Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park attracts tourists like a magnet. It is the 2nd most visited National Park in the U.S. The question is not whether to go there or not, but rather how to make the most of your trip, to make it fun, educational and affordable. Most people who visit Grand Canyon fly either into Las Vegas or Phoenix. This Arizona road trip itinerary leads you from Phoenix to Grand Canyon and covers a variety of cool attractions on the way to the National Park’s Southern Rim as well as the Grand Canyon itself.

Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon DAY 1

This is the day when you will arrive in Pheonix. You could, potentially, drive from Phoenix to Grand Canyon directly, without stops. It would take you about 4 hours without traffic, but you would miss so many fantastic things to see. When you are on HW 17 it is all the same desert landscape and you have no idea what beauty is hiding just 30 minutes away on a detour on HW 179. 

Sedona, Arizona is a gorgeous and mystic town. If I were to describe my feelings in one word when I first saw Sedona appearing in front of my eyes I would have to say “awestruck”. It is unlike anything you have seen before: Sedona’s unique red rock formations seem to be from another planet, like Mars. When we were driving into town we pretty much stopped at every corner to take a picture – it was that amazing! Since we arrived in Sedona late in the afternoon that day we did not have much planned, just enjoyed our first acquaintance with the town which is also famous for its energy vortexes. Energy vortexes are swirling centers of strong Earth energy that help you with healing, transformation and inspiration. You can read more about these Sedona vortexes HERE. Many people come into town for body and mind retreats. You will find a lot of yoga and meditation practitioners in Sedona as well as artists of all sorts. I definitely experienced that energy, it makes you feel elated and elevated and it definitely calls you to come back to Sedona again and again.

Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon DAY 2

We dedicated this day to hiking the trails off HW 179 to see the famous Red Rocks. We stopped by a lot of its iconic natural wonders, such as Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock and many others. If you are visiting Sedona any time except summer it will be a very pleasant hike and this special energy around you gives you strength to walk further and explore more.

In addition to natural beauty exploration in this area of town I also suggest visiting an architectural beauty – the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It was built on one of the famous red rocks and it perfectly blends with its physical and spiritual surroundings.

Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon DAY 3

We spent the morning hiking the trails off HW 89A/Dry Creak Rd and visiting Slide Rock State Park. This State Park is heaven for swimming in summer as it is located along the Oak Creek which works like a natural water slide but in all other seasons is it just a beautiful place to hike.

The afternoon was reserved for a very exciting event – 4 hours trip on a Verde Canyon Railroad. This railroad offers what is considered to be one of the top 10 scenic rides in the U.S. It is a 20 mile round-trip along the floor of the Verde Canyon which many people say is a great preparation for the visit to Grand Canyon. Verde Canyon it is almost like a younger brother of Grand Canyon, which gives you the natural splendor overview from the bottom up, which you will see in Grand Canyon from top down.

The train has closed cars and open air cars. You book your ticket in one of the closed cars (coach, first class or caboose) but you can go outside any time, the open cars are free for all paying passengers and there is plenty of seating there. The scenery is indeed phenomenal. In the beginning I thought that 4 hours may be a bit too much but it was perfect. If your kids are train lovers they will be thrilled too.

Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon DAY 4

On this day we were continuing or road trip from Phoenix to Grand Canyon but not before we made a couple more stops at some really cool attractions. In the morning we decided to stop at the Montezuma Castle National Monument which was right on the way from Sedona back to HW 17 so it did not require any detour. Montezuma Castle is an ancient human cliff dwelling that has been very well preserved. It is estimated to be 800 years old. It was definitely a fit of architecture for ancient people and they built it so well to withstand the weather and time! This fact makes it even more striking.

After Montezuma Castle we headed North toward Grand Canyon and our next stop of the day was at Bearizona Wildlife Park. It is a zoo-type attraction where the animals roam freely and visitors have to drive through in a car with rolled up windows, like on a safari tour. You can see a lot of native Arizona animals here, such as: bears, wolves, bison, mountain goats, etc. I believe bears were the only animals with an enclosure around them but they had a huge territory for themselves so they were not cramped like they would be in a zoo.

After a drive-through you can do a walk-through to see smaller animals in enclosures, for instance, foxes and domestic animals. We also saw the birds of pray show which is scheduled 3 times per day. It is a wonderful park as it gives you a unique experience of observing these majestic animals in the wild.

We finally arrived to Grand Canyon National Park after 3 pm. It is a good time to arrive for the first time because there are no morning crowds anymore as most people try to get in there in the first half of the day. Since we had more than 1 day planned at the Grand Canyon, we did not want to cram much in the first day, so we took it easy. We stopped by the main Visitor’s Center to get maps and all information we needed and watch a 20 minutes educational video about the Canyon, which was really great. After that we just walked the trails and enjoyed the views near the Visitors’ Center, which was plenty for an activities-filled day.

