# Las Vegas to phoenix via grand canyon



## carolbol (Apr 5, 2009)

We are from the East and need help.  We check into the villas at polo towers in Vegas on May 29th.  Then we have two nights free before we check into the Marriott Canyon Villas at Desert Ridge in Phoenix on June 7th.  
We would like to see the grand canyon.
Here is our tentative plan.   Check out of Vagas, then drive to Grand Canyon and stay one night, then drive to Sedona and stay one night, then travel to Phoenix.  
Is this a good traveling plan?

If so, we need an overnight in Sedona.  Any suggestions?  

Thanks
Carol


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## DeniseM (Apr 5, 2009)

From Las Vegas to the closest rim of the canyon it's 5 hours one way, so it would be nice to spend 2 nights, to allow more time to see the sights.  Where are you staying at the Grand Canyon?


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## ricoba (Apr 5, 2009)

According to Google Maps, Las Vegas to Williams, Arizona is about a 4 hour drive.

Williams is an hour from the Grand Canyon Rim.

Williams is about 3 hours from Phoenix.

Williams is the closest town with services to the GC.  It's the home of the Grand Canyon Railway.  We have never used the Railway, but maybe you would find it a good way to tour the canyon.


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## carolbol (Apr 5, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> From Las Vegas to the closest rim of the canyon it's 5 hours one way, so it would be nice to spend 2 nights, to allow more time to see the sights.  Where are you staying at the Grand Canyon?



We thought we would stay at the Holiday Inn Express using our priority card points for a free night there.  Is that the south rim?   Not sure which would be better, two nights at the GC or one night at the GC and one in Sedona?


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## thomtaylor (Apr 5, 2009)

carolbol said:


> Not sure which would be better, two nights at the GC or one night at the GC and one in Sedona?



You should stay at the south rim as it's nearer to Phoenix, and it's worth a two-night stay at the Canyon -- there's an IMAX theater there, and you can choose how far along the canyon you want to explore.  Sedona is quite nice, and we're looking to exchange there for a full week.  But sensing your tight schedule, you'd be best served taking a long afternoon there, seeing the sites (most of the mystical shops and fine restaurants are along a simple couple-mile road), and planning for a longer trip there in the future to see the outlying areas.  Sedona is an outdoorsmen's paradise, with lots of great hiking venues, but that would take a while to soak it in.


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## DaveNV (Apr 5, 2009)

South Rim to Phoenix is a fast freeway drive, and everybody drives faster than the speed limit.  When we were in Sedona last Fall, (a couple hours south of the South Rim), driving back to Phoenix happened much faster than we expected.

I second DeniseM's advice.  Figure out how to stay two nights in GC area.  The views are worth it, and you don't want to rush your time there.  It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Enjoy the trip - it's worth it.

Dave


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## Red Rox (Apr 6, 2009)

Don't let the others change your original plan. LV to the GCNP South Rim is about a 5 hour drive. Stay one night there and spend the afternoon and following morning exploring the park. Then move on to Sedona (2 hour drive from the GCNP) for the next night via Oak Creek Canyon. Stay that night and spend most of the next day in Sedona before the remaining 2 hour drive to PHX.


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## Red Rox (Apr 6, 2009)

ricoba said:


> Williams is the closest town with services to the GC.  It's the home of the Grand Canyon Railway.  We have never used the Railway, but maybe you would find it a good way to tour the canyon.



The Grand Canyon RR is not a good way to tour the Grand Canyon NP. It is an historic train that provides service from Williams to the GCNP but you do not see the Grand Canyon from the train at any time. In fact, the train will drop you at the GC Village inside the park. From there you can walk to the rim and view the canyon. Depending on the tour that you book, you might have time to utilize the park shuttles to get to other view points inside the park, but most train trips don't give you enough time to do this. There is an overnight option, but it makes much more sense and costs much less and takes less time to drive to the park in your own car and tour it that way.


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## frb (Apr 6, 2009)

Another option is take a day trip to Sedona while staying in Phoenix, since it's just under a 2 hour drive.  That way you can stay two nights at the Grand Canyon.


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## carolbol (Apr 6, 2009)

Red Rox said:


> Don't let the others change your original plan. LV to the GCNP South Rim is about a 5 hour drive. Stay one night there and spend the afternoon and following morning exploring the park. Then move on to Sedona (2 hour drive from the GCNP) for the next night via Oak Creek Canyon. Stay that night and spend most of the next day in Sedona before the remaining 2 hour drive to PHX.



Thanks everyone for your suggestions.  After considering and reconsidering, I think we will stay one night at the GC and one night in Sedona area. 
The jeep trip sounded interesting in Sedona.   *will we have time to do that without forfeiting other sights??  *  OR SHOULD WE SKIP THAT?

