Sedona, Flagstaff --where to go on a one day trip from the Valley?? (Phoenix: construction)

[Discovery1]

We are planning to go there next week and wondering if there is any recommendation as where to go, places to visit for a 1 day trip from Phoenix ?
Thank folks.

[maverick974]

Flagstaff is cool but for scenery, Sedona gets my vote by a wide margin.

[krazykatlady]

Flagstaff if you like lots of snow. Sedona if you like red rock.

My vote would always be for Sedona. The most beautiful place on earth. Take a ride up Schnebly Hill.
Take a hike up Soldiers Pass Trail. Drink a margarita, have a cup of coffee at a coffee shop.

I love Sedona.

[observer53]

For a one day trip, explore Sedona. You will have fewer potential weather issues, and it is an incredibly beautiful place. If the weather is good, you could drive up Oak Creek Canyon (89A)from Sedona to Flagstaff and back down to see the whole canyon, but that doesn't leave time to do much in Flagstaff.

[cre8lite]

slide rock park
jerome
out of africa animal park
montezuma's castle

[Scottay]

Snowbowl just got 10" of fresh pow pow. Go skiing/snowboarding all day then stop at the Lumberjack for dinner and wait for the I-17 traffic to thin. Best food in Flag IMO, hot waitresses, good service, delicious beer etc..

[43north87west]

You can do both easily, if you take I-17 to Sedona, look around, then take 89A through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. Driving from Flagstaff to Sedona the opposite direction (south) is a totally different story, as southbound traffic is a lot slower than north, and most of the accidents on 89A in snowy weather, are southbound (downhill) traffic.

Just seeing Sedona is worth the trip, and Flagstaff is worth it because it is completely the opposite of Phoenix. Sedona has plenty of kitschy type stuff if you are into that; I'm not.

There is plenty of time to leave "sort of" early (like 8AM), take a quick hike up Cathedral Rock or something like that in Sedona, and go on to Flagstaff in plenty of time to look around before the sun sets. Check out some of the Sedona tourist information because you need to pay to park at some of the scenic areas. Passes are usually available at each of the areas from an automated machine, but check before you go.

One word of warning: Do not plan ANY trip north of Phoenix, that includes any engagement in Phoenix on the same evening, no matter how late in the evening. Between the mountain passes, traffic, weather, and construction, there can be some huge accidents that can take hours to clear. If weather goes bad, the 40 and the 17 can be closed for periods of time. The same goes for 89A. Check traffic and weather before you go. The interstate is "usually" in good condition, but because of the mountains and altitude, conditions vary greatly in winter.

[kell490]

I-17 can be a nightmare if a big rig flips over last year we were headed up north to chop firewood and a truck full of onions flipped over. I was stupid and didn't check the traffic we got to Black Canyon city and it was a parking lot. I saw people having picnics on the side of I-17 and kids riding bike between the cars. I got out and asked a few they had been sitting stopped for 4 hours already in one place. We went down the shoulder and got off in black canyon city using google maps I found a road called old stage coach road. It dumped into a wash which got very sandy and a bunch of other people tried the same thing they were in Honda's civics, and Toyota hybrids stuck to the axles. Lucky for me we were in a F-150 4x4 drove right around them and after 4 wheeling for about 30 minutes would up on table mesa road. I would have pulled them out but my wife was with me she never likes me doing that she thinks if we damage a car they will blame us probably smart. Long story short when we got back on we saw where the truck was but it was long gone there was so many cars backed up it took hours for it to start moving again. Always check the road before you head up north.


If you do go up north best petting zoo in Arizona is the Deer Farm west on I-40 half way to Williams bring lots of warms cloths we went up last week it was in the 30's we didn't bring thermal underwear the wind blew right though the jeans I was wearing.