I'm planning a trip to Arizona in May. Planning to fly into Phoenix, stay there one night, then drive up to Sedona and stay there for 4 or 5 nights. While in Sedona I'd like to take a trip up to the Grand Canyon. Is it a worthwhile trip to drive up to G.C. and back to Sedona the same day? I'm not looking to hike or ride to the bottom, but I'd like to do some hiking and travelling around the Canyon.Just trying to figure out if I should rearrange some of my plans. Would it be better to stay closer (or in) the Canyon a night or two. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Natalee,

Stay over one night if you can. Making that drive roundtrip will leave you with NO time to enjoy the incredible views. I've been there 3 times and can never seem to get enough of just sitting and gazing out into all that space. Do yourself a favor and stay for a sunset and sun rise ! Have fun.

We have driven twice from Phoenix to Grand Canyon in a day and back so if you are not planning to do any hiking you should be fine. We had a few hours to do the rim tour on the bus, eat lunch there, and wander around.

I agree that you should spend a night at the Grand Canyon. The evening is lovely there, and it's nice to have time to absorb the gorgeous views. There's not
that much to do in Sedona, anyway, is there? We spent two nights in Sedona and
it was plenty.

Have fun!

Natalee, I'd certainly stay one night as well. Look into Bright Angel cabins. They are within the park and just a short stroll to the rim. It's quite an experience.

Even though you don't plan to hike to the bottom, I hope you will hike at least a short distance down the Bright Angel trail. It's an easy and well groomed trail...go as far as you'd like, then turn back and hike out. It's amazing how much this enriches your experience at the canyon, even if you only hike a half hour into it!

Our first trip we only had time for a very short hike, but I was so glad we did it. The next trip we got as far as Indian Gardens before turning around, and one of these days we'll hike all the way in and spend the night. I found that aspect far more enjoyable than driving the rim (though that's awesome as well).

We've also hiked some around Sedona...plenty beautiful in it's own right, but I far preferred the experiences in the GC to Sedona!

Grand Canyon is an easy drive from Sedona. You can make round trip in a day with no problem. We left about 8, had time to see the Canyon, the museum, have lunch, tour an Indian site and the tower on the far side of the Canyon and be in Sedona for dinner by 8.

Agree with the others. Sedona makes an easy day trip to the GC if you get an early start. It would be nice to spend one night at the Canyon, but probably by this time, you won't be able to find any rooms for May. I loved the peace and quiet and lovely natural beauty of Sedona and think you could easily spend the other 3/4 days there. There are also other areas close by to explore. Think there's a great Sedona CC site. Do a search for it.

Agree that it is an easy drive (2 hrs+/-) to the canyon. You probably can still get rooms around the canyon; need to call the lodges and find out what's available. Do a site search as to what thelodges are like. There is great hiking in the Sedona area and also in Oak Creek Canyon; especially near the top along the creek bed...beautiful.

I've done this twice. Suggest that you enter GC from the east taking Route 89 N from Flagstaff to Route 64 into GC. Just north of Flagstaff you will begin seeing the Painted Dessert on the horizon, a real plus and something you will likely miss if you enter via Route 180. This route does not appreciably lengthen the trip; just adds another really nice feature to it.

There is another alternative. Take an "excursion tour". There are several companies that will take a day trip up to the Canyon and provide annotation, trip to the IMax, lunch on a Navaho Reservation. The bus tour starts in Sedona and goes up through Oak Creek Canyon (as I recall back along the Interstate). It's a long day and moderately expensive but you don't have to worry with the driving or how to get from point A to B. There is enough time at the various overlooks to "see" the Canyon.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Sounds like there are many options I could take to enjoy all the scenic spots in and around the canyon and Sedona. I am beginning to see i need to get going on making these plans. Many hotels and lodges I've looked at online are already booked up for the dates I'm looking at. I'll ask you to indulge me once again - can you provide any hotel recommendations in Sedona and has anyone taken or know about the Grand Canyon Railway tour? thanks!

Hi

Just returned from Sedona and GC. Have ideas about accomodations and GC Railway.

About hotel recommendations for Sedona, would HIGHLY recommend the Arroyo Diablo Best Western (don't confuse it with the other Best Western in Sedona). It was located in the Upper Village within walking distance of shops/restaurants, had a patio and a gorgeous view of the red rocks (ask for a room with a view), and was quite reasonable ($107 with AAA discount).

We were only there one night but thoroughly enjoyed it. We ate at Rosebud's which was close by. All the restaurants around there seemed to be either very cheap (with the atmosphere to match) or expensive. Rosebud's wasn't cheap but was superb.

I too considered the GC Railway but was dissuaded by someone who said the train was so slow, it was very boring. (It takes 2 hours to do a 1 hour trip) Plus, I can attest that the scenery on the way to the GC is nothing that you want to be passing through very slowly.

Regarding the GC itself, you never know, you may get a cancellation. I got a room in El Tovar, the premier GC resort, the week before I arrived because someone had just cancelled. I thought it was great to see the sunset and rise there -- the best time of day for taking photos (and that is when the herds of deer seem to be out the most!)

Enjoy!