I was so, so, so happy to see the calendar switch over to April, because spring break is almost here. And the best part of spring break… planning this year’s return trip to Sedona! We visited once before for a four-day weekend, but it wasn’t nearly enough time so we are excited to have a whole week for our vacation.
I mentioned some tips on using ChatGPT to help plan a vacation (you can find the post here), so I created this year’s itinerary from a combination of place/things we liked before, stuff we wanted to do but didn’t have time for, and recommendations from ChatGPT that felt good to us.
Here’s our current plan:
Day 1: Fly to Phoenix and drive to Prescott, AZ
Last time we visited Sedona, we flew into Phoenix and stayed in a hotel overnight before exploring Phoenix and Scottsdale. This time, we decided to fly into Phoenix a little earlier, get our rental car and drive straight out to Prescott, AZ. Why Prescott? Well, we wanted to be within easy driving distance to Phoenix and Sedona, but not pay the sky-high Sedona prices. I found a cute VRBO to rent in Prescott and we are excited to make it our home base.
Day 2: Explore Prescott
After a day of work, airplane and then driving to our home base, we want the first full day in Arizona to feel a little lazy. So we will stock up at the grocery store, explore the town, and go on some local hikes. I have a few restaurant recommendations, secondhand/antique stores, and even a popular rock shop on our list, thanks to ChatGPT.
Day 3: Explore Sedona
The drive from Prescott to Sedona is about 1 ½ hours, so we will make our way there after breakfast. Once we get to Sedona, we definitely want to revisit the local donut shop Sedonuts for a morning snack, because they are awesome! We’re going to do a hike, stop somewhere for lunch and then visit the Tlaquepaque Arts & Craft Village, since we ran out of time on our last trip.
Day 4: Explore the Grand Canyon
Will we ACTUALLY make it to the Grand Canyon on this trip?! The chances of being snowed out are certainly less in April than when we failed back in January 2023, so this time we may actually make it to the South Rim. The drive from Prescott is about 2 ½ hours, so we are planning to drive there, hike part of the Rim Trail and check out a bunch of the scenic viewpoints. On my ChatGPT recommendations was to drive along the Desert View Drive with stops at Grandview Point, Lipan Point and Desert View Watchtower. Depending on our hunger, we will either stop in Flagstaff on our way back for dinner, or eat somewhere on the way home to Prescott.
Day 5: Explore Prescott
Another day to explore Prescott, this time with some hiking, e-biking and maybe even some kayaking around the Dells at Watson Lake!
Day 6: Explore Sedona
Back to Sedona for another day of hiking! Some possible hikes on our list include: Bell Rock Loop, Cibola Pass to Jordan Trail, Cathedral Rock Trail, Boynton Canyon Vortex, Scorpion Trail, and Fay Canyon Trail.
Day 7: Slow Return to Phoenix
We will wake up, clean up and leave the VRBO by noon. Then, we will either hang around Prescott for the morning, or we will make the drive to Phoenix and spend the morning there – possibly at the Desert Botanical Garden. We will eat a yummy lunch somewhere in Phoenix and then do the whole return the car, check into the airport, and hop on a plane to come back home.
I can’t wait! If you have any recommendations for places we shouldn’t miss – whether it be food options, hikes, stores, or views – let me know!