Arizona is one of the most dramatically beautiful states in the American Southwest, and a 7-day road trip gives you just enough time to hit the must-see highlights while leaving room to breathe and genuinely experience each place. This itinerary takes you from the desert metropolis of Phoenix up through the red rocks of Sedona, along the rim of the Grand Canyon, deep into Navajo Country at Monument Valley, through the slot canyons of Page, and back through the ponderosa pines of Flagstaff. Buckle up. This is Arizona at its finest.
Quick Reference: Driving Distances
| Leg | Route | Distance | Drive Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1-2 | Phoenix to Sedona | 116 miles | ~2 hrs |
| Day 2-3 | Sedona to Grand Canyon South Rim | 115 miles | ~2.5 hrs |
| Day 3-4 | Grand Canyon to Monument Valley | 180 miles | ~3 hrs |
| Day 4-5 | Monument Valley to Page | 90 miles | ~1.5 hrs |
| Day 5-6 | Page to Flagstaff | 135 miles | ~2 hrs |
| Day 6-7 | Flagstaff to Phoenix | 145 miles | ~2 hrs |
Touch down at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and pick up your rental car. Phoenix is a sprawling Sunbelt city, so a car is essential for every leg of this trip. After checking into your hotel, spend the afternoon exploring the Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park, where more than 50,000 desert plants demonstrate just how alive an arid landscape can be. In the evening, head to Old Town Scottsdale for dinner along 5th Avenue or Camelback Road, where the restaurant scene rivals anything in Los Angeles.
If you arrive with energy to spare, the rooftop bar at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix offers a stunning view of Camelback Mountain glowing amber at sunset. This is also a good night to grocery shop for road snacks, fill your reusable water bottles, and download offline maps for areas ahead that have spotty cell coverage.
Where to Stay in Phoenix
- Budget: Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Midtown (~$120/night)
- Mid-range: Hotel San Carlos, a 1928 historic hotel in downtown Phoenix (~$180/night)
- Splurge: The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, a legendary desert oasis (~$400/night)
Leave Phoenix early to beat both the heat and the crowds. Take Interstate 17 north, then Highway 179 into Sedona. As you descend into Oak Creek Canyon and the red rocks suddenly dominate your windshield, you will understand immediately why Sedona consistently tops "most beautiful places in America" lists. The formations here are composed of Permian-era Schnebly Hill sandstone, and they blush in shades of terracotta, ochre, and deep crimson depending on the time of day.
Spend your morning hiking Cathedral Rock Trail (1.5 miles round trip, moderate), one of the most photographed formations in Arizona. The summit scramble requires using your hands in a few places but rewards you with a 360-degree panorama. In the afternoon, try the easier Bell Rock Pathway if your legs still have gas in them. Save 30 minutes before golden hour to drive out to Airport Mesa Vortex, a short walk off Airport Road, for one of the finest sunset views in the state.
Sedona also has a thriving arts community. The Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village is an open-air complex modeled on a Mexican hacienda and worth strolling even if you are not shopping. Dinner at Elote Cafe (book ahead) or The Hudson is a treat you will remember.
Where to Stay in Sedona
- Budget: Star Motel, a clean and simple option in West Sedona (~$100/night)
- Mid-range: Amara Resort and Spa with creek-side views (~$250/night)
- Splurge: Enchantment Resort, set inside Boynton Canyon with private hiking access (~$500/night)
Drive north on Highway 89A through Oak Creek Canyon, a spectacular 16-mile gorge that deserves a slow pace and at least one stop at Slide Rock State Park (admission $30, worth it for a swim). Connect to Highway 64 and enter Grand Canyon National Park at the South Rim entrance. Entry costs $35 per vehicle and is valid for seven days, so keep your receipt.
The South Rim receives roughly 5 million visitors a year, and for good reason: the sheer scale of the canyon defies photography and must be experienced in person. The canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep. The South Rim Village has multiple viewpoints accessible via the free shuttle system. Mather Point is the first and most famous overlook. Yavapai Point, a short walk east, offers interpretive geology displays inside the glass-encased Yavapai Geology Museum.
For hikers, the Bright Angel Trail descends 3.1 miles and 2,100 feet to Indian Garden (now renamed Havasupai Gardens). A round trip to the first rest house at 1.5 miles is achievable in a morning without descending to the inner canyon where heat and dehydration become serious risks. Never attempt to hike to the river and back in a single day; the National Park Service warns against it explicitly.
Where to Stay near the Grand Canyon
- On the Rim: El Tovar Hotel, a 1905 National Historic Landmark directly on the canyon rim (book 6-13 months in advance)
- Budget on the Rim: Bright Angel Lodge, rustic cabins and lodge rooms within walking distance of the Bright Angel Trailhead
- Off the Rim: Tusayan, the small town just south of the park entrance, has Holiday Inn and Best Western options at half the price
Today is a big driving day, but the scenery makes every mile worthwhile. Head east on Highway 64, then north on Highway 89 to US-160 and the Utah border, before turning south on US-163 to arrive at Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. This is not a National Park Service property but is operated by the Navajo Nation, and visiting means crossing into sovereign tribal land where different rules apply.
