Arizona: Grand Canyon, Saguaros & Sedona
October 15-20, 2012
This journey highlights Arizona’s premier destination, the Grand Canyon, and teams it up with two equally intriguing landscapes: the Sonoran Desert and Sedona, a small town at the base of Oak Creek Canyon, prized for its red rock monoliths. In October, fall colors bring beauty added beauty, with aspens turning gold on Flagstaff’s San Francisco Peaks, and cottonwoods ablaze in upper and lower reaches of Oak Creek. Join us for to sample some of our favorite terrain in Naturalist Journey’s home state!
ITINERARY
Mon., Oct. 15 Arrival in Phoenix
Please plan to arrive in Phoenix at a time convenient for you, and take the shuttle to our first 
night hotel. Those arriving at the hotel by 3PM can tour the Phoenix Botanical Garden with your guide, while those arriving later can take the airport shuttle and meet the group in the lobby at 6:30PM to go to a favorite local restaurant for your welcome dinner. Once you spot those first signature Saguaro Cacti, it’s a sure sign you’ve landed in Arizona. Residents know that October weather is the best of the year and on a walk at the gardens you’ll see a stunning array of arid land plants from around the world. Here we may find Costa’s Hummingbirds, Cactus Wrens, Gila Woodpeckers, Gilded Flickers and other species.
Accommodations in Phoenix (D)
Tues., Oct. 16 Phoenix / Flagstaff / Grand Canyon
We have a drive today, but few seem to mind and we pass through a fascinating progression of life zones, a term coined by the early naturalist C. Hart Merriam to describe bands of vegetation that form in response to climate and elevation in the southwestern mountains. Our first walk is at Pichacho Peak State Park, where you can get up close and personal with wild Saguaros. Near Flagstaff, we should spot some color in the band of Quaking Aspens that adorn the San Francisco peaks. We have a picnic lunch at the Museum of Northern Arizona, visit their excellent shop of Native American jewelry, arts and crafts as well as exhibits, and then head north to THE canyon. Settle into your accommodations, and we spend the pretty hours of late-afternoon watching light dance on the marvelous layers, monoliths and vastness that can only be seen at Grand Canyon. If we are lucky California Condors will fly overhead en route to their roosts. The trail is a great introduction to the region’s geologic history. Watch sunset, a time-honored tradition here, before dinner.
Accommodations at the Grand Canyon (B,L,D)
Wed, Oct. 17 Grand Canyon National Park
The Canyon is approximately 10 miles wide, and over a mile deep. It records a fantastic geologic history in its vivid panorama. Weathering and erosion have created fantastic buttes and mesas within the canyon, and water and wind have sculptured the canyon walls.
We have the full day to explore Grand Canyon and the numerous excellent vistas available by tram and walking. Spectacular scenery close at hand, but for those watching out for birds, along the rim we should find Black-throated Gray Warblers, Common Ravens, Juniper Titmice, Western Scrub Jays and other species. Mule Deer are quite common here and they like to feed on shrubs at the canyon’s rim. You will have plenty of time for photography, wandering and taking in this famous World Heritage site. End this incredible Southwestern journey with dinner at your choice of restaurants, from a quick cafeteria to the elegant and historic El Tovar.
Accommodations at Grand Canyon National Park (B,L)
Thurs., Oct. 18 Grand Canyon National Park
This morning we linger a bit to enjoy the beauty of sunrise and a short walk ahead of breakfast. Mid-morning we pack up our things and head south to Flagstaff, where we enjoy lunch at a fun local brewpub. There is no shortage of grand scenery today as we venture on to a more intimate, colorful canyon knows as Oak Creek. We descend from the pines through lush oaks and a very diverse forest that lines the canyon floor. Stretch your legs and try some local apples at Slide Rock State Park. Red-naped Sapsuckers and Common Flickers like to feed here and Cedar Waxwings may be checking for ripe berries on native shrubs that line the stream. We stop at several viewpoints as the fantastic rock features of Sedona appear at the mouth of the canyon. We get settled in our accommodations ahead of sunset, and take a short drive out to Dry Creek Road for a panoramic vista. Sedona is known for its fine restaurants, and tonight we chose one we know you’ll enjoy.
Accommodations in Sedona (B,L,D)
Fri., Oct. 19 Sedona / Red Rock State Park / Page Springs Fish Hatchery
We have the full day to enjoy this area, one often featured in movies, television ads and more recently, catalogs advertising spiritual quests among Sedona’s vortices. Whatever your opinion on that may be, Sedona is a magical place. It’s especially so at this time in October, when cottonwood trees are ablaze with color. We have a picnic lunch and enjoy time to explore Red Rock State Park, which holds some of best vistas of the area as well as excellent birding. After lunch you can choose to shop and take in the galleries at Tlaquepaque, with its beautiful hacienda-style architecture, or visit Page Springs Fish Hatchery, one of the best birding spots in the region. Tonight we choose another great restaurant, in a different part of the valley, so you can absorb just a bit more of the beautiful surroundings.
Accommodations in Sedona (B,L,D)
Sat., Oct. 20 Sedona / Departure
We leave red rock country this morning, winding our way back through saguaros and desert vegetation. We plan on arriving back at the Phoenix airport by 10AM for flights out after 11:00AM. Or, we encourage you to continue on with our VINTAGE ARIZONA journey, which offers a great combination of nature and history, taking in Tucson, Bisbee, Tombstone, and several parks and nature preserves of Southeastern Arizona. (B)