I would really appreciate some suggestions of where to stay in Sedona for one night.  (approx $100 or less).  THANKS IN ADVANCE.


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## Red Rox (Apr 6, 2009)

carolbol said:


> Thanks everyone for your suggestions.  After considering and reconsidering, I think we will stay one night at the GC and one night in Sedona area.
> The jeep trip sounded interesting in Sedona.   *will we have time to do that without forfeiting other sights??  *  OR SHOULD WE SKIP THAT?
> 
> I would really appreciate some suggestions of where to stay in Sedona for one night.  (approx $100 or less).  THANKS IN ADVANCE.



Kings Ransom is running a deal right now for under $100. If you don't do anything else in Sedona, do a jeep tour! Pink Jeep, Broken Arrow trail is the most popular. It takes about 2 hours and is the most fun you can have. And it will introduce and orient you to the spirit of Sedona.


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## GetawaysRus (Apr 7, 2009)

I also think that you made the right choice - one night near the Grand Canyon and one in Sedona.

I'm also originally from the East Coast.  When I first traveled the West, I was amazed by the geologic diversity.  The geology is a real treat.  Sedona and the Grand Canyon look totally different.

Although the Grand Canyon is fabulously beautiful, I think one day there is adequate.  Others may disagree with me, but most people drive along the rim and stop to get out at the viewing points.  At each viewing point, you will exclaim how beautiful it is.  Unless you are a very serious hiker, you will most likely spend a few hours driving along the rim making stops and taking lots of photos, and you will then probably be satisfied that you have seen the southern rim.

I think you will be pleased with your stop in Sedona.  Sedona is also fabulously beautiful, but in a totally different way than the Grand Canyon.  If I had more days, I would actually allocate the extra days to Sedona rather than the Grand Canyon.  Not only are there the fabulous Sedona rock formations, but there are also remnants of old Indian settlements that are very interesting.  And I think Sedona is much more hike-friendly for the amateur hiker.  There are numerous short hikes that you can consider.  (Since you will be in Phoenix, you could drive back up for a day trip to Sedona during your Phoenix stay if you wished.)


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## kjd (Apr 7, 2009)

I have been to both Sedona and GC.  They are both worth seeing.  However, I found Sedona a little to commercialized for my tastes.  A lot of fudge shops, art galleries and the like.  GC is located within a national park and therefore more natural.

Sedona does have some beautiful colors at certain times of the day.  However, it's impossible to compare it to the Grand Canyon.


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## carolbol (Apr 26, 2009)

Not sure about Kings Ransom.   Any other suggestions?  OK, we will go alittle higher in price.  What about using priceline for a resort?   How did you do and what price did you pay for what?


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## Rose Pink (Apr 26, 2009)

One night in each place is a good plan.  I agree with RedRox.  If you leave Vegas after an early breakfast you can get to the GC by early afternoon and have several hours there to see the canyon and watch the sunset.  Then you can get up early to catch the sunrise before heading down to Sedona.  If you aren't going to hike the canyon, you won't need more time than one night.  I've seen the GC several times and never stayed overnight.

Check with the Pink Jeep franchise to see when they run the Broken Arrow tours so you know what time you need to be in Sedona.  You might want to book with them now so you can secure your seat.  There are other jeep tour companies and other jeep tour trails but the Broken Arrow trail is the most popular one.  

DH and I rented a vehicle and drove three trails the day we were there including Broken Arrow.  The others were nice but Broken Arrow is the one most like real jeep rock crawling and I think that's why people like it--more thrills for the buck.  

The scenic rim trail (I think that's what it is called) goes up Schnebly Hill and you get fantastic views but not the rock crawling experience.  Past a certain point the road is not fit for regular cars so don't try it on your own--although we did see one car trying it.  Not a bright idea.  At the top is another trail--volcanic something or other that was horribly bumpy.  We got out and hiked a short way to the ruins of an old ??? (help me RedRox, my brain has gone blank) train/tram or mining building.  It had decayed to just the fireplace, chimney and some of the foundation.  What I found interesting was how it got there--but I wouldn't choose that as a jeep tour if I was short on time and money.  We were just trying to get in a full day's worth of jeeping for the rental (same price no matter where you went for the whole day).

If we'd had more time, I would have liked to drive to the Native American ruins.  There's a tour for that, too, if you are so inclined.  But do Broken Arrow first.

I'm sorry I cannot help you with accomodations.  I've only stayed in Sedona in a timeshare and at the Hilton (HH points).

