Hi Fodor's friends,

I have an event in Flagstaff the 1st weekend in Oct. I want to take advantage of this trip and visit Flagstaff, Sedona and the South Rim of the GC. I've never been. I could fly (with layover directly to Flagstaff) but I'm thinking I'll fly direct into Phoenix and rent a car. We might visit family in Phoenix, head to Sedona for a night or two, Flagstaff for event, one night on the south rim and back home. This is very rough at the moment. (the other option is to do day trips, but I'm thinking staying overnight in each location will be better in this case and we travel light). We are probably up for one 5 mile hike at each location.

I'm struggling with the itinerary and how long I should plan for each. I'm not sure exactly how many days we will have yet. Figuring somewhat limited time, my questions are:
a) Do I need more time in Sedona v Flagstaff?
b) Aside from hiking, is there a downtown worth seeing in either Sedona v Flagstaff? I can't exactly tell where downtown is on Google maps for either town. We like happy vibes, cocktails, dinner.
c) I read some other suggestions of hotels in Sedona with views by the river - is that a must? seems like it might be to take in the beauty. I like being able to walk to a coffee shop or dinner, etc. but we will have a car so I'm flexible.
d) Specific recommendations for hotels in Sedona / Flagstaff?
e) Other fun activities?

Rough Itinerary:

Wed: Fly into Phoenix, visit family, chill, drive to Sedona to sleep
Thurs Sedona
Fri: Sedona (or maybe split between Sedona and Flagstaff) just not sure...
Sat: leave early for Flagstaff - walk around town, check in, go to event Sat night
Sun: Drive to South Rim - have plans with friends to go hiking on this day; so I reserved a room there for the night
Mon: Get up early to see Sunrise on South Rim, then head back to Phoenix
Tues: Fly home

Insights are welcome!

What I might do (assuming you have some flexibility date-wise pre and post the Flagstaff event) Is from Phoenix drive straight to the south rim, stay 2 nights, then to Flagstaff for one night, then Sedona for 2 nights, then back to PHX.

If that isn't possible for some reason your current idea would work - no matter the order, I'd try to do 2 nights Sedona, 1 night Flagstaff, and 2 nights GC

As for hotels -- what sort of budget? Sedona can be pricey.

Thanks Janisj. I tend to agree that's the better order, but we are stuck with doing south rim after flagstaff. I'm leaning toward more time in Sedona per your suggestion - as far as budget probably around 350/night but I''m flexible.

New Plan:
Fly in Tues, 1/2 day Sedona
Wed - full day Sedona (hike), dinner with friends
Thurs - stay in Sedona or drive to Flagstaff late and stay there
Fri - (hike) (observatory maybe) event 6pm in Flagstaff
Sat - event 4pm-10pm Flagstaff
Sun - early to South Rim, stay at South Rim
Mon - Sunrise South Rim - head to Phoenix late or early Tues morning
Tues - fly home

Check out VRBO or AirBnB properties in Sedona. We've found it to be a better option than run of the mill chain hotels.

Thanks J62

We did something similar a few years ago - flew to Phoenix, rented a car and drove to Sedona for 3 nights then 2 or 3 nights in Flagstaff. We were happy to do the GC as an easy day trip from Flagstaff.

Flagstaff has a small "downtown" feeling area but Sedona really only has a main tourist drag. But both were great places to be.

Maybe that's a good reminder to find out what the OP actually wants to do. If it's stroll in a nice downtown, that's one answer... but for me, Sedona has far more to offer than Flagstaff - and that being the endless miles of great hiking footsteps from town.

Ditto from the Grand Canyon. For me, a day trip from Flagstaff to the GC would be the worst possible way to visit the GC. Being to able to step out of my room and onto a trail at (or before) sunrise is what I enjoy about the GC.

different strokes...

I agree with J62 - especially re the Grand Canyon. A day trip without staying overnight is definitely not optimal. Day trippers don't get the truly amazing sunrises and sunsets -- plus they are rubbing shoulders with all the other hundreds of day trippers. I've done one day trip (by bus from Vegas actually -- years ago) one 1 night stay, and one 2 night stay (never hiked down to the bottom unfortunately). By FAR the best experience was the two-nighter. But if there is only time for one night, I'd get there as early as possible from wherever you are driving, and stay as long as you can the 2nd day (AND definitely get up early enough to walk along the rime just before and during sunrise . . .)

I would stay in Sedona or Flagstaff but not both. The distance between the two is only 30 miles or 50 minutes and you can miss changing lodging. If you want to do a hike do it in the morning. Most of the trail head parking fills up in the afternoon.

The best hike in Sedona is West Fork but it is very popular so get there early. You also might try Bell Rock Trailhead north of Village of Oak Creek (VOC).

If you plan to be in Flagstaff in the evening don't miss Lowell Observatory. They have scopes set up after dark for visitors to view the skies. It is also a good place to visit during the day.

I highly recommend the Museum of Northern Arizona on HW180 as you leave Flagstaff.

There are three monuments near Flagstaff. Wupatki National Monument is north of Flagstaff on HW89. Sunset Crater is just outside Flagstaff on HW89. Note it is currently closed because of two forest forest fires that when through the area this summer but hopefully it will be open by October. The third monument is Walnut Canyon National Monument at the first turnoff from I40 heading east out of Flagstaff. The loop road FR545 (paved) from Sunset Crater to Wupatki and then back to HW89 has nice views. For a nice hike try Buffalo Park in north Flagstaff. There are also trails from the lower parking lot at the Arizona Snowl.

Meteor Crater is east of Flagstaff off of I40 about 40 miles east of Flagstaff. People get confused on Sunset Crater and Meteor Crater. Sunset Crater is volcanic and Meteor Crater is where a meteor crashed.

On going to the South Rim. I would suggest taking Route 89 north out of Flagstaff and then Route 64 at Cameron. The South Rim is less crowded at Desert Tower Vista than the zoo at the main Grand Canyon village. If you want you can then drive HW64 stopping at any pull-offs that interests you to get to Grand Canyon village. If your into gifts there is the Cameron Trading Post just past the turnoff to HW64 you might checkout.

Sedona doesn't really have a downtown area. There's an area called "uptown" that's walkable. We've stayed at the Hyatt which is easily walkable on our last few trips and may be close to your price range.

Downtown Flagstaff is close to San Francisco Street and Aspen Avenue. Might be worth a look.

Sedona is popular with day trippers too.
I prefer Flagstaff to Sedona by 10,000 percent. Walnut Canyon and Wupatki are both worth visiting.

Agree with staying inside the Grand Canyon for at least a night, so you can see sunrise and sunset. Yavapai at the east end may be easier to get with short notice, or maybe Maswick (Xanterra).