The Grand Canyon State is most famous for this natural wonder --- and rightfully so --- but Arizona has many other natural attractions and some of the country's best archeological sites. It is a photographer's dream. With places like Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Sedona, and the various Ancestral Pueblo ruins, Arizona would be one of the country's most photogenic states even without the Grand Canyon. It is also very easy to visit many places in a few days. All of the destinations in this page are within a 2.5 hour drive of Flagstaff, with most being within an hour. This pretty city is the best base for an Arizona adventure and although it has a small airport that only has flights to and from Phoenix, Dallas and Fort Worth, you can easily make a connecting flight in Phoenix or rent a car there and drive 2.5 hours to Flagstaff which isn't bad.
Below are two short sample itineraries of 3 days each. One goes to the Grand Canyon and two other amazing natural attractions to the north of that, and the other visits National Monuments that preserve ancient ruins of the Ancestral Puebloans or Anasazi. The two itineraries can easily be combined for a weeklong road trip that is a fantastic combination of nature and culture. Get inspired by these trip plans then contact us to customize your private Arizona driving tour.
Below are two short sample itineraries of 3 days each. One goes to the Grand Canyon and two other amazing natural attractions to the north of that, and the other visits National Monuments that preserve ancient ruins of the Ancestral Puebloans or Anasazi. The two itineraries can easily be combined for a weeklong road trip that is a fantastic combination of nature and culture. Get inspired by these trip plans then contact us to customize your private Arizona driving tour.
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Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend - 3 days from Flagstaff or Sedona
The Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon are two of the most impressive canyons in the country and both are a relatively short drive from Flagstaff or Sedona, Arizona. One is famous for its immensity and the other is remarkable for the beauty of its narrow passageways. Anyone who has seen photos of the Grand Canyon’s 18 mile wide expanse and mile deep plunge, or Antelope Canyon’s otherworldly sandstone walls immediately puts them in the travel bucket list. This short trip takes you to these two must-see-before-you-die places as well as Horseshoe Bend (another world famous bucket list destination) in possibly the most packed 3 days of sightseeing you can do in the American West.
Day 1: Hike, bike or ride a mule to explore Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon’s South Entrance is only an 80 minute drive from Flagstaff and 2 hours from Sedona so you can get in a full day of activity if you are already in one of those cities in the morning. The park is divided into the canyon’s two rims --- North and South --- with most of the attractions being in the far more accessible South Rim. You have several options for exploring the Grand Canyon. A trail that you can hike or bike runs all along the South Rim affords the best overlooking views of the canyon. Several other trails go into the canyon and lead all the way down to the Colorado River, giving you a completely different viewpoint and a more immersive experience. These trails make for very long and challenging hikes, and an easier and fun option is to ride a mule on a tour. You can do a guided tour for hikes and you can also hike on your own. Whatever you choose to do you are sure to have a memorable day and plenty of amazing photos.
The best place to stay for the night is one of the lodges inside the park. If these are full the next best option is to stay overnight in Tusayan which is a town right outside the park’s South Entrance.
Day 2: Visit the Grand Canyon Desert View and Watchtower. Drive to Page and visit Horseshoe Bend.
Today you spend the morning visiting the eastern area of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. First, see the remains and ancient artifacts of an Ancestral Puebloan village at the Tusayan Museum and Ruin. Then drive to the Desert View and Watchtower and see a very different side of the Grand Canyon. At around noon you can start driving towards the town of Page which is a little less than 2 hours away from the Grand Canyon’s East Entrance. Along the way you can visit a Native American handcrafts and jewelry market. Just before you get to Page stop by Horseshoe Bend. A short walk takes you to a cliff overlooking this extremely photogenic section of the Colorado River.
Spend the night in Page, Arizona.
Day 3: Visit Antelope Canyon and drive back to Flagstaff.
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon formed by flash floods eroding Navajo Sandstone. Its narrow passageways are only 3 to 10 feet wide and its walls have swirling and wavelike patterns that are mesmerizing and attract photographers and tourists from all over the world. Antelope Canyon has two sections. Upper Antelope Canyon is shaped like an upright triangle, with the walls narrowing from the ground to the top. The narrow top opening can create the very dramatic effect of beams of sunlight shining down into the canyon. Lower Antelope Canyon is shaped like a V, with the walls getting wider from ground to top. The narrow canyon bottom makes for a fun hike involving some tight squeezes, scrambling and climbing ladders. Most people choose to visit one section or the other, with avid photographers typically choosing Upper Antelope and active thrill seekers opting for Lower Antelope, but you can actually do both sections in one day. Entrance to either section of Antelope Canyon is only granted to people on guided tours.
