Arizona Travel Forum

I have reservations at El Tovar for a suite for 3 nights. Since I have never been there I have no idea what if any requests I should be making (what suite, if there are differences). Also since the reservations are through the park service and not the hotel directly, who do I make requests to?
Thanks for any help out there from the expertss.

I have to return my rental car at the Rental Car Center of the airport (located at 1805 E. Sky Harbor Circle South) and need to fill the tank before I return it to avoid a huge gas bill.

Is there a gas station close to the Rental Car Center.(I'm with Hertz) ??

Hello. I'll be taking a small group 3-day tour of the Grand Canyon and Sedona in late August. I have the option of being based in (and being picked up by my tour company from) Las Vegas, Phoenix, or Flagstaff. I will have 2 days before my tour and 2 days after my tour in which to explore the city and surrounding areas. I plan on renting a car before and after my tour.

I'd love your inputs on which city I should stay in... Aside from airports I've never spent time in any of them.

I'm not a gambler or interested in big spectacle-type shows or over-the-top dining/buffet madness, but Las Vegas would be great so I could drive to the Hoover Dam... Then I was thinking maybe Flagstaff so I could drive to Meteor Crater... Then I was considering Phoenix so I could visit their botanical gardens...

I love hiking, the outdoors, photography, local cuisine, and all sorts of weird geography and native plants/animals. Can you recommend some interesting places or parks near these cities within a day's drive that will help me make up my mind where to stay?

Thanks everyone!
-DaShast

Hello!

I am planning a trip for 4 people (including myself). We are all in our 20's and very excited as this is a much needed vaca for hard working NYC professionals! =)

I have done a significant amount of research on the forums and on the internet as well. I have specific places and experiences I would like to plan out but I am having some trouble in terms of time planning and efficiency of sightseeing. Basically, I want what anyone wants... to be able to see as much as I can in two days and get the most of the time I have in Sedona. So, any advice will be much appreciated. Here are some of the facts.

Coming from : Las Vegas (3 days), stop at GC staying in Flagstaff that night. Driving early morning 5/19 to Sedona, start 6 am.

Dates in Sedona : 2 full days : 5/19-5/20, leaving morning of 5/21 driving to Phoenix Airport.

Hotel : Orchard Inn

My general ideas for the itinerary is as follows:

1st Day : We are scheduled to arrive at Sedona at around 8:30 am from Flagstaff, which I know is about 119 miles away, approx. 2 hours 19 mins drive. I would like to see as many of the sites of interest before our scheduled Pink Jeep Tour at 4pm/5pm.

2nd Day : Since we are driving to Phoenix early the following day for our flight, I would like the second day to be a little less hectic. I was planning on dedicating this day to wandering around town, some driving around and a little shopping. I am considering an early morning hike and returning to the hotel to get changed to walk around/shop and later have dinner at the Cowboy Club. I am aware that some of the shops close early (i.e. Tlaquepaque at 5pm, Gallery Row before 7 pm). So, ideally, I would like to be out of the hotel at around 1 pm.

1st Day – Stops along 89A to 179.
- Stop Over at Oak Creek Vista (necessary???)
- Oak Creek Canyon (driving through on 89A?)
- Stop at Grasshopper Point
- Drop off luggage at Orchard Inn
- Stop at Coffee Pot to have brunch/lunch
- Airport Mesa (light hike)
- Drive SE to Chapel of Holy Cross
- Drive to see Bell Rock
- Can I see Cathedral Rock by driving from Bell Rock????
- Drive back up north for Pink Jeep Tour (Broken Arrow) at 4 or 5 pm

Major Question : Is this feasible???

2nd Day – Western Sedona
- Chimney Rock
- Hike an easy trail that doesn’t take too long and will allow us to see something different than what we saw the day before. From my research, I have read mention of Fay Canyon, Margs Draw Trail, Red Rock State Park Trail(s), Bell Rock Pathway. I am questioning Bell Rock Pathway and Margs Draw Trail since both are not in proximity to Chimney Rock.
- Get back to hotel to shower and change
- Tlaquepaque, Gallery Row
- Wandering around town, any suggestions for quaint walks, areas??
- Dinner at Cowboy Club

Can I fit in any of the following????
- Montezuma's Castle
- Tuzigoot National Monument
- Schnebly Hill Road and Vista

I know this is a lot of information. But, I would appreciate any advice.