The iconic Mittens and Merrick Butte formations have appeared in more films than almost any other American landscape, from John Ford westerns to Forrest Gump. The 17-mile Valley Drive is a dirt loop road that passes all the major formations. A standard passenger car can handle it in dry conditions, though a high-clearance vehicle is more comfortable. Alternatively, book a guided Navajo tour from the visitor center; these provide context, stories, and access to areas off-limits to self-guided visitors.
The View Hotel, operated by the Navajo Nation, is the only lodging directly overlooking the valley. If you can get a room, the sunrise over the Mittens from your balcony is one of the most extraordinary sights in the American Southwest. Book 3 to 6 months ahead.
Drive 90 miles southwest to Page, Arizona, a small city perched above Lake Powell. This single day contains two of the most photographed places on earth.
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon carved by flash floods over millennia. There are two sections: Upper Antelope Canyon (Tsé bighanilini, "the place where water runs through rocks") and Lower Antelope Canyon (Hazdistazí, "spiral rock arches"). Upper Antelope receives the famous light beams when sunlight shines nearly vertically through the narrow crack in the earth, typically between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. from April through September. You must book a tour with a licensed Navajo operator; the two main companies are Antelope Canyon Tours and Chief Tsosie's. Tours cost $60 to $90 per person and sell out weeks in advance.
Horseshoe Bend requires no reservation and no admission fee (though a $10 parking fee applies). A 1.5-mile round-trip hike across sandy desert leads to a viewpoint overlooking the Colorado River as it makes a perfect 270-degree turn around a sandstone promontory. Go early morning or at sunset. Midday can be brutally hot and the crowds are thickest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In the afternoon, if time allows, drive to the Carl Hayden Visitor Center at Glen Canyon Dam for a free overview of how Lake Powell was created and the ongoing debate about water management in the American West.
Leave Page on Highway 89 south, which winds beautifully through the Echo Cliffs and offers sweeping views of the Painted Desert. Your first major stop is Meteor Crater, located 37 miles east of Flagstaff on Interstate 40. About 50,000 years ago, a nickel-iron meteorite roughly 150 feet in diameter slammed into the Colorado Plateau at 26,000 mph. The resulting crater is 550 feet deep and nearly a mile across. The private visitor center charges $22 per adult, and rim walks provide vertiginous views into the void.
Continue to Flagstaff, one of Arizona's most livable and underrated cities. Sitting at 6,910 feet elevation beneath the San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff enjoys a genuine four-season climate with real snow in winter. The historic downtown along Route 66 has excellent restaurants, craft breweries, and independent bookshops. Visit the Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill where Pluto was discovered in 1930; evening telescope programs run from 7:30 p.m. on clear nights and cost $15.
Flagstaff is also the gateway to Walnut Canyon National Monument (cliff dwellings carved by the Sinagua people about 800 years ago) and Wupatki National Monument (ancient pueblo ruins on a landscape of volcanic cinder cones), both within 30 miles of the city center.
Where to Stay in Flagstaff
- Budget: Drury Inn and Suites Flagstaff with free hot breakfast (~$130/night)
- Mid-range: Hotel Monte Vista, a 1926 historic hotel in the heart of downtown (~$160/night)
- Splurge: Little America Hotel, set on 500 acres of ponderosa pine forest (~$200/night)
The drive back to Phoenix on Interstate 17 takes roughly two hours under normal traffic conditions and descends 6,000 feet through spectacular geology. Two stops are worth building in. Oak Creek Canyon, which you passed on Day 2, is the same road from the other direction and remains just as beautiful. If you have a Sunday morning, the Flagstaff Farmers Market operates from June through October and is a wonderful place to pick up local produce, Navajo fry bread, and handmade jewelry before departing.
If your flight departs in the afternoon or evening, you have time for one last Phoenix experience. The Heard Museum in central Phoenix is the finest museum of Native American art and culture in the country. The collection covers 21 tribes with particular depth on the history of boarding schools, a sobering and important story. Admission is $21 for adults.
Practical Road Trip Tips
Car and Gas
Rent a standard SUV or crossover for this trip. While a sedan handles most of the pavement, the Monument Valley Valley Drive is significantly more comfortable in a vehicle with a bit of clearance. Gas stations can be 60 to 90 miles apart in some stretches of this route, particularly between Page and Flagstaff. Keep your tank above half-full whenever you can refill.
Water and Heat
Carry a minimum of one gallon of water per person per day. Dehydration happens faster than you expect at altitude and in desert heat. The higher elevations of Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon Rim are cool, but Page and Monument Valley in summer can exceed 100°F. Start outdoor activities before 9 a.m. and wrap up by noon when temperatures peak.
Cell Coverage
Verizon has the best coverage on Navajo Nation lands, but gaps are still common. Download your route maps offline in Google Maps or Maps.me before leaving Phoenix. The Grand Canyon Rim, Monument Valley, and Page areas all have limited connectivity.
Booking Timeline
- 6-13 months ahead: Grand Canyon lodging on the rim
- 3-6 months ahead: Monument Valley View Hotel, Antelope Canyon tours
- 1-3 months ahead: Sedona restaurants, Lowell Observatory evening programs
- 1-2 weeks ahead: Meteor Crater, everything else
Arizona rewards travelers who go slowly, ask questions, and linger. Seven days is enough to see the marquee landmarks, but the state has a lifetime of exploration waiting in its canyon country, tribal lands, and mountain towns. Use this itinerary as a framework and let your curiosity fill in the rest.