Grand Canyon National Park and Sedona
Credit: NPS & Michael Quinn
Credit: Karen Grigoryan
Naomi M., Past Traveler
Credit: NPS/Michael Quinn
Credit: NPS & Michael Quinn
Naomi M., Past Traveler
Trip Type: Small Group Adventure
Territory: North America
Region: Desert Southwest
Trip Price: From $6,995
Single Supplement: $2,000
On-Trip Airfare: $0
Duration: 7 days/6 nights
Trip Begins/Ends: Flagstaff, Arizona / Flagstaff, Arizona
Minimum Travelers: 2 travelers
Maximum Travelers: 16 travelers
Pricing detailed for this Small Group Adventure is based upon double occupancy. Additional charges for single travelers and any on-trip airfare required for the trip apply. A booking deposit is required to reserve your space. Small Group Adventure pricing includes all lodging, meals (unless otherwise noted), activities, baggage handling, transportation, and guide service. Not included are travel costs to/from gateway cities, guide gratuities, and personal incidentals including, but not limited to, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, alcoholic beverages, and laundry service. Travel with Off the Beaten Path requires agreement to our standard Terms & Conditions.
No Sweat - 1-2 miles of walking or hiking per day, plus easy activities
Nice & Active – 3-6 miles of hiking or walking per day, plus physically active exploration
High Five! – 5-10 miles of hiking per day, plus possible peak bagging or other action-oriented fun
The Energy Index for this trip is “Nice & Active” with “No Sweat” elements, at elevations ranging from 4,000 to 7,000 feet. Activities include hiking 1 to 4 miles per day (with elevation gain/loss not typically more than 1,000 feet), and a two-hour 4WD jeep tour.
Most all of our Small Group Adventures can be made private to just your traveling troupe. Just give us a call at (800) 445-2995 and tell us that you would like to “make it private”!
Generally, there are two ways to make a small group adventure private. First, you could capture one of our published departure dates for just your group. In order to achieve this, we have to have sufficient space available to create a separate private trip. Second, we could take the details of this itinerary and fashion it for just your group on dates of your choosing. For this, too, we just need to review your interest, group size, and preferred timing in order to create the trip.
In all cases, the process begins with a phone call so give us a ring at (800) 445-2995 and after just a few minutes gathering information, we can set to the task of making your trip a reality!
Meet your guides and fellow travelers in Flagstaff, Arizona for a welcome dinner.
After breakfast this morning, we're on our way to the Grand Canyon! There are a number of possible stops along the way—short hikes and fascinating natural and geological features—and your guide will choose the best ones for the weather and the group. Arriving at the Grand Canyon, we’ll check in to our hotel rooms. There should be time to relax or take a short stroll along the Rim Trail before dinner.
After breakfast, we don our hiking shoes and hit the trail with our knowledgeable naturalist guide leading the way. There are a number of trail possibilities, each one extraordinary! Your guides will share their knowledge of the area’s natural and human history making for a real insider’s experience of the South Rim and its famous viewpoints and features. In the afternoon, we will have a tour of Kolb Studio located on the edge of the South Rim, which was both the home and photography studio of the famously adventurous Kolb Brothers. Catching the sunset is something of a ritual in the park, and our guide gets us to the best vantage point to enjoy the show. After sunset, we’ll have dinner in a cozy South Rim restaurant.
If you loved the sunset last night, set your alarm for the optional pre-breakfast sunrise photo opportunity. After breakfast we get another full day of exploring and hiking in the park. At day’s end, we’ll catch the last sunset of the year then ring in the New Year with a festive dinner in El Tovar's fantastic dining room.
Happy New Year! We enjoy a hearty Grand Canyon breakfast, relish one more breathtaking view, and head to Sedona. Along the way we stop in Flagstaff for lunch, visit Slide Rock State Park to see a natural waterslide, and enjoy an easy hike along Oak Creek. When we arrive in Sedona we’ll check into our accommodations, then walk to a neighboring restaurant for some delicious southwestern fare. A local astronomer joins us this evening to put stars in our eyes! Through his high-powered telescopes, we’ll view planets and stars and learn about the composition of constellations scattered above.
After breakfast we'll set out on a wonderful hike among the red rock monoliths of Sedona. Back in Sedona we recharge with a hearty lunch at a local restaurant, then venture out on an exciting two-hour jeep tour. Our expedition takes us past some of Sedona’s famous formations, like Bell Rock, Chapel Butte, and the Rock of Gibraltar. This evening at our farewell dinner we’ll find many reasons to raise a glass and toast to a wonderful journey and a great beginning to the New Year!
After breakfast and some last deep breaths of the high desert air, we drive back to Flagstaff for early afternoon flights home.
Nestled in the Ponderosa Pine Forest, this unique lodging brings visitors into the magic of high-desert Arizona. Stretch your travel legs on the forested walking trail and enjoy the easy getaway to the Grand Canyon in the morning.
Located directly on the Rim Trail of the Grand Canyon, and within walking distance of Kolb Studio and the Verkamp's Visitor Center, Thunderbird Lodge is prime choice for guests visiting the Grand Canyon.
The Amara Resort & Spa is a block from Uptown Sedona's shopping and restaurants. The contemporary resort has a restaurant with patio dining, a spa, an infinity pool and hot tub in a garden setting along Oak Creek.
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