If you have spent a day at the Grand Canyon, What do you do next? While the Grand Canyon is an amazing place to visit, the truth is unless you are going to hike in the park, it really only takes a day to see it. So what do you do with the rest of your vacation time? If Flagstaff is your home base, here are some day trips near Flagstaff that you can experience with your next day or two.
Sedona is a beautiful town and is only about an hour south of Flagstaff on Highway 89A so it makes for a perfect day trip. In fact it is a shorter drive than your drive to the Grand Canyon would be from Flagstaff. The road twists and turns so you won’t go fast, but the views are lovely. You will drive much of it along Oak Creek which adds to the beauty of the drive. You will pass by Slide Rock State Park which is a well known swimming hole. Unfortunately the entrance fee can be a little steep so we did not stop. As you come into Sedona, there are some stand-out rock formations. Watch for some places to stop to take photos if you like.
When you get to Sedona, you can choose from a number of activities. If you have had enough of the outdoors, there is a nice shopping area. The shops offer a variety of arts and crafts and other memorabilia of the area. However, that’s not what Sedona is about so if at all possible, get outside. The beauty of Sedona is in its landscape and the unusual rock formations you will find. There are many places to hike and get up close to these formations. If the weather is hot, be sure to take plenty of water with you.
One place not to be missed is the Chapel of the Cross. This is a beautiful Catholic Chapel built by special permission on Coconino National Forest land. It seems to rise out of the rocks. The chapel is small, but is a major tourist attraction so parking can require a walk uphill. A cart does drive around and will pick people up so if you are not up to walking, just wait for the cart. Underneath the main chapel is a small gift shop. Not only is the chapel itself beautiful in its simplicity, but the views from the area are spectacular as well.
Sedona is well worth a day or more of your time. It’s a great day trip near Flagstaff.
Another day trip near Flagstaff includes three nearby national monuments. They line up well to make for an interesting day. For our trip we drove north on Highway 89 until we came to the sign for Wupatki National Monument on County Rd. 395. You will see a sign to the monument earlier, but this second exit will make a logical loop. It’s a bit of a drive over to the monument, but once there you will find some interesting Native American ruins. They are right by the visitor’s center so if it’s hot, you can cool off there before going out to visit the ruins. A trail leads you through the site. Inside the visitor center there are some informative historical exhibits about the indigenous people who lived in this area. There is a fee to visit unless you have your America the Beautiful card.
After you leave the visitor center, continue south. After a short distance watch for the sign for Wukoki Rd. on your left. The road will take you out to another ruin which has a more dramatic presence on the surrounding landscape and is well worth the side trip. You can actually walk up on the ruin to get a closer view.
Continuing south you will come to the Sunset Volcano National Monument. The name for this volcanic cone comes from its beautiful coloring at the top. There is a place to stop and take pictures on the north side, and then as you continue south there is a more complete park on the south side of the cone. There are bathrooms there as well as hiking trails. However, you may not climb up the volcano as the loose rock on its sides cause a lot of damage.
As you travel south, you will come to the visitor center for the volcano which again has some useful information. The rangers here were very helpful, and one told me the best place for taking pictures was by the side of the road near a meadow further south. He was right. It was a great spot to take pictures of the volcano as well as the San Francisco Mountains to the south.
There’s one more stop to make to complete this day trip near Flagstaff. You will loop back onto Highway 89 and continue south to I-40 going east. You want to take the Walnut Canyon Rd. exit and follow it to Walnut Canyon National Monument. At the gate you will be stopped and have to pay the fee for entrance if you don’t have a pass. Then you will continue to the visitor center.
Walnut Canyon is an interesting place to visit as the Native Americans who lived here built cave homes in the side of the canyon. The main focus of the park is a one mile trail. It descends 185 feet into the canyon and then across to the island formed by Walnut Creek. On the trail one can look into the caves that were built. We visited in late afternoon on a hot June day. After much deliberation, we decided not to attempt the trail which was somewhat of a disappointment. We did walk along the rim and were able to see the caves from a distance.
If we were to do this again, I would reverse the direction. I would start out with Walnut Creek when it was cooler, and we were more refreshed, and then I would go and visit the other two monuments. These three monuments can easily be done in a day. You will have the opportunity to learn not only some Native American culture and history but some geology as well.
What have you found as interesting day trips near Flagstaff? Have you visited any of these places? Share your thoughts and experiences below in the comment section.