Phoenix/Sedona trip - suggestions

Parent Cafe
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<p>Hi! H and I are taking a six day trip out to Phoenix/Scottsdale at the end of April (figure five days after subtracting travel time from the east coast). We’ve never been, but heard it’s nice and also have heard great things about Sedona. We plan on staying first 3 nights in the Phoenix area and then 2 nights up near Sedona. Airfare was free from a previous flight’s bump, we have lots of Hilton and Marriott points, so we’re planning on renting a car and splurging a bit on dinners (but we’re not fancy food types).</p>

<p>I went online and like the looks of the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs hotel but website may not reflect it correctly. Any advice regarding activities, restaurants, towns, parks, etc. that we shouldn’t miss would be greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>Also, does anyone know how long the trip would be from Sedona to the south rim of the Grand Canyon? We did a cross country trip with the kids a few years back, but our two days there were full of hail and rain so we missed those great vistas.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>LOVE Sedona!<br>
If you like hiking, there’s lots of great trails. Buy a book and find ones suited to your fitness level. The West Rim Trail is my favorite. Red Rock park also has beautiful (and relatively easy trails). Even if you don’t usually hike, there are plenty of flat trails and you can’t beat the scenery.<br>
You could also go on a pink jeep tour. We did one on our first visit and it’s a blast.
Get a map and check out the many vortexes - you go there to meditate and soak in the beauty (nothing special that I could feel but they’re still fun to visit).
We love organic food and really enjoyed the Heartline Cafe. El Rincon is supposed to be fabulous (mexican) be we couldn’t get in. Oak Creek brewery was pretty good but not great.
They have lots of great spas if you’re into that. Yoga classes too.<br>
One thing you may want to do is try to stay AWAY from the construction. Ask the hotels when you call. That’s the one thing I was not thrilled when after returning to Sedona after 10 years. It’s scheduled to be finished in a year or two, but right now, it’s really annoying!<br>
Grand Canyon is about a 2 hour drive. Worth the trip. We went there in April and it was very cold. We also did a float through the Glen Canyon Dam (even further north) and that was wonderful.
Enjoy…I’m envious!</p>

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<p>We went out to Sedona last year and stayed for three days and then drove to the Grand Canyon for one long day and returned to Scottsdale. We did a jeep tour and went hiking in Sedona–both were great. We stayed at L’Auberge Sedona, which was very nice. There was a main lodge and 1 bedroom cottages on the property. We were in one of the cottages. The restaurant at the inn (overlooks Oak Creek, which also runs through the property) was excellent. I’d recommend it. The inn arranged the jeep trip–there are tons of tour companies in Sedona. </p>

<p>We like to go to art galleries and there were quite a few in town. There was a cute shopping area called Tiaquepaque Arts and Crafts village. We also went to a Mexican restaurant that the concierge recommended–Oaxaca. Good food. We stopped at lots of places and took photos on our drive up to the Canyon; I think it was probably a 3-hour trip (maybe less, I don’t remember). We walked along the path on the South Rim for a couple of hours and had an early dinner at the dining room in the El Tovar Hotel. It’s a wonderful old hotel and fun to explore, but the food was just adequate. We went in April, which isn’t the high season so we didn’t have any trouble walking in eat to the El Tovar without a reservation. </p>

<p>A few of the things that we did in Phoenix/Scottsdale area that I’d recommend–Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West (excellent tour), the Desert Botanic Garden, and the Heard Museum (Native-American art). On our trip from Scottsdale to Sedona we stopped at an interesting spot called Arcosanti–it’s a small community in the middle of the desert built on the ideas of Paolo Soleri. If you like modern architecture/planned communities it’s an interesting stop.</p>

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<p>It’s beautiful there. Do the state/national parks thing. Take some time out to go hiking and don’t forget the camera. If hiking isn’t your thing or it’s too cold, check out a jeep or horseback adventure. Remember, it might be warm during the day but in the canyons and desert the temps drop at night so dress in layers.</p>

<p>Drive the Sandia Crest Byway, check out pueblos and native museums, shop for southwest stuff… what do you like to do?</p>

