I’m sure if I told you that Tom and I had discussed buying a van and converting it into a home on wheels so we could gallavant around the world freely, it wouldn’t come across as all that surprising. Pretty sure it’s the hippy dream that crosses the minds of most people who enjoy travelling extensively, especially if you’re like me, and are addicted to campervan life tiktok accounts.
Tom’s parents spend a few months of the Canadian winter snowbirding in Arizona, so we decided to escape the cold for a bit and head down to the sun. (Don’t worry, this post is long overdue and all travel was completed pre-Covid).
We weren’t going to be spending much time in Phoenix, since we were going to be finally partaking in our camper van dreams. We had big plans for our Arizona roadtrip, with hikes in Sedona, sunrise viewpoints, and the Grand Canyon topping our bucketlist.
First things first, for any successful Arizona roadtrip, you’re going to need wheels. In my search for a campervan rental in Phoenix, I came across Escape Campervans. They just so happened to have a ridiculous special on for off-season travel. The Maverick was 30 dollars a day, versus the usual 100 bucks a night. We were sold. The grand total for our long weekend adventure came in at a whopping 105 USD, an absolute steal of a deal.
Now that we had the camper van figured out, it was time for a trip itinerary. The game plan was to head out to Sedona for a few days of hiking in Red Rock State Park, and then the Grand Canyon for a little hike down into the canyon and a major bucketlist check.
We picked up our Escape Campervan from downtown Phoenix, and obviously had to stop at In-n-Out before hitting the highway. 99% of the time I try to support small local spots, but my excitement at In-N-Out animal style burgers and Chipotle burritos seriously cannot be beat. It’s the Canadian in me.
Seeing as Escape Campervans have a fairly solid kitchen setup, we stocked up at Trader Joe’s before we left Phoenix. It took a bit longer than we expected, since if I was going to number my favourite things on the planet, Trader Joe’s would come in number one, two, and three. For the most part I can accept that the majority of cool American things are impossible to get in Canada, but Trader Joe’s being MIA north of the border is always going to be a sore spot.
After our In-N-Out and Trader Joe’s excursion we hit the road for Sedona, arriving just in time for sunset. We went to Airport Mesa (along with half the town it seemed), to catch the last rays of light over the Redrocks. If we had arrived earlier there’s a loop you can follow, but seeing as we were pushing it to make it for sunset, we just hightailed it up there and hopped out of the van and ran.
We wanted to be at Devil’s Bridge for sunrise, so we parked our van in the parking lot of Mescal Trailhead the night before. There were no posted signs forbidding it, and my google searches weren’t helpful in figuring it out, but when we drove up there was another camper van there already, so we took it as a good sign.
The second morning of our Arizona roadtrip we woke up in the dark to head towards the trailhead for sunrise. A 7 km in and out hike, Devil’s Bridge is a large natural sandstone arch in the Coconino National Forest. The Devil’s Bridge is one of the most iconic hikes in the Red Rocks National Park in Sedona.
It’s a fairly easy hike, with the first kilometre or so from the Mescal Trailhead on a gravel road, and then the trailhead leads into the forest. The elevation gain is minimal, with the last little bit up the steep rock steps until you reach Devil’s Bridge.
Along the way to Devil’s Bridge there are different viewpoints to stop at, but I definitely recommend getting to Devil’s Bridge before sunrise. We lucked out and it wasn’t crowded when we arrived, since we heard it could be an hour wait to walk across the arch at busy times.
On the hike down we took our time and stopped at the viewpoints we hustled past on the way up. We couldn’t wait to get back down to the van, since at this point we were running on a banana + granola bar each, and couldn’t wait to whip up some breakfast burritos from the back of our van.
After a 5 star breakfast a la chef Tom, we hit the road for the next hike on our list (with only two days in Sedona, we were running a tight schedule). Up next? Bell Rock Pathway Trail. The Bell Rock Pathway is a bit less of a hike and more of a leisurely 6 kilometre stroll, but there’s stunning views of Bell Rock. It wasn’t really what we were expecting, but it was nice to take it easy for a bit!
The Bell Rock Pathway is entirely exposed, and the Sedona sun gets HOT in the afternoon. Such a change up from the early morning chill. So, post Bell Rock Pathway stroll we were ready for a couple pints and a bit of shade. That’s the whole point of hiking isn’t it? The after hike beers?
We headed to Sedona Beer Co and tried a couple of their in-house brewed beers, and shared a mac and cheese. Beers under an umbrella in Sedona Beer Co.’s back garden was the perfect way to cool off for an hour. Despite the fact that we were in Sedona in February, it was unbelievably hot (during the day, at least).
For sunset we headed to Doe Mountain Trail, where google had informed us that the sunset over the forest and the 360 views of Sedona were amazing. We arrived a bit later than we anticipated, so we hustled to get to the top of the mountain before the sun had entirely set.
At the top of Doe Mountain there’s a small trail that winds it’s way around the mesa, but it was fairly quiet when we were up there. People tend to flock to Cathedral Rock or Airport Mesa for sunset, but the sun setting over the forest with the red rocks lit up in the background, was worth the hustle.
