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Hiking Arizona (Page and Sedona)

  • shaunnalynn
  • Feb 20, 2023
  • 6 min read

Updated: Feb 26


My Best Friend from College and I had been talking about taking this trip for two years and finally, in Janauary 2023 we went on our Snowy Adventure! Who knew it snowed in Arizona?!?


Day 1 – Arrive in Phoenix, AZ (Tuesday night)


Day 2 – South Rim Grand Canyon & Page, AZ (Wednesday)

  • Wake up early, eat breakfast, and hop in the car to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. This is a 3 hour and 50 minutes drive, but I promise it flies! We saw three different landscapes on our drive.

  • Stop at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and then the Grand Canyon Conservancy Visitor Center Park Store to purchase some souvenirs (ex. short or long sleeve shirts, magnets, hats stuffed animals, toys for kids, etc.)

  • Throw your purchases back in the car and grab that tripod and camera and follow the trail to the Mather Point. This is the most popular viewpoint in South Rim.



  • It had snowed when we were there, so Highway 80 was closed, and we weren’t able to do the below:

    • Hopi View Point

    • Mather Point - at visitors center (most well-known)

    • Grand View Point

    • Desert View- from the Desert Viewpoint it’s about a 2-hour drive to our hotel in Page.

  • Therefore, we had to backtrack a little on our way up to Page, Arizona.

  • Stay at the Hyatt Place-Page/Lake Powell


  • Page, Arizona is a small town in northern Arizona located on the southern shores of magnificent Lake Powell. Thus there are not many restaurant options aside from a Mexican Restaurant, BBQ Restaurant and Brewery.

  • We ate at Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery both nights!

    • www.grandcanyonbrewery.com

    • Great atmosphere, service, drinks, and food. Fried Panco Crusted Pickle Spears with Chipotle Ranch are delish!!! Drink wise, Tiki Blossom (orange blossom vodka, pineapple liqueur, lemon juice, orgeat, tropical red bull)


Day 3 – Monument Valley, UT and Page AZ (Thursday)



  • Grab the continental buffet breakfast downstairs at the hotel and hop in the car for the 2-hour drive to Monument Valley, Utah

    • https://navajonationparks.org/tribal-parks/monument-valley/

  • Go to the Monument Valley Trading Post first, they have authentic handcrafted dream catchers, kachina dolls, pottery, a few t-shirts and magnets.

  • The view is breathtaking, make sure to take a few in panoramic or landscape mode. Don’t forget to always take videos too!

  • Start your drive from the visitors center and go along the loop to stop at:

    • The Mittens and Merricks Butte

    • Elephant Butte

    • 3 sisters

    • John’s Ford Point

    • Camel Butte

    • Totem Pole

    • Artists Point

    • North Window

    • The Thumb




  • After Monument Valley, a little ways up the road you can find the spot where Tom Hanks ran as they filmed Forest Gump

    • Type ‘Highway from Forest Gump Movie’ in your GPS (20-minute drive)

    • Super cool view. The highway has parts where you can pull over to run into the middle of the road and take photos.

On the way back, try to catch Horseshoe Bend around sunset. This is when you will get the best photos. It is about a 1.0 mile hike and 10 minutes away from the Hyatt Place-Page/Lake Powell

  • Make sure to move around to all spots of the area to get different perspectives.

  • *Things we didn’t have time to do, but are also in the area: Toadstool Hoodoos in Kanab and the Sand Caves*










Day 4 – Sedona, AZ, Subway Cave (Friday)



  • Go on the Antelope Canyon Tour (10am -12pm) which is 10 minutes from the Hyatt Place-Page/Lake Powell

  • We had 4 inches of snow the night before, so all National Parks in the area were closed so didn’t get to do Antelope Canyon, but we got an early start on our way to Sedona.

