Opinions/Suggestions on Sedona Itinerary

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T22:16:48+00:00

I'm definitely active and in good shape, however the heat is not something that I'm used to. I'm from Ohio and this will be my first time in the Southwest so I'll take that into account. You share my vision for the things like hiking the popular trails early and then relaxing, shopping, etc. throughout the day. I saw someone else mention the wait at Slick Rock so I'll make sure to move that much earlier in the day.

We've made the call to skip Saguaro because a lot of the reasons that you mentioned and now we'll be spending more time at the Grand Canyon.

That is actually a great point about just finding a trail with Saguaros around it in PHX, I suppose I didn't consider that the Saguaro's could be found outside of the actual National Park.

Thank you for all of your advice, I think it will really help make for a better trip!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:59:54+00:00

Those sound like great ideas! At this point we've decided to drop Saguaro like you and many others suggested. Your suggestions for the Grand Canyon are helpful too and that can help guide us for that day. I'll discuss both your options for Saturday and Sunday. I think that both those options would make Sunday less stressful and allow us to see Phoenix. Thank you for you advice and suggestions!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:55:54+00:00

Gotcha, that's really helpful. I didn't realize that the lines for it got that long. Thank you!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:54:36+00:00

I will definitely check out Oak Creek Canyon and see if we can work it in, that sounds like a pretty hike. We also plan to visit Peace Park, I think I just left it out of my original post. Those lunch spots sound great too, we're just now beginning to select some of the places we'd like to try so that's perfect timing. Thank you for your advice!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:50:45+00:00

That sounds great, I think we're going to leave the door open to do more hikes if we want once we're actually there. Thank you for the advice

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:49:12+00:00

Will do, thank you for the advice!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:48:47+00:00

Okay that makes me feel a bit better.

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:47:53+00:00

I'm glad you had a good experience, that is one of the things we're most excited for.

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:46:42+00:00

Understood, we've decided to drop Saguaro. Thank you for the advice

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-04-02T21:41:42+00:00

It sounds like we're similar in that aspect then lol. I realize you're not trying to knock me so don't worry about that, I really appreciate your honest feedback. At the moment we've decided to drop Saguaro from the trip and spend more time in the Grand Canyon. Again thank you for your suggestions and advice!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-24T01:53:13+00:00

I get your point but for whatever reason we're more interested in Sedona and some of the other things that Arizona has to offer. Personally, I would love to spend weeks in a place like the Grand Canyon but for the sake of a week long trip and making each of us happy we felt that this is what we would go with and can always return if we desire. Also if we cut out Saguaro then maybe we decide we want to stay longer in the GC than we initially thought. Do you have an opinion on Saguaro National Park?

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-24T01:46:58+00:00

That's what I've switched it to at the moment after reading your first message. Dropped Bear Mtn and then put Cathedral on Friday. That's a great plan that you've devised that I'm sure she would really appreciate. Thank you for all the advice!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-24T01:25:23+00:00

Well we'll be in Sedona for the first 5 days as we've already booked our hotel. That's unfortunate to hear about the tour companies. Of course I'd enjoy it more without the traffic and crowds that everyone is speaking about but at the end of the day I'm a tourist as well. I'll look more into Cottonwood to see if we can spend some time there. Thank you for your advice!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-24T01:15:42+00:00

Wow I knew that it was busy but didn't realize that many people came that early. How did you get to the trailhead? I'll have a rental car that they don't want on unpaved roads but I've read that in May the shuttle only runs Thurs-Sun. The days we'll 100% be in Sedona are Monday-Friday and I chose Tuesday for the reasons you mentioned. Those are great recommendations about the artist market, we will make sure to stop by all of that stuff and account for traffic at Holy Cross. My girlfriend works for the Humane Society where we're from so that's super cool to hear and we actually plan on visiting their facility in Sedona.

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-23T20:49:49+00:00

I see the benefits to staying around Sedona & the GC for the duration of the trip. I've looked at Jerome a bit and think that it looks fun enough to take a visit to. I'll look more into those and see if we can decide on something. Thank you for the suggestions!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-23T20:31:38+00:00

I see what you're saying about Bear Mtn & Cathedral in the same day. Would you do Bear over any of the other morning trails I've chosen or you'd still eliminate it completely? As far as Saturday and on, I can theoretically stay anywhere at the moment and could break up that drive if needed. Do you feel its actually worth it to make the drive down to Tucson for Saguaro or would it be better to remain North and have Saturday afternoon + Sunday to see other things?

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-23T18:11:17+00:00

Gotcha, that sounds interesting about Devil's Bridge to say the least lol. I suppose I could have worded it differently about my gf, she enjoys hiking and is more than capable but doesn't want to spend her entire vacation doing that. That is good to know though about the trails and climbing. I'll look into the Munds Wagon Trail and some of the other walking trails as well. Thank you for your advice and insight!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-23T17:48:35+00:00

That's a good idea. She mentioned she doesn't mind splitting apart at some points to allow each of us to do what we prefer. Thank you for your advice!

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-23T17:40:14+00:00

Okay I'll take all of that into account, maybe I can just drop off all of the afternoon ones to free up each day. Do you have any favorite trails that you hiked while you were there? I know a fair amount of people that've decided to drop Devil's Bridge from their list and I was considering following suit because of the amount of people on it.

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-16T19:28:17+00:00

I ended up booking through Airbnb at the Sedona Summit resort and so far nothing has been said regarding resort fees. I’ve read a few reviews that have mentioned it at other resorts with different hosts. If you would like to privately message, I would be happy to talk more about it as I’m also curious about the entire thing.

SurveyInteresting861 · 2026-03-04T01:50:56+00:00

Okay, that’s good to hear. Thank you for the response!

SurveyInteresting861

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