whirlwind07

I am traveling to Phoenix for a Friday wedding in early November and decided it was silly to spend the whole weekend there when there is so much to see in the region.

I am staying in Scottsdale Friday night, in the Grand Canyon (Bright Angel Lodge) Saturday night, and by the Phoenix airport Sunday night. We will spend all day Sunday at the Grand Canyon and are fine driving back after dark and arriving at our Phoenix hotel late Sunday night.

The tentative plan is to leave early Saturday morning for the Sedona area where we will take a short hike or two to see the Red Rocks and have lunch before continuing on to the GC. We hope to then arrive there in time to see some of the roadside view points before dark, have dinner and head to bed early. Sunday we will wake in time to watch the sunrise, take a substantial hike into the canyon, and then watch the sunset.

My question is really about what we should prioritize in this short span of time! Specific hikes/sights in the Sedona area? Stuff that we can do Saturday afternoon/evening in the GC? Your favorite all day hike in the GC? Anything else that I am missing?

Thanks!!

qwovadis

When I did this stayed at visitsedona.com after

carrentals.com out of sky harbor hiked oak creek canyon

early AM drove up to El Tovar did Bright Angel Trail hike

Drove back the next day for my flight...

A tonne of driving Sedona far prettier then Scottsdale to me.

Drive was pretty but pretty long... Sedona/Mogollon Rim

and the Canyon were best for me.

Good luck!

Myer

If Oak Creek canyon is the West Fork hike it's very nice but not a red rock hike.

I would chose from the following:

Boynton Canyon Vista. Not the full Boynton Canyon trail as it's pretty boring. The Vista is a detour near the start of the full canyon hike. It's a Vortex site. Very, very scenic and quite short.

Broken Arrow. This is one of the most scenic hikes in the area. Pink Jeep and the NPS maintain the trail and the adjacent road. This is one of Pink Jeeps most popular tours. Beautiful.

Bell Rock. Any hike in that area.

I'm not a big fan of GC. I think it's a big bowl and unless you hike down pretty far it doesn't compare to anything else in the area.

My daughter was there a few weeks ago. I listed 12 places she's been to in the past few years and asked her to rate them. The Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam were #11 and #12.

Antelope Canyon which is about 2 hours from GC is near the top.

peterboy

Days will be short so I'd say go straight to GC and enjoy the afternoon and sunset. Catch sunrise then go to Sedona for some hiking to break up the drive. Dine in Sedona an head on down to Phoenix.

GC hiking will be down then back up. Hiking in Sedona will be more interesting IMO.

Bill_H

Your favorite all day hike in the GC?

This depends entirely on your fitness level. If you are in excellent shape (work out at least 3x per week) then hiking down Kaibab trail to Phantom Ranch, then up Bright Angel trail (which ends about 10 feet from Bright Angel lodge) is fantastic. This is 16 miles long (7 miles down, 2 miles parallel to the river, 6 miles up), dropping 4,800 ft and then rising 4,400 ft. Not recommended by the Park Service (which has to cart out a couple of dead bodies each summer), but November is much safer since heat isn't a problem.

Probably 50-80 people do this hike every day in the fall and spring without problems more serious than blisters and tight calves (and we've done day hikes almost twice this long), so it's doable. Most people hike down at 2-3 mph, then up at 1-2 mph, so it can be a long day (6-9 hours is typical, much longer is possible if you bonk on the way out), but an experience you'll likely never forget.

If this sounds like too much and you are in "very good" shape then I would recommend hiking down Bright Angel to Indian Gardens, about 4.5 miles into the canyon, then back up the same trail, maybe 2,800 - 3,000 elevation change). This is lovely but a bit of a wimp out since you aren't going all the way to the bottom.

If even this sounds a bit much then the best short hike into the canyon is down Kaibab about 1.5 miles to Cedar Ridge, then back up. This is best at sunrise.

whirlwind07

Thank you all so much! I am going to research the options you recommended around Sedona, Myer, and we will probably choose just one.

