On a road trip, often times it's all about the journey and not the final destination but this one is about both!! We took on a road trip to explore a part of US which we had never seen before. Arizona it was!! While it is famously know as the Grand Canyon state, a road trip through Arizona has a lot more to discover that can only be found in the Southwest. It is a wonderfully diverse state with abundance of open space and a lot of jaw dropping views.
When driving through Arizona, all you could see is blue skies, gorgeous mountains and thousands and thousands of Cacti.🌵🌵 This was also the first time in my life that I saw a real cactus plant grow out of the surface of Earth, so the excitement level was a level up than usual.🙂
DAY 1- Phoenix
We land in Phoenix, pick up our rental car from the airport and head straight to The Phoenician, a luxury collection resort in Scottsdale. Yes, we heard a lot about this resort and finally we are going to stay here for a night!!
From the moment we drove up the expansive, winding path to the hotel, we were wowed. The Phoenician is truly an amazing property, nestled right up against the Camel Back mountain and surrounded by the manicured grounds and the natural beauty of the Arizona landscape. We checked in and as soon as we unlocked and entered our room, we were amazed!! It was so spacious(even for a one bedroom suite which we had booked). The Patio had gorgeous views overlooking the swimming pool and the camel back mountain.
Although, we were a bit tired from an early morning long flight we took to Phoenix but since the property is so amazing, we wanted to explore every inch of it. We quickly freshened up and took a golf ride around the property(yes, it's that big). But, I must say the whole place has a luxurious yet relaxed vibe.
There is so much to love about this property with so many different unique activities on site for both adults & kids. It would definitely make a great family destination. The one thing to not miss here is their Cactus garden which features 250 varieties of cacti.😍 You can either take a guided tour of that or take a private stroll at your leisure, we did the latter(that's always our choice against any guided tour).🙂 It was truly a wow experience, from the warm professional service to the impeccable modern rooms to the perfectly executed food. Everything was just fabulous and we truly felt like royalty!! I wanted to stay more and enjoy more of it but we had to continue to see the next exciting thing of this journey, THE Grand Canyon. Nevertheless, I hope to return someday and stay for a longer period of time.
Places to eat in Phoenix-
1. Rehab Burger Therapy(Scottsdale)- They have the most delicious burgers in town. Ours was so good and cooked to perfection.
2. La Santisima- If at all you are craving for Mexican food, this is your place to go!!
DAY 2- Grand Canyon
I bet this is the one place which is almost on everybody's bucket list destinations. There is nothing quite like your first visit to the Grand Canyon- the sweeping panoramic views, it's vastness and a variety of hiking trails. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and has a depth of over a mile(they don't call it Grand for no reason).😲 It is nature in its most raw form!!
Super excited as we were to be finally able to visit The Grand Canyon National Park, we started off early in the morning for the South Rim of the canyon which is the most famous and nearest to Phoenix and Scottsdale area. The best way to experience the Grand Canyon in a day is to combine walking with shuttle bus riding. There are free shuttle bus services on different routes on the South Rim of Grand Canyon.
We parked our car at the visitor center and took the Hermit Road(Red) Route shuttle which offers the most scenic vistas of the canyon. This route offers views from more popular points like Hopi and Pima points with great views for the Colorado river and are excellent for sunrise and sunset. But, you should know that the Hermit road is closed for private vehicles from March till Nov(which is a no problem because of the free shuttle buses).
The first look of the canyon as we walked along the rim on our first stop literally took my breath away. No pictures you have ever seen of the Grand Canyon do justice to what your eyes actually see!! The massiveness of the canyon leaves you with the feeling of awe once you step up the rim and see it for yourself. It's enormous and unbelievable!! I was left speechless by the vast stretch of the canyon, the red and orange colored peaks and valleys, jutting and falling into the ground.
We completed the route by both hiking and taking shuttles between the stops until we finally reached the last stop of Hermits Rest. It is a relatively flat hike if you plan to do it that way and every stop along the route offers incredible views of the canyon. The shuttle takes 80 min(that's without getting off the bus) to complete the route. It took us almost 4-5 hours for this particular route but mostly it will depend on how many overlook points you want to visit and the amount of time you spend there.
I only wished if we could stay longer than a day and experience more of it but there's always the next time. I really hope to return someday to hike down the Grand Canyon.
Best time to visit
The North Rim which is the less visited has a short season( May 15 through October 15) whereas the South Rim is open year round. 90% of the visitors go to the South Rim because of its easy accessibility and it has the most hiking trails and view points. The peak season is from June through August but remember though, the best time to visit is in the Spring or Fall season when the weather is better and the crowd is less.
Things to know before visiting Grand Canyon
The pass to enter the Grand Canyon costs $35 for a car and all its passengers. The permit holds good for a week and includes both the North and the South rim, so enter or leave the national park as many times as you want for a week.
