I just booked a short trip to PHX in late April for the family (8 and 5 y.o.). Part of my reason was it was a good deal on airfare and my 5 year old has never flown before and this happens to fall on his birthday.

We fly in to PHX late on a Thursday and fly back EARLY on the following Tuesday. So 3 full days to drive around and see some sights. Will plan to rent a car/jeep in Phoenix and head out of town. I'd like to see Sedona and the Grand Canyon, but I was hoping to get some advice on prioritizing our time since its a short trip.

We'd like to hike but that will have to be limited with the 5 year old.

Gracias!

Nothing to add other than have fun and report back. We are going in October and plan on doing atv rentals and mostly staying in the Sedona area. Will do the canyon next year.

I would suggest prioritizing Sedona over the GC.

I would also suggest visiting Flagstaff if you have never been before. Its a really fun little town with an awesome downtown area!

The canyon is cool - it's a day trip out of PHX (Flag is only 2 hours assuming there isn't some calamity of a wreck on the 17, which there usually is, so plan for 3 hours to Flag, another hour to the South Rim). But it's a cool drive in parts and well worth the trip.

If you want to really maximize things, drive up to GC early and stay in Sedona that evening. You'll get a chance to see the red rocks and sunset - it's really pretty out there. Spend the morning to early afternoon in Sedona. It's a hippy hollow type of town - really pretty scenery, weird folks in town in the shops. But they are really nice, love visitors and people/pet friendly just about everywhere.

The last day I'd spend in PHX - lots of things to do there. Camelback Mountain (hike), White Tanks Mountains (hike) and South Mountain (drive) are some scenic views that are more or less in town. Scottsdale is a nice area with a whole lot of things to do (your wife will love it, lots of shopping). Tempe is a fun place with a lot to offer. AZ State is in Tempe, so it has some college feel to it but a whole lot of restaurants, bars, etc. Mill Avenue is the main drag - think of 6th Street, but not nearly as weird.

The crater and petrifed national forest are east of Flag. Joshua National forest and Hoover dam are west of flag. Both of those will take up a full day though to get there, see the sights and back.

All along I-17 (Black Canyon Highway) are some offshoots you can go to on your way back too - lots of places with petroglyphs (V Bar V is a big one), the stronghold at Montezuma Castle is cool, Walnut Canyon NM near Flag is something to look at while you are in the area.

The Mongillon Rim is really cool too - Sitegreaves National Forest area east of Flagstaff. Beautiful views from the top of the rim, which is an escarpment that has about a 5000 foot sudden change in elevation.

Lots of abandoned mines in the area, the Superstition Mountains southeast of town are really pretty as well.

You have a lot to choose from.

Love Sedona but with kids I would think the GC would be something special for them. We did a day hike into the canyon but be warned - it's real easy going down. Not so much at the end of the day coming back up.

schmellba99 said:

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The canyon is cool - it's a day trip out of PHX (Flag is only 2 hours assuming there isn't some calamity of a wreck on the 17, which there usually is, so plan for 3 hours to Flag, another hour to the South Rim). But it's a cool drive in parts and well worth the trip.

If you want to really maximize things, drive up to GC early and stay in Sedona that evening. You'll get a chance to see the red rocks and sunset - it's really pretty out there. Spend the morning to early afternoon in Sedona. It's a hippy hollow type of town - really pretty scenery, weird folks in town in the shops. But they are really nice, love visitors and people/pet friendly just about everywhere.

The last day I'd spend in PHX - lots of things to do there. Camelback Mountain (hike), White Tanks Mountains (hike) and South Mountain (drive) are some scenic views that are more or less in town. Scottsdale is a nice area with a whole lot of things to do (your wife will love it, lots of shopping). Tempe is a fun place with a lot to offer. AZ State is in Tempe, so it has some college feel to it but a whole lot of restaurants, bars, etc. Mill Avenue is the main drag - think of 6th Street, but not nearly as weird.

The crater and petrifed national forest are east of Flag. Joshua National forest and Hoover dam are west of flag. Both of those will take up a full day though to get there, see the sights and back.

All along I-17 (Black Canyon Highway) are some offshoots you can go to on your way back too - lots of places with petroglyphs (V Bar V is a big one), the stronghold at Montezuma Castle is cool, Walnut Canyon NM near Flag is something to look at while you are in the area.

