6 Day RoadTrip Around Arizona
Dreaming of long hot desert days? Planning that trip out west? The great state of Arizona is the most road-trip friendly destination in the southwest and is a must add to your bucket list!
This trip was one for the record books with 4 cities, 675 miles of driving, 6+ hikes, 1 Natural Wonder of the World, & countless memories made! We had a great time in each city we visited and marked some major bucket list items off the list!
From Scottsdale to Sedona, the Grand Canyon and up north to Page, this roadtrip was so picturesque and created many opportunities to explore and get out in nature! Here’s our route with the top stops to ensure you see the best Az has to offer.
This trip was easily our most adventure packed itinerary and we were able to do SO much in a fairly short amount of time!
Day 1
Fly into Phoenix & spend two days enjoying beautiful Scottsdale! We stayed at Paradise Valley Hilton Resort and it was such a relaxing experience! This was a perfect start to the trip, giving us a few days to recharge before we hit the road and the hiking trails. The grounds had everything you could want, with tennis & basketball courts, 2 pools with gorgeous cabanas, a 24 hr fitness center, 2 on-site restaurants & complimentary shuttles to Scottsdale’s favorite shopping areas.
Our first morning in Scottsdale, we had a boozy brunch at Hash Kitchen before spending the rest of the afternoon at the pool. It was in the 90s in Az and honestly we couldn’t have asked for better weather! After a poolside snack, we headed over to the Desert Botanical Garden. This is the perfect spot to see all the plants native to the southwest (over 1,000 different species of cacti!) and gave us the chance for a desert themed photoshoot! Definitely take the time to walk through and appreciate the beauty & visit the Garden Shop to take home your own cactus or succulent!
To finish out the day, we had the most delicious dinner at Cala celebrating my sister’s birthday! You can’t beat their vodka sauce over gnocchi with meatballs, margherita pizza, & a slice of caramel cheesecake. Highly recommend for your next special occasion!
Day 2
The next morning we were up at 3am for a sunrise hot air balloon ride with Rainbow Ryders. This was a major highlight of our trip and a bucket list item we got to cross off! After arriving to the launch site in the dark of morning, we watched the hot-air-balloons fill up with air and just as the sun was peaking over the horizon we took flight!
10 hot-air-balloons filled the sky for over an hour with gorgeous views of the Sonoran Desert vistas. It was a spectacular experience that ended with a celebratory mimosa toast once we landed in the desert!
One thing to know before taking a hot-air-balloon ride, be prepared for an abrupt landing. The assumption that the balloons float gently to the ground was proved incorrect when our balloon crushed a cactus and nearly tipped over! Your pilot will instruct you to duck below the ledge of the basket and grip the handles, essentially putting you in a wall sit position. Make sure an listen during the safety briefing!
I will say this experience did fully convince me that waiting until you retire to travel and check things off your bucket list is a mistake. There were retired couples in our group and they had such a hard time climbing into & out of the basket. The company does provide detachable stairs but there’s still a gap where you need to be able to toss your leg over to drop into the basket. I will forever encourage you to take the trips you dream of! Go now, don’t wait on someday!
Starting the day so early, called for large amounts of caffeine so our next stop was Press Coffee & breakfast in the Scottsdale Quarter, the main shopping center with all your favorite brands. Afterwards we headed to 5th St and the Fashion Square to do some shopping. This is where you can find more unique locally owned boutiques. And then, we stumbled upon our absolute favorite restaurant in all of Scottsdale, The Gelato Spot. We came back to this place at least 3 times before our Az trip was over! They have the most delicious caesar salad & pizza combo that you must try! Finish out the meal with their handmade gelato and thank me later!
After lunch we explored the historic Old Town Scottsdale! This area of town is like stepping into an old western movie set. All the storefronts look like an old timey frontier town, completely out of place in the center of very modern Scottsdale, but it is the perfect place to shop for souvenirs!
Dinner was another incredible experience at the Old Town Tortilla Factory! If you love Mexican food, this place has to be at the top of your list. Enjoy the genuine handmade tortillas and the extensive list of tequilas (over 120!) This converted abode home is charming and has a classic southwestern atmosphere. We sat on the patio and loved seeing the vegetation and colorful florals all around.
Day 3
Let’s hit the road and see all Az has to offer!! First stop: Sedona, Arizona! A quick 2 hour drive from Scottsdale. With only 24 hours in Sedona, we had no time to waste and went straight to our jeep tour with Arizona Safari Tours. The Rim Run tour took us all the way up the rugged mountainside, from the top we could see all of Sedona. This 2 hour tour was a great way to see a lot of Sedona really quickly! The red rock formations all around form the most beautiful landscape! Our tour guide told us all about the spiritual meaning they hold as well. These formations are home to Sedona’s vortexes, known for being special places of healing and inspiration. It is said that theses spots are where it is thinnest between this world & the next!
While you’re in Az, spend some time meditating at one of Sedona’s vortexes & notice the energy all around you. We felt recharged the whole time we were in Sedona!
After our tour, we had dinner at the Vault uptown & enjoyed the picturesque views. Back at the Hilton at Bell Rock, we enjoyed live music in the ShadowRock bar & a cozy fire (with s’mores) on the patio! The perfect ending to our evening!
Day 4
Early morning hikes are some of my favorites and Devil’s Bridge did not disappoint! However, the beginner rating on All Trails is a bit misleading. This easy nature walk turns into a rock scramble to get up to the view point where you will likely find a crowd patiently waiting for their turn to snap a picture!
This is a 4.2 mile hike, out and back and will take you around 2 to 3 hours. Plan accordingly for the steep incline in order to reach the pinnacle! Proper footwear required!
Next Stop: the Grand Canyon!
Another quick & easy 2 hour drive and we are at the grandest of canyons!! This truly is a breathtaking, indescribable sight and one of the places that everyone should visit in their lives. After walking the North Rim trail and stopping in at the gift shop, we took the shuttle over to Hopi Point for sunset. The colors of the rock mixed with the rays of sun in the most spectactular way! In that moment, I added Havasu Falls to my bucket list and will absolutely be back at the Grand Canyon!
It was so surprising how just a few hours north of Phoenix, the temperature was drastically different. There was snow on the ground at the Grand Canyon and we were wishing for gloves and hats. Pro tip: make sure you pack for the different climates as you roadtrip AZ!
We stayed just outside the park at The Grand Hotel, which was rustic & charming!
Day 5
Our journey continued with another 2.5 hour drive to Page, home of Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend & The Wave. We weren’t lucky enough to win the permit lottery for the Wave, so we hiked the New Wave instead. This was an incredibly easy walk with the similar sandstone formation. Afterwards, we toured the upper canyon with Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, another highlight of the trip! This was a 90 minute walking tour through the slot canyon with an expert guide from the Navajo nation. The winding rock walls and the way the light slices through the top of the slots and bounces off the walls creates an awe-inspiring effect! It’s magical!
Even though it’s April the weather was chilly and the marina was still closed for the season. I will definitely have to come back to kayak Lake Powell and hike The Wave.
Day 6
Our final stop on the tour was Horseshoe Bend, while incredibly beautiful and a perfect view of the river carving through the rocks, learn from my mistake go for sunset rather than sunrise. The long shadows cast by the rising sun changed the depth of what we could easily see & our photos too, of course.
We headed back to Phoenix as it was our last day in Az and this was our longest drive, just under 5 hours. Getting back to the heat was a welcome change from the windy cool temps of the north.
Save the below itineraries for your next Arizona adventure!
Until next time, E!