Bill, your feedback is excellent. Fitness wise I think we are up for the full hike, but it makes me nervous with the days being so short. We probably only have 10 hours of daylight max, so it could cut it close. Plus, if it is icy/snowy I am sure that will be slower going. Sounds like my mind might be more at ease with your second suggestion.

Thanks, and keep the feedback coming.

Bill_H

We probably only have 10 hours of daylight max, so it could cut it close. Plus, if it is icy/snowy I am sure that will be slower going.

Unlikely to have ice accumulating on the trail in early Nov, but since you're planning on driving the four hours to Phoenix after hiking the 2nd option is probably better. Great time of the year to hike up there, you should have a good time.

Myer

Of the hikes in Sedona that I suggested:

Boynton Canyon Vista is the shortest. It's uphill and extremely scenic for the amount of time. In west Sedona.

Broken Arrow is about 1.5 miles south of the "Y"

Bell Rock is probably not a hike but an area. I guess the hike is Courthouse Butte.

Go to:

www.greatsedonahikes.com

for info on these and many more.

Go to:

http://www.lovesedona.com/vortmap3.pdf

for info on Vortexes.

WhereAreWe

My money for the Grand Canyon hike is either Bright Angel trail to Indian Gardens and then out to Plateau Point, or Kaibab trail down to the Tip-Off and back.

If you have all day either is doable. Kaibab has much better views, most of the trail is along a ridge so you can see up/down canyon for miles. It also has little shade and no water so factor that in.

Bright Angel is mostly in a side canyon so as you head to Indian Gardens you are basically zig-zagging back and forth, slowly dropping in elevation. Your views are much more limited. However, there is shade along the way and water at Indian Gardens, possibly also at the 3-mile Rest House (but when I hiked out in early November it was already shut off for the season). If choosing this trail, I would highly recommend continuing on to Plateau Point - it is another 1.5 miles, mostly flat trail and takes you right up to the edge of the inner canyon with spectacular views. Well worth the extra mileage if you've hiked that far already.

In my opinion the views from Plateau Point are the main attraction of Bright Angel and if you aren't going to hike to PP then you should stick to the Kaibab trail.

smetz

I went to Sedona and GC with a group of 4 this past August. I tend to agree with Myer, that I like Sedona better than the Grand Canyon, but if you haven't been there it's a great experience. I have only hiked Kaibab at GC, once to Cedar Ridge, and the last time to Skeleton Point, which also affords a view of the river. The good thing about Kaibab, as someone mentioned already, is that you get out into the canyon pretty quickly. You can even go to Ooh-Aah point, which is only about a mile and maybe 750 feet down, and you get excellent canyon views. Cedar Ridge is about 1.5 miles out and 1,200 feet down, I think, and is even better.

In Sedona, one of our favorite hikes was Devil's Bridge. Only about a mile to 1.5 miles each way, not too strenuous, with good views. Here's a picture:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1129843...61349000754402

Another great one was Brin's Mesa. This is a longer hike, about 2-3 miles each way, but the views from atop the Mesa are great.

I would agree with Myer about Boynton Vista, and skipping Boynton canyon, though once out in Boynton Canyon we were able to find some ruins of a native cliff dwelling, which absolutely made that part of the hike.

One of my favorites in Sedona, though, is Cathedral Rock. A fairly strenuous hike, some of it scrambling up the rock, which you can either do as a shorter hike from a parking lot near the rock, or from Verde Valley School Rd using a trail that winds along Oak Creek from around the "back" of the rock, that makes it about a five mile round trip.

A lot of people like the Oak Creek Canyon / West Fork hike, but I didn't care for it. You're walking in sand most of the way, and the views are limited since you're in woods most of the time. I'd rather be up on a rock.

If you are there in the evening, and it's a clear day, the sunset view at Airport Mesa is great-

https://picasaweb.google.com/1129843...62980480747154

smetz

Oh, one other thing I wanted to mention - if you're pressed for time, there is an excellent hike with great views right in town near Coffee Pot Rock, with a parking lot not too far off of Coffee Pot Drive. There is a small mountain there called Little Sugarloaf that is pretty easy, and provides some very nice views.