Arizona

From the Grand Canyon to Route 66!

Arizona might be one of the most beautiful states we’ve been to. You’ve got the scale of the Grand Canyon, the red rock landscapes around Sedona, and then the pure weirdness (in the best way) of Route 66. It somehow all works.

This trip was taken in March 2021.

When we visited Arizona, we flew into Las Vegas and home from Phoenix. Our itinerary looked a bit like this:

Check out our full vlog here:

Day 1 – 1.5

We kicked things off in Las Vegas – you can catch that part of the trip over on our Nevada page.

Day 2

After a morning stop at Hoover Dam, we headed out on Route 66. This stretch ended up being one of those days we still talk about — so random, and completely fun. We started in Kingman, which is the last real “stock up” stop before things get quiet. Gas, snacks, stretch your legs — all the usual road trip stuff. There’s also the El Trovatore Motel, which has the world’s longest Route 66 map painted on it. Definitely worth a quick stop.

Once you’re on the road, it doesn’t take long before things get… weird. First up was Giganticus Headicus — basically a massive painted head in the middle of nowhere. No real explanation, which honestly makes it better. There are old cars, random props, and plenty of photo ops (some stranger than others).

Not far past that is the Hackberry General Store. It’s packed with Route 66 memorabilia, old signs, vintage cars — the kind of place where you keep spotting new things every few minutes. We grabbed drinks here and wandered around for a bit.

We also stopped at Grand Canyon Caverns. You can actually stay overnight underground there, which is wild, but we just explored the roadside attractions. There’s a slightly questionable teeter-totter, a mix of random exhibits, and a “museum” that had our kids cracking up — apparently old video cameras are officially ancient now.

Our favorite stop, though, was Seligman. It’s a true highlight! We had lunch at Delgadillo’s Sno Cap Drive-In — super casual, really good food, and full of personality. The whole town leans into the Route 66 nostalgia, with vintage cars and quirky details everywhere.

We stopped at Angel Deldaillo’s Barber Shop which has been around since 1950. Angel is credited with helping bring tourism back to Route 66 by founding the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, after larger highway systems started to bypass these small towns.

We also stopped by Angel Delgadillo’s Barber Shop. Angel is a big reason Route 66 is still on the map — he helped revive tourism in the area when the interstate started pulling people away from these towns. It’s a small stop, but it adds a lot of context to what you’re seeing along the drive.

If Seligman feels familiar, it probably is — the creators of Cars spent time here, and it clearly inspired Radiator Springs. Once you’re there, it’s kind of obvious.

We wrapped up the Route 66 portion in Williams, where we wandered through a few shops before heading into the park entrance for The Grand Canyon!

Route 66 Tips:

• Cell phone coverage is spotty! Make sure you know where you want to stop before you go on this trip, and write out the exact distances between locations, so you know when to be looking for your next stop.
• There are not that many restaurants or stores (including gas stations!), so we filled up the gas tank before we left, and also brought along some drinks and snacks.
• The drive from Vegas to the Grand Canyon with all of these stops took us ALL DAY. We got up around 5am and didn’t make it to the Grand Canyon until almost 5pm. If you’re doing this same drive, I’d make sure you’re ready for a long day or find a place to stay in the middle. You don’t want to miss sunset at the Grand Canyon.

Onto the Grand Canyon! We finally arrived late afternoon. We stayed at the Kachina Lodge for the night and were SO happy we did. There are a few options when visiting the Grand Canyon:

• Williams – about 1 hour drive to the South Rim. Good amount of options for hotels here, plus restaurants and some other things to do like a Wildlife Park and some small mountain coasters. This might be a good place to stay if doing the same drive and you don’t want to get up at 5am like us. Downside – you will likely either miss the sunset or have to drive back in the dark (lots of backtracking if going back the next day).
• Tusayan – 15 min drive to the South Rim. This was our 2nd option. There were a few hotels and not many restaurants, but it was close enough that you would be able to visit 2 days in a row.
• Inside the Park – if you can get a reservation and the price is OK, do this! We were so glad we did. We stayed at the Kachina Lodge which was literally steps from the rim. There are 2 other hotels in the park that are also nice, but Kachina was the cheapest. In 2021 when we went, it was $275/night which was really expensive, and I’m sure it’s more now. Worth it! The room is bare bones and nothing special at all.

Staying inside the Grand Canyon ended up being one of the best decisions of the trip. We could walk straight out to the rim in the evening and catch sunset without dealing with crowds or driving. Later that night, we went back out for stargazing, and then got up early for sunrise — all within a few minutes of our room.

Food options inside the park are pretty limited (and not cheap), so we brought our own dinner and breakfast. It made things easier and saved us some money, which we were very okay with.

Getting to see the sun rise and fall over the Grand Canyon is a really special experience.

Day 3

After sunrise, we packed up and made one last stop at Yavapai Point. Still just as unreal. There’s no shortage of viewpoints in the Grand Canyon, and while we definitely could’ve spent more time exploring, walking part of the rim trail and stopping at a few key spots felt like enough for us (for this trip!)

