Sedona + Grand Canyon
Base at The Wilde Sedona Aug 10–12. Land Aug 10 → sunset + dinner. Full Sedona day of epic hikes. Day-trip to the South Rim at dawn. Tap a stop to check it off. Tap the for the story on each one.
Reserve a table at Cress or Mariposa for tomorrow night. Book the Pink Jeep Broken Arrow tour for a Day 2 afternoon slot if you want it. Set two alarms for 4:30am on Day 3 and fuel the car the night before — gas stations on the way to the Canyon are sparse.
Tonight — Land, Drive, Sunset
PHX 5pm → 2hr drive → Wilde Sedona ~7pm. Straight to a sunset spot, then dinner.
Drop bags at The Wilde
~7:00pm- ✓
Chase the last light
~7:20pm- ✓
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Dinner — casual, quick, epic view
~8:30pm- ✓
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One Full Sedona Day — Sunrise to Sunset
Cathedral Rock at dawn → Devil's Bridge → Chapel → Slide Rock or Jeep tour → Doe Mountain sunset.
Live Map
Sunrise on Cathedral Rock
5:30am- ✓
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Breakfast
8:00am- ✓
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Devil's Bridge
9:30am- ✓
Lunch
12:30pm- ✓
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Pick 1–2: afternoon adventures
2:00pm- ✓
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Sunset
5:30pm- ✓
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Dinner
7:30pm- ✓
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Grand Canyon South Rim — Day Trip
4:30am out of Sedona → sunrise at the rim → South Kaibab hike → Desert View Drive → sunset at Hopi Point → back to Sedona.
Live Map
Leave Sedona
4:30am- ✓
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Sunrise on the rim
~6:45am- ✓
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Breakfast on the rim
8:00am- ✓
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Big hike: below the rim
9:00am- ✓
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Lunch back on the rim
12:30pm- ✓
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Desert View Drive (east rim)
1:30pm- ✓
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Sunset on the west rim
5:30pm- ✓
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Drive back — dinner in Flagstaff
7:30pm- ✓
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Aug 13 — Wake, Eat, Drive to PHX
Assume ~noon flight. Easy morning, breakfast in Sedona, 2hr drive south to Phoenix Sky Harbor.
Slow wake-up + pack
7:00am- ✓
Breakfast (quick, close to 89A south)
7:45am- ✓
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Drive to PHX Sky Harbor
9:00am- ✓
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Hit These, Skip the Rest
- Cathedral Rock at sunrise
- Devil's Bridge arch
- Airport Mesa sunset
- Chapel of the Holy Cross
- South Kaibab to Ooh Aah Point
- Desert View Watchtower
- Lipan Point panorama
- Hopi Point sunset
Good to Know
- Red Rock Pass ($5/day)
Required at almost every Sedona trailhead. Kiosks at the trailhead, cash or card. America the Beautiful pass covers it.
- Grand Canyon entry ($35/vehicle, 7 days)
Pay at South Entrance gate. Keep the receipt for re-entry if you exit east via Desert View to loop back.
- Altitude: rim is 7,000 ft
Sedona sits at 4,300 ft, the South Rim at 7,000 ft. If you feel winded on the climb-out of South Kaibab, that's why. Drink twice as much water as feels normal.
- Sunrise / sunset windows
Summer: sunrise ~5:15am, sunset ~7:40pm. Spring/fall: sunrise ~6:15am, sunset ~6:15pm. Winter: sunrise ~7:20am, sunset ~5:30pm. Check the day-of before setting alarms.
- Wilde → trailhead drive times
Cathedral Rock: 10 min. Devil's Bridge lot: 15 min. Chapel: 12 min. Airport Mesa: 5 min. Doe Mountain: 15 min. Slide Rock: 25 min. You're geographically well-placed.
- Vortex sites — what they are
Four spots (Airport Mesa, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon) locals believe emit swirling energy. Believe or not, they're beautiful — the 'vortex' hikes are all worth it as hikes.