Grand Canyon or Sedona for this?

[Anonymous]

I was just at both of these places over spring break. It really depends on what your family likes to do, and whether you think this will be the only time you are in that area. We spent 3 nights in Sedona and 1 night in the Grand Canyon. We did a long-ish hike in Sedona one day, and a jeep tour the other day, and that was great for us. My husband and one kid are really afraid of heights, so our time at the Grand Canyon was limited and I was the only one that hiked at all into the canyon.

Do you think your kid will actually be excited to see the GC? Will you hike at all in it? (Going down is easy, coming up can be strenuous, esp. if it is really warm.)

If you think it is unlikely you will be able to visit again, then I'd probably spend the time to go see the Grand Canyon. But if you think you'd come back, maybe when you kid is a little older and more excited for a longer hike, then it would be a lot of driving just to look at the GC.

[Anonymous]

I did a day trip from phoenix out to the GC 5h each way and I still think it was worth it haha. I would not hesitate to go if you’re staying in Sedona.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d book a sunset Jeep tour in Sedona on your day 3 to see some amazing views and do GC day 4.

Since you're already committing to two cars and your DH joining you late, I fully agree with the people saying to drive to Sedona on Day 2. Unless there is some burning all-day activity you want to do in Phoenix, your time would be much better spent in Sedona. Day 3 can be your leisurely day in Sedona. Then do a day trip to GC on Day 4. We did it from Flagstaff and it was not too bad. We got there in the morning, rented bikes, had lunch and visited the overlooks driving east, and were back in Flagstaff by dinner.

[Anonymous]

Stay in Sedona. Enjoy life. In my opinion, Chevy Chase did the GC the right way.

[Anonymous]

My kids were bored pretty quickly in Sedona. It’s beautiful but doesn’t take that long to see. We did like Slide Rock.
And it won’t take a full day to drive to Sedona. When is your event in Phoenix over? If it’s not an evening event I would just get in car after it’s over and drive up that evening.
One day in Sedona then one day trip to GC.

Sedona is more fun for middle aged people that want to go to a spa and a wine bar, and shop, IMHO. And there’s a very cool church there built into the rocks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do a pink jeep tour in Sedona.

I mean, it makes sense to see it, but onestly the Grand canyon is kind of boring after 30 minutes if you aren't doing something. Any chance you can go on the clear overlook or a tour/hike into it?

You sound “kind of boring”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just went to all of these places over break and reaffirmed my belief that Sedona > Grand Canyon. I though I was remembering it wrong but no. Every lookout at the GC is the same. Once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.

same, saw it one day and won’t go back

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sedona, beyond the Pink Jeep Tour, is one of the most boring places on Earth. I mean, how many crystal shops do you have to go into?

The Grand Canyon on the other hand is one of the most breathtaking places on Earth - one of the 7 natural wonders.

Because most of the people go hiking there. There are tons of trails to go hiking and exploring. You're missing 90% of what there is to see and do if you're just shopping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You and son skip Phoenix.

Day 1 Phoenix
Day 2 sedona
Day 3 Sedona
Day 4 Grand Canyon

Granted, sedona is best on weekdays and miserable on weekends, so factor that in.

Absolutely. I would even skip it entirely if you're trip is over a weekend. Traffic is horrible and it's so crowded.

[Anonymous]

I just noticed that your DH is excited to go to the GC with your DS. So one option is THEY go to the GC and hike and bike and drive. And you stay at Sedona and go to a spa and drink wine and buy crystals.

It would be a nice bonding experience for father/son, and everyone gets to do what they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have an event in Phoenix so we cannot skip the full day there.

Can you, son and inlaws leave Phoenix earlier on Day 3? It’s only about a 2 hour drive from Phoenix (unless you’re leaving Thursday/Friday afternoon). You could leave in the morning and be exploring Sedona by lunch. It doesn’t sound like your husband is as interested in Sedona as he is the GC, so you could do a Pink Jeep tour or whatever without him and still be relaxing in the Airbnb by the evening.

I can understand why he’d want to go to the GC with a 9 year old. It’s a more impressive site to a kid than Sedona. My kids are fairly blah on both, but we live in between them and have been multiple times.

A 9 year old with a decent activity level can hike some into the canyon. We went about 2 miles in with my son when he was 7 and a 1.5 mile hike on Bright Angel Trial is a standard 4th grade field trip at my kids’ school. Even just going a little bit into the Canyon provides such a different perspective from the rim.

Of course, both Sedona and GC hiking is dependent on time of year. You don’t want to hike into the Canyon or do a midafternoon Jeep tour in midsummer. In the summer, I don’t want to go anywhere in Sedona that isn’t near the creek.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have an event in Phoenix so we cannot skip the full day there.

If you have an event in Phoenix, you're not tagging along with your DH. You're going to Phoenix as a family for an event.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do a pink jeep tour in Sedona.

I mean, it makes sense to see it, but onestly the Grand canyon is kind of boring after 30 minutes if you aren't doing something. Any chance you can go on the clear overlook or a tour/hike into it?

This is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen posted on here. The Grand Canyon is not "boring after 30 minutes."

Well, what else are you supposed to do there if you don't hike? I've been there 3 times and every time I'm there, I've been with people who are not physically capable to hike. While the rim-to-rim hike is on my bucket list, GC is pretty dang boring after 30 minutes. The viewpoints all start to look the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stay in Sedona. Enjoy life. In my opinion, Chevy Chase did the GC the right way.

Right! He wasn't wrong. Most people at the GC DO NOT hike, they just see it from the overlooks. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it's not a multi-day destination if you're not hiking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do a pink jeep tour in Sedona.

I mean, it makes sense to see it, but onestly the Grand canyon is kind of boring after 30 minutes if you aren't doing something. Any chance you can go on the clear overlook or a tour/hike into it?

This is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen posted on here. The Grand Canyon is not "boring after 30 minutes."

Well, what else are you supposed to do there if you don't hike? I've been there 3 times and every time I'm there, I've been with people who are not physically capable to hike. While the rim-to-rim hike is on my bucket list, GC is pretty dang boring after 30 minutes. The viewpoints all start to look the same.

+1. I mean, you could spend a day visiting the lookouts but more than 1 day is not necessary. And I don't want to hike down in, I'd rather visit one of the other western parks where you are already at the bottom looking up.