HEP Travels: Arizona Road Trip | May 2019
I’m not sure how many of you use the AMEX Delta Card, but Nathan & I both have it & one of the best perks is the yearly companion pass we both receive to travel anywhere domestically (in the contiguous 48). Typically, for the pass on my card, I choose the location & vice versa. SO last year my choice was Arizona!
At first Nathan was like…..why. But then after I showed him all of the cool spots we could visit, he was on board! We booked + planned the trip pretty quickly & were able to take advantage of my IHG Employee Rate every single night (which rarely happens! the employee perk is great, but really only comes in handy about 70% of the time domestically & about 25% of the time internationally — UNLESS of course, you’re planning your trip around a stay with a great employee rate.).
This trip was SO much fun — Arizona has so much to offer & so many natural wonders to see (& so, so many changes in weather). Here’s how we spent our days:
Day One: Atlanta — Phoenix + Scottsdale (weather: warm, pleasant — 70-75 degrees)
We flew into Phoenix and arrived around 10:30 p.m. Atlanta time (7:30 p.m. AZ time). After making our way through the airport + renting our car, it was still early-ish enough for a late dinner. We cruised to downtown Scottsdale (not far from the Phoenix airport) to check out the scene & settled on a Mexican spot (of course! when in rome.) called Loco Patron. We sat on the patio & enjoyed a few margs + some live music before calling it a night for our early wake-up call.
Day Two: Scottsdale — Sedona (weather: warm, pleasant — 70-75 degrees)
We woke up early, had breakfast & hit the road to Sedona — a two-hour trip that was filled with gorgeous landscapes, especially as we got closer to Sedona + the red rocks.
Sedona is known for a few things: red rocks, hiking + vortexes. If you’re wondering wtf a vortex is, I did too! Sedona is thought to be a highly spiritual destination & has been regarded as “sacred” and “powerful” (i.e. there are crystal shops everywhere). Vortexes are said to be “swirling centers of energy that are conducive to healing, meditation and self-exploration” & have “energy flow on multiple dimensions”. Ok sure, I’ll take some healing + energy, but really we were there for the other two items of the list: the rocks + the hiking.
There are a TON of hiking trails, so I had narrowed it down to a couple before our trip based on VIEWS, difficulty, length, etc. We aren’t avid hikers by any means but we both enjoy a good view so game on!
My first pick was the Devil’s Bridge trail which, to be honest, is probably one of the more popular trails, but for good reason (& that’s why I wanted to get there EARLY — we didn’t have any issues with it being heavily trafficked since we went first thing in the AM). It’s about 4.5 miles round trip but only about 1.5 miles would be considered “challenging” — the rest is relatively flat. The reward at the end of the trail — Devil’s Bridge, a natural sandstone arch — is stunning. Recommend!
My second pick was the Cathedral Rock trail, which also happens to be a vortex. This hike is short (1.2 miles total), but it’s literally straight up and down & could be considered rock-climbing more so than hiking for a good portion. BUT the views at the end were unreal. Maybe it was the vortex? Or maybe it was just the satisfaction of making it to the top / being on vacation in-general? But I definitely felt ALIVE at the peak. We spent about an hour at the top taking it all in before climbing our way back down. If I had to choose between the two hikes, this one wins. Definitely recommend!
In between hikes, we had lunch at a spot called Wildflower Bread (like a local Panera) & after the hikes, we checked into our hotel & cleaned up before heading to Enchantment Resort for sunset + happy hour. They have a gorgeous patio right in the heart of the rocks — we split a bottle of wine + some apps & it was the perfect way to watch the sun go down. After drinks, we headed to a local authentic Arizona-style Mexican spot (we ate a lot of Mexican food, OK?) that was recommended to us — El Rincon, before heading back to the hotel and sleeping GOOD that night.
Day Three, Pt. 1: Sedona — Page, AZ + Horseshoe Bend (weather: cooler, around 50 degrees & WINDY — literally tumbleweeds were bouncing across the road like in movies & there were little sand tornadoes / funnels all over the place when we were driving)
Another early morning for our trip to Page, AZ to see Antelope Canyon + Horseshoe Bend & a day I was REALLY excited about.
Antelope Canyon: It was a three-hour drive to Page & we had an appointment for a tour of the the Lower Antelope Canyon at 9:00 a.m. First, you should know that Page, AZ is in the middle of absolutely nowhere & it’s part of a Navajo Indian reserve. Also, if you are taking the route we did, you’ll go through a span of about 25 miles where they don’t partake in daylight savings….so your phone will all of a sudden tell you it’s an hour later than it is (& that you’ve completely missed your reservation time…leading to some quick Google-ing). But then suddenly time will change back. Just a heads up!
It’s really important to make tour reservations ahead of time — weeks / months in advance if possible because tours book up quickly. As we planned this trip relatively quickly, I struggled finding reservations but luckily snagged two for the Lower Canyon via Ken’s Tours, but we definitely planned our trip around these reservations a bit. A couple of things to know about Antelope Canyon:
You can tour the Lower Canyon or the Upper Canyon — both are relatively the same but have slight differences. This article is helpful in determining which to choose — I didn’t have a strong preference about which I wanted to see, I really just wanted reservations in general by the time we were booking and I saw how few spots were left. We toured the Lower Canyon and it was AMAZING. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. It’s pretty amazing to see what erosion can do over time & it was a photographer’s dream.