The Mongillon Rim is really cool too - Sitegreaves National Forest area east of Flagstaff. Beautiful views from the top of the rim, which is an escarpment that has about a 5000 foot sudden change in elevation.

Lots of abandoned mines in the area, the Superstition Mountains southeast of town are really pretty as well.

You have a lot to choose from.

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Wow thanks for all the info, schmellba! And thanks to everyone for their feedback. We actually have 4 full days, not 3 like I originally stated. Will plan to spend some time in Phoenix/Scottsdale.

I hope we will be back to spend more time at the GC in a few more years when we can really spend some time there, but just in case I want to at least see it this trip.

I think we will try to spend a couple of nights in Flagstaff. I went ahead and booked friday night (our first full day) at the Maswik Lodge at the South Rim. I can cancel that, though.

Thanks again!

Between PHX and Flagstaff is a place called Out of Africa Wildlife Park. My son was about 8 1/2 when we did our Grand Canyon trip. He enjoyed this place, especially the Tiger Splash show - basically trainers in the pool with the tigers. I think it's a one-of-a-kind type show.

https://outofafricapark.com/experience/tiger-splash/

You might not want to spend part of a day doing this, but given your kids' ages, I thought I'd mention it.

As a funny aside, I'm this same general area is this wildlife park, a prison, and a machine gun range. You see the signs when driving to the park. I remember laughing to myself and thinking no prison escapees would have a chance.

there really is so much to see in Arizona. I used to live in Phoenix and we went up to Prescott quite a bit because my wife's cousin attended Embry Riddle. If you do any hiking in Sedona, Devil's Bridge is an easy one, it's where I proposed. When driving to Sedona from Flagstaff 89A is such a cool route.

With kids, do not skip the grand canyon.

I agree that as an adult there's more in Sedona, or even flaggstaff, but the kids need to see the grand canyon. Won't take long to see, but it's worth it.

I'd argue even if you're an adult and haven't seen it before, it's something you have to see once.

I wouldn't disagree with that.

I know everyone is not capable of going down into the canyon, but it's such a different experience than just looking at it from the rim.

We will definitely make it to the GC. I've never seen it and I've been most everywhere else in the SW United States. I'm surprised we never travelled there when I was growing up.

I do plan to get back someday and explore it more, but I somehow went 38 years without even seeing it so I want to make sure we all at least see it once. My wife hasn't ever been, either.

I appreciate everyone chiming in. Will be very helpful in getting the most out of this short trip.

Pahdz said:

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there really is so much to see in Arizona. I used to live in Phoenix and we went up to Prescott quite a bit because my wife's cousin attended Embry Riddle. If you do any hiking in Sedona, Devil's Bridge is an easy one, it's where I proposed. When driving to Sedona from Flagstaff 89A is such a cool route.

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This. Very pretty drive, some switchbacks here and there too.

I didn't spend a lot of time in Flag when Iived there. Flag didn't seem to have much for me, the biggest appeal was that it wasn't Phoenix and was about 30 degrees cooler (going up in elevation over a mile does that). Different scenery - high mountains with fir trees versus the lower desert elevations PHX resides in.

Always wanted to go to Prescott, never made it there. Lots of things I wish I had done when I lived there that I just never managed to do (Havasu falls, for example).

I'll second Camelback Mountain in Phoenix - there are a few ways up it - get advice on how to find the side that gets a little steep and you have to use a handrail that they put up so you can pull yourself up - it's not too hard - your kids can do it but it's adventurous - the hike is 45 minutes or so to the top - if you can get there early am and start hiking just before sunrise, you will not regret getting to the top for the sunrise - DO IT!

in Sedona, you have to do the Pink Jeep tour - it's a blast - they are super huge tires on these pink colored jeeps and they go offroading with you on a dedicated trail - it's stunning the rocks they can go up - your kids will love it too

Hiking: Pinnacle Peak is shorter and not too advanced, Tom's thumb can bust your butt and has several miles of trails, or Camel Back (that;s the one I haven't done yet). The Sanctuary in paradise valley is right in the area of Camel back and has tremendous views from their restaurant and bar.

Old Town Scottsdale was one of my favorite things of my last trip. It is very walk-able and has lots of shops. Really the entire city of Scottsdale is awesome. Everything is very nice and enjoyable and April should be mild 80's weather.

