jg70124

We're attending a wedding in Phoenix on Saturday Nov 8, and can't leave Phoenix until Sunday afternoon. Our flights home are on Wednesday Nov 12.
Is that enough time to spend time both at the Grand Canyon and in Sedona, or would that be too much to cram in?

alm5150

Hi there,

This is do-able. You won't get to spend a ton of time at each, but enough to take them in. I did a 3 day trip of both so my mom could see them. It was a wonderful trip. I suggest driving up to the GC (about 4.5 hours from Phoenix) and spending the night at one of the rim lodges. Enjoy the GC on Monday. Drive down to Sedona late Monday (2.5 hours from GC), and spend Tuesday checking out Sedona. Drive back Tues or Wed depending on time of flight (2 hour drive).

csgoalie

I'd say it depends if you want to drive the rim, or go down the Canyon. If just the former, you could probably do it in a long day trip from Sedona. Leave early, get to the Canyon by 8-9 and then drive and hike the various rim spots until sunset. If you want to hike down, I'd try the other poster's iten. El Tovar is cool if you can get in there. Enjoy.

MojaveFlyer

The South Rim (where you would visit) has several standard park service franchised lodges. They are pricier and tend to book quite early, but give you the advantage of probably being able to watch sunrise in the canyon. Just south of the park on the main road up from Flag is a "village" with a bunch of motels, definitely on the cheaper side. Depending on your budget, that may be a better bet (though again, get up early to watch the sun come up).

If you have any inclination to walk, hike, I highly recommend first taking in some viewpoints around the south rim habitated area, then hiking down an hour (to a day, but you don't have time) into the Canyon. Then when you come out, you will much better appreciate the sheer size of the place, and experience the Canyon much more intimately. The Bright Angel trail is basically paved with stones, and down 1.5 miles there is a rest house where you'll find running water, so you need not carry that much, hence lighter walking. Remember, though, that you go down during the first part of your walk, and up during the second part, so plan accordingly in terms of your fitness! You're at a bit of altitude and, depending on where you call home, might be a bit out of breath. After that, you can drive along the rim and take in more viewpoints, and check out the visitor center.

I've been to the Canyon half a dozen times. Sedona, only once, so don't have much to say about it.