There's an option to go kayaking or stand-up-paddle boarding in Lake Powell to get to Antelope Canyon. This is a fun and completely different experience but it takes you to a different section of Antelope Canyon that is not as spectacular as in the walking tours.
At the end of the day drive a little over 2 hours back to Flagstaff and just under 3 hours to Sedona.
Day 1: Hike, bike or ride a mule to explore Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon’s South Entrance is only an 80 minute drive from Flagstaff and 2 hours from Sedona so you can get in a full day of activity if you are already in one of those cities in the morning. The park is divided into the canyon’s two rims --- North and South --- with most of the attractions being in the far more accessible South Rim. You have several options for exploring the Grand Canyon. A trail that you can hike or bike runs all along the South Rim affords the best overlooking views of the canyon. Several other trails go into the canyon and lead all the way down to the Colorado River, giving you a completely different viewpoint and a more immersive experience. These trails make for very long and challenging hikes, and an easier and fun option is to ride a mule on a tour. You can do a guided tour for hikes and you can also hike on your own. Whatever you choose to do you are sure to have a memorable day and plenty of amazing photos.
The best place to stay for the night is one of the lodges inside the park. If these are full the next best option is to stay overnight in Tusayan which is a town right outside the park’s South Entrance.
Day 2: Visit the Grand Canyon Desert View and Watchtower. Drive to Page and visit Horseshoe Bend.
Today you spend the morning visiting the eastern area of the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. First, see the remains and ancient artifacts of an Ancestral Puebloan village at the Tusayan Museum and Ruin. Then drive to the Desert View and Watchtower and see a very different side of the Grand Canyon. At around noon you can start driving towards the town of Page which is a little less than 2 hours away from the Grand Canyon’s East Entrance. Along the way you can visit a Native American handcrafts and jewelry market. Just before you get to Page stop by Horseshoe Bend. A short walk takes you to a cliff overlooking this extremely photogenic section of the Colorado River.
Spend the night in Page, Arizona.
Day 3: Visit Antelope Canyon and drive back to Flagstaff.
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon formed by flash floods eroding Navajo Sandstone. Its narrow passageways are only 3 to 10 feet wide and its walls have swirling and wavelike patterns that are mesmerizing and attract photographers and tourists from all over the world. Antelope Canyon has two sections. Upper Antelope Canyon is shaped like an upright triangle, with the walls narrowing from the ground to the top. The narrow top opening can create the very dramatic effect of beams of sunlight shining down into the canyon. Lower Antelope Canyon is shaped like a V, with the walls getting wider from ground to top. The narrow canyon bottom makes for a fun hike involving some tight squeezes, scrambling and climbing ladders. Most people choose to visit one section or the other, with avid photographers typically choosing Upper Antelope and active thrill seekers opting for Lower Antelope, but you can actually do both sections in one day. Entrance to either section of Antelope Canyon is only granted to people on guided tours.
There's an option to go kayaking or stand-up-paddle boarding in Lake Powell to get to Antelope Canyon. This is a fun and completely different experience but it takes you to a different section of Antelope Canyon that is not as spectacular as in the walking tours.
At the end of the day drive a little over 2 hours back to Flagstaff and just under 3 hours to Sedona.
Arizona's Ancient Pueblo Ruins and Red Rock: Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, Walnut Canyon, Montezuma's Castle, Sedona - 3 days from Flagstaff
The Ancestral Puebloans, often referred to as the Anasazi, are perhaps the most intriguing of all ancient civilizations in North America. They established large communities with stone structures situated in some unlikely places. They were the dominant people in the American Southwest for over a thousand years but in the late 13th century they mysteriously vanished, abandoning their homes. The remains of these ancient communities or Pueblos still stand today and the sight of the stone buildings in the sides of cliffs and in the middle of the desert is truly amazing. Three National Monuments near Flagstaff --- Wupatki, Walnut Canyon and Montezuma’s Castle --- have some of the most impressive and best preserved ancient Pueblo ruins. These places, combined with the natural wonders of Sunset Crater Volcano and Sedona, make for an exceptionally rich road trip vacation in Arizona.