Thanks for the tips!

I have to admit I had no interest in spending time in Phoenix or Scottsdale, but enough people have suggested it that I think we will plan for it.

I also appreciate the suggestions for family-friendly hikes. Definitely want to do those.

To me, the Grand Canyon is the epitome of "words cannot describe" and I think everyone should see it. I don't know anything about the hikes - we only went about a mile into the Canyon.
I absolutely love Sedona and the drive up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. Plenty of short hikes you can do there and maybe a jeep tour on Schmedley's Trail. Don't miss the Slide Rocks - water will probably be too cold too get in though.

We are doing a very similar trip this spring break.

Since we have young kids, hiking down into the Canyon isn't an option, but we absolutely are wanting to see it, so we are taking the train from near Flagstaff.

https://www.thetrain.com/family/?gclid=CjwKCAiA_c7UBRAjEiwApCZi8UGilMMCJwMBLsIY32sbIaTqbZ8ijNr2t8hsRaB8OzLy21kiK8h9KBoCSW4QAvD_BwE

The kids are bonkers excited. Gives a nice 2 hour train ride, with some entertainment built in, and about 4 hours at the Canyon. Seemed like a perfect way and I've heard great things about it.

We are also looking into "Bearizona", Meteor Crater, and we are going to head up to see Monument Valley Utah before we head home.

ok - it's May now... how was your trip?! I'm planning my Phoenix/Sedona/Utah/Vegas trip and doing my research

I just got back. Here are my thoughts:

1. Sedona is pretty cool but it is a little spread out. Much more so than i thought. It is also in the middle of a forest. I was under the mistaken thought that Arizona was mostly desert like. Southern Az. may be but up north, you have a fairly dense forest over a big area. I thought I was driving through Tennessee or Arkansas there for a while. I'm not sure Sedona is a full day but it is definitely worth it. The 89A route (I think it is) south of Flagstaff is a two-lane winding road that goes deep into the valley of the mountains. The other route that goes south of Sedona and then comes back up would be my preference.

2. The GC is well worth the trip but as others have said, if you aren't hiking (and you better be in shape if you are) one day is plenty. If I had to do it all over again, however, I'd book a lodge at the North Rim (May 15-August) and stay there for a couple of days. The South Rim, especially around holidays, is crowded. VERY crowded. It doesn't ruin the experience but if you're like me and don't like crowds, go north (young man!).

3. If you're going for pure photographic reasons you might want to avoid it when it starts to heat up -- May 15-ish. We had clear weather but hazy air. I think I got some great pics but mid to late spring or early fall likely would have been better.

4. I stayed in Flagstaff but if I did it again, I'd suck it up and stay at a lodge somewhere at the Canyon, north or south rim. You have a minimum 1.5 hour drive (south) and 3+ hour drive North from Flagstaff. If you do stay in Flagstaff, go 89 North and turn off on the road to get you to the East entrance to the Park. The drive itself is nice and traffic is minimal. Once you hit the park, the drive is STILL through forested areas. You can't see much, if any, of the canyon from the road even inside the park.

5. GC now costs $30 to get into so I'd recommend you buy a parks pass for $80 and hit more parks. We drove to Utah and hit Arches and Canyonlands. I'd recommend the former but not really the latter. From what I heard, Bryce Canyon is great.

We had a blast. We drove straight from PHX to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We stopped for lunch and had lunch in Flagstaff. I wish we could have spent more time there. I love the cooler weather and the pine trees. We made it to the park in the late afternoon and checked into the Maswik lodge in the park. It was a very nice room within a two minute walk to the rim. Rode the buses around much of the south rim the next day. We then went to Prescott. We rented a Polaris Razor from Prescott ATV Rentals. I highly suggest this. You can ride them in the city and also throughout Prescott National Forest. We tried to make it up to an old mining town called Crown King (there is an old saloon there where you can have lunch and a drink I guess) but we didn't make it that far. The kids had a lot of fun but that would have been a LONG ride. We really really liked Prescott (I'd consider moving there, and it takes a lot for me today that). We were there for two nights and then went back for a day and night in Scottsdale. We hit old town Scottsdale and it was too touristy and hokey. Did enjoy Scottsdale, though.

We didn't make it to Sedona, but we couldn't do everything and I know we will go back again and Sedona will be a point of emphasis.