After just over three weeks of my parents joining us from the UK on our road trip, it was time for us to make our final stop with them – Flagstaff, AZ.
This was originally the main purpose of their trip over here as they wanted to visit the Grand Canyon. There were so many other things we wanted them to see though that we had them join us for a month so that they could also visit all five of Utah’s National Parks and spend a week in New Mexico.
Due to when my parents had to fly back to England, we could only fit in five days in Flagstaff. Despite not having very long there, we managed to experience a lot of fun stuff. Some of those activities were things Shae and I had done before and wanted to share with my parents, while others were completely new to us too.
Here’s everything we did during this latest trip to Flagstaff, AZ.
Where We Stayed
Due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon, hotels are expensive in Flagstaff. Seeing as there were four of us, we decided to book this two bedroom Airbnb instead which turned out to be a great choice. It was a nice property that gave us the space and amenities we needed during our time there.
Shout out to our host and his neighbors for being helpful after our stay too. After checking out and driving 2.5 hours down to Phoenix, AZ for their flight home the next day, we realized that we left one of my parents’ cases back at the Airbnb. This contained several gifts for family back home so we didn’t want to write it off, but the prospect of having a 5+ hour round trip drive that evening to pick it up wasn’t enticing either!
Thankfully two things worked in our favor. I remembered that I was due to drive via Flagstaff a few days later as we were heading up to Salt Lake City for a couple of weeks. Shae and I are also visiting the UK this summer, so we realized I could pick up the case and then we could bring it over a few months later. The host wasn’t going to be available the afternoon I was due to drive back through, so he left the case with a neighbor so that I could pick it up from them.
What We Did
Horseshoe Bend
On our way from Kanab, UT to Flagstaff, AZ we stopped off at Horseshoe Bend, a picturesque spot on the Colorado River that you’ve probably seen in photos before. I’d imagined it being an overlook by the side of the road, but it’s more of a destination in its own right (with a $10 parking fee for cars and RVs) that has a trail leading down to it.
Cathedral Rock
The day after we got into Flagstaff was my birthday, so I got to choose what we’d do that day. I’d loved our hike up to Cathedral Rock in Sedona last year, so the four of us – and our dog Truffles – went hiking up there.
To be honest, I was a little concerned about this hike because Shae and I had done it before and knew what was involved. It’s a fairly strenuous hike which involves a decent amount of clambering over rocks. My parents are in great shape, but with my mum being in her 70s and my dad in his 80s, I didn’t know how easy (or more like how hard) it would be.
They did an amazing job though. Despite a couple of particularly tricky sections, they didn’t give up, pressed on and made it all the way to the top.
Grand Canyon
The main location my parents had wanted to see on this trip was the Grand Canyon, so the following day we all took a trip there. It’s a bit of a drive from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, so we brought Truffles along with us too.
Shae is currently training for RAGBRAI and wanted to cycle along one of the roads where you’re not able to drive. I rented a bike to join her and we set off on a 20 mile round trip bike ride to Hermits Rest.
My parents meanwhile wandered along the Rim Trail with Truffles seeing as that’s pet-friendly. Shae and I had done that stretch of the Grand Canyon a couple of times before, so it was nice getting to bike further into the park to see the Grand Canyon from different vantage points.
While it was good getting to see different parts of the park, all four of us agreed that we preferred Canyonlands National Park to Grand Canyon National Park. Having said that, we’ve not gotten to hike down into the Grand Canyon yet, so if and when we do that I’m sure we’ll have a new appreciation for its beauty.
Devil’s Bridge
We’d had a busy week leading up to that point, so the day after the Grand Canyon we had a bit of a rest day. The day after that it was time to get going again as we headed back down to Sedona to hike up to Devil’s Bridge, a natural bridge you can walk out on that provides stunning vistas. We’d hiked up there last year and wanted to return with my parents so they could experience its beauty too.
Slide Rock State Park
After hiking up to Devil’s Bridge, we decided to make a stop on the way back up to Flagstaff. We’d had several people recommend Slide Rock State Park to us before, so we didn’t want to take another trip to Sedona and miss out on that.
Slide Rock State Park is named that way because it has the narrow Oak Creek running through it, with smooth rock acting like natural water slides.
Dogs are allowed in Slide Rock State Park, but they’re not allowed down by the water. My dad kindly offered to walk her around on the trail above the creek while Shae, my mum and I went slipping and sliding.
The water was still frigid because we visited at the beginning of May which meant it was a case of one and done for me and my mum. Shae ended up going back down a second time so that she could take the GoPro with her; I’d love to have done it again as it was fun, so we’ll hopefully return one day when the water’s a little warmer!
We’ll be sharing more about Slide Rock State Park in a separate post in the coming days, so stay tuned for that as it’ll include videos of us sliding down!
What We Ate & Drank
Sedonuts
Before hiking up to Cathedral Rock on my birthday, we had breakfast at Sedonuts. Shae had discovered it when she visited Sedona for a friend’s birthday last year and it wasn’t hard to see why she wanted me to experience it too as their donuts are delicious.
Cream & Cake Couture
Somewhere else Shae had discovered on her previous trip to Sedona was Cream & Cake Couture, a bakery that has all kinds of great treats. They have really cute cactus-decorated cupcakes that not only look great but are also very rich and tasty despite being vegan.
Spirits & Spice
We were far from being done on my birthday. Next up was a trip to Spirits & Spice, a store selling, as the name suggests, craft spirits and spices. They had all kinds of interesting whiskeys in there and I got a couple of bottles courtesy of Shae dad and stepmom.
Open Range Grill & Tavern
For dinner that night we ate at Open Range Grill & Tavern (also in Sedona) as their menu looked good and they had pet-friendly outdoor seating. The food was nice enough, but way overpriced for what it was – this was $30.99:
The view from our table outside was lovely though.
The Toasted Owl
We visited Flagstaff a couple of times last year and both times we ate at The Toasted Owl because their food is incredibly tasty. As a result, we wanted to take my parents there for breakfast.
The only morning we had available to do that was a Sunday; that meant there was an extra long wait for a table. It was well worth it though – I ordered the same thing I’d ordered in the past (Spanish omelette) and then we got a couple of their delicious cinnamon rolls to go.
Final Thoughts
Flagstaff is a great place to visit, but the best part of it is that it’s only a relatively short drive to Sedona. We had a lot of fun there in the last few days before my parents had to fly back to the UK.
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