Thank you in advance!!

- Kate

What are the dates of the historical costume festival that I saw several years ago?

What is the name of the restaurant?

Hi!

I ve a week vacation starting May 25. Have been wanting to do Rim-to-Rim for quite some time now. This seemed like a great opportunity to do it. But as I expected all campground permits are gone (infact they were gone on Jan 2).

Does anyone out there hiking Rim-to-Rim on the week of May 25 and has an extra permit. I ve done extensive hiking and backpacking in Yosemite.

Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.

Regards

ABM

We were informed that we had to make our own way to the National Park Airport if we wanted to join a heli tour. We are staying at the Village. The airport is 7 miles away. I reckon the drive to the airport will take 15 minutes.

How much does parking cost at the airport?
Is it a hassle to find parking space/lot?

We hope to join in a morning heli-tour.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Hmm, We didn't see this.

hi,
my friend and i will be coming mid may and would like to take a bus tour to the south rim of grand canyon.

may i know which tour company is recommended?
prefer reviews from travellers who have taken the tours before.

thank you.

P.S we will not be driving.

I'll be driving from the Grand Canyon to Sky Harbor Airport to board a 10:30pm domestic flight on Delta.

My wife and I would like to find out where will be a convenient place for dinner (it will be great if the place has food variety and not out of the way to the airport).

We intend to set off at 3:00PM from Grand Canyon South Rim, arriving in Phoenix 7:00PM, leaving us with enough time for dinner before heading to the Sky Harbor Airport. I understand we need to be at the airport by 8:30PM.

Is the set-off comfortable?
Where would be a good place for dinner with food variety?
What about at the airport? Are there restaurants that serve decently priced food?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hello - we are planning to drive from las vegas to lake powell. On the way have two nights to spend at the Grand Canyon. For the first, we are thinking of staying in the SkyWalk area. Any hotel recommendations would be appreciated?
Any suggestions for the location of the second nights stay. Our goal is to break up the 8 hour drive from SkyWalk area to Lake Powell and get a second look at the Canyon. Ideally a mid way stop would be great. Not clear if we should drive from South Rim to North to Lake Powell or just do the whole South Loop up to Lake Powell. Any hotels/ranches at the second location would be very helpful. Thanks! THis is our first trip with a newborn so we are trying to plan carefully.

We have one day and part of another to spend in the Petrified Forest. What shouldn't we miss? We particularly enjoy photography; are there particular "must see" places, especially for sunrise and sunset photos?

This is my first time to visit the Grand Canyon on our way to Las Vegas on the first week of May. Kindly give me directions from Los Angeles to South Rim Grand Canyon. What time do you think should I leave LA so that I can get good shots/view of grand canyon?

Are there any raw food restaurants in town?

does it cost to get in at the grand canyon??

I am going to be in Tucson for a month conducting research at the University... unfortunatley I have to go alone because my husband will be tied up at work!

Having never been there, and having never travelled as a single female, I was wondering what you guys would recommend as the best areas to live that are within walking distance to campus?

I have a lead on one property that is just west of the university, between the campus and fourth avenue - would this be considered a safe area?

Thank you!

Does anyone have any info on the Phoenix Opera? I have heard that it's a very entertaining evening but I can't find info on it. Thanks for the info.

We will be travelling in Arizona and Utah in the month of JUNE, crossing the border a couple of times. can somebody tell me the time in a couple of towns, when it is 8.00am in Phoenix.
Chinle ??
Mexican Hat ??
Kanab ??
Cameron ??

I would love to see the grand canyon and have a fantasy about doing this in an RV - could get approx 3 weeks holiday (from England) and dont have a great desire to see cities - can anyone suggest how to start researching a trip including best route, where to stay etc etc. Thanks

I understand Spring Training is in full swing in the Phoenix area. Where do we find out where the games are and who is playing and how do we get tickets? Are the games day or evening or both? Thanks for the info.