  • Hop back in the car to Sedona, Arizona and drive 3 hours to check in to the Courtyard Marriott Sedona Hotel

  • Once you have checked in, go to Boynton Canyon Trail Sedona and start the hike to Subway Cave

    • The hike to the Subway Cave is 5.3 miles round trip

    • Main things to bring: Trail Running Shoes, Backpack, Water)

      • Clothes in Winter: Hoka Speedgoat 5 Trail Running Shoes, Lululemon Leggings, Thigh High Socks, Long Sleeve Gym Shark Crop, Down Feather Vest, Puffy Coat, Beanie Hat, Gloves

  • Getting to the cave involves pulling yourself up a tight squeeze in the mountain. You have to rock scramble up the sandstone incline, this is the most tedious part of the hike, but take your time cause the views are worth it. The incline ends at the back of the cave. Once you turn around, this is your view.

  • To see the Sinagua Ruins, walk out onto the ledge on the right side, continue around the bend, and the trail continues along the canyon wall.





  • Go back to the hotel, shower and rest a bit and get ready for dinner. We opted for an 8:15pm dinner so we weren’t rushed.

  • Dinner eat at Shorebird Sedona


Day 5 – Sedona, AZ, Birthing Cave and Doe Mountain (Saturday)

Hike #1





  • Wake up a little before sunrise and leave hotel around 6:15am, takes about 15 minutes to get to the Long Canyon Trailhead for Birthing Cave early. This is one of the most photographed caves in Sedona. Parking fills up fast, especially on weekends! This is a 2.0 mile hike roundtrip.

  • Walk 0.6 miles on the Long Canyon Trail

  • Then you will see a wooden fence in front of you. Just before you reach this fence turn left onto an unmarked narrower trail that goes towards the red cliffs.

  • It’s a short hike to get up into the Birthing Cave, definitely wear hiking shoes cause the edges slope and if you want good views and don’t want to slide, wear the hiking shoes with good grip instead of boots.

  • Walk over to the upper left side cave walls to get exquisite views of mountains that look like the Matterhorn at Disney

  • At the backside of the cave there is a small depression/hole, pull yourself up here to get a photo of the entire birthing cave.























Hike #2

  • Afterwards go over to Doe Mountain 1.5 miles roundtrip, views at the top are beautiful, yet moderately challenging as the path is narrow

  • You hike on the backside of the mountain, and we did this after snowfall in the morning. It was very icy and snowy, so be careful and don’t rush.

  • When you get to the top of the mesa, walk to the other side and check out the scenic views




  • Afterwards, you’re done by early afternoon and have the rest of the day to explore beautiful

  • Sedona Restaurants and Shops:

  • Lunch: Creekside American Bistro www.creeksidesedona.com

  • Sunset: Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill www.mariposasedona.com

  • Dinner: Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante https://www.dahlanddiluca.com

  • *Other hikes we didn’t get a chance to do: Merry-Go-Round Rock*


Day 6 – Drive Back to Phoenix and Fly Home (Sunday)

  • Last day, we packed up and grabbed breakfast at the Local Juicery

    • www.localjuicery.com

    • Back to the Basics Waffles - two organic house made gluten-free waffles topped with bananas, berries, and maple syrup

    • Tropics - almond mylk, pineapple, banana, coconut butter, coconut flakes, dates, ginger

  • Make sure a picture of the only Blue McDonald's Arches in the world! The McDonald's was built back in 1993, the blue was picked so it would not impose on any aspect of Sedona's picturesque red landscape, resulting in the pleasant blue arches of this restaurant location.

  • Drive back to Phoenix Airport 2-hours, grab gas before returning the car. A little tip, we dropped our bags off first at curbside check-in, then circled back around to return the rental car. Otherwise, it is a hike to lug your luggage all the way back to luggage check in.

  • Fly home and reminisce on your trip of a lifetime and start planning your next adventure!!

Quick Links to Hotels, Restaurants and Shops

Grand Canyon

Page, Arizona

Sedona, Arizona

  • Hotel: Courtyard Sedona https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/flgcs-courtyard-sedona/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0

  • Breakfast: Local Juicery www.localjuicery.com

  • Lunch: Creekside American Bistro www.creeksidesedona.com

  • Sunset: Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill www.mariposasedona.com

  • Dinner: Shorebird Sedona www.shorebirdca.com

  • Dinner: Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante www.dahlanddiluca.com

Sedona, Arizona Shops:

Packing:

  • Shoes: HOKA Speedgoat 5 Trail Running Shoe Festival Fuchsia/Camellia




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