Nothing really prepares you for the first encounter with Grand Canyon. You saw photos, movies, documentaries, you pretty much know what it is. However, when you see it with your own eyes, everything you have seen before seems small and insignificant. And you, yourself, feel like a tiny grain of sand, your life being just a split second in comparison with the millions of years of existence of this true Wonder of the World. And then you feel deeply grateful for this moment, for this opportunity to stand there on the Rim and peek into the eternity…

The one thing that generally spoils the experience in Grand Canyon NP is the crowds. That’s why we chose to make this trip during Christmas break to minimize the time spent in traffic jams before the park entrance and the overall human encounters. The further away you drive from the Visitor’s Center, the less amount of people you’ll see in winter. A lot of 1-day bus tourists don’t venture beyond Mather and Yavapai Points.

Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon DAY 5

The plan for the day was to drive from the Visitors’s Center to Hermit’s Rest stopping at every scenic point and awe in the magnificence of what is Grand Canyon. Another advantage of visiting in winter is the ability to drive wherever we want ourselves. Otherwise, this part of the park is closed for car traffic and you must take a shuttle.

In addition to amazing views of the canyon there are a several educational points of interest that are worth stopping by, such as Hopi House (Hopi Indian style abode with a gift shop showcasing native American arts and crafts) and Yavapai Geological Museum.

Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon DAY 6

On this day we drove in an opposite direction from the main Grand Canyon Visitor’s Center to Desert View Watchtower. The same as on Day 5, our stops included scenic view points and educational stops, such as Tusayan Ruin and Museum. 

Tusayan Ruin is an archaeological site of 800-year-old Ancestral Puebloan village. You can take a ranger lead tour or you can do a self-guided tour – there are a lot of interpretive stands along the trail that explain to you each part of the village and the life of Native Americans. 

Once you arrive to the Desert View Watchtower you can climb 7 stories up for unparalleled views of the Canyon.

Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon DAY 7

Unfortunately, as our vacation was coming to a close, we had to say Good Bye to Grand Canyon and drive back to Phoenix where our flight would depart the next day. We left in the morning and arrived in Phoenix by lunch time so we had half a day to enjoy ourselves in town. We decided to visit Desert Botanical Garden.  It is a beautiful garden any time of the year. I guess it is at its best during the spring bloom but we enjoyed it in December nonetheless as it had lots of Christmas decorations.

If we new in advance about special events, we would have bought tickets to visit the Garden in the evening for Las Noches de la Luminarias. It is a special Christmas season event when the whole garden is illuminated elaborately for the holidays. But we still had fun in the Garden during the day time. We made a commitment though to come back there in December once again to view the Luminarias.

If you have more than just one day in Phoenix, I suggest checking out these cool FREE things to do in Phoenix. For staying in the city, I highly recommend Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, it is honestly one of the best family friendly resorts we ever stayed in. Here is my Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort Review.

Arizona Road Trip Itinerary: Phoenix to Grand Canyon DAY 8

When we were sitting in an airplane en route to San Francisco Bay Area we had a great sense of accomplishment. In one short week we saw and experienced so much, yet we never felt rushed. This Arizona road trip itinerary is great for travelling with kids as it has a perfect balance of activities and down time. You could, potentially, venture further North to the National Parks of Utah but then you would really cram up the whole trip and I don’t see any educational value in that. There will be more trips soon to come so stay tuned!

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ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR ARIZONA ROAD TRIP ITINERARY FROM PHOENIX TO GRAND CANYON:

1.Weather in Arizona in December can be rather warm during the day but quite cold in the evening. There was snow on the ground in Grand Canyon when we visited. Plan in advance what you are going to pack and wear.

2.Places to stay: I gave up on booking a hotel within the Grand Canyon, it seemed impossible to find an available room no matter when I searched – and I searched a lot! We stayed in small town of Tusayan about a mile away from the Park entrance. There are a bunch of affordable hotels in town, a couple of restaurants, a store and a gas station. 

3.In Sedona we stayed at our favorite, Hampton Inn Sedona, it was as great as you can expect from any Hampton family hotel. Hampton Inn in Phoenix was nice too and close to the airport which was very convenient. 

4. Dining: in Tusayan, we ate in a couple of local joints available. Since there is nothing else around, you have to live with what you have. The steakhouse and pizza place were decent. Do not expect greatness but the food will be OK. In Sedona, by comparison, there are a lot of great restaurants to choose from. Our favorite ones were:

Cucina Rustica (Italian, on a fancy side) – we went there for our Christmas day dinner and it was great. Book in advance!

Creekside American Bistro (Modern American, a bit on a fancy side)

Wildflower Bread Company (great for breakfasts and lunches)

5. For an alternative road trip visiting Arizona check out the following:

• my newest article TOP 15 Things to do in Flagstaff with Kids (sneak preview: we absolutely LOVED Flagstaff and Northern Arizona!)
• this article may be helpful: Things to do in Page, Arizona.

RESOURCES YOU WILL FIND USEFUL ON THIS ARIZONA ROAD TRIP FROM PHOENIX TO GRAND CANYON:

 

 

If you liked this Western U.S. trip you may also like this Montana Road Trip.

If you found this Arizona road trip itinerary from Phoenix to Grand Canyon useful, please do me a little favor and share this information with others, for there’s a good chance that it will help them with their travel plans. 🙂 If you want to be notified when new itineraries are published, please, subscribe to our blog or follow us on Instagram.

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