If you're looking for a respite from the scorching heat of Arizona's capital, a road trip from Phoenix to Grand Canyon might be just what you're looking for. The route mapped out below happens to be incredibly scenic, so your journey will be every bit as gorgeous as the (admittedly epic) destination. Show
The road trip from Phoenix to Grand Canyon takes 4 hours and 30 minutes. Make time to cool off at Lake Pleasant and Slide Rock State Park, marvel at Montezuma Castle and the red rocks of Sedona on the way, and explore the scenic Flagstaff area. This itinerary is truly unlike any other in the States, so continue reading to get an idea of just what you're in for. How far is Grand Canyon from Phoenix and how long will the road trip take?The road trip from Phoenix to Grand Canyon covers around 225 miles and can be done in 4 hours and 30 minutes if you drive through Sedona (and you have every reason to do so!). You can essentially take off whenever you want and still make it to the Canyon that same day. With that said, this is one of the most unique and beautiful itineraries in this part of America and most definitely the best one in Arizona. Instead of trying to squeeze everything into a single day, stop along the way and do as much sightseeing as you can. Another reason to split the trip up is that you're very likely to get caught in traffic at least once. Phoenix is a huge city and can really do a number on your travel time, and Sedona is the textbook definition of a tourist town, so you can expect moderate to heavy traffic throughout most of the year. EQRoy/Shutterstock.com Best road trip route from Phoenix to Grand CanyonThe best road trip route from Phoenix to Grand Canyon passes through the Red Rock Scenic Byway – although you can arrive an hour quicker by avoiding this road and Sedona altogether, you'd definitely be missing out, as this is arguably the most scenic stretch of the entire trip. Road trip route from Phoenix to Grand CanyonTake Interstate 17 out of Phoenix, past Phoenix Sonoran Preserve and Lake Pleasant. Drive through Black Canyon City and cross the Verde River, and check out Montezuma Castle National Monument before resting at The Crack at Beaver Creek. Past Montezuma Well, get on State Route 179 (or the Red Rock Scenic Byway) and follow it through the quaint Village of Oak Creek. Past Red Rock State Park and the Chapel of the Holy Cross, you'll enter Sedona – this is the perfect place for a stop if you haven't made one yet (and even if you have!) Leave the city and follow another scenic road, State Route 89A, through Slide Rock State Park and past various hiking trails to the city of Flagstaff. From there, follow Interstate 40 as it runs parallel to the Historic Route, then make a right onto State Route 64 – stay on this road all the way to Kaibab National Forest and Grand Canyon National Park. Appreciate the dwellings made by the Sinagua people at Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona.David Byron Keener/Shutterstock.com Best places to stop between Phoenix and Grand CanyonShort or not, this scenic route will command your full attention, so you'll need to stop somewhere overnight and cover as much ground as you can. These are some of the best hotels along this amazing route: Explore the unique and beautiful SedonaThanks to its signature red rock formations, Sedona is a staple of any good Arizona road trip. Being the tourist magnet that it is, the city features plenty of great hotels, but Adobe Grand Villas stand out among the crowd. With their unique, adobe-inspired design and exquisite attention to detail, the rooms at this resort are nothing short of incredible – they're all fairly different from each other aesthetically, so every return trip will feel like a brand new experience for you. Besides just looking great, the rooms come equipped with fireplaces, as well as amazing window views of the desert and the colorful garden. Hiking and canyoneering can take a lot out of you, so Adobe Grand Villas' swimming pool and spa areas will relax you and have you up and running for the next day's adventure. You can enjoy a 3-course meal at the on-site Adobe Grand Restaurant, and you'll be greeted with freshly baked bread before you've even unpacked your bags. Topping everything off is the great location – many of Sedona's main attractions will be within walking distance or a short drive away. The price you pay for a room at the Adobe is well above those of most other Sedona hotels, but then again, so is the quality of the accommodation. Relax at the Grand Canyon in styleWhen picking out a hotel at GC (or near any major national park), it's important not to make a hasty decision and pick a lousy hotel – you are on vacation, after all, and there's more to the experience than hiking and sightseeing. A great hotel in the area that ticks all the boxes is the Grand Hotel at Grand Canyon. From its stylish, comfortable rooms to the incredible lounge area (featuring countless decorative ornaments, a fireplace, and a gold piano), this resort is several notches above its local competitors in terms of design. Nothing beats a relaxing dip in a pool or hot tub after a long day spent outdoors, and the Grand Pool and jacuzzi will see to it that you go to sleep completely invigorated – on top of that, throw in a glass of wine and a romantic dinner at the amazing on-site restaurant for good measure. If you somehow still have the strength to move, blow off some steam in the fitness area before bed. This hotel also very affordable, all things considered – considering that many mediocre resorts in the GC area charge obscene amounts just because they're near the national park, the Grand Hotel is an absolute bargain in every way imaginable. Meet and take some photos of the beautiful wild animals at Bearizona Wildlife Park.Anna Krivitskaya/Shutterstock.com Things to see on a road trip from Phoenix to Grand CanyonAs opposed to rushing straight to GC, wait until you have at least a week of free time to explore as you drive along this route. These are just a few of the countless places worth checking out during your road trip from Phoenix to Grand Canyon:
Spreading the trip out over several days will leave you room for some bigger detours you might enjoy – taking a few extra hours to check out Prescott, Horseshoe Bend, and other deviations from the route would do wonders for this already-amazing trip. Best time to go on a road trip from Phoenix to Grand CanyonIt your accustomed to hot weather then visiting Grand Canyon National Park during summer gives you the opportunity to explore more of the park.Alexey Stiop/Shutterstock.com There's really no objectively ‘best' season to go on a road trip from Phoenix to Grand Canyon, but visiting during different seasons can have different perks. Although the park is definitely still beautiful in the winter, visiting around this time can be hard to recommend – on top of having limited lodging options, you'll mainly just have access to the South Rim, and while every effort is made to keep the roads as clean as possible, the low temperatures and high elevations can make it difficult to get around. Naturally, the crowds at the Canyon will be largest in the summer, but this is also when temperatures are at their highest. The good news is that Phoenix is generally hotter than any other part of this itinerary (save for some of the lower-altitude spots at GC), so if you're accustomed to the heat in the capital, you should have no trouble driving north once you're out of the city. If you want to avoid extremes, both in terms of crowds and temperatures, fall and spring are both great for a road trip from Phoenix to Grand Canyon. The only catch is that you'll want to avoid visiting in early-to-mid spring after a particularly snowy winter, because there's likely to be leftover snow at higher altitudes well into April. Is the drive from Phoenix to Grand Canyon Scenic?From Phoenix to the Grand Canyon by Car
The ride is relatively scenic, as you pass through several vegetation zones ranging from cactus through to towering ponderosa pine forests and eventually a high desert area of scrub brush and Pinyon pines near the rim.
Is the Grand Canyon worth the drive from Phoenix?And though the Grand Canyon is reachable in about four hours direct from Phoenix and doable as a (very long!) day trip, there is so much to see in between these two places that it is well worth making a proper road trip of it.
Is it better to drive to the Grand Canyon from Vegas or Phoenix?The drive from Phoenix to Grand Canyon trumps the Vegas to Canyon drive in terms of scenery, plus makes it easy to add incredible Sedona Arizona to your itinerary.
How long does it take to drive from Phoenix to Grand Canyon?1. Car. There are three routes from Phoenix to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the closest (and most crowded) section of the Grand Canyon. Each way takes about the same amount of time—about 4 hours—so the route you choose depends more on how you want to kick off your adventure.
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