Grand Canyon Trip

This is a three-day trip to the Grand Canyon going via scenic route

Day 1
Phoenix
US 60 to Wickenburg
North of Wickenburg turn right on AZ-89 [North] to Prescott.
(This whole area was originally mining communities. Was it coal mining? No, but copper, gold, and silver.) You’ll go through Congress (old mining) and Yarnell (old mining). As you drive up the ridge to Yarnell, you notice below the old mining towns of Octave and Stanton.

In the community of Peeples Valley you will pass a huge horse farm on the east side (right)
From Kirkland Junction to Prescott you will climb over the Bradshaw Mountains.
(Now, if I was driving and having done it many times, from Kirkland Junction, I’d go to Kirkland then onto Skull Valley.) Mainly, it is ranch country.

You come to Prescott. Do you know where the first capital of Arizona was? That’s right, Prescott. If you have the time, you can visit Whiskey Row and/or Sharlot Hall Museum.

From Prescott, you continue on AZ-89 North.

Just past the junction with AZ-69 (back to I-17), you will pass the Veteran Administration Hospital. Back in the Indian War days it was the headquarters of the Army in Arizona, known as Whipple Barracks.

Past the Phippen Museum and near the airport, you will come to AZ-89A (North). Go right and head towards Sedona.

You will go up over the mountain range. There are some lookouts. Looking north to Flagstaff and the San Francisco Peaks.

Jerome. Do you know who the town was named after? Would you believe Winston Churchill’s grandfather? Winston’s mom was an American.

From Jerome you drop down into Clarkdale and Cottonwood. If you stop enough times and spend time sightseeing or shopping, you might want to stay in Cottonwood. There should be a number of inexpensive motels and plenty of eating places in Cottonwood.
From Cottonwwood, you continue on AZ-89A North to Sedona. There might be some shopping places on the south side of Sedona, however, the big time area is on the north side of town. You could basically drive to Sedona and spend most of you time here.
You might want to stay in Flagstaff that night..

From Sedona, you will continue on AZ-89A (North) to Flagstaff. It’s only about an hour drive. If you really want to have fun, deep in Oak Creek along the route is Don Houle’s Cabins. I don’t know the cost but she may really be impressed.

Anyway, if you stay in Flagstaff, don’t stay along old US 66. I think near NAU is the best. Do you like to hear train whistle’s night and day. If you don’t care, you can stay anywhere.

Day 2
Flagstaff to Grand Canyon and back to Flagstaff.
From Flagstaff go to the canyon on US 180 (North). You will go by the entrance to the Snow Bowl.

Continue on US-180 to the junction with AZ-64 North. Take AZ-64 North to the Grand Canyon. It should be an 1-1/2 to 2 hour drive. (Depends on sightseeing.) At the canyon, go to the left and go to the main area. Who designed most of the older buildings at the Grand Canyon?

To return to Flagstaff , head eastward on AZ-64. Don’t return the way you came. You want to go to the Grand Canyon’s East Entrance. You have a number of lookouts on the route. However, the Desert View is an area I like. The tower is beautiful and worth the route.

Continue on AZ-64 East to Cameron on the Navajo Reservation. The route goes through he Little Colorado Gorge.

At Cameron and the intersection with US 89. Turn south toward Flagstaff.
About half way to Flagstaff, you will come to several national monuments. They included Wupatki, Painted Desert Vista, and Sunset Crater Volcano.
Return to the place you were staying.

Day 3
Return to Phoenix.
Come back I-17.
The lookout near Mountainaire may be worth the stop. It looks out over the vista toward the Red Rock Country near Sedona to the west.

You come to the Montezume Castle National Monument. Guess how old the cliff dwellings are?

Nearby is Camp Verde. I’d drive to the Fort Verde Historical State Park. You don’t have to visit. Just turn around in the parking lot. It was an old military post during the Indian Wars. Who hasn’t watched cowboy movies when the Indians attacked the post? From the walls around the post, they defended the post. Wait, in real life what is missing at the fort?