# Travel to Arizona: Grand Canyon



## tradceci (Jul 31, 2007)

Hello!  I am planning my next trip for next year and would like to visit Arizona to see the Grand Canyon.  I don't want to spend my whole vacation there, just visit it and get to know other parts of Arizona.  I will be traveling with my parents (84 and 80).  I can do some driving, but not for more than 2 hours at a time because they need a lot of rest.  That means I would need to stay someplace near enough to an airport and near enought to the Grand Canyon.  Any suggestions on which resorts to consider?  Thanks!


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## kapish (Jul 31, 2007)

tradceci said:


> Hello!  I am planning my next trip for next year and would like to visit Arizona to see the Grand Canyon.  I don't want to spend my whole vacation there, just visit it and get to know other parts of Arizona.  I will be traveling with my parents (84 and 80).  I can do some driving, but not for more than 2 hours at a time because they need a lot of rest.  That means I would need to stay someplace near enough to an airport and near enought to the Grand Canyon.  Any suggestions on which resorts to consider?  Thanks!


Flagstaff is a central location for visiting the Grand Canyon and Sedona. There is even an airport near Flagstaff!

We will be at Fairfield Flagstaff in mid August and plan to visit these places as well as some reservations.


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## madherb (Aug 1, 2007)

It will be really difficult to get an idea of Arizona by only staying in one spot and travelling in a 2hr radius.  Flagstaff is a great place to get to the Canyon, Sedona, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest etc but you won't really get much of a look at the Sonoran Desert which encompasses much of the southern part of the state.  You might consider a few days in Flagstaff and a few in Phoenix.


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## tradceci (Aug 1, 2007)

How about Scottsdale or even Phoenix?


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## PStreet1 (Aug 3, 2007)

Too much driving from Phoenix and Scotsdale to see anything within 2 hours.  Flagstaff would be better.  You also need to plan on staying overnight at the canyon, and you need to get the reservations 9 mts to a year in advance if you want to be able to choose your dates and where you stay.  Driving to the canyon will be tiring for your parents even from Flagstaff, and if you want to enjoy the canyon you need to stay overnight a couple of days there--one for the night you arrive, and one to end the day that you enjoy the canyon views.  Then the next day you can return to Flagstaff or Sedona.  If it were me, I'd rent something in Flagstaff for the day you arrive, then drive to the canyon and spend a couple of nights, and pick a timeshare resort to stay in for after seeing the canyon--no sense in using up timeshare nights while you are staying at the canyon.


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## Dollie (Aug 3, 2007)

*Train to the canyon from Flagstaff*

At one time there was a train that would take you from Flagstaff to the canyon.  If it's still running, it might be an easier way to get there.


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## kapish (Aug 3, 2007)

Dollie said:


> At one time there was a train that would take you from Flagstaff to the canyon.  If it's still running, it might be an easier way to get there.


There is a train from Williams to the Grand Canyon. I wasn't aware of one from Flagstaff to the GC.


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## John Cummings (Aug 4, 2007)

I would stay in Sedona rather than Flagstaff. It is much nicer and is still fairly convenient to the Grand Canyon. We stayed in Sedona for a week and took a great tour of the Grand Canyon that picked us up and returned us, at our resort.

I do agree that visiting Phoenix/Scottsdale would be great but it should be an addition to your trip.


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## nightnurse613 (Aug 6, 2007)

Kapish- I'll be there later this week.  I'll tell them to leave a mint on your pillow!!


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## kapish (Aug 6, 2007)

nightnurse613 said:


> Kapish- I'll be there later this week.  I'll tell them to leave a mint on your pillow!!


Alright!!!


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## Poobah (Aug 8, 2007)

*Flagstaff*

A few years ago we stayed in Flagstaff (at the Fairfield) and did the Grand Canyon. We made several trips to Sedona and thought it was very touristy.

There are some nice indian ruins just east of Flagstaff that were fun to visit.

We decided at the last minute to stay a night at the Grand Canyon and essentially blew off one night at the Fairfield. We stayed outside the park, but found out we could have gotten reservations inside eventhough we were doing a last minute booking. The Fairfield book the Grand Canyon room for us.

There are some volcanic areas, replete with lava fields, between Flagstaff and the Canyon. Very interesting. Once you recognize what you are looking at, the area is littered with cinder cones. There are several hundred of them and they extend to the Colorado border.

We had a very nice unit at the Fairfield.


Cheers,

Paul


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