Hi there,

I'm a backpacker who will be staying at a hostel in Flagstaff, and would like to visit nearby Sedona on a day independant of the tour that the hostel runs.

How would I get from Flagstaff to Sedona by a public bus or train? A cab is NOT an option.

I am looking for the absolute cheapest way to get there.

Cheers in advance!

A group of college students want to come out from Omaha to go rim to rim.
Understanding that their spring break is in March, what month would be best?
If April, is Hwy 67 kept clear, so vehicles can get down to pick them up?

Hi,

I am planning a trip to the GC in April and am curious about how curvy the roads (64 and 180) are from Williams to the South Rim. (I realize there is not really an objective answer, but I wanted to get some sense of the roads).

Also, are there cliffs along the roads to the South Rim. (I assume there a cliffs once we are in the park along the Rim Drives, is that right?)

Thanks in advance.
Brian

I know that some may think this is wrong or unethical or whatever, but I just want to know exactly what happens if a ranger finds a violation of a backpacking permit.
We planned our trip and obtained a permit for 6 people to camp below the rim in an "at large" camping area. Now, we may have a 7th person who wants to join the trip and there are no more permits available for either large or small groups. Does anyone know exactly what happens if a ranger discovers a violation? What are the fines like? Do they pursue any type of criminal charges - the website says "possible court appearance", but is the penalty akin to a speeding ticket?

Can someone give me a recommendation whether the South rim with IMAX is better than West Rim with Hipupea Indians ? especially regarding the Canyon views.

Hello!
I'm planning for a trip to Phoenix late this month. I also like to visit Grand Canyon from Phoenix. I have lots of questions about it.
First, is it a good time to visit Grand Canyon around March 24th? Will it be very crowded at the time?
Second, I did some reading about it. It seems that after I arrive there, I can either park my car in a parking lot and take shuttle bus in the park or drive by myself. Which one do you think is better? I'd like to have enough time to see all the wonderful sightsees, will shuttle bus cover all the sightsees I should see?
Third, if I don't drive by myself, is there any tour starting from Phoenix will take me to Grand Canyon and Las Vegas? I have three days, my ideal tour will have both Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. If not, then only Grand Canyon is OK also. Is there any tour like that and how much will it cost?
Thank you very much.

Hi,

I'm from India, and will be visiting the GC with my two kids (aged 9 and 12) from Phoenix on Apr 30. We want to spend the night there (accommodation booked), spend the next day doing something fun (maybe a jeep ride to the bottom) and then get back to Phoenix by the night of May 2.

The problem is, we don't have transport of our own. Getting up to the canyon isn't a hassle -- the shuttle timings work well. However, on May 2, it'd be nice if we could get up to monument valley (or other place of natural beauty -- suggestions welcome!) and then head back to phoenix.
1. What transportation options would you recommend?
2. Are there tours that will get us from the south rim to monument valley? If so, how do we get from there to Phoenix?
3. Or, would you recommend that we leave GC on the evening of May 1, spend the night elsewhere, and then travel to monument valley (or wherever)? If so, what are our best options for travel?

We've been to sedona, sunset crater, wupatki, and the petrified forest... also can't hike very much -- busted knee+ankle.

Advice appreciated... thanks!

My wife and I will be in Page, Az in August 2008. A lot of hotels are sold out and we are considering staying at either the Quality hotel, or the Super 8 motel.

We've looked at some internet reviews, but most seem to have been written a while ago.

Does anyone have recent experience of staying at either of these motels?

Many thanks.

Derek

I am landing in Vegas at midnight on Thursday night March 13th. I want to move staright towards the grand canyon driving for an hour so that i can stay teh night outside vegas for cheaper motel and then next morning cut out some driving time towards the Grand Canyon. We want to spend the day viewing the Canyon and going to the sky-walk. If we can walk the rim or somehow reach the bottom of the valley it would be great. I want to lodge ther for the night and then leave next morning towards monument valley and then towards Vegas.
Can anyone help me to plan a route for this and also suggest if I am missing out on something. I plan to be back in vegas by Saturday evening.

Thanks Kiran.