My husband and I are planning a trip to New Mexico and Arizona next month. We are flying into Albuquerque and driving immediately to Santa Fe, where we will spend 4 nights. Planning to spend 1 day exploring the town, 1 day in Taos, with stops along the way and the third at Bandelier National Monument and Puye Cliff Dwellings and, time permitting, Los Alamos. We then take the I40 route, stopping at Petrified Forest and spend the night in Winslow. The next day we drive to South Rim and stay overnight at El Tovar. The next 2 days we are in Sedona, taking a jeep tour, some hiking and trips to Jerome and Prescott. We then leave for a 4-day conference in Phoenix. Am I missing anything great? We do want the trip to be somewhat relaxing and not spend too much time in the car. Any comment, suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Petrified forest and Winslow are both pretty dull, and El Tovar is way overpriced for what it is (they have a captive audience, though) but otherwise you're going to see most of the highlights.
You did a nice job planning this itinerary.

I always enjoy the Petrified Forest. I think it is a beautiful area. Make sure you take one or two of the short hikes to see the petrified wood. When the sun shines on the wood it is just magnificant.


On you way to Phoenix after Sedona you will pass right by Montezuma's Castle National Monument which is well worth an hour or so of your time.

Utahtea

You should definitely consider a stop at Montezuma's Castle and Sunset Crater. Both are enroute from Grand Canyon to Sedona.

Eileen,
Are you by any chance staying at the La Posada Hotel in Winslow?

Its an old hotel built in 1929 for the Santa Fe Railroad. I didn't know anything about this hotel when I stopped there this summer on my way from Flagstaff to Petrified Forest N.P., and was so pleasantly suprised. The hotel is really beautiful, and the huge, Mexican style public rooms had an almost eerie historical atmosphere. The lunch I had in the dining room was one of the best meals of my trip. I didn't get to see any of the guest rooms, since I already had a room in Flagstaff, but I thought it would be very romantic to spend the night there.

On the way from Petrified forest to Flagstaff, stop at Meteor Crater. From Flagstaff, stop by Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument then go to Cameron and into the Grand Canyon from the east.

In addition to Montezuma's Castle, I always recommend also stopping at nearby Montezuma's Well which I find more interesting.

Thanks for all of your replies. And, yes, Tommy, we have reservations at La Posada. That is the reason we chose to stay in Winslow.