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<p>We’ll be doing the same trip for Spring Break (including our infamous hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon) in mid March. We will be staying at the Best Western Arroyo Roble Hotel & Creekside Villas in Sedona (got a good rate with the code in the Entertainment Book) and at the Tapatio Cliffs in Phoenix. I’ve read mixed reviews about the Tapatio Cliffs, so I’ll let you know how it was.</p>

<p>I’ve been so obessed about the Grand Canyon leg of the trip (and the part of the trip where we have to leave the GC at 5 am to drive D to the Phoenix airport to get her to a drill team competition) that I’ve scarcely thought about the Phoenix and Sedona legs. The Phoenix leg is after the GC hike, so that will involve lots of rest. We love to “antique” for mid-century stuff, and Phoenix has lots of antique malls, so we’ll do that. We saw Taliesen West on our last trip and loved it. </p>

<p>I just bought Fodor’s Arizona book and that’s what I’ll be reading this weekend while avoiding getting my tax stuff together.</p>

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<p>On one of our visits to Scottsdale we spent a couple of nights in Flagstaff. From there we visited Sedona, did the Pink Jeep tour (highly recommended) and also drove to the Grand Canyon. (One of my favorite places). The red rock scenery around Sedona is stunningly beautiful but I didn’t need to spend more than 1 day there. </p>

<p>We made a quick trip to Walnut Canyon National Monument near Flagstaff. Very interesting ruins of cliff dwellers in the canyon walls. Also stopped at the Wupatki National monument on the way to the Grand Canyon.</p>

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<p>We went to the Super Bowl with a day trip to Sedona last year. </p>

<p>My big tip is to get a self-drive tour CD. That way you will see all the highlights of the area, complete with commentary! Be sure that you rent a car with a CD player if you choose that option also!</p>

<p>Do not miss the Chapel of the Red Rock. That was one of the highlights of our tour.</p>

<p>I did feel the energy vortex in several locations.</p>

<p>Now I want to go back and stay for a week or two!</p>

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<p>Just returned (and I mean just: after midnight last night) from 4 days in Prescott, AZ. Since we stayed at the Spring Hill Suites in downtown Prescott, I can’t comment on accommodations in either Phoenix or Sedona. But last Monday we did a day-trip from Prescott to the South Rim and the drive only took 2 hours, so I would imagine that it would be much shorter from Sedona. We arrived late morning and drove/walked the length of the South Rim walk in GC National Park; had lunch in the General Store deli; and left the park after 3pm for the drive back. Both kids (16 & 19) want to return to hike and camp.</p>

<p>We also spent part of one day on the drive from Prescott through Jerome to Sedona (and return). Sedona was spectacular! We will return to spend more time (when S1 graduates…), but this trip did visit Tiaquepaque and the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Jerome was fun; if you have a chance, fit in a visit and a burger at the Haunted Hamburger.</p>

<p>You might also consider visiting Prescott. We’ve been three times and love the downtown atmosphere, the antique and art shops…and the bars.</p>

<p>Agree with Bromfield: include Taliesin West; wish we had had the time this trip. But we don’t recommend that you go out of your way to include Arcosanti. I have wanted to visit Arcosanti since college 30 years ago and it was a disappointment (and that’s coming from two architects).</p>

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<p>We did the Grand Canyon & Sedona trip last March. Stayed in Sedona, got up early and drove to the Grand Canyon one day & spent the whole day there. Definitely doable. We hiked the trails around the Grand Canyon, but I did not go down, even a bit, because the trail was icy in the shade. </p>

<p>Other days we hiked a lot around the Sedona area- my husband is the hiker and researched all the trails on the internet. It was lovely and we really got out and way from everyone. I second the recommendation to go to the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona - beautiful!</p>

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<p>We enjoyed Montezuma’s Castle, an Indian cliff dwelling</p>

<p>[Montezuma</a> Castle | Indian Ruins Near Sedona | Directions and Map To Montezuma Castle](<a href=“404 Error. Page Missing”>Montezuma Castle | Indian Ruins Near Sedona | Directions and Map To Montezuma Castle)</p>