Driving to Phoenix does not take much time unless you hit rush hour and then it can really slow down so you may want to leave Sedona in the very early afternoon after a morning of hiking.  Some of the hiking trails are short and close to town, just off the main roads.  The views are exquisite and are certainly a better use of time than shopping, imo.  

Of course, if you like shopping, I suggest Tlaquepaque.  I suggest walking through it even if you don't buy anything.  It is beautiful and would only take an hour.


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## Rose Pink (Apr 26, 2009)

carolbol said:


> We thought we would stay at the Holiday Inn Express using our priority card points for a free night there. Is that the south rim? Not sure which would be better, two nights at the GC or one night at the GC and one in Sedona?


 
Isn't there a Holiday Inn Express in Sedona?  Would your points be good there?


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## Red Rox (Apr 26, 2009)

Holiday Inn Express is gone. It became a La Quinta, located in the Village of Oakcreek. Sedona has just about every other accomodation option though.


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## nightnurse613 (Apr 27, 2009)

Someone just came back from the Amara in Sedona.  If I recall she got it on an auction site and wrote up a nice review here.  We stay at a little place not too far from Coffee Pot.  It's an old motel with a real friendly staff and the price is usually well under a hundred.  I can't remember the name but it only has about 15 units.  Check out tripadvisor for some recommendations.


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## Zac495 (Apr 27, 2009)

nightnurse613 said:


> Someone just came back from the Amara in Sedona.  If I recall she got it on an auction site and wrote up a nice review here.  We stay at a little place not too far from Coffee Pot.  It's an old motel with a real friendly staff and the price is usually well under a hundred.  I can't remember the name but it only has about 15 units.  Check out tripadvisor for some recommendations.



That was me. Amara is GREAT! I won it on skyauction.com   ... but the price isn't so bad regardless. SO PERFECT. Look at my post - it says back from sedona. 

It takes 2 and a half hours driving from Sedona to Phonenix. If you rented a car, the car rental from the airport is a good 10 minute bus ride.

Email me if you want my word documents from Sedona and the Grand Canyon.
actually use eluch@spring-ford.net  as the docs are on my laptop at work.


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## carolbol (Apr 27, 2009)

Rose Pink said:


> Isn't there a Holiday Inn Express in Sedona?  Would your points be good there?



thanks for your suggestion of the Holiday Inn, we checked.  The closest holiday inn would be flagstaff.   I also have loads of starwood points but there are no Sheratans or Westins around Sedona either.   

 Thanks also for all your info on your stay.  Sounds like you had a great time.


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## Rose Pink (Apr 27, 2009)

carolbol said:


> ...
> Thanks also for all your info on your stay. Sounds like you had a great time.


 
The four-wheeling was to appease my DH.  He had missed his annual trip to Moab (jeep heaven) and was a little cranky.  He's been jeeping for close to 20 years.  Although the trails we took were nothing challenging for him, it did help make him a little happier to be around.  

As for me, I've done some short hikes in Sedona in the past and I would personally prefer to do that.

We stayed in Vegas overnight to see Love (DH and I both like Beatles' music and we also like theater) then we drove to Grand Canyon West to do the glass skywalk (that is something I do not recommend and do not plan to ever do again) before going to Sedona. 

Have fun.


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## Red Rox (Apr 29, 2009)

nightnurse613 said:


> Someone just came back from the Amara in Sedona.  If I recall she got it on an auction site and wrote up a nice review here.  We stay at a little place not too far from Coffee Pot.  It's an old motel with a real friendly staff and the price is usually well under a hundred.  I can't remember the name but it only has about 15 units.  Check out tripadvisor for some recommendations.



That would probably be the Sugarloaf


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## El Codo (May 3, 2009)

I agree that one night in GC and one night in Sedona sounds good, two very different sites and experiences.

I think another poster said this, but be sure to take the scenic route from the GC to Sedona, don't take I-17.  It'll take a little longer but the scenery is much better.

Enjoy your trip!


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## Red Rox (May 5, 2009)

El Codo said:


> I agree that one night in GC and one night in Sedona sounds good, two very different sites and experiences.
> 
> I think another poster said this, but be sure to take the scenic route from the GC to Sedona, don't take I-17.  It'll take a little longer but the scenery is much better.
> 
> Enjoy your trip!



Actually the scenic route via 89A through Oak Creek Canyon (off I-17) is the shorter route than using I-17 down to SR179 and then back up. Both routes take about the same amount of time, but 89A through Oak Creek Canyon is by far the most scenic and dramatic way to approach Sedona if you're coming from the North. No matter how you choose to arrive in Sedona, you'll be blown away by how scenic it is.


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