Help with Grand Canyon/Disneyland trip

[Figment&Piglet]

We went to Disneyland, Hollywood, LA, and San Diego Zoo a couple years ago and enjoyed it. We'd like to return next April and visit the Grand Canyon and Disneyland, but may only have a week's time.

If we fly into Phoenix on a Saturday, probably arriving early to mid-afternoon, and drive to Grand Canyon, arriving in the evening, will staying two days (Sunday and Monday) be enough? If we drive toward Anaheim on Tuesday (Google says 8 hours total) should we stop at Sedona, is it on the way, and would we need to stay overnight? Anywhere else (not Vegas) you'd recommend on the way? Hoover Dam? Or stick with Sedona? (DH, DD13, and me) then thinking Disneyland Thursday and Friday and fly back Saturday. Crazy?

Any and all feedback/suggestions welcome.

 

[sheetz]

You can probably get by with just a couple of days at the GC if you don't plan on hiking far down into it. One thing you might try is to stay the first night in Flagstaff and then early the next morning drive up Highway 89 from Flagstaff and enter the park from the East Entrance. Stop off at the Desert Watch Tower for a short visit and then continue westward along Desert View Dr towards Grand Canyon Village. The second night you can stay at one of the South Rim hotels or somewhere in nearby Tusayan.

Along the way to Anaheim are Bearizona Wildlife Park in Williams and the town of Oatman, AZ which is famous for their wild burros that come to town every day to greet the tourists. Sedona is not really between the GC and Anaheim and requires several days to see so I recommend saving it for another trip.

 

[hodad]

Skip Flagstaff and Sedona. Head straight to the Grand Canyon. Stay one night or two, then head west. I'd recommend heading to Joshua Tree, spending the night somewhere like the Desert Lily or driving to Palm Springs, then heading from there to Disneyland.

 

[JimMIA]

If we drive toward Anaheim on Tuesday (Google says 8 hours total) should we stop at Sedona, is it on the way...

No, very definitely NOT on the way. Sedona is about 2 hours SE of Grand Canyon Village -- the other direction from CA.

 

[JimMIA]

You can probably get by with just a couple of days at the GC if you don't plan on hiking far down into it. One thing you might try is to stay the first night in Flagstaff and then early the next morning drive up Highway 89 from Flagstaff and enter the park from the East Entrance. Stop off at the Desert Watch Tower for a short visit and then continue westward along Desert View Dr towards Grand Canyon Village. The second night you can stay at one of the South Rim hotels or somewhere in nearby Tusayan.

This is not a bad suggestion.

PHX to Flagstaff is about a 2 1/2 hour drive (I-17 the whole way) and there are a couple of good things to add to that drive if you like. One is Montezuma Castle National Monument, just off I-17 at Camp Verde. That's a well-preserved Indian cliff dwelling complex -- very compact and easily walked. Interesting place.

The other side trip would be to drive AZ 179 from I-17 up to Sedona, through Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona on 89A and into Flagstaff that way. You'll see Sedona's beautiful red rock country going that way. And you could stop at any number of places to eat in Sedona, or just to check out the artsy/craftsy/weirdo culture there.

On the way from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Village through the East Entrance, there are a couple of things to see taking a couple-hour detour. Those are Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. The first is an actual volcano, oddly enough. Wupatki is a series of desert Indian dwellings/villages, and you'll also see part of the Painted Desert from Wupatki. Both are quite interesting if you like that kind of stuff (we do).

Entering the East Entrance of GRCA and making the stop at Desert View Watchtower and a few more overlooks, when you reach Grand Canyon Village, you will have "done" the eastern half of Grand Canyon. The next day, you can do the western end, which is accessible only by the free shuttle buses. In a day and a half, you'll have "covered" the South Rim better than most visitors. You could probably spend a week or two really exploring the Grand Canyon, but you will have seen the highlights. For specific info on Grand Canyon, see www.nps.gov/grca and click through some of the links.

Having said all that, I frankly would not combine Disneyland and Grand Canyon into one trip. There are just too many things to see and do in both Southern California and Northern AZ, and you won't be doing either justice. We spent two weeks in Northern AZ last summer and could have spent longer easily.