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<p>Depending how long you have, a stop in Page to see Lake Powell can be great, they have boat tours so you can actually take a tour on the lake for a day trip. It’s about 2 hours north of Flagstaff- go to the drive in burger place (RDs?) at the north end of town, across from the laundromat and have a blast from the past burger & malt ;)</p>

<p>If you are thinking about the Grand Canyon check the various rims, I think the side closest to Vegas is the one that has the new glass walkway, which is expensive and not a national park, but quite an experience, I hear.</p>

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<p>We stayed at the tapatio hotel a few years ago. The suite rooms were nice. Unfortunately, at the time of our trip, the gas and the water went out at the hotel (no joke) and we had to transfer to the Hilton Squaw Peak (I’m not sure if that one is still a Hilton), where we had stayed before. The tapatio has a golf course if you like that. There are nearby hiking trails in a park, and there are coyotes there. We actually liked the pool better at Squaw Peak. There is a nice hike up the mountain at Squaw Peak, which is now called something else, “Squaw” being a disfavored term.</p>

<p>We recently stayed at the Boulders in north Scottsdale, which is truly beautiful, but more pricey than the Hilton properties. They were having some specials which you can check on line, I am not sure what months they were for.</p>

<p>I like mud treatments at spas, and I have tried them in various locales. The Tapatio had a Sedona mud treatment which is really nice. (Not as nice as the Moor mud in Banff - but that is for another trip).</p>

<p>We also enjoyed the Heard museum on our recent trip. In other trips we went to Sedona, Flagstaff, and the south rim of Grand Canyon, all worth the trip. I saw a bald eagle! We had lunch at the El Tovar, which was nice for the view. There are lots of mexican restaurants in Phoenix, Scottsdale and environs. We also went to Talesin West, and it was worth seeing, but we did not go back this time, as we did not feel it worth the admission for a repeat trip. </p>

<p>I like Arizona, and I’m sure you will find a lot of fun things to do. We rented a car with the GPS from enterprise. One thing about this was, when our flight in was delayed, I went on line to change my arrival time, and I was able to get a slightly lower rental rate at that time than my original booking.</p>

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<p>I agree with you Archiemom–I wouldn’t go out of my way to see Arcosanti. We didn’t have a real itinerary and it was on the way to Sedona, so we stopped. I forgot that we went to Montezuma’s Castle as well, which we also enjoyed.</p>

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<p>We went twice to this area- and I have been around the world and never go to areas twice- but Sedona is magical. I don’t recommend Phoenix- the Heard Museum and the Desert Botanical Gardens were nice but Phoenix is hot, flat and crowded. Sedona is wonderful. The last time we were there, we rented a house for a week online- very reasonable. We got a red rocks pass and hiked. We drove up to the South rim, hiked, stayed overnite, and drove back. The drive was about 4 hours, I think. We caved in the San Francisco peaks, and hiked extinct volcanoes, and visited the observatory at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Go to beaverstreetbrewery.com in Flagstaff for a rolicking fun time, especially if you like microbrew.</p>

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<p>Take a flight above the Grand Canyon. It gives a totally different perspective of how grand the Grand Canyon really is! We were glad we splurged on this awesome experience when we tagged along with H on one of his business trips.</p>

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<p>I love Sedona! Hubby and I spent our 25th anniversary there 2 years ago.
We started out in Phoenix for 3 days going to the NASCAR races. Headed north on Monday and our first stop was at the Verde Canyon Railroad for the day. We then made our way to the Dreamcatcher B&B for a few days. One day we took a boat tour down the Colorado river in a pontoon boat starting at the Glen Canyon Dam. We took a van along the South Rim, stopping at the Desertview Watchtower, then it’s off to Page, Arizona and the Glen Canyon Dam. You travel down a 2 mile tunnel to the base of the dam. You then take a 4 1/2 hour float trip on the Colorado River with a stop at the Petroglyph panel and time on Lunch Beach. Then the van picked us up and returned us to the Flagstaff airport where we started. It was a full 12 hour day but definitely worth it. We were the last group of the season in November. Our last evening in Phoenix, we stayed at The Phoenician…wow, what a place.</p>

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<p>OMG, there are TWO threads on travel advice in the cafe! Yay - CC’ers are busy at supporting the domestic tourism industry! Go, CC parents!!!</p>

