Travel Plans
 

Please, any feedback on my travel plans would be most helpful. I only have the 7 days to travel, with the Grand Canyon reservations being inflexible.
Day 1. Fly to Phoenix from Baltimore. Drive to Kingman and spend the night at the Brunswick Hotel.
Day 2. Drive the old RT66 from Kingman to Williams, (this is to check-out the old route66 and see the cool,funky stuff.) Head to the GrandCanyon for 4pm check-in at the HotelTovar. Dinner at the Hotel.
Day 3. Mule ride to Plateau Point. Dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge ( in the Arizona room)
Night 2 at the El Tovar.
Day 4. 31/2 hour senic bus tour and 4 hour river float (smooth water) with picnic lunch along the Colorado River. Last night at the El Tovar.
Day 5. Check-out of the ElTovar and drive east rim drive, to 64 to 89 south. Take 40E and vist Walnut Canyon and Meteor Crater. Head back to Flagstaff and check-into the Hotel Monte Vista. Dinner? suggestions
Day6. Check-out of the Hotel Monte Vista and drive s89A to Oak Creek Canyon. Visit Montezuma Castle then back to Sedona for a 3:30 Jeep Tour - Horseback ride and cowboy cook-out. Spend last night at Sky Ranch Lodge.
Day 7. Check-out of Sky RAnch Lodge and head to Phoeniz for the flight home.
any comments would be appreciated. Thanks

I don't have much experience with the area you are travelling in, but you might get better feedback with a more descriptive title - that way people who know the area will be more likely to read your post.

Dale,

From what I can tell, it looks good. Have fun!

Utahtea

I would pass on Meteor crater.
Rest looks a great trip ...

Are you familiar with the Monte Vista in Flagstaff? I love Flagstaff and it's a historic old hotel, but it sure has seen better days. I'm afraid you're in for real culture shock after three nights at the El Tovar.
For dinner in Flagstaff, I like Pesto Brothers, Dara Thai, and Charley's in the downtown area.

The only part that gives me pause is the drive from Phoenix to Kingman right after you get off the plane from a long flight. I assume you've checked the mileage? 184 miles according to my map. Hate to see you start the trip so exhausted you can't enjoy the very busy schedule you have laid out.
Vera (an Arizonan)

Vera, Thanks for the reply regarding the drive from Phoenix to Kingman. I'm concerned that is might be too much in one day too. However, I REALLY WANT TO DRIVE PART OF OLD ROUTE 66. I also have read that the Kingman to Williams leg is one of the best in that area to drive. Any comments? Have you any knowledge about driving the old route from Flagstaff to say Wilslow? I don't want to miss the opportunity to do a little of the drive. The inflexibility of my Grand Canyon reservations really screws thing up.

We drove part of The Mother Road in Arizona a couple years ago - Flagstaff to the Hoover Dam. Parts of the road are left, but it's no longer a continuous route. You'll find a lot of tiny towns (some are a few buildings) separated by miles of nothing, but there are highlights:

Williams AZ (pop 2,400)-- We had great burgers at Twister's Soda Fountain in the last town to be bypassed by I-40. The entire downtown area, with a row of 1940s-style motels with neon signs, is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.

Seligman AZ - We had ice cream at one of the highway's most notable spots, Delgadillo's Sno-Cap Drive In. Owner Juan Delgadillo is a character known for his bad jokes and the yard is full of memorabilia.

Kingman (pop 15,000)AZ -- The big city. The visitor's center tells the story of Route 66, the Dust Bowl, westward migration and so forth. The Mohave Museum of History and Arts is small but worthwhile. It has an Andy Devine room ("Jingles" grew up in Kingman), and info about mining and Natives.

Oatman (pop 200) AZ-- If you have time, visit the former gold mining town, the highlight of our Route 66 trip. From Kingman you'll follow a lonely highway, part of the original Route 66, through the Black Mountains for 28 miles. Old fashioned businesses hug the main street while wild burros wander the streets and sidewalks. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard honeymooned here to avoid the media after getting married in Kingman.

Before our trip, I got a booklet from a group that is trying to preserve the route. It described the highlights of each town. Do an Internet search.

Happy motoring!