What's to do in the Flagstaff Arizona area???

lunchlady1948

18 years ago

My DH and I are planning to spend a week there in July, we are going to the Grand Canyon from there and then into Sedona, what fun and interesting things are there to see in that area??? Lots of shopping I hope and what about nice and different places to eat??

Last year we went to Oregon and the ladies from there told me wonderful places to go it was th best vacation yet.

KTers know all the good stuff:)

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Comments (16)

susanjf_gw
18 years ago
was just going to say it's the gateway to the grand canyon...you'll LOVE the shopping..sedona is a big artist colony, so heavy on the arts, probably indian pottery jewelry, etc...i've heard it's higher end quality...

at least it's a bit cooler because of the altitude..checking the map a bit south of sedona is a montezuma castle, north of flagstaff on rte 89 is a sunset crater volcano nat monument...i'm sure you'll enjoy your stay..

tell me, are you going to brave enough to go out on the glass bridge over the canyon???
lydia1959
18 years ago
I'd have to visit one of Sedona's vortex's to see what they are all about.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sedona Vortex
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daisyinga
18 years ago
We only visited Sedona twice (during the winter) and loved it. We ate at Dahl and Deluca, and it was good. Perhaps someone else has a better recommendation.

If it isn't too hot, I'd try the Pink Jeep tour in Sedona, I've heard it's very good. Because we visited in December, we hiked. Doe Mountain is a wonderful hike. We also hiked (I think) Bear Mountain, and it was nice, too. But I don't think I'd hike in July, it would be way too hot for me. I'd have to do the pink jeep in July!

Sedona is beautiful. I liked it better than the Grand Canyon, perhaps because I don't have the stamina to hike the Grand Canyon (and I'm terrified of heights).

At the Grand Canyon we liked eating at the restaurant in the historic lodge.

There's a train ride that goes to the Grand Canyon. If we ever go back, I think I'd try the train ride, I've heard it's nice, too. I think it's called the Grand Canyon Railway.

Have fun!
mariend
18 years ago
There is alot to see in both places. Flag as most of the natives call it is full of places to see. Google both on the net and you will see so much to do. If you are driving it is hard to get off and get gas. Also Oak Creek Canyon is in the same area and is very nice to drive thru. Driving? do you belong to Triple A? They have a ton of stuff for the area. If you are walking around any place do watch for rattlesnakes especially in shaded places. Enjoy and take pictures. Summer thunderstorms are always a possibilty.
lunchlady1948
Original Author
18 years ago
Daisy we are going to go on the Pink Jeep tour I have been researching them~~~we are also going to be taking the train out of Williams to the Grand Canyon for a day trip.I have also written down the name of the resturant:)

We plan on staying in Flagstaff for 5 nights and doing day trips from there, I so am excited. I am a big artsy shopper that is one of the reason I want to go to Sedona for sure and have book marked maybe even two days there if my DH can stand it:) Maybe just 1/12~~~

Lydia I have bookmarked the Vortex site and will check it out. Susan I will be researching Montezuma's Castle too.

Thanks ladies, anymore?????
danihoney
18 years ago
Where's Magic? Doesn't she live near there?
kathy_
18 years ago
I loved Jerome.
You really need to look for vortexes in Sedona - they are not marked. I think we found one when we saw a woman fall on the ground on her back. Sedona has some weird folks there too. Lots of tourists and it was busier and more modern than I expected. The scenery is spectacular.
I loved Flag!!! It is a growing town. Oak Creek canyon is pretty.
The glass bridge is far away from where you will be though.
Oh I envy you. I am ready to go back to AZ.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jerome az
sable_ca
18 years ago
Oh lucky you! We LOVE that area, have spent many happy times in Flag, at the Canyon and in Sedona. There's not a lot to do in Flagstaff itself, other than admiring the San Francisco Mts, but the Canyon will leave you with your jaw dropped and Sedona is very beautiful, despite the tourists and over-building. Where are you staying in Flag? We like Little America a lot, although not for the food. There is also a lovely museum of Native American history and crafts which is well worth visiting.

You will love the restaurant at El Tovar Lodge at the G.C. You can also hike along the canyon rim without getting so close that it bothers you (I also hate heights). Just be prepared for the place to be stuffed with wall-to-wall tourists in July. Take sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.

In Sedona, the Pink Jeep tours are excellent. Personally I don't think much of the vortex idea, but the views from them are very good. There's an accessible vortex on the hill going up to the Sedona Airport.

Sedona has some of the best shops and galleries in the Southwest. A special place to visit is Tlaquepaque (ta-lah-ka-pah-key) Square. This is an area of galleries and restaurants that is built in the style of an old Mexican town. Even if you don't buy anything - haha - just strolling around is great fun. I like Rene's French Restaurant there and also the very good Mexican one. The galleries are tremendous - take an empty credit card, lol. There are also good galleries across Oak Creek from Tlaquepaque, including one just over the bridge that specializes in Native American rugs and weavings. To die for. There are many shops on the main road through town, but lots of those are pretty junky.

Best of all, IMHO, is the drive through and up Oak Creek Canyon on Highway 89, which connects Sedona to I-40 and Flag. I would drive it from the top down for a spectacular view that you will never forget. It's very, very twisty for about 15 minutes and then settles into an easy winding drive through O.C.C. that is just a dream.

