Utah-Arizona Itinerary Help
 

I am planning a trip out west with my husband, and we want to cover some national parks. Also, my husband is a big John Ford fan, so a stay in Monument Valley is essential.
Day 1
Arrive Las Vegas 9:30 am Drive to Zion Lodge. Explore Zion
Day 2Explore Zion
Day 3 Depart morning for scenic drive to Bryce (2 hours)
Explore Bryce. Stay at Bryce Lodge.
Day 4 Explore Bryce
Day 5 Depart for Lake Powell, past the Vermillion Cliffs, with a brief stop at Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon. Hopefully, we'll arrive early for dinner cruise or Colorado River float trip. Stay at Lake Powell Lodge.
Day 6 Wake early to photograph Antelope Canyon and Horsehoe Bend
Drive to Monument 3 hours Check into Gouldings
Day 7: Full day Jeep tour Monument Valley
Drive this evening 4 hours to Grand Canyon
Check into Kachina Lodge.
Day 8: Explore Grand Canyon
Day 9: Explore Grand Canyon am Drive to Sedona 2 hours via Oak Creek Canyon. Maybe detour to the Indian ruins at Wupatki or Walnut Canyon along the way. Check into Enchantment.
Day 10: Explore Sedona. Walk in Boynton Canyon. Drive to Montezuma's Castle on the way to the Verde Canyon Railroad. Train departs at 1:00 pm for four hour tour. Maybe do an evening hike at Bell Rock or Airport Mesa.
Day 11: Must depart for Phoenix by 9:00 to catch 12:15 flight (arrive 7:00 pm)
Do I need an extra day in Sedona?

Also, the rates at Enchantment are really expensive for the dates I want (Labor Day Weekend). I cannot juggle this itinerary because I was lucky to get the nights I did at Bryce Canyon Lodge, Gouldings and Zion Lodge. There are some nice B&B's I am considering like Boots & Saddles, Alma de Sedona, or Adobe Village Graham Inn. Is Enchantment really worth more than these B&B's. We are not getting spa treatments. I just wanted easy access to Boynton Canyon.

when i was in sedona, (been there 3 times) i never bothered on where I was staying. everything is pretty close. it's not as far apart as you think. You might also like chck out slide rock state park and do a hike at west fork.

btw, i'll be doing a similar trip in September although I've done the some of the stuff mentioned. have you done this trip before? while sedona to gc and phoenix are fairly easy/fast rides, monument valley to lake powell is not. you may want to rethink some of the destinations.

antelope canyon is amazing and you're not allowing enough time there. the tour we took got us started at 8:30 adn we didn't return until about noon. Horseshoe bend requires a mile and a half hike from the road side and once there, you can stop and click for a picture but you won't want to. We did the horseback ride and overnight in the canyon at monument valley. that was an experience i will never forget. in the evening, there was navaj indian dancing and navajo food. we did this with totem pole tours. you may want to look into that. your hubby will LOVE it.

all for now. if i thnk of something else, i'll post back.

This is one of the best itineraries I've seen posted on this site.

That IS a great itinerary. A couple of notes:

1. If at all possible, see if you can carve out time to see Jerome http://www.azjerome.com/ really just a little way past Cottonwood.

2. Unless something has changed, I don't think you need to be staying at Enchantment to be able to hike up Boynton Canyon.

I have only been to the Grand Canyon briefly when I was younger.
I am planning to wake up at sunrise so as to fit Horseshoe Bend in before Antelope Canyon.
If I am done Antelope Canyon by 1:30, I was hoping that there would be plenty of time to get to Monument Valley.

Also, how difficult is that hike at Slide (sp?) Rock State Park. I am not much of a hiker. I am physically fit. I just prefer a well worn trail because I have balance problems.

Not sure what kind of tour Maria_so took of Antelope Canyon, but our trip to Upper Antelope Slot Canyon tour was only 1 1/2 hours long. Part of that time is getting to and from the entrance to the canyon from Page and one hour in the slots canyon itself.

Horseshoe Bend hike is 3/4 miles one way and 1 1/2 mile round trip. It's a fairly easy hike and I would do it first thing in the morning while it's still cool out. You should easily be able to do this and Upper Antelope Slots Canyon tour and be on your way by 1:30 P.M.

Utahtea

Hmmm, sorry. You're right. We took the photography tour, I guess why it took longer. You kind of need to wait around while the "spotlight" gets clear of foot traffic to take a decent picture.

FlyingMatlese, Slide Rock SP is an easy hike and really, once you get there, you can just walk up as far as you like then go back the way you came the "sliding" area. If it's warm, take your bathingsuit and do a slide (it's fun). There's also an apple orchard there and depending on when you go, you can "pick" apples off the tree (for a small fee, of course). West Fork is about a mile north on Hwy 89 from Slide Rock (on the left hand side - signs are a bit obscure so keep your eyes looking out for it). It's also pretty easy hike. You can go as far as you like, traveling the riparian trail. It's mostly shaded too and is right up agains canyon walls so you will have some wonderful sights. Here's a link to slide rock (http://www.pr.state.az.us/parks/parkhtml/sliderock.html) and here's one for west fork (http://sedonadrivetours.com/15-west-fork.htm)

Have you thought of adding Canyon De Chelly on your itinerary? It's gorgeous there too. I can't remember where it was on our itinerary but somewhere after Lake Powell and Monument Valley, I think.

Your itinerary looks great. Mind if I keep a copy? We're doing a similar trip in September (we love this area so much and it's been awhile)and it's a good starting point for us but I may stray more north to Moab a bit for some rappeling, mountain biking, and white water rafting. ;-)

I thought of Canyoo de Chelly, but we want to combine that for a later itinerary that includes Mesa Verde National Park, Durango Railroad, Taos, Santa Fe, and Albequrque. My husband gets limited time off at work.