There are 2-3 tour companies to choose from (and yes, you have to go via a tour). This website lists out every company for each canyon — prices / tour lengths are all going to be relatively similar. We used Ken’s Tours (again, just because that’s what was available) and were really impressed. Everything was pretty well organized & our group only consisted of about 10 people, so it wasn’t overwhelming or crowded. The tour guide did a great job at explaining the history & showed us all of the best spots for photos.
Horseshoe Bend: About a ten minute drive from Page is Horseshoe Bend. You’ll pay to park (make sure you have cash on hand at all-times for this road-trip — lots of National Parks, landmarks, etc.) & then walk about a quarter of a mile down a path to the gorge. The combination of whipping wind + sand here was….fun, BUT it didn’t stop us from dying over the view.
Although out of the way & in the middle of nowhere, I couldn’t recommend these spots more. It’s pretty breathtaking to see these computer backgrounds in-person. Worth the drive!
Day Three Pt. 2: Horseshoe Bend — Grand Canyon (weather: from cool + windy, to rainy + foggy, to full-blown blizzard)
Believe it or not, all of day three, pt. 1 was before lunch. Amazing what you can see when you wake up at 5:00 a.m. (sorry, nathan)!
After lunch at some very sketchy roadside Schlotzsky’s Deli connected to a rest stop (when I say there is nothing….there is NOTHING), we headed back in the other direction towards the Grand Canyon where we’d spend a few hours exploring + catch the sunset. I’d been before with my family when I was young & remember it being amazing, but Nathan had never been so I really wanted him to experience it, even if it was just for the afternoon.
It was about a two hour drive & the weather went from cool + windy, to slightly rain, to heavy rain & a DENSE fog right about the time we pulled up the the gates of the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. We paid the fees and the park ranger laughed when we told him we were just there for the rest of the day and said “good luck”. We were feeling pretty deflated as we pulled up to the first look-out point. Nathan hopped out to look real quick — it was rainy & freezing so I opted-out — and he got back in and showed me the picture he took & we BURST out laughing. Visibility was literally 2 feet…..it was just a giant picture of a cloud — zero views at one of the world’s most remarkable natural wonders. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. At that point, we figured we’d just try to wait the weather out for a few hours and hope for the best — we drove around the park, saw some elk up-close (very exciting!) & hopped into the lodge for some hot beverages. By the time we got into the lodge, temperatures had plummeted & the fog hadn’t gone anywhere — and out of nowhere snow started completely dumping out of the sky….in MID MAY. We couldn’t believe it & neither could the employees. After a couple of drinks, we decided to cut our losses and jump back in the car to head out soon. We sat in the car warming up, deciding to wait another hour to see if anything changed & watching the snow fall. Over the next hour the snow started to ease up, the sun started to peek out….and the fog started to lift. We hopped out of the car to go take a look & slowly the giant cloud sitting in the canyon dissipated & the most gorgeous views emerged. That moment is probably one of my favorite travel memories of all time. It was such a surreal experience & we couldn’t stop smiling. We took in views for the next hour or so & then hit the road to our hotel for the night where the most beautiful double rainbow arched across the sky.
What a day!
Day Four: Grand Canyon — Scottsdale (weather: from cool, to BLIZZARD, to eighty degrees and sunny)
On our last full-day, we were looking forward to heading back to sunny Scottsdale for a full-day of lounging by the pool & some much needed R+R.
The weather in Scottsdale called for “brilliant sunshine” & eighty degrees, but as we left our hotel that AM in shorts & a tank top (ready for sun!), I was skeptical — it was chilly. We hit the road for the three-hour trip back & it started to rain heavily…..and then within a few more miles it was snowing….and then it began snowing HEAVILY…..and then there was a 15 mile stretch where it was completely blizzarding & the roads were solid ice. Visibility was at only a few feet & we could barely see cars in front of and around us, but cars were spinning out and hitting guardrails everywhere. I was TERRIFIED and Nathan didn’t go over about 5mph the entire stretch as I clawed onto him for dear life. I WAS IN A PALM TREE TANK TOP.
Slowly the snow started to ease up & the roads began to clear & just like that….it was over? And as we got closer to Scottsdale….it got sunnier & warmer. And by the time we arrived it was just as the weather predicted — sunny and eighty degrees. AZ, you are drunk.
Although we took advantage of my IHG employee rate, we wanted the full Scottsdale Resort experience, so I purchased us day passes from Resort Pass to the Royal Palms & it was everything I wanted + needed. A gorgeous Spanish-influenced resort, a pool & cold beverages on beverages. We spent most of the day here, leaving just before sunset. We headed to the hotel to get cleaned up for dinner & then headed out to downtown Scottsdale for dinner + drinks — drinks on the patio at The Montauk (very much my aesthetic!) & then dinner next door at Diego Pops (a highly-rated, trendy little taco spot). Highly recommend both! We had an early-ish flight the next AM, so it was off to bed after dinner.
Overall, I couldn’t recommend Arizona more. We squeezed a lot into a long weekend, but it was totally do-able. If you’re able to go for longer, I’d recommend adding additional time at the Grand Canyon + maybe another day in Scottsdale, but if not — you can see a LOT using this itinerary. The weather was nuts, the food was goooood & the views were amazing & you should absolutely check it out.
As always, if you have any questions, let me know!
xo-Heather