Bring a refillable water bottle and stay well hydrated in the Arizona sun.
You can park your vehicle in Tusayan, a resort town very close to the South Rim entrance and ride free shuttle into the park to avoid the difficulty of finding a parking spot in peak season. The entry to the park in a shuttle is $20 for each individual.
Buy your pass online to avoid long lines at the entrance station during the peak season.
DAY 3- Horse Shoe Bend & Antelope Canyon, Page
And, we saved the best for the last leg of our journey through Arizona. A trip to Arizona would not be complete without seeing the magical Antelope Canyon. But before that we decided to visit the Horseshoe Bend to catch the sunrise, another favorite for the photographers. It is a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River in the Glen Canyon located near the town of Page. It was only a 10 min drive from our hotel to the Horseshoe Bend and there is no excuse for missing this natural wonder when you are that close. The admission is free and there is a short hike of 15 min from the car parking to the viewing point.
Its barrier-free rim allows visitors to walk straight up to the edge and even we did get to the very edge of it to get some cool shots!! But wait, who am I kidding?? While I was getting the classic shot of my legs dangling over the edge, I was hell scared since it is quite a drop and it gave me goosebumps looking down from there.
Antelope canyon is a narrow slot canyon located 15 min east of Page, Arizona. There are two types of tours you can take- The Upper Antelope canyon and The Lower Antelope canyon. However, there is no way you can do either of the canyons independently. The slot canyons are located within the boundaries of Navajo(Native Americans) land and therefore are only accessible through guided tours.
We chose to do Lower Antelope Canyon with the Dixie Ellis' based on the many great reviews it had. The fee is 54$ per person which includes the Navajo Nation Permit fee and the taxes. Something to keep in mind is that the tours sell out months in advance especially for the high season so the tour should be booked well ahead of time. Do not wait till the time you get there since chances are high that you wouldn't find an available slot.
The views in Lower Antelope Canyon change constantly throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky creating a dazzling display of color, light, and shadow. The best time, however, is around mid-morning(10-11 a.m.) when there is a slight chance to see the light beams in the canyon. We booked the 10:50 a.m. tour and it started with a short 10 min walk from the ticket booth to the entrance of the canyon but we had to wait(thankfully it was in a shade) for a good half hour for the previous tour groups to enter before we could finally get inside the canyon.
Travel Tips:
The trail leading to the entrance of the canyon is both rocky and slippery and even inside the canyon it is very sandy so proper shoes are must, and, of course you would definitely want to save your white shoes from all that sand.😉
Carry your own water as you won't get any inside or outside the canyon.
Sunscreen and hat are must to save yourself from the scorching heat specially if you are visiting in summers.
The interesting thing about this ancient slot canyon is that it is practically invisible from the outside, but upon entering its discreet opening in the sand stone and descending down five flights of stairs, a deep winding corridor will lead you through several large sandstone rooms.
People with weak heart must take extra precautions.
As soon as we climbed down the last set of stairs and started walking in the canyon, I literally started shooting like mad as if this was my only chance to capture the canyon in my camera and that too with a clock ticking over my head for the next 60 minutes.🙄
I was just amazed by the incredible shapes, and color of reds, purples, and pinks crafted into the canyon walls and how the walls have been smoothed and rippled by thousands of years of water and wind erosion. All this while my eyes remained wide open as I had never seen something like this before.
The hike through the canyon involved navigating through narrow, steep stairs and the passageway gets so tight in a few spots(because of it's 'V' shape) that people have to twist and turn and squeeze their bodies to pass through but it was too much fun for us. To say this place is an amazing artwork of nature would be a complete understatement!! It is beyond PHENOMENAL!! 😍
Finally, the tour came to an end and we came out through a narrow opening in the canyon. This was incredible because our tour passed right through this place and no one could have imagined that we would be rolling out of the canyon right from here. We truly enjoyed our Antelope tour and all mesmerized by the phenomenal beauty of Arizona we started our return journey to Phoenix.
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Hi Garima,
I and my wife are planning a trip to Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Lower Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
Our planning is like this:
Day1: Land in Vegas in morning -> Drive a rental car to Grand Canyon -> Visit Grand Canyon, South Rim(other related places?) -> Drive to hotel in Page(stay overnight)
Day2: Drive from hotel in Page to Antelope Canyon -> Visit Antelope Canyon -> Drive to Lower Antelope Canyon -> Visit Lower A C -> Drive to horseshoe bend -> visit horsehoe bend
Does the above itinerary look fine?
Do we have to make any prior bookings/appointments apart from hotel booking?
Also, what would be more convenient/practical : Stay for Day2 night in Page, or…