Quick weekend trip help

Hi everyone. I have to be in Chandler for work on a Monday and am planning on flying in to Phoenix airport Saturday morning at 8:30 to spend the weekend there. I will be on my own (35 y.o. female) and am wondering where to stay. Is Sedona too far to go to enjoy my time and make it down to Chandler on Sunday night? I prefer to do things outdoors over shopping and city sightseeing. Can anyone give me some good ideas of where I should look to stay? This would be for the first weekend in April. Thanks!!!

Quick weekend trip help

Sure, you could easily do an overnight in Sedona. It%26#39;s about a 2 hour easy drive to Sedona from Phoenix airport. I assume you will be renting a car.

You won%26#39;t regret going to Sedona! Beautiful scenery, many great hikes of all levels, wonderful art galleries and good restaurants.

There are so many hotels in Sedona, so I%26#39;ll just mention a few. For relatively reasonably priced, try Sky Ranch Lodge, King%26#39;s Ransom, Matterhorn Inn. A little higher in price would be Best Western Arroyo Roble, Best Western Inn of Sedona, Southwest Inn. Just read the reviews of these and many others on the Sedona forum....click on ';Sedona Hotels'; in the left-hand column.

Restaurants in Sedona that get great recommendations on TA are Cowboy Club, Dahl %26amp; DiLuca, and Cafe Elote. Again, there are many others of all price ranges.

If you do decide to stay in Chandler, you might consider driving the scenic Apache Trail (don%26#39;t go beyond the paved section). Here%26#39;s one website about it, but you can just do a search on the internet and find more.

americansouthwest.net/arizona/apache_trail/

Enjoy your trip!

Quick weekend trip help

Thanks so much for the info, Janss! One other question about Sedona - if I decide to do some hiking, will I be okay setting out on my own (safety speaking) or am I better off trying to find a group hike to join?

%26gt; will I be okay setting out on my own (safety speaking)

You mean with safety from animals or safety from people?

You%26#39;re very likely going to be on a popular trail, so it%26#39;s not really an issue either way. If you go into the backcountry, then you have to worry more about animals.

Generally I feel safe hiking alone in Sedona. Like Colin wrote, stick to a popular trail. When we say popular, it does not mean that you will feel crowded, just that it is not isolated. It%26#39;s always good for a person alone to see people occasionally on the trail, not only for safety like you%26#39;re referring to, but also in case you get hurt, someone you see can get you help. Try one of the trails along Hwy 179 on your way into town. You%26#39;ll see a few pulloffs with parking areas by Courthouse Rock, Bell Rock and Little Horse Trail. Or go to Red Rock Crossing by Oak Creek on the west end of town (out West Hwy 89A, then turn left on Upper Red Rock Loop Rd--great panorama views along this road--left at stop sign at bottom of hill and follow the pavement to the entrance station by the creek.) This place costs a few dollars to enter. Walk up creek a ways. It%26#39;s a beautiful area with Cathedral Rock, one of the most famously photographed views in Sedona.

Enjoy your trip!

There are many trails for hiking all around the red rocks of Sedona. I would first go to the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center (be sure to go to the correct one at the intersection (called the Y) of Hwy 89A and Hwy 179 in uptown Sedona. There the volunteers will be give you a wonderful list of hiking trails. These trails will tell you how easy, medium or hard the hike is, how long to do it back and forth and even describe what you will see. I would never hike without that great info from the Chamber! Have a wonderful time.

OH! I personally cannot recommend Dahl and Delucca enough for a fantastic Italian meal in a beautiful setting.

.........Sedona is trully beautiful, by the time you get you gather luggage and obtain your rental, your probably on the road around 11ish.....indeed its about 2 hours drive bearing in mind your driving through a lot of open desert and the elevations are steep. make sure you have water and emergancy car contact. Most likely you%26#39;ll arrive around 2:oo ish, find hotel and settle. Sunday after hiking, you%26#39;ll be driving back through open desert, good to leave tleavebefore you get back, than need to find your hotel. For me thats alot of driving on my own. but doable. Another option when you settle in Chandler, drive right up Scotsdale rd North to the end, its increable, the various desert topography, various cactus. As you drive further North on the side of the road they have identification signs of the different cactus.......then you enter the Boulders, its back in Bedrock (Flintstones), its breathtaking! Continuing on you%26#39;ll enter Cave Creek, which is an old western town, pull into Harolds saloon and sit right up at the bar with some of the cowboys, its a riot. Great atmosphere! There also is The Horney Toad or The Satified Frog, although Harolds is my fav.

The have a great happy hour 4';6 ish!

On your way back to Chandler you see the most beautiful sunsets, its my favorite time to be on the road.

You will love Az, enjoy!

....sorry meant to write, if you choose to travel to Sedona, you%26#39;ll want to leave Sedona around 3:00 for you%26#39;ll not want to drive back to Chandler at night, no streetlights through the desert.

Thanks for all of the help so far. Now I am really confused though. Is the drive to and from Sedona going to eat up too much time, as Zinman suggested? I booked the extra day because I am sooo stressed from work right now and am not able to take a vacation for a couple of months yet. I thought Sedona would be a good place to hike, enjoy the scenery and relax. Plus I get totally recharged from being surrounded by nature. Because of the short time I have, am I better off staying in the Phoenix area? If so, then what are the best suggestions for hiking and getting away?

Go to Sedona. Well worth the trip. You%26#39;ll have plenty of time.

One suggestion (you were probably going to do this anyay) book you%26#39;re hotels in advance. One less thing you have to worry about. You%26#39;ll be able to get to your hotel in Sedona, check in and go explore. Do the same Sunday, leave mid to late afternoon, drive to Chandler and call it good. The drive from Sedona to Chandler isn%26#39;t bad at all and part of it could be done after dark if needed.

.......I still maintain, its alot of driving, your flight arrives at 8:30 am. what time are you up to catch your flight and how long is your flight to Phoenix.....flying and driving an additional couple hours , than hike?....doesn%26#39;t sound stress free to me.....and being the zinmans wife I have driven to Sedona numerous times and driving up and down those mountains you need to be sharp and alert. Not arguing that Sedona is not impressive, however there are plently of areas in and around Scotsdale that are of interest as well. Maybe save Sedona when you back in town and have more time to stay.

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