Arizona's classic trip is a loop across the north of the state: the red rocks of Sedona, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the town of Page near Lake Powell and the buttes of Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation. Sedona and the Grand Canyon have their own pages, and the USA page covers sunrise from the Grand Canyon rim and the drive into Monument Valley.
This page helps you choose between them and join them up, and adds three places worth the detour: the Horseshoe Bend overlook outside Page, Canyon de Chelly with a Navajo guide, and the saguaro forests on either side of Tucson, in the south.
Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, near Page
About an hourNo booking needed
Look down on a 270-degree loop of the Colorado River about 1,000 feet below the rim, a short walk from the car park.
What it is
Horseshoe Bend is a 270-degree loop of the Colorado River about 1,000 feet below the rim, in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, roughly 5 miles south of Page.
How to do it
The car park is off US 89 between mileposts 544 and 545; you may not stop or drop anyone off on the highway. The City of Page charges $10 per car and $5 per motorcycle in 2026, cash or card, and America the Beautiful passes are not accepted. From there a wide, accessible 1.5-mile round-trip trail climbs 137 feet, about 20 minutes each way, open from sunrise to sunset.
Good to know
There are two shade shelters on the way but none at the overlook, no water or toilets, and a railing only at the viewing platform, so keep back from the open rim. Drones are not allowed.
See Canyon de Chelly from the rim and with a Navajo guide
Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Chinle
Half a day for the rim drives, a full day with a canyon tourBook ahead
Look down from the rim on a canyon floor where about 40 Navajo families still farm below Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.
What it is
Canyon de Chelly lies entirely on the Navajo Nation, 3 miles east of US 191 at Chinle, and about 40 Navajo families still live and farm on the canyon floor, below cliff dwellings built by Ancestral Puebloans. Entry is free. Two paved rim drives lead to the overlooks: three on the North Rim Drive and six on the South Rim Drive, ending at Spider Rock.
How to do it
Start at the Welcome Center, open 8 am to 5 pm daily in 2026, Navajo Nation time. The North Rim Drive is best in the morning and the South Rim Drive in the afternoon; allow two hours each. The White House Trail, 6 miles along the South Rim, is the only trail open without a guide: 2.5 miles round trip and 600 feet down to the White House ruin.
Good to know
Any other trip into the canyon, by vehicle, on horseback or on foot, needs an authorized Navajo guide and a backcountry permit.
Time needed
Half a day for the rim drives, a full day with a canyon tour
Best time
North Rim Drive in the morning, South Rim Drive in the afternoon
Drive among the giant cacti of Saguaro National Park
Saguaro National Park, Tucson
Half a day per districtNo booking needed
Drive and walk among forests of giant saguaro cactus that can live up to 250 years, past petroglyphs carved centuries ago.
What it is
Saguaro National Park protects forests of the saguaro, the giant cactus of the Sonoran Desert, which can live up to 250 years. It has two districts on either side of Tucson, about 30 miles or 45 to 60 minutes apart. In the Tucson Mountain District to the west, where the saguaros grow densest, a short trail climbs Signal Hill, just north of its picnic area, past more than 200 petroglyphs carved 550 to 1,550 years ago.
How to do it
One $25 vehicle pass covers both districts for seven days in 2026, card only. In the Rincon Mountain District to the east, drive the Cactus Forest Loop Drive and stop at Javelina Rocks for sunset; in 2026 its gates close at 8:30 pm. Tucson is 116 miles southeast of Phoenix.
Good to know
Summer heat is dangerous; the white flowers open from late May to July.
2 to 3 hours for the Valley DriveNo booking needed
Drive a 17-mile dirt loop past the Mittens and Merrick Butte on Navajo Nation land, then see Mystery Valley with a licensed Navajo guide.
What it is
Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park run by the Navajo Nation. The 17-mile Valley Drive loop from the visitor center, past the Mittens and Merrick Butte, is unpaved, rutted and sandy in places. Mystery Valley and several arches off the loop can only be visited with a licensed Navajo guide, which is the main reason to book a tour.
How to do it
Ordinary cars manage the loop in dry weather at the driver's own risk, while motorcycles, RVs and large off-road vehicles are banned from it. Allow two to three hours.