The sun finished setting around 6, so we headed down the mountain and headed to Elote, in the hopes that we would be able to get in. Elote serves Mexican / South West cuisine, and is the bell of the ball in terms of Sedona restaurants. Elote doesn’t take reservations, and the line up to get a table starts at 4:30. We lucked out and got on the list with only an hour wait. We didn’t mind waiting at all, Elote has tajin spiced popcorn and jalapeno pineapple margaritas.
We were in line next to a group of 4 made up of a couple our age and her parents, who pulled up to Elote in two Escape Camper Vans the same time as us. We ended up having a drink with them while we all waited for our tables, and turns out the couple had a trip planned to Calgary in a few weeks time. We told them we’d take them on a brewery tour when they got to Calgary (voice from the future, they came to Calgary we went on a brewery crawl and to my favourite restaurant for dinner, and it was so much fun).
Distance from Sedona to Grand Canyon National Park – 114 miles
Time – 2 hours
Grand Canyon Permit Fee – $35: Good for one private vehicle and it’s passengers. The pass is valid for 7 days.
So, we showed up to at the Grand Canyon South Rim on the heels of a massive snowstorm. Want to know what the Canadians thought they were leaving behind in Alberta when the plane took off for Arizona? Having to factor snowstorms into the daily itinerary. Probably should of done a bit more research into the weather at the Grand Canyon in February.
Sedona can get pretty chilly once the sun goes down, but it had been pretty cozy in pjs and with the blankets, so we booked a campsite at the Grand Canyon for the night (no overnight parking in Grand Canyon Village), and I’m not going to lie, it didn’t even cross my mind to check the weather.
We stayed at Mather Campground – the only campground located inside the Grand Canyon National Park South Rim. We arrived at Mather Campground in the evening to get ourselves situated, and were met with a MOUNTAIN of snow. Our dreams of having a cozy campfire evening were extremely squashed. We bundled up in everything we had with us, and cooked a quick meal in our trusty mini-kitchen, and then played cards in the van for the rest of the night.
If you’re looking for more information on any of the available hikes at Grand Canyon, or want to see all the cool topographical info about the Grand Canyon, head to the visitor centre. Unfortunately, while we were there, most of the trails down into the canyon were closed due to the snow. Bright Angel Trail was the only trail open, but hiking it required crampons.
We tossed around the idea of purchasing crampons, but our sunrise visit to the viewpoint at Yavapai had us on the fence. Someone (an idiot), had hopped the railing for a photo, and slipped on a patch of hidden ice. They didn’t go over the edge, but visions of us slipping off the trail into the Grand Canyon were enough to deter us from hitting the trails.
It’s okay though. There are other ways to see the Grand Canyon besides hiking down into the heart of it, (however, if you’re there when the trails are open and there wasn’t a blizzard 24 hours ago, I recommend it).
If you can’t hike down into the canyon, take a drive/stroll/bike ride along Hermit Road. This 7 mile / 11 km scenic route runs along the western portion of the Grand Canyon South Rim. There are nine view points along the route, so it’s up to yourself how you want to see them.
If you’re visiting the Grand Canyon from December – February, you can drive your own vehicle down Hermit Road. There’s parking available at different viewpoints.
Hermit Road is closed to private traffic and is only accessible via the Grand Canyon official shuttle buses from March 1st – November 30th.
Hermit Road shuttle bus information, here.
7 miles is a fair distance to cover on foot, but on bike it’s a pretty fun ride. There are bike rentals available (weather dependent) in Grand Canyon Village at Bright Angel Bicycles (it’s in the same little area as the visitor centre).
This is the reason you’re here, right? It would be an absolute travesty to make it all the way here and not check out the Grand Canyon for sunrise. Even if you’re there in the summer, pre-sunrise it’s chilly out. Make sure to wear a few layers, and if you have the means to make it before you go, coffee. If you’re like us and pushed waking up for the Grand Canyon sunrise until the last second, coffee afterwards is always an option.
The points closest to Grand Canyon Village with the best sunrise views are:
Extremely close to the Visitor Center, Mather Point would be your best bet if you want to sleep in as long as possible but still catch sunrise. The visitor center shares it’s parking with Mather Point, and then it’s just a short walk to the viewpoint. Mather Point does get crowded since it’s the easiest to access from Grand Canyon Village, but if you walk a little away from the crowds you can find a quiet spot to yourself.
We went to Yavapai to watch sunrise our morning at the Grand Canyon. There is a parking lot at Yavapai Point, and spots being available for sunrise is a pretty sure guarantee, which is always nice at 4:30 in the morning. Yavapai offers unobstructed views of the North Rim’s Bright Angel Canyon, and as the sun rises it lights the red rocks of the canyon on fire. It was a beautiful spot to spend the morning, bundled up watching the colors slowly cross the sky and bleed into the canyon.
International flights fly into Phoenix Sky Harbour International airport.
The Escape Campervan depot is located at 1626 E Jefferson St.
If you’re heading to Escape Campervans to pick up your van directly from Phoenix Airport, your best bet is to get an Uber/Lyft. The Escape Campervans office is 3 miles from the airport, which is easy in an Uber, but a fairly sweaty hour long walk with your bags.
If you’re looking to go the public transit route, when you leave the airport head to the Washington St & 44th St Station. From there:
Bus – Take the #1 Central+Van Buren bus to Washington St & 16th Street. The bus fare is $2 and the buses don’t give change.
Rail – Take the rail to the 19th Ave/Dunlap stop. The rail fare is $2.
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