Arizona: Sedona's Red Rocks and the Grand Canyon

1. Day 1: Phoenix to Sedona by Montezuma Castle

   Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport north on Interstate 17 to Montezuma Castle, then Sedona

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Sedona
   Day 1 details

   Your guide meets you at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) at about 12:30 pm; plan to land by noon, or fly in the day before and we can book a Phoenix hotel for you. We drive north on Interstate 17 out of the Sonoran Desert, where saguaro cactus stand beside the road, and climb about 1,000 m onto higher ground. After about an hour and a half we turn off near Camp Verde for Montezuma Castle National Monument, a five-storey cliff dwelling of about 20 rooms set in a limestone alcove above Beaver Creek, built by the Sinagua people more than 600 years ago. A short paved loop under sycamores takes about 45 minutes. Then it is 40 minutes more to Sedona, where we stay three nights, so you unpack once for half the trip. After check-in we drive up to the Airport Mesa viewpoint to watch the sun go down over the red rocks of west Sedona, then walk to a welcome dinner with the group.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
   • Montezuma Castle National Monument
   • Sunset at the Airport Mesa viewpoint
   • Welcome dinner in Sedona

   Free time: Free time after check-in, before sunset

   Activity: About 1 km of easy, paved walking.

   

2. Day 2: Sedona's red rocks and Oak Creek

   Sedona to Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte, the Chapel of the Holy Cross, then Red Rock Crossing on Oak Creek

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Sedona
   Day 2 details

   Sedona's trails are busiest from mid-morning, so we start after an early breakfast at Bell Rock, the bell-shaped butte at the south end of town, while the light is low and the car park still has space. The easy group walks the Bell Rock Pathway, broad and nearly level, with Courthouse Butte beside it; the active group circles the whole Courthouse Butte loop. Your guide explains what you are looking at: layers of sandstone laid down as dunes, beaches and river mud, coloured red by iron oxide. Then we visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into the rock in 1956 with a view down the valley, and drive back into town for a sit-down lunch. The afternoon is free: rest, browse the galleries at Tlaquepaque, or book a 4x4 tour on the back roads. In the early evening we drive to Crescent Moon Ranch at Red Rock Crossing, where Cathedral Rock rises above Oak Creek and its reflection lies in the water as the sun goes down. Dinner tonight is your choice.

   Included

   • Guided walk at Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte
   • Chapel of the Holy Cross
   • Sit-down lunch in Sedona
   • Sunset at Crescent Moon Ranch and Red Rock Crossing on Oak Creek

   Optional experiences

   • A 4x4 tour on Sedona's back roads in the free afternoon, priced when you book

   Easier option: The Bell Rock Pathway, about 3 km return on a wide, nearly level trail.

   More active option: The full Courthouse Butte loop, about 6.5 km on dirt trail and slickrock with about 100 m of climbing.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Sedona

   Activity: There is little shade at Bell Rock; bring a hat and water. The creekside path at Red Rock Crossing is flat but rocky.

   

3. Day 3: Jerome, Tuzigoot and a night under the stars

   Sedona across the Verde Valley to Jerome and Tuzigoot National Monument, then back to Sedona

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Sedona
   Day 3 details

   After breakfast we drive about 50 minutes west across the Verde Valley and up the switchbacks of Highway 89A to Jerome, a copper-mining town built on the side of Cleopatra Hill. When the mines closed in the early 1950s most people left; artists and shopkeepers later moved into the brick buildings that had not slid down the slope. We visit Jerome State Historic Park in the Douglas Mansion, built in 1916 for a mine owner, with its mining exhibits and a view across the valley to the red rocks, then walk the steep streets with your guide. Lunch is sit-down in Jerome. On the way back we stop at Tuzigoot National Monument, a Sinagua pueblo on a ridge above the Verde River, where a short climb takes you to the top of the old rooms. We are back in Sedona by mid-afternoon, with time to rest. After dark we drive out of town with a local astronomy guide and telescopes: Sedona is an International Dark Sky Community, and on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way stands out over the rocks.

   Included

   • Jerome and Jerome State Historic Park in the Douglas Mansion
   • Guided walk through Jerome
   • Sit-down lunch in Jerome
   • Tuzigoot National Monument
   • Stargazing evening with a local astronomy guide and telescopes

   Easier option: Stay on the level lower streets of Jerome and the mansion grounds, and view Tuzigoot from the visitor centre.

   More active option: Walk up through Jerome's upper town with your guide, about 2 km of steep streets and stairs.

   Free time: Mid-afternoon free in Sedona before the stargazing evening

   Activity: Stargazing depends on the sky. If it is cloudy we move it to the next clear evening in Sedona or look up from the Grand Canyon rim instead. Desert nights are cold; bring a warm layer.

