Vacation Ideas

Arizona Tour

Arizona is an incredibly beautiful state with deserts, mountains, canyons, and more. A road trip from Tucson to the Grand Canyon will show you some of the most beautiful parts of the world!

Basic Itinerary:

  • Tucson and Saguaro National Park
  • Phoenix
  • Sedona
  • Flagstaff
  • Grand Canyon

Full detailed itinerary coming soon!

  • Saguaro National Park – see huge cactuses! There are two sides to the park and either one is good and includes a driving loop. If short on time, I would do the West section – Bajada Loop Drive.
  • Boyce Thompson Arboretum – a gorgeous desert garden!
  • Explore Phoenix – play golf, visit the Zoo, or do one of the many hikes in the area, such as the kid-friendly Hole in the Rock hike.
  • Montezuma Castle National Monument – amazingly well-preserved cliff dwellings of Native Americans from the 12th century.
  • Gorgeous hikes around Seonda! There are so many good ones to choose from at varying rates of difficulty.
  • Slide Rock State Park – play in a canyon stream and slide down rocks on a hot day.
  • Gaze at the gorgeous mountains and Humphrey’s Peak (the tallest point in Arizona and a dormant volcano) near Flagstaff
  • Hike part of the rim trail at Grand Canyon National Park to see amazing vistas of the canyon
  • Tucson and Pheonix have SO many hotel options in every brand and price range, so just pick your favorite! Something not too far from I-10 (around Tucson) and I-17 (around Pheonix) would be best if you don’t want to drive too far out of the way.
  • In Sedona, we recommend: Los Abrigados Resort & Spa – this resort has huge 2-bedroom suites with a full kitchen, jetted tubs, a fireplace, and a balcony. The resort itself has a huge pool and hot tub, mini-golf, a spa, a restaurant, and is next to a really cute shopping area. It is also centrally located so you can get out and about easily or use public transportation (Sedona traffic can get really bad!) Best of all, it’s actually well priced! I have found deals under $300/night for a 2-bedroom suite on booking.com, and even cheaper for smaller rooms.
  • In the Grand Canyon, we recommend staying at any of the Grand Canyon lodges in Grand Canyon Village. We typically stay at Maswik Lodge because they offer rooms with 2 queen beds plus a rollaway so a family of 5 can fit in one room. Maswik is not right on the rim, but is a short walk away and has a convenient bus stop and a food court on site.
  • If you can’t drive to the area, flights and a rental car will be your biggest expenses. Price out the cost of flying in and out of Tucson (which will mean driving back down through Arizona at the end of the trip), or consider flying into Tucson and out of Las Vegas if you don’t want to backtrack.
  • The more expensive places for lodging are Sedona and the Grand Canyon. See our recommendations above for where to stay, but all of them are in the $300+/night range at most times of year.
  • Food is also more expensive in Sedona and the Grand Canyon. We recommend buying some groceries during the first part of this trip to take with you as you head north.
  • Budget some money for shopping. There are some great stores in Sedona to explore, plus each National Park has a gift shop with souvenirs.
  • The entrance fee to Saguaro National Park is $25 per vehicle
  • The entrance fee to Montezuma Castle National Monument is $10 per person over 16 years old
  • The entrance fee to Grand Canyon National Park is $35 per vehicle
  • If you will be visiting any other U.S. National Parks or Landmarks over the next year, we recommend buying the America the Beautiful Pass. This pass will get you access to the parks listed above and ALL other national parks across the country for a full year for $80 per vehicle/family.
Family-friendly restaurants with beautiful views in Sedona: Family-friendly restaurants in Grand Canyon Village:
  • Harvey House Cafe – this is the most kid-friendly of the restaurants on the rim and has some of the same foods as the steakhouse next door.
  • Maswik Food Court – a food court with multiple options like pizza, sandwiches, BBQ, tacos, burgers, etc. They also serve breakfast and have grab-and-go foods to take with you before you go hikingl
  • El Tovar Dining Room – this one is more upscale, but I’ve still seen kids here, especially at breakfast and lunch. During dinner, you should dress nicely (no shorts), and I’d recommend only bringing older kids/teens who can behave well and eat off the regular menu.
 
Age Recommendation: This trip would be best with kids who are old enough to do some hiking and appreciate natural beauty, but it could really be done with any age. There are easy hikes around Sedona that can be done with younger kids or a baby in a carrier. The rim trail at the Grand Canyon can be done with a stroller. The main age I would avoid would be the toddler years, where they like to run and not be confined to a stroller or carrier. There are some drop-offs and parts of trails that could be too dangerous for wandering toddlers. Clothing tips: The Grand Canyon can get very cold at night and through the early morning! I highly recommend staying up late one night and enjoying the stars (the lack of light pollution allows you to see SO many stars!) but it may be quite cold and windy. Even if the highs are in the 70s+ during the day, pack jackets or sweatshirts. Bring shoes with good tread. Some of the fun hikes around Sedona involve climbing up smooth rocks and you’ll want good traction.

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