I will arrive in Phoenix at 9pm on 10/20 and leave at 2pm on 10/23. This is a short pleasure trip and my main goal is to relax and see the Grand Canyon. The town of Jerome seems like a nice place to visit as well. Should I stay in Sedona and drive to the canyon? If so, how far is the drive? I'd appreciate any help and/or comments. Thanks!

From Sedona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon allow about 115 miles, and about 2 and a half hours. The road from Sedona to Flagstaff can be very slow because it is deep in the canyon and has few opportunities to pass a slow vehicle.
The distance from Flagstaff to the South Rim is about 80 miles.

I have not been to Jerome, but the Tuzigoot ruin is near there. Combine the two and you have a good half day of exploring.
If you are arriving that late in Phoenix, I suggest staying in Phoenix that night and get an early start the next morning. If you are flying in and renting a car, it will be 10 PM before you are set to leave.
As for a place to stay, I stayed at the Hampton Inn near the airport. For what I paid, under $100, we had what is for me luxury conditions. Large room, two queen beds, large bathroom, couch, etc.

In all honesty, if you want to see the GC, I would go there first and then fill in extra time with secondary attractions afterwards . You only will have about a day and a half to see the place.

It is about 230 miles from the Phoenix airport to the South Rim. If you are renting a car, beware of sticker shock. There is a lot of tax stuck onto your bill. I used Hertz and found out the hard way that the agents are out to get you into an upgraded car at an upgraded price. I had a sales job pulled on me and, as a result of my lack of alertness at the time, I got quite a bill. We had a Toyota Camry, which is a very nice car, but yikes the price!
By the way, Hertz in Phoenix is really "off airport". You must ride a shuttle bus to get to the Hertz lot.
Sedona is pretty and interesting, but if your mission is to see the GC, I see no real reason to stay overnight there.
I don't think you want to drive up there after arriving because you would be midnight getting in, or later. Of course, Phoenix traffic is much easier to endure that time of night. But be aware that in terms of time, going by Sedona will cost you some time because the road is slower. And, you have only two days to see the Canyon.

Thanks Bob! I considered Sedona because it appears to be smack-dab in the middle of the Canyon and Phoenix. I wanted to stop in Sedona to get a break from all the driving--5 hours from Phoenix. I'll definitely stay in Phoenix the first night and get an early start. Instead of Sedona, what city should I stay in? I'm trying to maximize the use of Hilton hotel points I've accrued.

Hi Shauna. I agree you will definitely want to stay in Phoenix your first night since you're getting in so late. That only leaves you two nights. You definitely need to stay at least one of those nights AT the Grand Canyon in order to experience it, in my opinion. This is because the light on the canyon walls is best at sunrise and at sunset -- when the sun is low it makes the prettiest colors on the canyon walls. If you are daytripping in just for an afternoon you'll miss the effect (and I would not want to be driving at night -- there is a lot of wildlife on the roads such as deer and elk that you need to look out for). At midday when the sun is high you can't really see all the canyon's colors and it looks more drab. Sedona was great for hiking but the town itself was too touristy for my liking. I did enjoy Jerome a lot for one afternoon. But since you only have two nights to spend outside of Phoenix, I really recommend you spend both of them at the Grand Canyon rather than trying to squeeze in Jerome and Sedona! As Bob said, Sedona is 2.5 hours from the Grand Canyon (it took me closer to 3 hours -- there was construction around Flagstaff). I would not try to do the Grand Canyon from Sedona, although I know some people do stay in Flagstaff or Williams and do it from there (I really think you're a lot better off staying right at the Grand Canyon though). Drive up the morning after you wake up in Phoenix. Yes it is a long drive but believe me, it is worth it once you're there. Get to GC by midday. Try to stay right on the South Rim if you can. People will tell you there's no way to get a reservation at this late date, but there are cancellations all the time and I was able to get a last-minute reservation in August. The website for reservations is http://www.amfac.com/, or you can call them (the phone number is on the website). No, there are no Hiltons there at the GC but it is definitely worth it to stay right in the park for the convenience of being able to walk right out your door. I stayed at Bright Angel Lodge in a cabin and it was $70 per night and it was fine, nothing fancy, but the location was excellent. Save your Hilton points for another trip somewhere else. Also, when you get there go to the Bright Angel transportation desk and ask if there have been any cancellations for one of the mule rides into the canyon the next day. They are absolutely a fantastic experience and you will appreciate the canyon so much more if you go down into it (even if you don't go all the way down). If you can't get a mule ride then at least hike partway down the Bright Angel Trail to get a feeling for the canyon close-up. Also, the ribs at the Arizona Steakhouse adjacent to Bright Angel Lodge are great. Make sure you bring warm clothes because it is chilly on the south rim, especially after the sun goes down. I posted a trip report after my recent trip to AZ -- if you haven't read it yet, do a search using the words Grand Canyon and you'll find it. Have a wonderful time -- it is glorious.

My husband and I visited Arizona for the first time last year. I was not impressed with Phoenix (just another big city), but I agree with the others, I would stay the first night in Phoenix. My husband and I absolutely loved Sedona. We were not prepared for the beauty of the Red Rocks. We took a hot air balloon ride (a major highlight). It took us about 2 hours from Phoenix to Sedona. From Sedona, we took a bus tour to the Grand Canyon. The tour was great. Took us to the Canyon, a reservation and to the IMAX theater which we thought was absolutely wonderful. It was a long day (bust picked us up at 8:00 a.m. and we returned at 7:00 p.m, but then again we did not have to drive. We also went to Jerome. While we found it nice, I'm not exactly sure I would recommend it if time is of the essence. Long drive for very little return. If you do stay in Sedona, see the sunset at the local airport. Go early. Lots and Lots of people go for the sunset. With only two days to play with -- I'd go to the Grand Canyon and Sedona. Worth the effort.

Log on to the web site sedonachamber.com and do some advance exploring via the internet. It will answer a lot of your questions.