Flagstaff Question?

[Marcia3641]

Hello everyone:

I just booked two tickets for Christmas week in Flagstaff for me and my 15yr daugther. I wanted to get recommendations on what to do. I know it will be cold and I actually hope it's snowing at that time. So far I have the Grand Canyon on my list of to-do's.

Also, do you recommend that I rent a car and if so should it be a SUV or will a car surfice? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Marcia3641

 

[katiemack]

Flagstaff can be quite lovely with snow....so I hope you get your wish.

If you enjoy driving an SUV, it might be a good idea to have one for that time of year.

Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, Wupatki are all easy drives near Flagstaff.


Lowell Observatory is in Flagstaff and is very interesting.

 

[eal]

And don't forget Sedona! The Christmas lights are beautiful.

 

[Red Rox]

Sedona is a must. You'll probably want to spend a couple of days there and since it's less than an hour away, it's convenient enough to do it. And plan for one evening there to see the festival of lights at Los Abrigados

 

[skimble]

We were there last year at Christmas... it was nice.
There's a great ski resort up there... only about a 30-45 minutes scenic drive.
We went to see the meteor crater.
We did a hike down near Sedona-- I forget what it was called, but it was beautiful! It was a hike up Oak Creek Canyon-- an area with high narrow walls of red rock... well worth it... just wish I could remember the name.... wait, I think it was the East or West Fork Trail. It costs about $8 to park there.
We love Sedona, but we reserve sight-seeing around there for times when we are staying in Sedona.
There was snow last year when we were in Flagstaff, so we found a sledding park and played there.
We did a day trip to the Grand Canyon. And, we enjoyed some time around the resort with family.
The timeshare presentation was not worth our time... I don't recommend it.
Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[applegirl]

Old town Fladstaff is quite charming so be sure to plan one evening there for dinner and walkind around.

I definitely think Sedona would be a very worthwhile day trip. Sooooooo pretty and different. Also meteor crater is a pretty awesome sight to hold, so I think that is worth your time.

Have fun! Flag is a beautiful city and the area is very nice. The canyon will blow your mind. Hope you plan on leaving early so you can spend the whooooole day there. Make reservations for lunch at El Tovar Hotel for a special time.

Cheers!
Janna

 

[Charlie D.]

Oak Creek Canyon!! The road goes down to Sedona. You go from mountain stream to red rocks in just a few miles. From the bottom of the canyon you can see about three layers of road as it winds back and forth up the face of the cliff. Beautiful!!

Charlie D.

 

[kcirbodmot]

No trip to Flag is complete without a stop at the Beaver Street Brewery for a nice, cold, fresh Brambleberry Brew - or maybe two

http://www.beaverstreetbrewery.com/

 

[Ginny]

And right across the street from the Beaver St Brewery is Macy's European Coffee House, which I imagine would be very cozy on a snowy day! Great place to have breakfast or hang out with the locals.


http://www.macyscoffee.net/

 

[Marcia3641]

No Grand Canyon on our Trip

I'm so bummed . We have not been able to see the Grand Canyon due to the weather and we leave Saturday night. We tried to book a tour but since Wednesday they haven't been going out.

We were going to drive out there today but I just listened to the park weather and Hwy 180 is closed.

I don't even know what to do today. We stayed in all day yesterday which for me is great but for a 15yr old is not. She is starting to get grummpy!!!

We did two day trips to Sedona, a helicopter ride of Sedona, walked the festival of lights, drove the Red Rock loop, went skiing at the Snow Bowl, went sledding.

I guess we will try to do the Meteor Crater and Lowell Observatory later on but that won't be enough for my daughter. Any suggestions?

Marcia3641

 

[Timeshare Von]

Sorry to hear that weather hasn't cooperated for you. We own wk 12 there, and in late March we know it can be iffy.

We have also enjoyed our day trip to Petrified Forest NP from Flagstaff. Meteor Crater, in our opinion, is a glorified tourist trap and not really worth the admission fee. If there is little else to do, however, it is probably better than nothing.

 

[feistymama]

I realize this is too late, but -

Flagstaff has a great used book and music store, part of an Arizona chain, called Bookman's. We always go there when we're in Flag, even if we're just passing through.

My husband has family in Flag; I actually just bought a Sedona timeshare on eBay so we have someplace we can go that has some amenities when we visit his family every other year. Flag is just beautiful in the spring/summer and the fall and there's great hiking in the area. As a place to chill and "get away from it all" it's great. As far as activities for a teenager - well, all I can say is that my husband and his two younger cousins were stopped by the cops more than once for activities they had engaged in while trying to "entertain themselves" in Flag. (Mostly for skateboarding in places they shouldn't have been in.)

Sorry you guys missed the Grand Canyon. As many times as we've been in Arizona I have never been either due to either weather or time constraints.