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<p>Nice to see talk of my home state! Lots of good advice. Arcosanti is interesting if you like idealistic vision. They’ve had so little funding, for decades, that it hasn’t changed much in the past 20 years. Sunset crater is the volcanic area near Flagstaff that is fun to hike. Across the road is a Wupatki, an Anasazi ruin. The museum of Northern AZ in Flagstaff has wonderful exhibits about the region and native cultures. </p>

<p>You could do a circle drive up to the canyon through Flagstaff, and then return to I 17 by way of Williams and Prescott. The scenery is a little less spectacular, but Prescott is pretty, historic, and has good hiking as well. </p>

<p>At the Canyon, be sure to see a few different lookouts. I love hiking along the trail on the rim.</p>

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<p>I will tell you about our 24 hours in North Central Arizona last week:</p>

<p>We spent one night modestly at the Cameron Trading Post Inn, on a Navajo reservation, located at an historic crossroads near the east entrance to the Grand Canyon South Rim road. If not to sleep, you can stop to eat and see their art gallery and gardens. I liked the Navajo fried bread for breakfast.</p>

<p>On the South Rim we liked climbing up the Observation Tower at most eastern of the lookouts (highest point on the rim), but each lookout was different and majestic. One had a bit more history about the mining, while the others had beautiful views. </p>

<p>Lots of Western flavor in the train town of Williams, on Route 66, for touristas which is what we were. </p>

<p>As far as timing, our day began with breakfast in Cameron, drove the South Rim from East to West from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., stopping at every lookout (but no hikes way downward into to canyon), Williams in late afternoon to shop and have an early Western cafe dinner, then drove in the dark to sleep in Flagstaff that night. But it was February so virtually no traffic on the South Rim except for that herd of 30 elk. Yah, we had to slow down to let them cross.</p>

<p>We would have gone on to Sedona and Tuscon but had to stop the trip short; hopefully next time we’ll see those places.</p>

<p>I would recommend Googling around for opportunities to look at the stars at observatories in the universities, plus the Tourist Bureau websites Sedona and Phoenix to see if there are also some musical or cultural events from the community. We almost got to see “The 3 Singing Cowboy Tenors” and RIchie Havens was playing in Tucson, that kind of thing is nice for evenings.</p>

<p>PS, Closer to Sedona: Verde Canyon Railroad is fairly new, a 4-hour trip that starts in Clarksdale. The trip looked pretty on the video, but be aware that you don’t get off the train! Verde Canyon RR is different than the old Grand Canyon RR from Williams.</p>

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<p>My D did undergrad at ASU in Tempe, so we’ve had the privelege of visiting Az many times.I just love it there. Sedona, for a first visit, will take your breath away.Its probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in the U.S.
Try the vortex’s even if you’re a nonbeliever (as we are) Theres a cool spot on the Airport Rd thats supposed to be a vortex and has incredible sunset views.
We did a Jeep Tour, but not the Pink one.Theres plenty of choices.We did a high country one and it was teeth chattering,stomach thumping but oh so worth it.You can’t get on those roads/trails alone.
I liked the look of that Auberge hotel…we stayed on the outskirts of town at a chain…maybe a Marriott or a Hilton…if I go again I’d stay closer into the downtown strip.
Theres interesting galleries and tacky tourist shops. We ate at the Heartline also and it was excellent.
My only complaint was that the town closes down early. If you like to dine late like we do, you’ll be out of luck.
My H took an awesome mountain bike ride outside of town arranged by a local bike shop. He was in heaven (but beware…he’s an experienced rider, its not for beginners).
In Tempe/Scottsdale we’ve stayed in a zillion different places. Mostly nearer to the University but also up towards Scottsdale. Lots of good dining/people watching in that area.They have plenty of galleries too . Phoenix proper is a city like any other…but it has a great airport ( at least to this NY’er it was great).Some excellent museums.If you’re interested in Frank Lloyd Wright and visit Taliesin, you can also see his last completed work on the ASU campus…the Gammage Auditorium.There are tours. His son in law designed the adjacent School of Music building to complement it.</p>