We recently got back from our Spring Break trip to Arizona and Nevada, and completely fell in love with Northern Arizona. While our trip was short, we were able to fit in quite a bit of activities, and I wanted to share our favorites with you.

Exploring Flagstaff

When booking our Airbnb, we wanted a budget friendly area that was still in the heart of Northern Arizona. We settled on Flagstaff and fell in love the moment we arrived! This sleepy mountain town has everything from adorable thrift shops, to quaint restaurants, and old Route 66 charm. Each morning we stumbled into a new coffee shop and had a delicious breakfast to-go before hiking. Even though we only spent two nights there, I would highly recommend making Flagstaff your “home base” when navigating northern AZ.

Hiking in Sedona

Hiking is something we discovered we loved while on our honeymoon in Iceland, so Sedona was at the top of our list! Since we had a limited amount of time there, we researched hikes prior to our trip and picked the two that seemed the most do-able.

Bell Rock

The Bell Rock trail was our first stop in Sedona. This was an easy and short hike, perfect for beginners and families! With 360 views of Sedona’s famous red rocks, this trail did not disappoint.

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Devil’s Bridge

Devil’s Bridge was a longer trail, but well worth it! As an amateur hiker, I’d say the difficultly was medium to hard (mostly because it was longer, had uneven terrain and required more than one bottle of water per person). But if you have 2-4 hours to do this hike, I wouldn’t skip it! Online reviewers said they waited over 40 minutes to get a picture on the bridge, but we didn’t experience that at all! Everyone on the hike was very nice, went quickly when getting their photos and were willing to take pictures for you. We loved it!

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Antelope Canyon

While Antelope Canyon is a good three hours from Sedona, I would highly recommend checking it out! The canyon is protected by the Navajo Tribe, so you need to book a tour with a guide in advance. The natives are amazing, and they share all of the great photo-ops during the tour, our guide even took some pictures for us because she knew the perfect angle!

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Pro tip: When booking our trip, I didn’t realize that you actually need a guide to enter the canyon, so tickets were scarce! We managed to find tickets last minute, but I would highly recommend booking a month in advance. (Unless you are very skilled at photography, the standard tour of the Upper Antelope Canyon will be perfect!)

The Grand Canyon

Last, but certainly not least, on our list was the Grand Canyon! We drove to the southern rim just before sunset and were able to go to several lookouts before dark. Simply put, it was, well, GRAND! Spectacular views from every lookout point, and not as crowded as I would have thought for sunset. The temps dropped pretty fast, and we needed to bundle up before we hopping out of the car. But, the heavy winds were 100% worth gazing at something so iconic.

Overall, we loved Northern Arizona. So much so, that we already plan on bring our future kids there for a long family vacation. Its sleepy mountain towns, gorgeous views and incredibly refreshing lifestyle were something to marvel at.

Planning a trip to Arizona soon? (I’d highly recommend it!) Let me know if you have any questions below! 🙂