I first heard of Sedona from this forum, and many of you seem to think of it highly. We are going to the Grand Canyon next week but have only planned two days in the area. We will fly to Vegas, spend a few days there, and then drive to the Grand Canyon.

Would we miss a lot if we didn't stop by Sedona? It's very tempting because it seems only an hour out of way on our way back to Vegas to catch the flight home. (Even if we did stop by Sedona it would probably be only a few hours.) We are also going to spend a week in Southern Utah in late August. It's probably a dumb question, but I heard Southern Utal is also famous for red rocks and beautiful hikes, if so, is there still a need to visit Sedona when we are pressed for time?

Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

I'll answer for toddruggy: no.

Seriously, though, if you'll be spending significant time in So Utah and at the GC, I wouldn't make a special side trip to Sedona.
IMO Sedona is a great destination because there's so much unusual natural beauty packed into a relatively small area. So Utah is no less spectacular, and in fact is more spectacular as a whole...but very spread out.
I find the GC hard to grasp from the ground. It's so big and so deep, but also hard to grasp in toto from any one place. Helicopter tours eliminate that problem.

Sedona is scenic but if you are limited on your time I would concentrate on the Grand Canyon this trip.

S. Utah has many National Parks and National Monuments and they have NATIONAL status for VERY good reasons....they are REALLY special! My first choice would be S. Utah over Sedona any day!

What places in S. Utah do you plan to visit in August?

Utahtea

How can you pick one over the other? Geologically speaking, southern Utah is pretty much the same as Sedona. It is all part of the eroding Colorado Plateau. Sedona is on the southern part of the rim of the plateau. The erosion of the edges of this plateau is what has created some of the most unbelievable scenery in the country. Arches, Bryce, Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Moab, Escalante, Antelope Canyon are all part of what has been created by wind, water, and time. The southern (and most scenic) part of the plateau is also called the Mogollon Rim. It stretches from Sedona almost to Durango, Colorado. I agree with Utahtea that some of the deepest canyons and most remarkable rock formations are in the Utah section of the plateau. That would also be my first choice. But don't overlook the rest. If you don't see it this time schedule another trip. Two days is not enough time to really enjoy it.

Another reply for Southern Utah (if you don't have time to do both).

ugh....looks like there is another bogart here. just for the record...the bogart that has been spending most of her time on the hawaii boards planning her upcoming trip with DH did not just say that....

Thanks for all the friendly posts! I think I have made up my mind - no Sedona this time.

Utahtea, to answer your question, we are visiting Capital Reef, Bryce, and Zion in August. We are also staying in Boulder, UT for a few days. I haven't seen much discussion on this forum Re. Boulder, UT. I decided to go there after reading a newspaper article about it. We are from the east coast and have never seen the red rock country. On our trips in the past we visited mostly metropolitan places. I am so excited about this trip!

Thanks again for all the help! This is what this forum is about.

Boulder, Utah is on scenic Hwy 12 and I mean SCENIC!

The Burr Trail starts in Boulder and it is paved most of the way now and it is a great road to take a day drive out on. I wouldn't suggest going down the dirt switch backs unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle but that is just at the end of the road.

Anasazi Village State Park is in Boulder

There are other places in the area I would love to explore but we would need a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

Here is a good web site for information & pictures on the area.

http://www.so-utah.com/hwy12/homepage.html

You are in for a real treat in S. Utah!

Utahtea