Arizona Road Trip Itinerary
July 1, 2022
Summertime means that you might be looking for ideas for a summer vacation and I have the perfect trip for you. Last summer I planned a week-long road trip where I traveled all throughout Arizona and a small part of Utah. Arizona has so many cool things to see and do and I just thought I’d share my trip itinerary in case you might be looking for some ideas!
Day 1- I flew into Phoenix and my first stop was to grab lunch so I headed out to Roosevelt Row Arts District, where I got some delicious tacos and had chance to do a little shopping. This part of town was very unique because there were cool murals everywhere and the shopping had a lot of local stores. There are also some great breweries in the area too, if that’s more your speed.
After I did some exploring, I decided to check out the Desert Botanical Garden. I love visiting botanical gardens because I feel like they are all so different and have their own specialties. I was in awe of the varieties of cacti, as that’s definitely not something we see every day in Atlanta.
Look at the size of this cactus!
I then met up with my friend who lives near Phoenix and we went to an Arizona Diamondbacks game. Before we went into the game though, we stopped by Little Rituals for some pre-game appetizers and drinks (it’s within walking distance of Chase Field). They had a great vibe and I highly recommend it for a pre or post game visit. If you don’t go there though, there are also plenty of other options for dining close to the stadium. The game was great and I got to check off another stadium on my bucket list, which I always enjoy.
Day 2- The next morning I woke up and played a round of golf at Legacy Golf Resort. I love playing golf in Arizona- the courses are so cool- and I was paired up with three guys who were so much fun, which is always good when you’re riding solo. After lunch I grabbed some BBQ at Little Miss BBQ- it was highly rated and as a southerner, I am judgmental of BBQ in non-southern states, but it lived up to the hype. I waited in line to get my food and ended up meeting the most wonderful people in line ahead of me. They invited me to join them for lunch and we sat at a picnic table and met some other folks at our table…to me, that’s what solo road trips are all about!
After lunch, I made my way to Flagstaff. It takes a couple of hours to get to Flagstaff and since I was in no hurry, I decided to pass through Sedona (on 89A). I knew I was going to Sedona later that week but it helped me get the lay of the land and had gorgeous views along the way. I thought it was really cool how the terrain went from desert to lush pines- I’m a nerd but I enjoy those things.
For me, Flagstaff was supposed to just be a town I stopped in on my way to Zion National Park but it ended up being one of my favorite cities on the trip. They have a great downtown area with tons of restaurants, bars, shops and breweries. Northern Arizona University is based there and Flagstaff had a little bit of a mountain college town vibe, which I loved.
I did some shopping and went to Dark Sky Brewing Company, which was great. Flagstaff has really embraced their brewery scene and even has a Flagstaff Brewery Trail, which you can enjoy: craftbeerflg.com. Flagstaff is also a great place to do some stargazing so I drove up to the Lowell Observatory to get a great view. I didn’t have a ticket and they were sold out for the night (next time I know to do that), but there is a spot to park up there and check out the stars. lowell.edu
Day 3- This day was all about the water so I made my way to Page, Arizona. I scheduled a kayak trip on the Colorado River and this was one of the parts of my trip I was the most excited about. I booked my trip through Kayak Horseshoe Bend…and that’s exactly what I did: kayaked Horseshoe Bend. It was really cool because most people only see Horseshoe Bend from up above, but I got to make my way through the canyon walls. You meet at Lees Ferry and they take you up the river to Horseshoe Bend and you kayak your way back. The whole experience was incredible and I got to see wild horses and bighorn sheep along the way. For more information on kayak rentals, visit: kayakhorseshoebend.com.
After I was done kayaking, I went up to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area where you can take a quick trail to get a great view of Horseshoe Bend. You might recognize this view from your computer screensaver. Whenever I go back to Arizona, I’d love to check out Antelope Canyon (unfortunately it was still closed due to COVID when I went)- it’s in the same general area and looks like an adventure of a lifetime.
Day 4- I got up early and made my way to Zion National Park, in Utah. One thing to note is that there is a change in time zone when you go there from Page, which I didn’t factor in so I actually got there later than I thought. Zion is extremely popular in the summer so I recommend getting there as early as possible. Parking can be tough in the park itself, but you can park in the town of Springdale and take the bus in, which is what I ended up doing.
Zion is absolutely incredible and the first thing I did while I was there was hike the Narrows, which I was so excited to do. I don’t think you’ll find another experience like it and I have a blog post dedicated just to this experience: Hoot En Route- Hiking the Narrows.
I hiked the Narrows for quite a while so when I was done I wanted to check out some of the other features of Zion National Park. I decided to do the Emerald Pools trail which is about 3 miles round trip to the top pool. It’s way less crowded and actually when I got to the top pool, I was the only one there for a while and got to watch some deer. Coming back from the hike featured one of my favorite views I’ve ever seen- something I’ll never forget.