Day 1: Visit the Ancestral Pueblos of Wupatki National Monument and hike the lava flows of Sunset Crater Volcano
Start off your discovery of the Ancentral Puebloan culture by visiting Wupatki National Monument, only a little over 40 miles from Flagstaff and less than an hour’s drive. Wupatki has five different ancient Pueblos which are accessed by four easy trails that are each half a mile or shorter. The Pueblos were inhabited until 900 years ago and are set against a dramatic desert backdrop. Wupatki Pueblo is the biggest and got the National Monument named after it, but Wukoki, Citadel, Nilakihu and Lomaki are all remarkable and every visitor should explore all of them. Information panels are set up all along the trails and ruins and tell you about the stone structures and the way of life of the Ancestral Puebloans.
After 3 or 4 hours exploring Wupatki National Monument drive to Sunset Crater Volcano which is only 15 miles away and on the way back to Flagstaff. The volcano erupted a thousand years ago leaving the black cinder cone seen today. Hiking to the top of the volcano is not allowed but several trails near its base let you walk on and along the Bonito Lava Flow and give you great views of other surrounding volcanos. As you walk on the cooled lava imagine how the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano affected the people who still inhabited the Pueblos in Wupatki National Monument at that time.
After spending a day back in time head back to Flagstaff where you spend the night. Flagstaff is a charming city and if you still have the energy you can stroll around the city’s historic downtown and Railroad District to cap off the day.
Day 2: See ancient cliff dwellings in Walnut Canyon and Montezuma Castle. Go stargazing in Sedona.
Walnut Canyon National Monument is just to the east Flagstaff and it is remarkable that right outside a modern city are the ruins of an ancient Pueblo that was inhabited by the ancestors of the Hopi people over 800 years ago. The stone structures in Walnut Canyon are homes built in cliff alcoves, many of them high above the ground. You can get up close to some of these cliff dwelling by hiking either of two trails in the park. The Rim Trail is an easy, 0.7 mile (out and back), relatively flat path that goes along the rim of Walnut Canyon and has great overlooking views of the canyon and its cliffs full of ancient dwellings. The Island Trail is a mile long loop that goes down into the canyon. It is significantly steeper and more challenging than the Rim Trail but takes you close to more cliff dwellings and gives you a more in-depth experience of Walnut Canyon.
After visiting Walnut Canyon drive about an hour to Montezuma Castle. This National Monument actually has nothing to do with Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. The extremely impressive structure was built and inhabited by the Sinagua people over 700 years ago and got its current name because people who found the ruins in the 1860s thought it was connected with the famous Aztec emperor. And although its grandness makes it look like a castle, it is actually an ancient five-story apartment, with 20 rooms built into a sheer limestone cliff 90 feet above the ground. A short walk from the visitor center takes you to the base of Montezuma Castle and information panels tell you all about this great archeological site and the people who lived there.
After marveling at Montezuma Castle head to nearby Montezuma Well which is a large water-filled sinkhole with ancient cliff dwellings built in its walls. A short hike takes you to the picturesque well, and you can keep following the trail to take you along ancient irrigation canal and to more cliff dwellings.
From Montezuma Well Sedona is only a half hour drive away and you should be able to see its magnificent red rock formations before the sun sets. When evening falls, soak in the beauty of this area and its night sky by going on a stargazing tour with a professional astronomer and powerful telescopes.
Overnight in Sedona.
Day 3: Go hiking or off-roading in Sedona, or go on a wine tour in Verde Valley
Sedona is famous for its towering sandstone monoliths that are visible from virtually anywhere in town. Many of the rock formations have names, with some of the most famous being Cathedral Rock, Courthouse Butte and The Cockscomb. Over 200 trails in the area take you to these and other rock formations so hiking, on your own or on a guided tour, is obviously one of the best ways to explore Sedona. Another option is to go on a guided jeep tour. By taking a 4x4 vehicle you can access more remote areas with less effort. Many Sedona visitors are happy to simply sightsee and take photos from trailheads. The very unique Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into sandstone, is also a popular attraction for tourists. If you choose not to go hiking or off-roading you can go sightseeing on your own and do a wine tour of Verde Valley which has 19 vineyards. A guided wine tour will take you to 3 or 4 wineries, or you could visit wineries on your own by following the Verde Valley Wine Trail. Whatever you choose to do your day in Sedona is sure to be full of fun times and fantastic scenery.
From Sedona the drive to Flagstaff is about 45 minutes north and Phoenix is about 2 hours south.
