Southwest Road Trip - Arizona

Our family is attempting to travel to all 50 states through creative road trips. We prefer to choose a route which may have several destination stops throughout the trip. This often results in spending a short amount of time in one city. We love to get the flavor of the place that we are visiting by experiencing dining experiences, seeing a well-known icon from that area or simply experiencing the understated charm of that particular area.

Our Summer 2024 took us to the beautiful Southwest. We flew into Las Vegas and then made a loop through Arizona and Utah returning to Las Vegas to fly home. We also stopped in Four Corners so our kids say we crossed off New Mexico as we technically ate in New Mexico. We also traveled into Colorado to visit Mesa Verde once we realized how close we were. We allow extra time in our itineraries so that we can make these impromptu decisions. Technically, this trip allowed us to cross off five new states as a family: Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. We knew we wanted to spend our time exploring this area so our trip spanned 12 days. This travel guide focuses on the Arizona portion. If you want to read the entire Southwest Road Trip Guide- click here.

Overview:

Day 1: Flight, Explore Las Vegas, Travel to Flagstaff

Day 2: Montezuma Castle, Jerome, Sedona, Lowell Observatory

Day 3: Grand Canyon, Lake Powell area

Day 4: Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Day 5: Bluff Fort, Four Corners, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley,

Day 1: We flew from Indianapolis to Las Vegas. We touched down in Las Vegas around 6:30 AM. We picked up our rental car. (We booked through Avis via Costco. We always price compare for the best rates.) We knew it was time for some breakfast and a little bit of sightseeing. We stopped for breakfast at Hash Hash a Go Go inside the Linq. We found it to be good food at a reasonable price. We left the car parked at the Linq and went for some brief sightseeing. We primarily visited the Bellagio, Forum Shops at Caesars and found some Flamingos which made for some fun pictures.

After an afternoon in Vegas, we headed to Flagstaff. (I should note that we passed the Hoover Dam, but did not stop. You could easily add this to your itinerary if you desire.) We loved seeing the iconic Route 66 locations along the way. We made a fun stop at a Mr. D's Route 66 Diner for an afternoon treat. We had had an early brunch and were definitely ready for a snack.

We arrived in Flagstaff. We love a mural picture that documents where we have been. This mural can be found on the Lumberyard Brewery.

Flagstaff Mural

Our stay in Flagstaff was at the Drury Inn and Suites. We love Drury hotels for their evening Kickback menu. After a long day of travel, we enjoyed the evening Kickback as our dinner. The breakfast offered at Drury in addition to the evening Kickback menu saves us money every time.

I also made a quick trip to the grocery store. Be aware that if you complete this road trip, there are many areas without access to gas or food. You WILL need to have food and water with you to protect yourself from the heat. We chose to pack a collapsible cooler with us for the trip and we were very pleased with it. The ability for it to collapse into our luggage helped conserve space. We purchased this exact Titan cooler at Walmart. You can also price compare a similar cooler at Amazon.

I chose Fry's for a quick grocery trip in Flagstaff. I primarily shop at Kroger in Indiana and Fry's is an affiliated grocer. This meant that I was familiar with the products and gaining loyalty points was an added bonus. We got some rest and were ready to tackle another day.

Day 2: The next day we fueled up on the Drury breakfast and headed out for some sightseeing. My girls have National Parks Passport books so we wanted to collect as many stamps as possible and see the sights. We checked out the Montezuma Castle National Monument. This was about a 50 minute drive from Flagstaff. It was very unique to see the castle built into the cliff.

Next, we explored Jerome, Arizona. It is known to be a well-known ghost town. It used to be a mining town, but has now become a tourist destination with quirky attractions. We decided to do the self-guided tour of the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town. Our kids panned for gemstones and gold which turned out to be fun experiences. They also had the opportunity to open a geode. All-in-all it was an interesting stop.

Following our stop in Jerome, we knew we wanted to explore Sedona. (Sedona is about a 30 minute drive from Jerome.) We chose to have a late lunch at Mesa Grill. This restaurant is next to the Sedona airport and offers the opportunity for a fun lookout point. The food was great and reasonably priced. We did call ahead for a reservation. After lunch, we took in the sights of Sedona. We also did some window shopping at the Tlaquepaque Art and Shopping Village. My girls loved looking around and the vibes of the open shopping center.

After sightseeing in Sedona, we headed back to Flagstaff. (About a 30 minute drive.)

After a brief rest, we took part in the Drury Kickback and then visited the Lowell Observatory at dusk. We chose to get the membership package as the membership offers reciprocity to other science centers and (most useful to us) the Indiana State Museum. My family enjoyed learning about astronomy and learning about all the telescopes.

Day 3: On the third day, we headed to the Grand Canyon Southern Rim. (About an hour and half from Flagstaff.) We aren't huge hikers, and the height intimidates me. But, we walked the paved rim path and saw the canyon from several viewpoints. We visited the NPS visitor's center and also enjoyed the bookstores and gift shops. Plenty of opportunity to enjoy the vastness even for those who don't venture on a hike.

After our time at the Grand Canyon, we traveled to Best Western Plus at Lake Powell. We enjoyed dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. Try the fry bread!

Day 4: The next day we headed to our tour of the Lower Antelope Canyon. This was the highlight of the trip for me. We booked our tours through Ken's Tours. This was such a fun experience and well worth the splurge.

After finishing our tour in Page, we ventured to see Horseshoe Bend. We also explored Lake Powell and visited the Carl Hayden Visitor's Center to get an NPS stamp.

Horseshoe Bend

We continued on to our stay at the Hampton Inn Kayenta for the evening.

Day 5: The next day we decided to head to Four Corners. On the way, we stopped in Bluff, Utah to see a pioneer settlement at Bluff Fort. This offered a lot of history regarding the early settlements of this area.

Bluff Fort

Four Corners was a fun experience. My family thought this was a fun way to see the scenery and get pictures by each state sign. We had more fry bread at Four Corners so that was a hit!

Once we realized how close we were to Mesa Verde, we decided to take a detour. It was compelling to us to do an activity in Colorado and to add another national park to our NPS Passport books.  I will add that the drive looks closer on the map than it is in actuality. Once you arrive, you must drive up the mountain to see the park. Despite this, we still enjoyed the impromptu detour.

During our travels, we were also able to get some pictures of Monument Valley.

Monument Valley

We ended our day with a stay in Holiday Inn Express Moab. We had a lovely stay here and my girls enjoyed the fun pool with the surrounding red rock! Highly recommend a stay here!

We continued our trip with seeing more National Parks in Utah, but this completed our Arizona leg.

If you want to read more about our Utah portion, click here.

Read about our entire road trip on this post: 50 State Journey-Southwest Road Trip

Follow along for more multi-destination trips at Middle of the Road Mindset.