An Arizona Weekend Roadtrip Travel Itinerary

Before I begin, I need to do some typical blogger stuff. This road trip was not sponsored by anyone (I wish, am I right), but I want to tell you guys that I was gifted this backpack from Jo Totes and I dragged this thing around over three days and it fit my camera perfectly! It also fits a laptop, so if you’re a creative in need of a new camera backpack, I highly recommend them! (They are also having a spring sale right now, go check them out!) I will also be bringing this backpack on my next trip, so keep your eyes peeled!

Day 1 Outfit:
Girlfriend Collective Leggings
Urban Outfitters Flannel
North Face Jacket
Bandana
Jo Totes Backpack

Day 2 Outfit:
Girlfriend Collective Leggings
Patagonia Fleece Pullover
Gianni Bini Chelsea Boots
Jo Totes Backpack

Friday

5 PM: Depart for Page, AZ

This was by far the hardest and longest leg of our trip. I do not recommend that anyone do this drive alone. Tanner and I left right after we were both done with work. Also, for those of you who like to pack last minute, like myself, you should also probably pack the night before this trip like I originally planned to do. It will make leaving for this trip so much easier.

If you’re going in the winter months, especially in the middle of winter, I recommend layers. Lots and lots of layers actually. I brought my favorite Patagonia and North Face jackets and wish I had brought maybe one more thin layer to put under them. As I only live in warm climates, layering can be difficult for me sometimes.

From Tucson, the drive was about 6 hours maybe adding another hour or so for stopping for bathroom breaks and filling up the tank. As I mentioned, it was the longest leg, but I’m glad this part was done at the beginning rather than the end of the trip.

Where we stayed in Page, AZ: The Oakwood Room

Again, we used an AirBnB for our trip. We stayed with Jeannie in her Oakwood Room since she actually has two rooms she lists on AirBnB. Jeannie was one of the nicest hosts I’ve had and even made my boyfriend and me breakfast in the morning complete with eggs, waffles, and yogurt with berries! The bed was also super comfy, but this may have been due to how tired I was. Jeannie worked with us since we arrived so late and was honestly just one of the most accommodating hosts. Highly recommend staying with her should you decide to go to Page!

First time AirBnB user? Click HERE to book with my link and save $40 on your first reservation!

Saturday

7:30 AM: Wake up call

Our AirBnB host was nice enough to make us breakfast before our long day. We woke up early to eat and shower before we hit the road. I was super happy I ended up showering here for reasons I will tell you later.

8: 30 AM: Depart for Antelope Canyon

We went on the tour of Lower Antelope Canyon. For those of you who don’t know, there is an upper and lower canyon. The Upper Canyon is more expensive (about twice as much) and is run by the government rather than the Native American Reservation. Personally, I thought that the lower canyon was beautiful, even though we didn’t see the famous light beams, and our tour guides were amazingly nice and pleasant. We took Ken’s Tours, for those of you looking to make a reservation. Remember to bring cash!

The light beams I just mentioned, are one of the famous things about this spot. You can see them around the 11 AM tour time and, I read on the internet, you can only see them in the Upper Canyon. However, my tour guide informed me that you can sporadically see them in the lower canyon during the summer months. (P.S. the canyon becomes much more popular in the summer.) At this location, they also show you a spot where there are dinosaur tracks!

P.S. Sorry for the photo overload you are about to experience.

9:20 AM: Lower Antelope Canyon Tour

11 AM: Stop for lunch and then drive to Horseshoe Bend

This place is only a 15 minute drive from Antelope Canyon so it is 100% worth it to stop here. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the parking lot to see the canyon, so it isn’t overwhelming for those of us who are less-than-athletic. The view is amazing, but I recommend getting there early before all of the tourists arrive. I was a bit late to the party and arrived at about noon, so the sun was directly overhead and there were tourists-a-plenty. Either way, I am so glad I made this a small stop on our trip.

12:30 PM: Leave for the Grand Canyon

This little pit stop made our trip a little longer, but you simply cannot go on an Arizona road trip without seeing the Grand Canyon. Instead of going from Page to Sedona in two hours, we went two hours to the Grand Canyon and an additional two hours to Sedona. It was absolutely freezing when we got there, but we stopped at a few places to get a look at the Canyon. It was indeed pretty grand.

2:30 PM: Arrive at the Grand Canyon

We went to a few different locations here. We went to the first “look” of the canyon at the historic lookout tower. From where we entered the park, it was our first ability to see the famous landmark. (This stop is called Desert View.)

We also stopped once at a little museum in the park that talked about the Native Americans who used to live there. That was pretty interesting and, if you like ruins like me, you would probably enjoy that stop. I couldn’t find any of this information on the website, so I’m a bit lost on the name, but it is on the park map they give you at the entrance!

5 PM: Depart for Sedona

Since we were getting pretty cold, we ended up leaving a bit earlier than planned to get to Sedona at a reasonable hour. We got dinner at a local Thai place (Thai Spice) and picked up a few things for our breakfast.

Where we stayed in Sedona, AZ: Uptown Zen Studio with Hot Tub

In Sedona, we enjoyed a nice private home, attached to the home of the host. It was a really small home, but perfect for a quiet night in Sedona. Gordon was our host for this trip and, although we never met him, he was extremely responsive to our questions and gave us several recommendations for the area!

First time AirBnB user? Click HERE to book with my link and save $40 on your first reservation!

Sunday

8 AM: Wake Up Call

We were going to go hiking, but I’m a wimp and it was fairly cold when we woke up. Instead, we ended up taking our time around the little town and enjoying the views. We got lunch at Sedona Pizza Company, picked up a few souvenirs, and then departed en route to Montezuma’s Castle.

3 PM: Depart for Montezuma’s Castle

This was only a short distance from Sedona but it was a must-see on my list and it closes at 5 PM.

3:30 PM: Arrive at Montezuma’s Castle

It’s a bit off the beaten path, but there are plenty of signs so you don’t miss it. Like I mentioned before, I love ruins, so this was so neat to see! I’ve also had a strange obsession with the Anasazi culture since about 3rd grade, so these cave dwellings have piqued my interest for a long time. I can’t recommend this stop enough!

4:30 PM: Depart for Tucson

And that wrapped up the trip! The drive from Sedona to Tucson was a little over three hours, and we were totally exhausted when we got home. However, this trip was more than worth it.

Also, this is my first time sharing a travel post with this much detail! How did you guys like it? Would you like to see more posts like this? Would you rather me post each day in a separate post? Let me know in the comments!