Arizona Winter Road Trip Itinerary

When most people think of traveling in the winter, they flock to one of two places. There are the people who book their flights to the sunshine and the warmth where they will find beaches and the ocean breeze. And then there is the exact opposite type of person who rushes out to the slopes, the snow, and the mountains. But going against the grain and finding somewhere with moderate winter temperatures, smaller crowds, and beautiful landscapes is exactly what Arizona has to offer its winter tourists.

My road trip through Arizona was both my first road trip and my first solo trip. Planning the perfect first road trip and solo trip took a lot of research and planning. Here is an itinerary of my December trip.

Day 1 – Phoenix and drive to Monument Valley
The first day was a day full of being on the move. I caught an early flight from DC to Phoenix to get a good start on the trip. There is no road trip without a car so the first stop was getting a rental car straight from the airport and heading off. Before driving to my first destination I took a pit stop to get some snacks and drinks for the trip (Twizzlers are my go-to road trip snack) and also stopped for my first experience of In-N-Out Burger since they are severely lacking a presence on the east coast (can’t say I prefer them to Five Guys but they’re up there!). The rest of the daylight was spent driving north through the state to get to Monument Valley.

Driving Time: 5 hours

Where to stay: I stayed at Goulding’s Lodge which is right over the state line in Utah. I stayed here because John Wayne and John Ford would stay here when they shot old Westerns in Monument Valley. Goulding’s Lodge also has a museum, a small gift shop, and a restaurant where I had dinner on this night. Prices were almost the same for this hotel as it was to the View Hotel which is pretty much the only other option around. The View Hotel is closer to the more famous buttes and includes the $20 admission to the Navajo Tribe Park. They also have a gift shop and restaurant.

Estimated costs for the day: Besides the flight and rental car, I paid for my road trip snacks, lunch, dinner, and gas. The total was around $40 for just these things.

Day 2 – Monument Valley and drive to Page
Something I made sure to do every day during this trip was wake up super early before the crack of dawn. I am no early riser but traveling in the winter makes for shorter days meaning less hours to go out and see things. Take advantage of every bit of sunlight you can! I first checked out the Goulding’s Lodge museum which was filled with memorabilia and photos from all the westerns filmed in the area and then headed off to Forrest Gump Point… you know, where Forrest Gump ended his coast-to-coast run.

After getting the obligatory shots of Forrest Gump Point, it was time to head over to the reservation for the horseback tour. Getting to this point does require paying the reservation fees for the Navajo Tribe Park (included if you stay at the View Hotel). Although many either come in to do the 17-mile scenic drive or to walk around a bit, I chose to do a 3-hour horseback riding tour (my first time ever on a horse too!). For me, I don’t think there was any better way to see Monument Valley, and I got lucky being the only one on my tour which I think is fairly common in the winter!

The last stop in Monument Valley was lunch at the View Hotel and then off to Page before sunset. I arrived in Page around 4pm and immediately went to Horseshoe Bend. I waited about 30 to 40 minutes just to get a parking spot because the parking lot is extremely small and the site is tremendously popular especially at sunset. The hike up to the overview takes about 10 minutes or so. The view here was incredible, but I strongly do not recommend going here if you are afraid of heights. Only a portion of the overlook is gated and it’s a huge drop down into the Colorado River from there.

Driving Time: 2 hours

Where to stay: There are quite a few places to stay in the town of Page. I stayed at the Days Inn which happened to be the nicest place I stayed this entire trip and also the cheapest. It was across the street from a Walmart but also just a quick 5 minute drive to both Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon. If you would like to stay at a higher end hotel, be prepared to stay a bit out of town closer to Lake Powell.

Estimated costs for the day: $150. The horseback riding tour was the priciest item for today’s agenda going at about $120. The rest of the day was spent on lunch and gas. This came out to a total of about $30.

Day 3 – Antelope Canyon, Page and the Grand Canyon
First thing on the day 3 agenda was Antelope Canyon in Page. There are two entrances to Antelope Canyon, named Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon. Based on what I read, Lower Antelope Canyon seemed like the better option for me as it was a more extensive look into the canyon. Lower Antelope Canyon is the more adventurous route and does require you to climb and crawl places to get into the canyon, whereas Upper Antelope Canyon is more accessible.

From there, there was about a two-hour long drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (the North Rim is closed in the winter). This was the strangest drive because I was taken on a very strange backroad. As much as I love the Waze navigation app, it had me on a path where I avoided tolls. Well, Waze considered National Park admission a toll. So I took the road less traveled through Kaibab National Forest and 14 miles later ended up on some side road in the actual park. My rental car got pretty dirtied up on this multi-terrain excursion. This mini excursion of mine saved me time getting to the park ,but I don’t recommend this route because I was out in the middle of nowhere for awhile and I didn’t pay my park fees (since I have an annual park pass, I felt less guilty about this). So the lesson learned here is don’t let Waze take you down the weird road through Kaibab Forest.

Once I dangerously entered the park, I checked into my hotel at the Yavapai Lodge. Although more expensive, staying within the park allowed for easy access to all parts of the South Rim. I checked out the visitor center and headed over to the Yavapai Geological Museum which was recommended as a great spot to watch the sunset and a perfect way to end my day.

Driving Time: 2 hours through Kaibab Forest or 2.5 hours through Grand Canyon East Entrance

Where to stay: The best place to stay while visiting the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is within the park itself in the Grand Canyon Village. This will give you the easiest access to the park while most other hotels are farther away from the park. There are a few options between the Xanterra and Delaware North lodgings, the two hotel companies within the park. The Yavapai Lodge was the cheapest option when I booked my room.

Estimated costs for the day: $100 (includes park pass). The Antelope Canyon tour with Dixie Ellis Lower Antelope Canyon cost around $50 but included the Navajo nation permit fee, which is required to enter the canyon. If I had gone through the park entrance, my vehicle fee would have been $35 and covered my visit for seven days. (Another option is the America the Beautiful – Annual Park Pass which costs $80.) The rest of the day was spent on food and gas.

Day 4 – Grand Canyon and Phoenix
This day I started off with another early morning to get a front row seat for the sunrise in the canyon. This is an absolute must and cannot be missed when visiting the Grand Canyon. I was recommended by staff at my hotel to watch the sunrise at Mather Point which is near the visitor center and very easily accessible. I recommend this point because you get a better view of the entire canyon than anywhere else on the south rim (you see a fourth of the park just from this point). I would also recommend for sunrise points heading a bit more west from there to Hopi Point or more east over to Yaki Point, which leads to a great hike to wrap up the visit: the South Kaibab Trail. This trail goes into the canyon and takes a bit of exertion. I would consider this a medium range hike. Through this hike you’ll reach a point appropriately called “Ooh-Aah Point” which may evoke a few oohs and aahs.

Just before leaving the park on the way back to Phoenix, I stopped by one more lookout point at the Desert View and Watchtower. This is a fantastic place to get views of both where the canyon starts and of the Colorado river which you can’t see at most other view points.

Driving Time: 4 hours

Estimated costs for the day: $50. Everything spent today was on the usual necessities: food and gas.

Other stops to consider when booking an Arizona road trip:
Sedona – to get lost in the red rocks of Arizona
Petrified Forest National Park – to visit another one of Arizona’s National Parks
Flagstaff – to get the best of Arizona’s breweries and a southwest college scene