4. Day 4: Oak Creek Canyon and Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon

   Sedona up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff, then north to the Grand Canyon South Rim

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Grand Canyon South Rim
   Day 4 details

   We check out early and drive north up Oak Creek Canyon, the narrow, wooded gorge that Highway 89A follows out of Sedona. At the Call of the Canyon day-use area we walk the West Fork Trail into a side canyon with red and cream cliffs on both sides, crossing the stream on stepping stones. The car park fills early, which is why we are there when it opens. The road then climbs the switchbacks to Oak Creek Vista, on the edge of the Colorado Plateau where the pine forest begins, and on to Flagstaff, about 45 km from Sedona and 2,100 m up. Lunch is sit-down in the old downtown by the railway and Route 66. After lunch it is about an hour and a half north-west past the San Francisco Peaks to the South Entrance of Grand Canyon National Park. We check in for two nights, then ride the Hermit Road shuttle to Hopi Point for sunset (in winter we drive the road ourselves). Dinner tonight is your choice.

   Included

   • Oak Creek Canyon on Highway 89A
   • West Fork Trail walk from the Call of the Canyon
   • Oak Creek Vista
   • Sit-down lunch in Flagstaff
   • Grand Canyon National Park entry
   • Sunset at Hopi Point by the Hermit Road shuttle

   Easier option: Walk the first part of the West Fork Trail, about 3 km return, past the ruins of an old lodge to the first stream crossings.

   More active option: Carry on further up the West Fork with your guide, up to about 8 km return, with more stream crossings.

   Free time: Evening free at the Grand Canyon

   Activity: The West Fork Trail is nearly flat, but the stepping stones can be wet and slippery; wear shoes with grip. The South Rim is at about 2,100 m, so take it easy on the first evening.

   

5. Day 5: A full day on the South Rim

   Grand Canyon Village, the Bright Angel Trail and the Rim Trail, then Desert View Drive to the Watchtower

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Grand Canyon South Rim
   Day 5 details

   The canyon is quietest early, so anyone who wants a sunrise drives the few minutes to Mather Point with the guide before breakfast. Then the group splits. The active group goes below the rim on the Bright Angel Trail, which follows a natural break in the cliffs along the Bright Angel Fault, through two short rock tunnels to the 1.5-Mile Resthouse: about 4.8 km return with about 340 m to climb back up. Going down is the easy part, so we turn round early and take the climb slowly. The easy group walks the level Rim Trail past Kolb Studio, El Tovar and Hopi House to the Trail of Time, where each metre of path stands for a million years and rock samples are laid out by age. We meet for a sit-down lunch in Grand Canyon Village, and the early afternoon is free. Later we drive east on Desert View Drive to Grandview Point, the Tusayan Ruin, an Ancestral Puebloan village about 800 years old, and Lipan Point, then watch the sun set from Desert View and its Watchtower. A farewell dinner follows back in the village.

   Included

   • Sunrise at Mather Point, for those who want it
   • Guided walk on the Bright Angel Trail or the Rim Trail and Trail of Time
   • Sit-down lunch in Grand Canyon Village
   • Desert View Drive: Grandview Point, the Tusayan Ruin and Lipan Point
   • Sunset at Desert View and the Watchtower
   • Farewell dinner

   Optional experiences

   • A helicopter or small-plane flight over the canyon from Tusayan in the free early afternoon, priced when you book

   Easier option: The Rim Trail and Trail of Time, about 4 km on a level, paved path, with shuttle stops along it to cut the walk short.

   More active option: The Bright Angel Trail to the 1.5-Mile Resthouse, about 4.8 km return with about 340 m of climb back to the rim, two and a half to three hours.

   Free time: Early afternoon free in Grand Canyon Village

   Activity: Do not try to walk to the river and back in a day; the park warns against it. The Bright Angel Trail has little shade, and the resthouse only has water in season, so carry 2 litres.

   

6. Day 6: Back to Phoenix

   Grand Canyon South Rim to Flagstaff, then Interstate 17 to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   Day 6 details

   There is one more chance for sunrise on the rim before breakfast. We leave the park at about 9 am and drive south through the ponderosa pine forest to Flagstaff for a coffee stop, then down Interstate 17 off the Mogollon Rim and into the Verde Valley. Lunch is sit-down near Camp Verde, roughly halfway, so no stretch of driving is longer than about an hour and a half. From there the road drops back into the Sonoran Desert, and the saguaros return near Black Canyon City. It is about 360 km and three and three-quarter hours of driving in all, within our four-hour cap. We reach Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) at about 2:30 pm; book a flight leaving after about 5:30 pm. Your guide sees you to departures. If you want to stay on, we can drop you in central Phoenix or Scottsdale instead and book an extra night for you.

   Included

   • Sunrise on the rim, for those who want it
   • Coffee stop in Flagstaff
   • Sit-down lunch near Camp Verde
   • Drop-off at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

   Optional experiences

   • Extra nights in Phoenix or Scottsdale, booked on request

   Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 5:30 pm.

   

Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn are mild in Sedona, about 18 to 28°C by day, and cool on the South Rim, where nights drop below freezing and snow is possible into April and again from late October. Phoenix passes 40°C in summer, and July to September brings afternoon storms, which is why the trip runs in spring and autumn. Look for elk around Grand Canyon Village, ravens and sometimes California condors along the rim, and javelina in Sedona at dusk.

• Sedona3 nights
• Grand Canyon South Rim2 nights