One thing we didn’t totally expect — it was really cold in March. The upside was that it wasn’t crowded at all, which made the whole experience feel calmer. You could easily spend several days here, but for our trip, one evening and one morning worked well.

We hit the road for Day 3 and stopped in Flagstaff for lunch at Tourist Home All Day Cafe. This place was so good — one of those meals you keep thinking about later. We didn’t explore much of Flagstaff, but it left an impression anyway. It has a really easy, outdoorsy feel that made us want to come back and spend more time.

The drive to Sedona is one of those stretches where you end up pulling over more than you planned.

We stopped at Oak Creek Vista for the views (which are incredible) and to browse some of the Native American craft stands set up nearby. Then we made a quick stop at Indian Gardens Cafe & Market — a really cozy spot with a small café and outdoor seating. They had blankets out, which made it hard to leave.

That evening was intentionally low-key. We found a local park so the kids could run around for a bit, grabbed dinner, and then headed to Crescent Moon Ranch for sunset.

Sedona kind of sneaks up on you like that — even the casual stops feel scenic. Parks, parking lots, random roadside pull-offs… everything has a view.

Lodging: We stayed at an AMAZING Hotel in Sedona, the Sky Rock Sedona Hotel. The rooms themselves were basic, but the VIEWS! Don’t bother paying for a room with a view, because all around the hotel they had shared balconies with firepits and couches. They also had a nice hot tub and breakfast area as well. Pics below were taken from the hotel!

Day 4

Rain changed our plans a bit. We’d originally planned to hike Devil’s Bridge Trail, but without an early start (and knowing how crowded it gets), we decided to pivot. We ended up driving past it later and saw the crowds — no regrets.

Instead, we headed to Soldier Pass Trail and did the loop out to Devil’s Kitchen, the Seven Sacred Pools, and the cave — about 4.3 miles total.

This ended up being one of our favorite hikes. It’s not especially difficult overall, with just a short, steeper climb at the very end if you go up to the cave (which you can skip if needed). What made it stand out was how much the scenery changed along the way — it never really felt repetitive.

The rain actually worked in our favor here. The Seven Sacred Pools were full, which made that section way more interesting than it would’ve been otherwise.

The only downside was parking. It’s pretty limited, and we spent a while circling before finding a spot. If you’re going later in the morning, it might honestly be easier to get dropped off instead of dealing with it.

After our morning hike, we headed into town to do some shopping and eat lunch at the Outlaw Grill. Then – on to our favorite activity of the trip, the Pink Jeep Tour. This is a must do. It was an absolute blast, a little scary (my thoughts only), and we got to see all kinds of areas that we wouldn’t have otherwise seen.

Day 5

This morning started with a sunrise hike for Brian, checking out Cathedral Rock. The kids and I skipped out on this one because it was a little too challenging for them. Brian loved it, and got some great views.

Once he returned, we headed out to hike as a family at Boynton Vista. This was a pretty quick hike with beautiful views. It also was really special because there is a man that hangs around there handing out stones shaped like hearts. We still have ours in our home today!

We stopped for a quick break at the park before heading to lunch at Red Rock Cafe. We got breakfast burritos and a cinnamon roll that was basically the size of the table!

After we ate enough sugar for the whole week, we drove to Baldwin Trail, a 2 mile trail that took us near streams, overlooked Cathedral Rock and had sweeping views of the valley. This might have been our favorite trail, and was not nearly as crowded as others. The kids really enjoyed playing near the river at the end.

On the drive back, we stopped at Chapel of the Holy Cross. This place was so crowded we couldn’t even find parking. I gave up and decided I didn’t care enough to visit, so I dropped Brian and one of our kids off to go see it, and circled the parking lot to then pick them up when done.

Day 6

This morning we were sad to leave Sedona! We made one final stop at the Tlaquepaque Art/Shopping Center before heading onto Phoenix. We made a few stops along the way, starting with Montezuma Castle. These are ancient cliff dwellings (over 800 years ago!) and it’s a really neat, easy walk along a trail to see these. Don’t forget to stop at the Native American fry bread stand in the parking lot on the drive out!

For lunch we drove to Rock Springs Cafe for amazing burgers and pie’s. They also had some great little craft shops that we checked out while waiting for our table.

Along the drive, we also were able to pull off the highway (exit 236) to see a bunch of huge cacti – none of us had ever seen ones so big before!

Finally, we ended our day staying in Scottsdale at a great Hilton property (Canopy) that was walking distance to restaurants and had a great rooftop pool.

Day 7

Our final day started with another sunrise hike for Brian, this one at Camelback Mountain. Another hike with amazing views for Brian!

When he returned, we walked to a nice breakfast at Morning Squeeze, before heading out for one final quick stop at Hole in The Rock Park.

Final Thoughts

Arizona is magical! Sedona might be one of the most beautiful places we’ve been. There are so many amazing hiking opportunities, beautiful nature and great food. Arizona is a place we want to go back to and see even more of the beautiful state!

Like this guide? Let us plan your next adventure!

If you need a custom travel itinerary for your next trip, get in touch here!