Heading from Sedona to Grand Canyon South Rim. All internet routing maps have you taking RT 89 north, then west on 40, then north on 64 to the Grand Canyon.

The map shows a "Scenic" route, up to Flagstaff on 89 North, then scenic Rt 180 up to 64, then north on 64 to the GC. Why doesn't any mapping service use the Scenic route 180 ? Does it include some dangerous curves? Elevation is listed as over 10,000 feet in the area and I'm thinking it may not be recommended for the faint hearted. Has anyone taken this route? Is it worth the few extra miles for some beautiful scenery? Has anyone tried it?

geordias

Dangerous? Not if you are sober when you drive it. It is flat plateau with the peaks to your east.

I never gave it a second thought.

bob_brown,

I've never driven Hwy 180, but I thought it took you thought the mountains...I'm surprised that it's a flat plateau.

Utahtea

Maybe it did. Still, I never gave it a second thought. It was nothing to break stride over when I drove it.

I often wonder about people blanching at a few curves in a two lane road when they drive routes like I 85 and I 75 around Atlanta without batting an eyelash.

There are people on both sides of you going 80 - 85, a huge number of tractor-trailer trucks, slow moving vehicles, people cutting in and out
with impunity, exiting and entering traffic. Yet a curve in the road throws them into a semi panic.

I drive that section of Interstate praying I make it through without being caught in a multi car pile up.

maps.google.com

Find the area, and then switch to the satellite image. It's a mostly striaght road over a plateau.

I don't remember anything about that route that makes me think of it as scenic or as intimidating mountain terrain. It was just another road to me; a route to a destination. The route that WAS scenic to me was 89N to Cameron and 64W to GC. Enroute to Cameron you see the Painted Dessert on the horizon.

Commenting on routes and their severity is tricky. I got a feel for that one year in Canada. There is a trail to Lake McArthur known as the High Line Trail. It is steep in several places, but at the time I recalled no "dicey" spots from two previous trips.

We were in the parking lot ready to start our day's excusion when a man asked me about that particular trail.
Was it dangerous? Did it have any exposed places? Was it slippery?

I could not remember any particularly bad spots except one upward scramble where there is about a short, but sheer rock face about 5 feet high that one has to negotiate.

During the discussion, I asked my wife to add her opinion and answer the same set of questions. She gave about the same answer that I did.

Later that day, we walked and scrambled over that same trail. This time we were much more sensitive to what might be a scary spot. Boy was that an eye opener. I finally decided that if the man who asked me the questions actually had walked that trail, he either thought I was a liar, had a very bad memory, or had the wrong trail in mind.

The point being, that trying to see the situation from another person's point of view had the effect of altering my own perceptions.

So, I have driven the route in question, but neither of us remembers it very well. Perhaps I need to limit my comments to saying that it did not draw attention to itself like Tioga Pass, Loveland Pass, Cumberland Pass (mid Colorado dirt road), Independence Pass, Trail Ridge Road, or the Beartooth Highway.

And if you want some real twisters, we indeed recall well the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse in Austria and any one of 4 or 5 passes in Switzerland. The Grimsel and the Furka are spectacular, but I white knuckled parts of the Furka!!

Those we remember very well!!!

Ah, yes, Tioga Pass! I don't know why I was so affected by that particular stretch of highway, but if I could have leaped from our rental car and sensibly walked the route, I would have!

pollyvw, I like your suggested route; that's the route my husband and I were thinking of taking to the GC. Glad to know that it's scenic!

I've driven that road a nmber of times. Actually I've always thought it to be a short cut as it diagonally heads to the Grand Canyon. Is it a scenic route and, more to the point of the inquir it is NOT mountainous or with many curves. It is a well maintained two way highway that is scenic as it goes through the flat high forest country with wide open views of the San Francisco peaks. You avoid going though Williams, however, you have to drive through Flagstaff following the easy to follow signs for Rte.180. After driving Rte 89 through Oak Creek Canyon you will find this road to be a breeze.

I don't mind curvy mountain roads, but I just always thought this route went though the mountains...good to know. We do have a motorhome so what are the elevations gains like?

Utahtea

Flagstaff elevation 7,000 ft., S. Rim of Grand Canyon about the same. Little elevation change between the two points on Rte 180. You follow the base of the San Francisco Peaks which do rise to 10,600 ft. You go through a pine and aspen forest much of the way as you leave Flagstaff, break out of the woods as you approach 64, and re-enter ponderosa pine forest as you near the South Rim. No problem at all for a motor home. Just keep your eyes open for deer or elk, especially early and late in the day and particularly at night.

USNR,

Thanks for the info!

Utahtea

Thank you for all your replies. I, too, have driven on the passes in Switzerland, Austria and Northern Italy and my hands were cramped from holding the steering wheel so tight. So, I just thought I would ask.

Thanks again,
geordias

Scenic beauty aside, which would be the faster way to go? 40 to 64 or 180? Is the fact 180 is a "shortcut" offset by the fact that it's a 2-lane road? Which way usually has more traffic? (we'll be arriving on a Friday in July).

I-40 to 64 then north probably is quicker than 180. What's the big hurry? The faster you drive, the less you see. Lots of big trucks on I-40; almost none on 180.

On this first trip I'd rather give more time to the Grand Canyon and the other major sites we're seeing (Sedona, Zion, Bryce, Lake Powell, Las Vegas). Through the help of this forum, we've cut back on what we planned to see in the week that we have. Believe me, I'd love to see EVERYTHING but I don't want to rush the other things we have planned. As I plan trip #1 I already find myself planning trip #2 (we live on the East Coast so who knows when that will be). That one will be less hurried, concentrating on a smaller geographic area. But I'm looking forward to this first overview of the whole area.

180 is shorter, faster and more scenic. I have done this route several times over the years.

Okay, change of plan. I'll take 180. If it's shorter, no contest. If it's the same or even a little longer, I'll opt for the scenic route. Thanks.

Can you get onto RT 180 from RT 89 North around Flagstaff?

89a north from Sedona enters Flagstaff from where you just follow the signs that connect with 180. Follow 180 to 64, then north to S. rim of the GC. Just be patient with Flagstaff traffic, and you will be on your way before you know it.