We will be 2 women traveling from Sedona to Grand Canyon early in Seotember - both sites will be first times for each of us.

Shall we rent a car and do it ourselves or shall we join a tour for the trip? If we do it ourselves, shall we make it an overnight and see sights on the way?

Any other suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks.

Sophia

Casting a vote for doing it yourselves and spending a night at one of the lodges inside Grand Canyon National Park. Enjoy walking the canyon rim at sunset and also early in the morning, maybe walking a little way down Bright Angel Trail (bring water.)

I agree with Jayne. Do it yourselves and spend one night at the Canyon. Keep checking for accommodation cancellations.

People here are mostly DIY travelers, so that's the rec you're going to get. Without knowing anything about you, I might suggest you make your own arrangements for Sedona and then book a tour out of Sedona to the GC. There are lots of tour companies that offer a lot of options, including a float trip.

I've driven from Sedona to GC with a friend with whom I was staying in Sedona. We just did a day trip, and the drive there and back was pretty and not too long. The lodge at GC was beautiful - I would have liked to have spent at least one night there.

Definitely drive yourself and stay overnight. In case you don't have the links to lodges inside the park, here they are:

5 lodges: http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/
Yavapai Lodge: http://www.visitgrandcanyon.com/yavapai-lodge

As was mentioned, if nothing is available now, call every day because there are frequent cancellations.

Besides having more time at the GC than you would with a tour, you will have much more flexibility about what to see/do and when to see/do things. You will also have time to check out Sunset Crater / Wupatki National Monument and the Cameron Trading Post (Navajo Taco lunch, and browsing). I would suggest doing these on the way to the GC, which will have you enter through the east entrance. The east entrance is MUCH less crowded than the south entrance. The line at the south entrance can easily be 1/2 hour wait, but I have never had more than 3 cars ahead of me at the east entrance.

>>Besides having more time at the GC than you would with a tour,

Two days would be plenty, unless the OP is an avid hiker.

If the OP doesn't have a problem driving, then self-touring is much less expensive and much more flexible than being part of a group, where everything is all planned out. With a tour, you go where they want to take you and you have only so much at any given place.

And self-touring still gives more time at the GC, because you are on your own schedule and don't have to wait around for a busload of people at every stop, every restroom break, and every meal break.

I don't know of any tour companies that would offer float trips at the Grand Canyon National Park. Float trips would originate near Page, where you can take half day float trips or multi-day rafting trips through part of the Grand Canyon. Any other float trips would be at the so-called "west" rim, which is not part of the Grand Canyon National Park and which does not have the views you would get at the south rim.

In a nutshell, self-touring is much less expensive and allows much more flexibility to see and do what you want, when you want.

I would self tour and travel via jerome, stay overnight if I could, but have also returned to Sedona on a day trip after sunset the more direct route.

>>I don't know of any tour companies that would offer float trips at the Grand Canyon National Park. Float trips would originate near Page, where you can take half day float trips or multi-day rafting trips through part of the Grand Canyon.