My mother and I went on a seven day Grand Canyon trip in September 2007. She really wanted to see Bryce Canyon, so we planned to fly into Las Vegas and make a loop that included Bryce Canyon and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We would then drive to the south rim of the Grand Canyon for a couple of nights. And then down to Sedona for a couple more.

The original Grand Canyon itinerary had us at a new hotel each night. We decided it would be a lot more fun to stay two nights most places. We ended up staying two consecutive nights in the same room only once during our trip. If I had plan something like this again, I would definitely make sure we were in each hotel room for two nights (except Las Vegas). Being able to sightsee without having to check out of your hotel every morning is a great blessing. You also have a place to rest in the afternoon if you need to.

This turned out to be an 8 day trip, but you can easily cut one day at the south rim or Sedona to make it a 7 day trip. You could even cut out Sedona altogether and spend more time at Zion, Bryce or the north rim of the Grand Canyon. When you read about how hectic the first part of our trip was, you might decide that is a good choice.

Day 1

Fly into Las Vegas and stay the night.

Activities: eating four-star food at three-star prices and getting a good nights sleep.

Day 2

Drive North through Zion national Park to Bryce Canyon, then back south to Kanab, Utah to stay the night. This turned out to be a big day without enough time to see either Zion or Bryce.

Activities: The beautiful drive through Zion national Park, stopping at scenic points and the visitors center. Drive north to Bryce Canyon for sunset on the hoodoo's (we were almost too late).

Day 3

Today the main portion of our Grand Canyon itinerary actually begins! We drive to the north rim (about 65 miles) and stay the night in one of the Pioneer cabins.

Activities: Hiking down Bright Angel Point Trail. Hanging out at the Overlook at Grand Canyon Lodge. Drinking a "Horny Toad" at the canteen. Having prime rib and wine at the excellent restaurant there. Seeing stars so thick you felt like you could touch the sky. The solitude of a cabin with no television.

Day 4

Drive 270 miles to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Stay the night at Thunderbird Lodge in Grand Canyon Village.

Activities: Looking at neat rock formations and shopping for Silver Jewelry at Cliff Dwellers (near Lee's Ferry). Buying pottery from a little stand on 64 just before the Little Colorado Gorge Overlook. Climbing the watchtower at Desert view, Grand Canyon. A late-night hike to Maswick Cafeteria for some real food.

Day 5

Day 6 & 7

Drive to Sedona, Arizona. Stay two nights at the Days Inn.

Activities: Beautiful Sedona! Slide Rock State Park. The Bell Rock Vortex. Visit a psychic (when in Rome...) and a New Age shop. Lunch at the restaurant on Airport Mesa watching small planes take off and land. Relaxing on our balcony with beautiful views of the red rocks.

Day 8

Spend the day driving to Las Vegas at the leisurely pace

Activities: The sacred white buffalo north of Flagstaff. Lunch in Williams Arizona. Driving through miles of desert. Seeing the beautiful landscape around Lake Mead and Hoover dam. Adventures in rental car return. Taking the red-eye flight home.

That's the basic 7 or 8 day Grand Canyon itinerary. There will be descriptive pages for each day linked from this page. I'll be adding them a few at a time as they are completed.

3 Day Grand Canyon Itinerary

We took a 3 day Grand Canyon trip in October of 2004. I'll be adding the description soon.