August and loved it. However, I think you could easily get a lot out of Sedona in two nights, especially as you are spending a separate night at the Grand Canyon. Sedona is small, and part of your time is spent venturing out on day-trips (e.g., to the GC, or Jerome). So I think two nights is plenty of time to see the shops, galleries, and of course the beautiful rock formations in and around Sedona.

There are lots of posts with trip reports and information on Sedona. Be sure to search this site for them.

To beach dweller: Thanks for the info. Was wondering how the weather was in Sedona in August. Is it "unbearably" hot? With kids in school we can only visit in the summer and am a bit concerned about the "heat". Thanks.

Dear DMP,
Visited Sedona in month of August. Yes, it was hot, in high 90s, low 100s. That may not be hot to you, but for me it was very uncomfortable. Be sure hotel where you are staying has A/c as some do not have -- only swamp coolers. We were at L'Auberge de Sedona and that's what they had a year ago.
Francie

We were in Sedona in mid-August, and it was in the 90s. But we didn't mind--the humidity was relatively low, and the mornings and evenings were fine. Now understand, living in Myrtle Beach SC, 90s with low humidity in August was an improvement for us!

We stayed in the Orchards Inn (just above L'Auberge where Francie stayed), and our hotel had good A/C. Also, we visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix the day before we flew home--the ground temp was 120, no shade. Now that was HOT; but we still enjoyed it.

Why four days in Moab? If you do not hike or go off roading with a 4wd SUV there is not much to do. Arches will take 1/2-1 day. Canyonland same. Bryce is easily seen by car in 1/2 day. Zion is different. You can drive your car to the parking lot but must take the park shuttle after that. It's 38 minutes one way to the last trail, The Narrows. It is some terrific scenery but unless you hike in Zion you will easily be done in 1/2 day. Monuement Valley is unbelievable and could easily spend whole day there. They have a 17 mile loop auto trail that is self-guided. I may suggest going to Canyon de Chelly on the way to Monuement Valley if you have the time. Take a Navaho guide into the canyon for a personal tour of pictographs and ruins. It is a very spiritual place.

Hi All: Thanks so much for your input. Am rethinking our itinerary as we do have some concern that during the day it will be "unbearably" hot and we will spend most of our time in a car or air conditioned room!! Would it be too much to combine Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon North Rim and Grand Tetons and Yellowstone with a two week span? At least that way most of the vacation we won't be in extreme heat and we can try to get back to Sedona and Moab another year in the spring or fall? Any ideas? Thanks for all the help!