chitowntraveler

My sister and I are planning to go for July 4th weekend. What are "do not misses".

I have heard pink jeep tour is a do not miss. I see day tours to Grand Canyon or antelope canyon. Opinions?

michelhuebeli

Some are impressed by the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Sycamore Canyon and Cathedral Rock are good hikes.

Make sure you get up long before sunrise and catch the first rays hitting the red rocks - unbelievable colors lighting up for a few minutes when the pink first rays hit the red rocks.

If you go to the Grand Canyon, get up very early, drive to Flagstaff and take this route to the Grand Canyon (instead of the obvious route to the "Village"):

In Flagstaff, head briefly East on 40, North on 89, West on 64.

You enter the Grand Canyon National Park at the Desert View entrance, there's a visitor center, restaurant, and a 2-storey observation tower that you and your cameras will like!

Now drive along the rim heading west, and stop at just about every pullout - the views, colors, rock formations, even the types of rock change all the time.

By the time you get to where all the tour buses pull in and the big crowds are, at the "Village", you'll feel like you own the Canyon, having see a lot more than all those folks will ever see if they just get in at the "Village" and back out.

abram

Loved the Pink Jeep Broken Arrow tour.
Not impressed with the Chapel.
Great hiking.
Enjoyed a day in Jerome.
Lime Montezuma Well & Castle.

MikePinTucson

Pink Jeep Broken Arrow
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Red Rock Crossing
Oak Creek Canyon (hike the West Fork Trail
Boynton Canyon
Tlaquepaque
Wine tasting along Page Springs Road
Jerome
Verde Canyon Railroad
Tuzigoot National Monument
Montezuma Castle and Well

Agreeing with michelhuebeli on the route to take to the Grand Canyon. I would add, have lunch (the Navajo taco) at the Cameron Trading Post.

Visiting Antelope Canyon as a day trip makes a too long day. You really need at least one night in Page.

MichelleY

A visit to the Chapel is not about the Chapel. It is about what is outside, the view. How could it compete with the view? It is about God's handiwork, not man's. This is the inspiration I found on my visit.

HotWheels

Although we could've driven to the Grand Canyon from Sedona, we decided to take a break from driving & booked Pink Jeep Tour - Soooo glad we did!! They picked us up at our hotel, and it was so relaxing being able to view the sights along the way. The guide gave commentary at each Grand Canyon stop; we learned a lot of history that we wouldn't have if we had just driven on our own. We were never rushed from one site to another; enjoyed lunch at El Tovar lodge, and after a full day of sightseeing, it was nice to just relax on the way back to Sedona. We also took one of the Jeep rock-climbing tours at Sedona which took us to an ancient cliff dwelling & around the rural area; it was fun, but dusty - wear easily washable clothes!

JerseyGirlinAZ

Try Slide Rock Park. It's fun, though it will be crowded in July.

Agree with hiking the West Fork Trail. If you like hiking, you can try Devil's Bridge.

For restaurants, I like the Barking Frog.

JerseyGirlinAZ

The Enchantment Resort is also very nice, but very pricey. A friend of mine and I had drinks and a snack there. The views were beautiful.

Betsy

Loved the Elote Cafe in Sedona, the ambience, food and service were great. No reservations--you may want to go early. We were there in September, so it wasn't crowded.