Day 1: Visit the Ancestral Pueblos of Wupatki National Monument and hike the lava flows of Sunset Crater Volcano
Start off your discovery of the Ancentral Puebloan culture by visiting Wupatki National Monument, only a little over 40 miles from Flagstaff and less than an hour’s drive. Wupatki has five different ancient Pueblos which are accessed by four easy trails that are each half a mile or shorter. The Pueblos were inhabited until 900 years ago and are set against a dramatic desert backdrop. Wupatki Pueblo is the biggest and got the National Monument named after it, but Wukoki, Citadel, Nilakihu and Lomaki are all remarkable and every visitor should explore all of them. Information panels are set up all along the trails and ruins and tell you about the stone structures and the way of life of the Ancestral Puebloans.
After 3 or 4 hours exploring Wupatki National Monument drive to Sunset Crater Volcano which is only 15 miles away and on the way back to Flagstaff. The volcano erupted a thousand years ago leaving the black cinder cone seen today. Hiking to the top of the volcano is not allowed but several trails near its base let you walk on and along the Bonito Lava Flow and give you great views of other surrounding volcanos. As you walk on the cooled lava imagine how the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano affected the people who still inhabited the Pueblos in Wupatki National Monument at that time.
After spending a day back in time head back to Flagstaff where you spend the night. Flagstaff is a charming city and if you still have the energy you can stroll around the city’s historic downtown and Railroad District to cap off the day.
Day 2: See ancient cliff dwellings in Walnut Canyon and Montezuma Castle. Go stargazing in Sedona.
Walnut Canyon National Monument is just to the east Flagstaff and it is remarkable that right outside a modern city are the ruins of an ancient Pueblo that was inhabited by the ancestors of the Hopi people over 800 years ago. The stone structures in Walnut Canyon are homes built in cliff alcoves, many of them high above the ground. You can get up close to some of these cliff dwelling by hiking either of two trails in the park. The Rim Trail is an easy, 0.7 mile (out and back), relatively flat path that goes along the rim of Walnut Canyon and has great overlooking views of the canyon and its cliffs full of ancient dwellings. The Island Trail is a mile long loop that goes down into the canyon. It is significantly steeper and more challenging than the Rim Trail but takes you close to more cliff dwellings and gives you a more in-depth experience of Walnut Canyon.
After visiting Walnut Canyon drive about an hour to Montezuma Castle. This National Monument actually has nothing to do with Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. The extremely impressive structure was built and inhabited by the Sinagua people over 700 years ago and got its current name because people who found the ruins in the 1860s thought it was connected with the famous Aztec emperor. And although its grandness makes it look like a castle, it is actually an ancient five-story apartment, with 20 rooms built into a sheer limestone cliff 90 feet above the ground. A short walk from the visitor center takes you to the base of Montezuma Castle and information panels tell you all about this great archeological site and the people who lived there.
After marveling at Montezuma Castle head to nearby Montezuma Well which is a large water-filled sinkhole with ancient cliff dwellings built in its walls. A short hike takes you to the picturesque well, and you can keep following the trail to take you along ancient irrigation canal and to more cliff dwellings.
From Montezuma Well Sedona is only a half hour drive away and you should be able to see its magnificent red rock formations before the sun sets. When evening falls, soak in the beauty of this area and its night sky by going on a stargazing tour with a professional astronomer and powerful telescopes.
Overnight in Sedona.
Day 3: Go hiking or off-roading in Sedona, or go on a wine tour in Verde Valley
Sedona is famous for its towering sandstone monoliths that are visible from virtually anywhere in town. Many of the rock formations have names, with some of the most famous being Cathedral Rock, Courthouse Butte and The Cockscomb. Over 200 trails in the area take you to these and other rock formations so hiking, on your own or on a guided tour, is obviously one of the best ways to explore Sedona. Another option is to go on a guided jeep tour. By taking a 4x4 vehicle you can access more remote areas with less effort. Many Sedona visitors are happy to simply sightsee and take photos from trailheads. The very unique Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into sandstone, is also a popular attraction for tourists. If you choose not to go hiking or off-roading you can go sightseeing on your own and do a wine tour of Verde Valley which has 19 vineyards. A guided wine tour will take you to 3 or 4 wineries, or you could visit wineries on your own by following the Verde Valley Wine Trail. Whatever you choose to do your day in Sedona is sure to be full of fun times and fantastic scenery.
From Sedona the drive to Flagstaff is about 45 minutes north and Phoenix is about 2 hours south.