There are so many things to see and do at Zion and I could have spent three days there exploring- I can’t wait to get back. When you’re done hiking for the day, there are some great dinner options in the town of Springdale, right outside the park. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to my glamping experience for the night. I’ve never done glamping before but it was great and had everything I needed. It even had a skylight over the bed so I literally fell asleep staring at the stars.
Day 5- This day’s main activity was to check out the Grand Canyon. My initial plan was to drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon but on my way back, I was passing through the Kaibab National Forest and saw a sign for the North Rim. On a whim, I decided to visit that side of the Grand Canyon instead, since it would get me there earlier in the day and I hoped to avoid crowds.
Going to the North Rim ended up being one of the best decisions of my trip. It wasn’t crowded at all and I had a few unexpected surprises. I got stopped by a herd of buffalo and I was mesmerized!
I finally made my way back to Sedona, where I spent the remainder of the day. My first stop was to hike Cathedral Rock. It was gorgeous but one of the toughest hikes of my life because it was so hot (over 105 degrees). I actually didn’t end up hiking the entire way up because it was so hot but made it pretty close and still was able to get some great views of Sedona. Parking can be tough here during peak seasons/days so keep that in mind when planning a hike here.
Several people recommended to me that I should check out the sunset at the airport (Airport Mesa) so I ran up there before dinner to see the view. Parking was easy- there’s a large lot right by the lookout. There’s also a trail by Airport Mesa but unfortunately I didn’t have time to do that. The area is very popular so make sure you allow for time to park and to get a good viewing spot.
For dinner that night, I made reservations at Hideaway House in Sedona and I can’t recommend this place enough. They have some wonderful porches and great views of the red rocks. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t had a good meal in days since I had been hiking, but this dinner hit the spot. There are a lot of great restaurant options in Sedona but this was a great, affordable, homey meal.
Day 6- The following morning I grabbed breakfast at the very popular Coffee Pot Restaurant before I set out on an adventure. I quickly stopped by Chapel of the Holy Cross but had a few more things I wanted to do in Sedona before I left town.
It was really hot during my trip so I decided to go to Slide Rock State Park to cool down. I had driven by there on my way to Flagstaff and saw that parking was crazy but when I went this day, I realized that there’s one main parking lot and you basically have to wait in line while they let one car in as one leaves. It took me about 30 mins to get into the park but it was worth it. Slide Rock has several different natural “slides” that you can go down, each with their own level of difficulty. I’m glad I wore shorts over my bathing suit because your legs do get a little scratched up. People bring picnics and blankets and camp out there for the day, as it’s great for people of all ages. They have areas where kids can splash around and they also have an area where you can jump off the rocks. I stayed for a little over an hour but I can see how you could make a day of it with your friends and family. Be sure to add this to the list when you’re in Sedona!
After I did a little more shopping in Sedona, I made my way to Tucson. It takes about 3.5 hours to get to Tucson from Sedona so if you want to cut out this part of the trip, you easily could but I wanted to get a feel for what all of Arizona was like (and I don’t mind driving…I live in Atlanta after all and I’m used to driving a lot).
Tucson definitely has its own feel to it and was totally different from any other area I had been to so far on my trip. I made sure to get a Sonoran hot dog (a Tucson favorite), which is divine. I have a friend who used to live there and she suggested I go to Ruiz’s, which was a great choice…when you pull up and it’s a trailer in a parking lot, you know it’s going to be good. After I snacked, I did some shopping in the 4th Avenue district downtown and then had to check out Boca Tacos Y Tequila, since it was the restaurant of one of my favorite Top Chef contestants. Tucson doesn’t just have cool spots downtown but there’s also so much you can do to explore outside. There are great hikes all over the area, you can visit the Saguaro National Park and you can even go horseback riding through the desert.
Day 7- I drove back to Scottsdale and wanted to end my trip with another round of golf. I was able to get a discounted rate to play at TPC Scottsdale, which was a fun experience. It was the hottest round of golf in my entire life but I lived to tell the tale and quickly realized that’s why my round of golf was so discounted…no one wants to play in that heat. :) If you don’t have a chance to play at TPC Scottsdale, there are a lot of other great courses in the area that you should check out.
That evening I had a chance to explore downtown Scottsdale which is always fun. I’ve been there before but I like roaming around Old Town Scottsdale to look in the shops. Scottsdale seems to be a great town for people of all ages- there are some family friendly activities and there’s fun nightlife there too so it’s a big draw for people during the summer. I was able to find a cute restaurant called the Citizen Public House, where I relaxed and ate at the bar to finish up my trip.
Over the week-long trip, I was able to visit the desert, hike amongst the pines, see the stars clearly at night, eat some great food, play some golf and I met some wonderful people along the way. Everyone should have this Arizona trip on their bucket list!
