SusanP

In late Sept, after 4 nights in Las Vegas we will be driving to Sedona for 7 nights. I've read lots of threads here and am looking for input on the itinerary, and especially what you can see if you're not into a lot of hiking. I have arthritis in my knees; I am not handicapped and can walk fine but do not want a lot of steep hiking, as I will pay for it later! Some questions:

Arrive Sedona late Fri afternoon. We have tickets for the 7:00 Fri night concert of the Jazz on the Rocks Festival. It is on Schnebly Road, off of Rte 179 in the city. In looking for a restaurant that's open later for after the concert, which would be closest: Heartline Cafe, Dahl & DeLuca or Cowboy Cafe?
Sat. I think we'll just explore Sedona and do a little shopping.
Sun. we will drive to the Grand Canyon and stay overnight at the Kachina Lodge. I'm thinking we'll probably do the shuttle and walk the rim between a few of the stops, as I understand this is fairly level. What's the best spot for sunset and sunrise?
Mon. we drive back to Sedona via Cameron, Wupatki Nat'l Monument, Sunset Crater & Walnut Canyon Nat'l Monument. Can we do all those in one day on the way back?
For Wupatki, the website shows 4 trails, .5, .5, .2 and .5 mi. (the last one more steep). Anyone done these? Are any very easy?
For Sunset Crater, can you see enough w/o doing the 1-mi loop hike or 1-mi trail up the cinder cone?
For Walnut Canyon, I read on one thread that it's a short, easy hike. Is this the .7-mi rim trail shown on their website? Another thread said it was 200+ steps to get out. Is this the .9-mi island trail?
Tues. I thought we'd do Jerome and Montezuma Castle Nat'l Monument. Is it reasonable to do both in one day?
Wed or Thurs, we will do a Pink Jeep tour, probably late afternoon. My husband may decide to golf one of those days, and if he does I'll probably take a swim or do a little more shopping.
As far as Oak Creek Canyon, is there a lot more to see than you get from the drive up to the Grand Canyon, again without a lot of hiking? If so, where do you do it?
Anything really major I'm missing?
Sorry this is so long, thanks for any input!

SEW

This looked like a good plan. We did a similar trip last October, so maybe I can give you some input on the sites you plan to visit.

A popular sunset view in the Grand Canyon is Hopi Point. This is accessible via the shuttle bus. We had done the entire Rim hike, and noticed a lot of people getting set up to see the sunset there. You should be able to get a bus back to the village afterwards. However, it may be crowded. For Sunrise, I would walk out from your hotel to view the canyon, or get to Yavapai point via the rim trail. (Easy and paved with gradual elevation changes.) We were at Bright Angel Lodge and truly enjoyed it from right there. It's all about the changing colors in the canyon. Make sure you stop at the Desert View center on your way out of GC enroute to Cameron.

We actually did Sunset Crater, Wupatki and Walnut Canyon after driving up from Phoenix (and visiting Tuzigoot). We did have to go back to Walnut Canyon the next day as we got there right as the visitor center was closing. The hikes at Wupatki shouldn't be too hard. They have very good trails and is worth it to look at the ruins.

We didn't do the loop at Sunset crater, so I can't tell you if your knees will take it. Time was a consideration, otherwise we would have done it. As for Walnut Canyon. It is very visable from the lookout they have at the visitor center. We didn't do the steps and felt we got a true sense of the dwellings. There are a couple of steps, but you don't have to do the 200.

The Jerome and Montezuma Castle should be okay to do in one day. MC is a very flat trail and paved. You might want to visit Tuzigoot, but the hike is a little harsher on the knees, but it is not long. Also, it was similar to Wupatki in the type of ruins but I thought Wupatki was more stunning to look at due to the coloring.

There is a lookout you should stop at on the drive up Oak Creek Canyon. This is a much prettier drive than I-17. I would take 180 up to the Grand Canyon out of Flagstaff. This is much prettier than the drive from Williams.

Hope you have a good trip. This was a fun area to explore.

SusanP

SEW, thanks very much for that input. Sounds as though, of the three stops on the way back from the Grand Canyon, Wupatki would be the place where it's most necessary to do a little hiking to see what you want to see. I know I won't want to do a lot of walking at all three, so I think we'll plan to do one or two of the trails there.

One other thing, I read about an astronomer, Dennis Young, who does a Starlit Sedona tour, 90 mins. Has anyone done this. How was it? Thanks.

SusanP

Any other input? Thanks.

MaryZ

You should have no trouble at the Grand Canyon. The trail around the rim is paved and quite level.

I don't think you need to do the hike at Sunset Crater. You see great views from your car.

The Wupatki walks aren't strenuous, but there's a bit of a grade and you'll be walking uphill on your way back.

At Walnut Canyon, you have the option of staying up on the rim or doing the hike down into the canyon and getting into the cliff dwellings. I did the latter and found that doing the many, many steps back up to be a strain on the knees I'd always thought worked just fine.

SusanP

MaryZ, Thanks for that information, it helps a lot.

missypie

There is a place just out of Sedona - I think it's called Red Rock State Park - where you can see great views with a minimum of hiking. (There is a bit, but it is not strenuous.)

Also, I loved seeing the stars at night at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.

SusanP

Thanks, missypie, I checked out Lowell's website, looks like it might be fun. I just got a magazine about Sedona from their Chamber of Commerce and I think there's something in there about Red Rock State Park, I have to read more.

bigtyke

Sunset Crater - you can do as much or little of the main trail as you want - you are really just looking at the lava. my wife walked only a little bit and still enjoyed it (We had done an earlier, very steep walk earlier in the park)

Wupatki - very easy, short walk but some up and down - However I Thought the best part was the blow hole and the ball court which are at the end of the walk.

Walnut Canyon - To really see the interesting part, you must walk down the steps. It is a short, but hard walk.

You can do Jerome and Montezuma on the same day. I would also do Montezuma's Well - about 5 miles from the Castle and can be seen in just a few minutes.

SusanP

Thanks, bigtyke, I appreciate the input. Looks as though I can "save" my knees for Wupatki & Walnut by not doing much at Sunset Crater. The website for Wupatki mentions four different trails, do you know which one you followed to the blow hole? Maybe I can ask when we get there. And I did also plan to see Montezuma's Well. Thanks.

MaryZ

You follow the main trail at Wupatki to get to the blow hole. The walk back up to the visitor center is uphill, but it's a gradual and pretty gentle incline.

When they mention the 4 trails, I think they're including those at the other pueblo ruins which are part of Wupatki Natl. Monument. Wupatki Pueblo is the largest and most intact of several ruins within the Monument property. The other sites aren't too far away, but we drive to them rather than walk. My favorite is Wukoki. I can't quite explain why...it's just one of 'those' places for me.

SusanP

Thanks, MaryZ, that's more information than their website gives, so it helps a lot.