We work a breakfast on Sunday mornings and are off the rest of the day and don’t work again until Wednesday morning. So with these 2.5 days off we left the camper and took a trip and saw some breathtaking and diverse things…..all in Arizona, all within 5 hours of us.
We took off and went north to the Grand Canyon! We checked into our hotel, went and got a pizza, took it to the Grand Canyon to eat it and watch the sunset. Pictures will never do this beauty justice. It is so vast and so BIG. There is a trail on the top that is 16 miles along the rim and at any given point of that trail you could see a new view or a new angle and its just beautiful.
I knew that the Grand Canyon was in Arizona so I expected desert and cactus leading up to the canyon it self. Spoiler alert: wrongo!!! Its like you’re in the Rockies. There are pine trees everywhere, elk running around, and SNOW! I had NO clue it would be like this!
There are a trails that go down into the canyon. We started on one that had a large ice patch on it and after watching a grown man fall on his backside we decided that was not the trail for us. He was fine and in fact encouraged us to try another trail and we were so glad he did.
We hiked down a bit of the South Kaibab trail and it was great. Kid friendly to a degree. Made sure the youngins were on the outside of part trail… no where near the edge. The Grand Canyon was the first time on this whole adventure that we felt limited by the age of our kiddos. We weren’t going to be hiking all the way down and camping at the bottom or riding a mule down to get a better view. There were definitely places along the Grand Canyon that we were shocked to see there was no railing and could see how accidents could happen very easily.
All in all we loved the whole experience and definitely think its a must see and something we’d like to go back to with older kiddos!
We stayed one night at the Grand Canyon and then headed to Flagstaff. Flagstaff is home to Mt. Humphrey, Arizona’s highest point. And in fact a ski resort. We drove an hour on a scenic byway and reached the ski resort. We walked out to the patio had a snack and watched the skiers do their thing. The boys could have watched all day, they loved it. There was a walking trail near by and we hiked a snow packed trail in the middle of aspens and pine trees. Sooooo sooooo pretty!
We stayed one night in Flagstaff. In the morning we walked around the down town area full of restaurants, book shops, cafes, and coffee shops. Had lunch at an old lumber yard turned restaurant. Then we hit the road back home but took the scenic route and boy are we soooo glad we did.
Leaving Flagstaff you can get on Highway 89-A aka Old Creek Canyon Highway. IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!! It is full of switch backs and slow driving. But you are going along the creek and there are red cliffs and mountains with pine trees everywhere. It is just pretty and again, another spot where a picture can not capture the beauty you’re surrounded in. Had we known how pretty this was going to be we would have packed a picnic lunch and stopped along the creek and ate.
This highway led us to and through Sedona. Sedona reminded me of Estes Park or some other touristy mountain spot. Tons of shops along the main drag, everyone was there for the view sort of a thing. We got some ice cream and took in the views. And then trekked on back to Tucson.
Arizona has had the most diverse geographical difference all within a few hours making it a real treasure in our eyes. The desert feel, to the red rocks and creeks and canyons to the mountains with pines and aspen to the Grand Canyon. It’s been a grand experience that’s for sure.