Personally, if I were you, I'd take one or two overnights in Sedona. You will want that much time, and it's a bit of a shlep back and forth from Flag. When we're in Sedona we stay at Sky Ranch Lodge, on Airport Mt. It's a well-kept motel, nothing remarkable, but OMG the views are incredible. At night, with the town lights below and the stars above, you'll think that you're in heaven! Enjoy!
daisyinga
18 years ago
We went shopping in Tlaquepaque, and I enjoyed it. We liked Jerome, too, although it's not a place I would spend a lot of time in. We were staying in Prescott at the time, and an afternoon/evening trip to Jerome was nice. The drive up there is beautiful. Jerome is kind of a funky, free-spirited place on the side of a mountain.

One thing I find to be true about Arizona - whenever we ask helpful Arizona natives where to go, they often seem to want to point us toward wooded places along water. Being born and raised in the Southeast, I don't want to go see water or trees, I want to see the desert! So although Oak Creek Canyon is beautiful, it's not something I would go out of my way to see if I had a limited amount of time. The trees and terrain are different than Georgia, it's true, but still we love the desert best. Let me see some saguaro cactus in Tucson or the red streaked layers of Sedona and I'm happy. So I wouldn't give up the opportunity to spend more time in Sedona in order to take the Oak Creek Canyon route. If you have plenty of time, though, Oak Creek Canyon is very pretty.

However, we always go in the winter. You might be ready for a sight of beautiful trees and a lovely creek in July.

If you ever get a chance to go in the winter, Arizona is wonderful in December. I love to bike the greenway in Phoenix and the Tucson area is nice - Kartchner Caverns, hiking the Santa Catalina mountains, and a side trip to the Bisbee mine. I love Arizona!

Have a wonderful time!
magic_arizona
18 years ago
Yes, I do live in the area. I actually graduated from the University there, NAU.

Sable said everything I would have said. Stay at Little America if you can. We love it! Just don't eat there.

Sedona is stunning. We spent our 2nd anniversary at the Sky Ranch Lodge and (sorry Sable) were less than impressed, but that's just us. Lots of people really like it.

Oak Creek Canyon is absolutely beautiful. It's one of my favorite places to go.

Shugrue's restaurant in Sedona is really good (great) and the views are stunning. A must IMO.
jemdandy
18 years ago
Near Sedona is a set of "Red Rocks" where a number of Western movies were shot. These formations tower about 500 ft above the terrain - good photo opportunities.

There is a subdivision in Sedona whose streets are named after movie titles made in the area. Some of these street signs have to use two boards to display the entire movie title - LOL.

Sedona is the jumping off place for going out into the desert. Sedona altitude is approx. 3600 ft, therefore can have nightime cooling. Drive just a few miles south of Sedona, the altitude drops and you find yourself on the desert floor. The change to desert landscape is drastic. Personaly, I don't much care for extreme deserts. Life gets too difficult there. Deserts are nice to visit for a day. I never plan to stay there more than 8 hrs.

Trucker slang: Truckers when leaving Sedona to drive out on the desert refers to it as the "Cactus Patch".

There are a number of Native American ruins in that part of Arizona, also old copper mining locations from 75 yrs ago.

There are scorpions in Oak Creek Canyon, so use some precaution and you won't have any trouble. These are mostly hidden in the day. We discovered them while camping overnight in the Canyon. I saw a couple in the morning whne I got up to start the Coleman stove. We inspected our shoes and clothes before donning those.

Rattle snakes are in the area, but I never saw one in the heat of the day. They come out at night to hunt after the ground temperature cools to a temperature of their liking. Rattle snakes do require water if they do not get enough from their food, or haven't eaten for several days. In the heat of summer, rattle snakes may leave their den in search of water and they feel vulnerable and threatened being too far from the safety of their den. This is when a rattler is most likely to strike with very little provacation. So be extra careful when you are on the side of stream or waterhole that faces a bluff. Bluffs are favorite hangouts for snake dens.

Near Flagstaff, is the San Francisco mountain. It is a huge cinder cone that holds religious significence for some Native American Tribes.
Happy_Go_Lucky_Gayle
18 years ago
I loved Sedona, but I was there in 1991. Sounds like it has gotten bigger.

Gayle
cherbo
18 years ago
My husband and I are going to the Grand Canyon in July also. We will be taking the Amtrak into Flagstaff. I am so looking forward to this trip!
Nita__AZ
18 years ago
You can also take the ski lift to the top of the mountain at the Snow Bowl. The view is wonderful.

I would rather drive through Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona than to take the boring interstate. It is a very pretty drive. Here in the desert we don't see too many rivers and trees.

I live way down in the SE corner of the state so don't get to the Flag area very often. The part of the GC with the glass observation deck isn't anywhere near Flag.
lunchlady1948
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for all of the info ladies, I have copied it all down. I tried Little America on line and they are booked that week, it really did look beautiful I may call and see if we can get in you never know.

I am getting so excited I think I better bring lots of money for that shopping:) I do alot of my Christmas shopping when we take trips get some really different things that way.
kathy_
18 years ago
We were there at the first snowfall at the snow bowl and people were going nuts in the snow. By late morning it was all melted. They don't have snowmaking machines (owned by native americans who don't believe in them) so I don't know how much skiing they do.
I missed the Flagstaff arboreutum - dangit.
We went to the Lowell Observatory and was kind of disappointed that we could not look through the telescope, but hubby liked the tour since he is "into" space stuff.
Almost forgot - look into a Red Rock Pass - a lot of the pulloff's in Sedona require them since they are owned by the forest service.
Lucky you!
Kathy

What's to do in the Flagstaff Arizona area???

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