Need help with trip plans
 

I am having trouble with making up my mind about an itinerary for the Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon and Vegas area.
We can get an early morning flight into either Phoenix or Las Vegas. We woud like to spend some time in Sedona, taking a Pink Jeep Tour, Williams, the grand canyon railway, Jerome and of course the canyon itself. Even Flagstaff is an option. We have thought about starting in Vegas and ending in Phoenix or the other way around. Don't really want to spend any time in Pheonix, just fly in or out. I need help with planning, how many days in each place and suggested routes. 2 days in Vegas would be enough I am sure. Do we stay in Sedona and drive to the other places or 1 night in Sedona and then move on? I do not like to move too many times. I would love to be able to have a "home port" that we could do day trips from but it doesn't look like that is possible with the distances. We have never been to this part of the country before and want to see as much as possible without wearing ourselves out. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - my head is spinning!

I once took a quick bus tour to the Grand Canyon from Phoenix. The itinerary was well managed although time was short. We only had one night and a return to the airport late at night for a red eye home. We left Phoenix fairly early in the morning with a stop at Montezuma's castle - excellent small park with cliff dwellings. Stop to buy jewelry at an open air market. In Sedona by lunch time where I rushed to the Pink Jeep office and managed my first choice tour during the afternoon with a bit of time to shop. Back on the bus for an overnight in Flagstaff then an early departure for the Grand Canyon where we had several hours to explore and have lunch on our own. Make sure you get to the Canyon early or there will be a long line to enter. We were deposited at Bright Angel lodge where we could take to bus to different points of interest. Would have liked another couple of hours there. Back on the bus with a stop at an IMAX type of theater. At first thought this was not a good idea but at the end of the afternoonn it was a pleasant stop and a great movie about the history of the Grand Canyon. Stop at someplace for a buffet dinner and to the Phoenix airport for a 10pm flight. Not sure of the distance to Las Vegas but keep in mind that miles add up easily. Things are far apart. I would consider splitting your time between Sedona and someplace more convenient to the GC. Depending on your arrival time your first day could be mostly traveling to Sedona with a few stops on the way.
I'd love to return to spend more time.

Why not stay in Williams? It is a nice little town, plenty of motels/hotels and places to eat.

I forgot to say that we are staying Sat - Sat. We have thought about WIlliams. Should we stay there instead of Sedona or as another stop? I have read that staying in the Canyon is a must. How does Sedona 2 days, Williams 2 days, Grand Canyon 2 days and then either Phonenix or Vegas for just 1 day until we fly out the next? Would this be doable and would we see most everything we want too?
Thanks for all the help -there are just so many decisions to make!

Aside from cost what would be the advantage of staying in Williams compared to staying at a lodge in the Grand Canyon.
Depending on the season I vote for three days in Sedona as there are several good hiking areas and different landscapes to see. The other two days in the Canyon maybe enough.

OK after discussing this some more, we think we may now fly into Vegas and do a big loop and back to Vegas to fly home. Would stay in Vegas on the return trip only.
Maybe stay on the south side of the Canyon 2 days, into Williams or Sedona for 1 or 2 days, then onto the Northrim and back into Vegas.
Can anyone give me a suggested time frame for this option. I don't have a preference for Sedona or Williams -open to any and all suggestions!
Is the Grand Canyon railway from Williams worth the time and/or money?

Go for El Tovar on the South Rim. and Lodge on the North rim. Do you plan on hiking down into the Canyon?

We did a 3 day raft trip of Grand Canyon from Las Vegas last summer that was fantastic. about $900pp. That includes everything. Air to canyon, Helicopter flight down to the bottom, 1 day lodging at Bar 10 Ranch (very cool). all meals, raft, bedding, tent. This was an awesome trip.

Sedona has some good hiking nearby. The pink jeep tour is touristy, but you will enjoy it.

It sounds like your main reason for going is to do the Grand Canyon. So concentrate on that. I have found the more time I spend at a National Park the more special it becomes to me. I once thought that seeing the Grand Canyon was the way I saw it as a 10 year old. You drive to it and walk the rim a couple of hours. Yes that is very impressive, but hiking into it, rafting it, seeing it by air, even going to Havasu Falls. That is really seeing it. Did you know that only about 10% of visitors go to the north rim.

I haven't been to Havasu or Phantom Ranch yet, but I want to some day. The 3 day rafting trip just got me started. I would like to raft the whole thing now. We basically just did about 1/3 of it.

What time of year is your trip?

We have done this trip many times, sometimes flying into Phoenix and other times Las Vegas. I would recommend skipping North Rim Grand Canyon this trip and maybe save it for a time later when you visit Zion and Bryce as well.