Good to know
The Navajo Nation sets its own entry fees; they rose on 1 January 2026, so check navajonationparks.org for the current amount and hours. Watch the clock: the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time and the rest of Arizona does not, so from March to November the park runs an hour ahead of nearby Arizona towns.
For a first trip of about a week, pick Sedona and the Grand Canyon's South Rim: they are 90 minutes to two hours apart, and each deserves two days. With nine or ten days, carry on to Page for Horseshoe Bend and to Monument Valley, where a night nearby lets you see the buttes at sunrise or sunset. Canyon de Chelly, about three hours from Flagstaff, suits a longer loop through the Navajo Nation. Petrified Forest National Park sits on Interstate 40 near Holbrook, with a 28-mile road through it between exit 311 and Highway 180. The saguaro forests around Tucson, in the south, suit a separate winter trip.
How to combine them
From Phoenix Sky Harbor, drive 113 miles north to Sedona, about two hours on Interstate 17, then 114 miles on to the South Rim. Leave the park east along Desert View Drive: the East Entrance is 25 miles from Cameron, on the Navajo Nation, where US 89 runs north to Page and Horseshoe Bend. From Page, SR 98 and US 160 cross the Navajo Nation to Kayenta, and Monument Valley is about 20 miles north on US 163. Head back to Phoenix through Flagstaff, or detour to Canyon de Chelly at Chinle, about five hours from Phoenix. From Las Vegas, the South Rim is 278 miles away via Kingman and Williams, so run the loop the other way round; between mid-May and November you can start at the North Rim instead, 111 miles from Page.
Getting around
You need a car. Without one, Groome Transportation shuttles reach Sedona from Phoenix Sky Harbor and the South Rim from Flagstaff, but the rest of the loop is far easier to drive. On the Navajo Nation, phone signal and GPS are unreliable, so carry an offline map and stay on paved roads. Page's small airport has flights from Las Vegas and Phoenix. Fees add up: the Grand Canyon charges $35 per vehicle plus, in 2026, $100 per non-US resident aged 16 and over unless you hold the $250 nonresident annual pass; Saguaro charges $25 per vehicle; Horseshoe Bend parking costs $10 and takes no national park passes; Monument Valley, a Navajo Tribal Park, has its own fee; and Canyon de Chelly is free.
When to go
Spring and autumn suit the whole loop. Summer brings extremes: shade temperatures inside the Grand Canyon often pass 100°F (38°C), the low desert around Phoenix and Tucson is dangerously hot, and from July to September monsoon storms bring lightning and flash floods. Winter is the season for Saguaro and the south, while snow can fall on the South Rim and in Sedona, and the Grand Canyon's North Rim is closed to traffic from 1 December to 14 May. Mind the clock: from March to early November the Navajo Nation, Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly included, runs an hour ahead of the rest of Arizona.
Questions travellers ask
How many days do you need for an Arizona road trip?
In must30's view, a week covers Sedona and the Grand Canyon from Phoenix with time to hike, and nine or ten days complete the loop through Page and Monument Valley. Give Sedona and the Grand Canyon two days each, Page one and Monument Valley at least one night. Add two days for Canyon de Chelly, or for Tucson and Saguaro in the south.
Does Arizona observe daylight saving time?
Most of Arizona does not: it has stayed on Mountain Standard Time all year since 1968. The Navajo Nation does, so from March to early November Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly are an hour ahead of Page, the Grand Canyon and Sedona. The Hopi Reservation, surrounded by Navajo land, does not change its clocks, so check which time a tour or a ticket quotes.
Should you fly into Phoenix or Las Vegas for the Grand Canyon?
Phoenix if you want Sedona on the way: it is about two hours from Sky Harbor, and the South Rim is another 90 minutes to two hours. Las Vegas suits a trip that adds the North Rim or the Utah parks, but the South Rim is 278 miles from it. Flying into one and out of the other saves driving the same road back.
When is the best time to visit Arizona?
Spring and autumn suit the northern loop: comfortable hiking at the Grand Canyon and Sedona, and the North Rim open from mid-May to November. For Phoenix, Tucson and Saguaro, go between autumn and spring, because summer heat in the low desert is dangerous. Summer works on the high rims with early starts, but July to September is monsoon season.
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