Trixie7971

I will be coming out with my Uncle and brother the last week of October.
We have rented a house outside of Flagstaff for 4 nights/5 days..
We will be arriving around lunch time on Wed..Renting a car and driving to Flag at some point that day or evening..
We want to visit Sedona, Oak Creek and GC. We are only allowing 1 day at the GC.
I was thinking.. Leave Phoenix on Wed and go to Sedona for dinner before driving to Flag to check in? Maybe take the highway instead of the scenic route since it will be getting dark. Then the next day, Thursday, spend the day in the Oak Creek and Sedona area. Is 1/2 day enough for Oak Creek? Then 1 full day for GC, Friday, and then we can always go back to Sedona to spend more time on Sat? Does this make sense?
I wish now that we hadn't rented the house in Flag.. We want to spend a couple of days in Sedona and 1 day at the GC. Now it seems there will be a lot of back tracking..However, my college age brother is currently living in Phoenix and would die without being close to friends at NAU! On top of that, my Uncle wants to go to Hoover dam and I don't think that is possible with such a short amount of time.
I'm thinking that we want to do the Pink Jeep tour and possibly horseback riding..
Amny help or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

boom_boom

Just one person's view, but I think 1/2 day in Oak Creek is enough. Should be good fall colors, but it's going to be cool at that elevation.
Get an early start for your day at the Canyon. Remember it's going to be getting dark earlier by then.
Also of interest in the area is the historic mining town of Jerome, Montezuma Castle Nat. Mon, Walnut Canyon Nat. Mon. and Tuzigoot Nat. Mon.
There are a few wineries south of Sedona if you like that sort of thing. OK wines, some really nice views.
With Flagstaff as a base you have a lot of driving, but the attractions in that part of AZ are kinda scattered and no single place is a good base for all of them.
The one food recommendation I have is Cuvee 928, a wine bar downtown. Very nice.

Trixie7971

Thanks boom-
I do love wine so will be checking that out.
I am seriously considering canceling the house that we have rented if I can find something in Sedona. I'm wondering if Im making a bigger deal of it. Just seems the only positive about Flag is that we will be closer to GC for our day trip there. All other time will be in in the Sedona area.

boom_boom

If your only venture east or north of Flagstaff is the Canyon, I'd consider moving your base to Sedona, If you take I-17 rather than driving through Oak Creek Canyon on the day you go to GC, it won't add a lot of time to your drive. We've done it both ways, staying in Flag and staying in Sedona, and the Sedona option work best for us.
By the way on your post about driving Oak Creek Canyon at night, so long as you are not in a hurry and don't mind the twists and turns, it shouldn't be a problem. We drove it at night in December and it was OK.

susieQ122

We took a trip to Sedona last April and absolutely loved it. I agree with boom_boom that a half day in OC Canyon is good. We really loved seeing Jerome and I highly recommend that you see it, too. We went to Jerome in the morning (wait till you drive up the road to get there, it was a trip in itself!), and then we took the Verde Valley train ride which takes you into inaccessible areas of the canyon. It would be stunning in the Fall! It was a bit long, but truly lovely. So that was basically one day. I had gone to the GC on another trip, if you decide to cancel the house, see if you can rent a cabin right on the rim of the GC. They were reasonably priced (at that time) and just an amazing experience. We did some hiking in Sedona, which we loved, went to the airport vortex to see the sunset, and it was incredible. You can bring wine/cheese, sandwich, and sit there and enjoy your dinner watching the sunset.

We ate mostly in Sedonasince we returned there each evening and had good food at Oak Creek Brewery, Hiro (japanese), Dahl & DeLuca (Italian). When we caught our late afternoon flight out of Phoenix, we stopped at the Desert Botanical Museum for a few hours. Another worthwhile stop, if time allows before your flight.

I was surprised at the number of 't-shirt' type souvenior shops in Sedona, but didn't spend more than a half hour walking thru that shopping area, because the scenary, everywhere you look, is the real reason you are there, IMO.

Trixie7971

Thank you both so much for your help!
I decided not to move from Flag to Sedona. I looked closer at the location of the map and the house is 10 miles before you get into Flagstaff so that puts us a few mins closer to Oak Creek and Sedona.. Also, when I went in and looked at VBO for Sedona, it was hard to find a rental for 4 nights due to thier bylaws, I guess...
Oh now I get to look for the rental car and from reading on here it's not going to be too much fun!

dbdurand

I think Flagstaff is a great place for tourists. Here are some attractions there and nearby that I think you will find interesting and worthwhile.

The Historic Lowell Observatory. Right in downtown Flagstaff, on Mars hill. (Not kidding). This is where Pluto was discovered and where Percival Lowell convinced himself and much of the world that there appeared to be canals on Mars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell_Observatory

http://www.lowell.edu/outreach/events.php

Walnut Canyon. Extensive Indian habitat, now deserted.
http://www.nps.gov/waca/

Sunset Crater Volcano.
http://www.nps.gov/sucr/

Meteor Crater. It's a sight to behold. About a 40 minute drive east of Flagstaff toward Winslow. You may have seen it in the movies. The land is privately owned, but they do a good job at the visitor center telling how the crater was formed.
http://www.meteorcrater.com/