Arizona

Length of Trip

To experience the various destinations, we’ve written this itinerary over 9 full days, with air travel on the 1st and 9th day. However, depending on your interest, availability, and flight options, you could reduce the trip by 1-2 days by skipping Canyon de Chelly or Saguaro entirely and/or decreasing time at Sedona. You could also extend by adding an extra day at Grand Canyon or any of the other locations.

Flight schedules may also impact your ability to do the activities as planned. See more details under “getting there” and reach out for any changes needed.

Travel Season

With summertime temperatures routinely topping 100°F in many parts of the state throughout the summer, this trip is best done in spring or autumn. Winter is an option as well, although freezing temperatures are possible in some areas. All key attractions are open year-round, but many are closed on some federal holidays.

   Jan     Feb     Mar     Apr     May     Jun     Jul     Aug     Sep     Oct     Nov     Dec   

Key:     best months       okay months     not advised

Many accommodations and high-demand activity permits fill up quickly during peak seasons. Planning a minimum of 6 months in advance, or in some cases 12 months, increases availability. However, even with shorter time horizons we will work to find options for you and your group.

Tip: While most of the views are similar year-round, if you want to see Saguaro in bloom, target late May.

Most nights on this trip involve lodging in 3-star hotels. Sometimes lodging in or adjacent to national parks may have fewer amenities, but is still the right choice based on location, as well as historic appeal. 

If you would prefer more luxurious lodging, let us know and we can present additional options along with the price difference. If you would prefer to save some money, let us know and we can discuss less expensive options as well. If you are interested in camping, there are campgrounds convenient to some, but not all, of the locations. Talk to our team about camping options in lieu of hotels when making your reservation. This will reduce cost significantly, but also may not always be available as park service campgrounds in particular often fill up quickly. (Note that Wandersaurus does not provide or facilitate rental of camping equipment.)

The recommended hikes throughout this trip are mostly of the 2-4 mile variety and can be completed by a reasonably fit person without much specific training. No more than 6 miles of hiking are listed on any individual day. Suggestions for longer trails can also be found in the detailed itinerary for those looking for increased challenge or to see a bit more of any particular park.

Desert conditions are found throughout Arizona, and it is key to carry sufficient water and sun protection, especially in warmer months.

In the case of hikes that are a bit more challenging than the others in the itinerary, detailed descriptions of are provided as well as alternative suggestions if one or more are not right for your group.  

Kids: You know your kids better than we do. A 5-year-old with enthusiasm for the outdoors and some hiking experience would not find any of these overly challenging. A 15-year-old with an “indoor cat” personality might struggle. That said, many trails are not stroller-friendly. A couple of individual trails will have notes of caution for kids in your detailed daily itinerary.

Arizona is the 6th-largest state in the country, so it’s going to take some windshield time to reach all of these destinations. The major drive times are as follows:

• PHX to Tucson/Saguaro: 1 ½ hours

• Tucson to Holbrook/Petrified Forest: 4-5 hours

• Round trip Holbrook to Canyon de Chelly: 3 ½ hours

• Holbrook to Grand Canyon: 3 ½ - 4 hours

• Grand Canyon to Sedona: 2 hours

• Sedona to Phoenix: 2 hours

In total, this means more than half of the days of the trip will involve a drive of 2+ hours. If this is unpleasant for you, the simplest way to save driving time would be to eliminate the Tucson/Saguaro day or the Canyon de Chelly visit, each saving about 3 hours. You could replace with a day at another location, or shorten the trip.

Other Logistics

There are no unique logistical challenges associated with this trip, other than the unusual time zones involved in visiting Canyon de Chelly in the Navajo portion of the state. Most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, but the Navajo nation does, so for much of the year those areas are 1 hour ahead of the rest of the state.

By Air

This itinerary is designed around a starting point of PHX Sky Harbor International Airport in downtown Phoenix. As one of the 20 busiest airports in the country, it is a hub for American Airlines and served by all major domestic carriers. It is also served by over 10 car rental agencies at a centralized rental center. We recommend flying in and out of PHX. A morning arrival and afternoon departure is ideal, but if flight times don’t work we can make changes to activity and/or lodging plans to accommodate.

However, Tucson (TUS), Mesa (AZA) and Flagstaff (FLG) also have significant commercial service and could be a viable option for some travelers. If you wish to fly into one of these airports let us know, and we can discuss appropriate changes to the itinerary plan.

Somewhat less convenient, but still possible, is Las Vegas airport (LAS). This adds 7 hours’ total driving time. If flying into LAS is preferable, we recommend considering alternative trip plans (still including Grand Canyon) that feature Zion and/or other parks in Utah, or potentially Great Basin NP in Nevada. Feel free to reach out to our team with questions.

By Car

Travelers from nearby states may find it more affordable to drive their own vehicle to Arizona rather than fly and rent a car.

• Major cities in Southern California are 5-7 hours away from some part of this loop, as is El Paso.

• Albuquerque and Las Vegas are a bit closer, at 3-4 hours. 

• Salt Lake City and Denver are 8-10 hours away.

If you’ll be driving to Arizona let us know the details and we can adjust the start and end points of the itinerary to save mileage where possible.

Some features of this trip may have seasonal variation, so all package prices are presented as estimated ranges. Contact us for a more precise price estimate for your preferred travel dates. Pricing does NOT include airfare.

Couples / Two Travelers

This trip was originally designed for parties of 2 people, sharing a room. The expected total price for all included items is $3,000 - $3,400.

Families

Groups of 3-6 people can enjoy this trip as well, with costs variable depending on room-sharing preferences. Contact us for details.

Solo

Unfortunately for solo travelers, the majority of the costs are overnight accommodations which do not reduce for individuals, so a solo traveler would only save around $200 off of the couples' price.

Larger Groups

While details of this trip were not designed with larger groups in mind, the itinerary would still be functional. Contact us to discuss!

Payment Policies

• Payments must be made by credit card. Specific restrictions may exist for certain lodging or activity vendors. 

• 20% deposit due at time of reservation

• Balance due 90 days before trip start date (If booking within 90 days of trip, full balance due at time of reservation)

• Some portion of deposit may be nonrefundable, as some excursions or activity fees (which will have been booked upon confirmation) are nonrefundable. Accommodations and transportation will generally be reserved as refundable.

• Fully refundable until 60 days before trip start, less $100 admin fee and any nonrefundable excursions

• 50% refundable until 14 days before trip start

• If cancelling within 14 days of trip start, no refunds are given

Included In Your Package Price

• Bespoke itinerary - tailored as needed to suit your particular requirements

• Overnight accommodations for all nights

• Rental car

• Maps of all driving routes

• Trail maps and trail descriptions for all recommended hikes

• Restaurant recommendations, at a range of price points, highlighting vegetarian and kid-friendly options

• “America the Beautiful” federal lands pass (grants access to all National Park Service facilities on the trip)

• Tickets to all museums included in trip plan

• Fees for any guided tours mentioned in trip plan

• Expert advice and local information, including packing suggestions

• Updated information on any changing conditions delivered in the weeks before your trip

• Carbon offset credits for the mileage driven along the main route of the itinerary

• Full support during your trip from the Wandersaurus Travel team (9:00 am until 9:00 pm Eastern Time)

Not Included

• Travel to and from your starting/ending points

• Gasoline, parking, and/or any other ground transportation expenses unless specified

• Meals unless specified

• Additional guided tours or excursions beyond those specified

• Tips/gratuities for any guides

• Travel insurance. Note: we recommend purchasing travel insurance via a certified insurance agency