If you plan to start and end in Vegas, then the drive will be about 5 hrs or less to South Rim Grand Canyon. It is cheaper to stay in Williams, but if you can, try to stay on the rim inside the park. Thunderbird, Kachina, and El Tovar are good, and there are also cabins that people seem to like. You will love stepping outside in the morning with your cup of coffee to immerse yourself in the grandness of the canyon. Our neighbors liked the train trip from Williams to GC but said it didn't have the views they expected. Two nights might be enough in Grand Canyon. We enjoyed staying a night in Flagstaff also.

Sedona is a spectacular place to spend time. The Pink Jeep tour is great and there are wonderful hiking trails for enjoying the area. The visitor's center in town has volunteers with maps to help you plan your activities. It is easy to take a side trip to Jerome as a day trip. Also look into the Verde Railway. They have day trips with great scenery.

If you have 7 nights and want to spend 2 nights at the end in Las Vegas, I think I would spend 2 nights at the South Rim and 3 nights in Sedona.
Sat - arrive in Las Vegas and drive to Williams, spend the night. (or drive all the way to GC)
Sun - drive into GC, enjoy the views, walk the rim trails, etc, spend the night in a hotel on the rim.
Mon. Check out of hotel and continue exploring GC, leave GC in the late afternoon and drive to Sedona
Tue - Wed nights in Sedona
Thurs continue exploring Sedona, then drive to LV, arriving in the evening for dinner; 2 nights LV
Sat fly home

Actually, 1 night is plenty of Las Vegas for us; we'd prefer the extra day in GC or Sedona - but it depends on what you like to do.
Have a great trip! I know you'll find it fascinating country!

PS - You definitely do not want to stay in Williams instead of Sedona!
Williams would just be an option in case you cannot get into lodging inside the park, or if you are too tired after your flight and the driving to drive all the way to GC. Staying inside GC is a superior experience.

Also, only fly into Las Vegas if you want to stay there. Otherwise it is much easier to fly to Phoenix. Sedona is only 2 hrs from Phoenix airport. This would allow you more time to explore this area (Sedona, Jerome, Flagstaff, South Rim Grand Canyon).

elnap29 - Thank you so much for the information! This is exactly what I was looking for. We have done some more research since the last post and are now leaning toward Phoenix due to time restraints. Would it be possible to stay in Flagstaff and do day trips? We will be there in May and there are no rooms at El Tovar, Blue Angel or Thunderbird. Yavapai and Maswik had something. Unless we decide to stay in Flagstaff the entire time this is a possibility: Phoenix to Sedonda for 2 nights, Grand Canyon for 1 night, make our way to Canyon de Chelly to the Thunderbird Lodge for 1 night, onto Winslow for 2 nights then into Phoenix for the last night. Is this too optomistic? Looking at the map, GC to Canyon de Chelly with the suggested route, seems like quite a distance. High points that have been suggested are the pink jeep tour, side to Jerome, Cameron Trading post, Monumnet Valley Navajo Tribal Park,Goulding Lodge, and then Thunderbird Lodge for the 6 wheeler tours. Canyon de Chelly rim drives, Hubbell trading post, Hopu Cultural Center. Then back track into the Petrified forest and the Painted Desert before ending back in Phoenix. This seems like an awful lot of driving! Please let me know your thoughts! I would only want easy hikes - not as in shape as my husband!

My husband loves Canyon de Chelly but thinks that is a lot of driving. (I haven't been there). You could use www.mapquest.com to check out driving directions and driving TIME to make your decision.
We enjoy spending time in an area and exploring, so that would be too much driving for us, but it really depends on the experience you want.
There really is a lot to do around Sedona and it is a great place to relax, as well.
I would go ahead and book something in Grand Canyon, perhaps for 2 nights - you can always cancel 1 night later on. Then check back from time to time for cancellations to see if you can get into one of the rim hotels.

Other posters will probably be able to advise you on the other areas you are thinking of visiting.

Thanks again elnap29 for the info. Tentatively we have come up with this plan: Sedona spend 2 nights, GC spend 1 night, Flagstaff spend 3 nights then Phoenix just 1 night to catch flight the next day. From looking at the map, I think we can see most everything we want to being based in Flagstaff and doing day trips. This way we aren't too tied to a schedule. Does this sound more doable? Now we have to decide on hotels!! Thanks again from Huntsville, AL

This does sound better, but I'm still not sure if you'll enjoy so many nights in Flagstaff. You might still try to get another night in GC. Where do you plan to visit using Flagstaff as a base?

Stay in Sedona! You will love it there and I guarantee you will go back again and again! Take the pink jeep tour to get a feel of the upclose beauty in Sedona.

http://itsasedonathing.com has a ton of great articles and info.

Have fun!