Category: American West

The destination that drew us to Arizona was the Grand Canyon; that is the original reason that we began planning a trip out west. However, when mapping out our trip to the Grand Canyon State, we had no idea how much we’d fall in love with Sedona. Beautiful photos fill web pages all over the internet, but they certainly don’t deliver justice to this unique desert town. Windy roads looped through steep canyon walls, and picturesque red rock buttes towered above and beyond as far as we could see. Tall pines dotted the mountains, giving the red rocks splashes of dark green. Trails branched off along the two lane highways, leading to even more spectacular rock formations, deep canyons, and cozy pine forests.

If you have ever hiked in Arizona, you probably know that the weather can sometimes be extremely erratic. Mix in the differing elevations and you’ve got yourself a big ball of unpredictability. At one point, we were driving through Flagstaff, a flurry of snowflakes blowing around us like a shaken snow globe; an hour later, we were deep in the Grand Canyon, sun shining overhead and temperatures rising, not a single snowflake resting on the ground. A blanket of snow covered the mountaintops while sauna-like heat filled the canyons down below.

When I first laid eyes on the Grand Canyon, tears crept into my eyes and threatened to spill over. Not only because I was fulfilling a dream, but because a sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of the world washed over me in a tumultuous wave and overtook my emotions. I was in literal awe at my surroundings, and the sight of the deep canyons took my breath away. The pictures that I saw didn’t do the canyons justice, and though I worked hard to make sure my photos would help engrave the memories in my brain, I knew that I wouldn’t need a picture to remember the sights that I saw that week. The deep, wide canyons are forever etched in my memory bank.

Many ask us what travel agent we go through or who plans our vacation itineraries. The answer is simply, “Us!” If we were embarking on an international adventure, we may hire a travel agent to assist us, but for the most part, we love planning everything ourselves! So you may wonder what goes into the planning process, and the answer is lots and lots of thorough research. Though we love spontaneity and truly believe it adds an important element to adventure, cross-county road trips call for a “bit” of planning! Our research process includes scrolling through photos, internet articles, and recommendations on blogs and travel sites. My wife and I typically research separately, jotting down each of our favorite trails, sights, adventure ideas, etc. We then compare our lists and create a compilation of our ideas, sometimes omitting or adding things along the way. Arizona was definitely our biggest trip to date. By “big,” I mean it involved the most planning. We strategically booked hotels, flights, and excursions, filling in trails and parks into our itinerary. After months of planning, we finally had our dream vacation finalized. If you are planning a trip to Arizona and want some hiking ideas or inspiration for your planning process, here was our paraphrased 8-day itinerary!