I’m planning a March trip to AZ with me and my young adult sons. Not for “training” but planning lots of slowtwitch’y’ activities, hiking, trail running and MTB. Also good food and beer will be key. Anyone with thoughts on staying in Flagstaff vs Sedona ? The tentative itinerary is hiking, MTB and maybe drive to the Grand canyon to hike towards the river, but NOT rim to river in a day.
so I could stay in FLG, drive to Sedona to hike, MTB in FLG, drive to GC . It “seems” like the food scene in FLG is better.
-OR-
Stay in Sedona for all of it and maybe drive to the Grand canyon
From what I can gather there aren’t bad choices, but I wanted the wisdom of ST !
I’m planning a March trip to AZ with me and my young adult sons. Not for “training” but planning lots of slowtwitch’y’ activities, hiking, trail running and MTB. Also good food and beer will be key. Anyone with thoughts on staying in Flagstaff vs Sedona ? The tentative itinerary is hiking, MTB and maybe drive to the Grand canyon to hike towards the river, but NOT rim to river in a day.
so I could stay in FLG, drive to Sedona to hike, MTB in FLG, drive to GC . It “seems” like the food scene in FLG is better.
-OR-
Stay in Sedona for all of it and maybe drive to the Grand canyon
From what I can gather there aren’t bad choices, but I wanted the wisdom of ST !
This response is coming to you from my living room in Sedona (where we had another beautiful, sunny, fall day today)…
If the beer scene is the highest priority, stay in Flag and drive down to Sedona.
Slight nod overall to the food scene in Flag, but not by as much as you’d think. Sedona restaurant scene punches way above its weight for a town of less than 10K residents. Lots of wealthy tourists == robust restaurant scene. Over the course of a week or so vacation, I doubt you’d find a significant different in food scene between Flag and Sedona. That being said, reservations are probably more important in Sedona overall than in Flag (except at the pointy end of the market).
Travel between Flag and Sedona can be a bit of a pain in the ass right now. You either take 89A thru Oak Creek Canyon (shorter distance, but slower road) or I-17 to 179 thru VOC (longer, but faster speeds). Construction on 89A means one lane road right now through canyon switchbacks. Potentially long delays. On the other hand, construction on I-17 means funneling down to one lane multiple locations. Plan on at least an hour to get back and forth – and possibly double that.
If you were coming in July, I’d make strong recommendation to Flag over Sedona. Remember, Flag is almost 7K ft of elevation, while Sedona is about 4.5K ft. Sedona doesn’t get as hot as down in Phoenix or Tucson, but it is still triple digits a lot in summer.
That being said, shoulder seasons (fall and spring) are generally fantastic in Sedona. Loads of sunshine. Even if it’s quite nippy in the early a.m, it will be downright perfect by lunch time. Today was a good example – left for my group road ride at 7:30 a.m. Temps were in low 40s. By mid-afternoon dog walk time, shorts and T-shirt. In March, weather in Flag is way more variable. Early March, you could still hit snow (and sub-freezing temps). Bit if a crap shoot up there that time of year.
Hiking in Sedona is fabulous. You could spend your entire time here hiking, and still not hit more than a small sample of all the great hikes.
Great trail running in Sedona too (probably in Flag also, but I don’t know about the trail running there).
MTB riding in Sedona is mostly quite technical. I’m told Flag is less so, but can’t vouch for that (I ride road, TT, and track).
If you come down to MTB in Sedona, be a bit careful about trying the “White Line” trail. It’s on the side of the butte at the end of our street, but I hear it may be a bit advanced.
Bottom line recommendation for me – In March, I’d stay in Sedona. Less likely to have unpleasant weather surprises, and you can trail run, MTB ride, and eat well here. Day trip to GC is not that much longer from Sedona than from Flag. That being said, if beer is really the highest priority, than stay in Flag and commute.
If you must come in March, please understand that the average high is 51 degrees and average low is 23 degrees in Flagstaff. I live in Scottsdale where in March it’s 76/44 and I expect to still be snow skiing in Flagstaff during March, albeit at the ski resort a couple of thousand feet up the mountain. So, unless you really don’t mind cold and possibly snowy weather, Sedona would be much better than Flagstaff. The Grand Canyon may also be prohibitively cold to hike - but you may get lucky and get some warmer days.
Also, don’t overlook Scottsdale/Phoenix as a great destination in March. In my opinion, we have very good mountain biking, road biking, and hiking here, and if you like baseball, Spring Training is here. Good restaurants, too. You might consider a few days here, and a few in Sedona. Most people that visit Sedona fly into Phoenix anyway, so it’s convenient too.
If you must come in March, please understand that the average high is 51 degrees and average low is 23 degrees in Flagstaff. I live in Scottsdale where in March it’s 76/44 and I expect to still be snow skiing in Flagstaff during March, albeit at the ski resort a couple of thousand feet up the mountain. So, unless you really don’t mind cold and possibly snowy weather, Sedona would be much better than Flagstaff. The Grand Canyon may also be prohibitively cold to hike - but you may get lucky and get some warmer days.
Also, don’t overlook Scottsdale/Phoenix as a great destination in March. In my opinion, we have very good mountain biking, road biking, and hiking here, and if you like baseball, Spring Training is here. Good restaurants, too. You might consider a few days here, and a few in Sedona. Most people that visit Sedona fly into Phoenix anyway, so it’s convenient too.
This is great advice. Lived in Scottsdale for a couple of years but visited Flag frequently during the summer. Sedona a couple of times too. March will be fantastic in greater PHX area, and it’s fairly easy to make day trips (or longer) to visit northern AZ. The differences between northern and southern Arizona visually are pretty incredible and it can be very cool to experience all of that in one day.
I second the Phoenix - Sedona option. We have great hiking, mtn biking, and trail running in the Valley and the food scene is what you would expect in a large metro area. There are mtn bike trails for all skill levels plus 3 parks with dedicated competitive mtn bike trails. March is just about the best time of year to be here. Sedona is also great for hiking and mtn biking but as someone who visits from Phoenix I find the traffic and crowds at the trailheads a bit much compared to what we have in Phoenix.
Been to both as a little tike and drove though both (going to other parts AZ) in college during spring break (right around this time - March/April)… I would say Sedona is warmer… I remember Flagstaff was pretty cold.
Look at both in wikipedia and go to geography > climate and look at the daily highs lows and avgs…
as to what is to do in both family wise, I couldn’t help you…
Might be sending you a PM soon. Visiting in-laws over xmas and wondering how roads/trails will be. Been there in summer and spring but never a time when there might be snow on the ground. For the OP Sedona is great. Been out there for a week and trails were amazing and never ran out of options. Also swam in the pool a few times as well but won’t be open in March I assume.
My girlfriend and I stayed in Flagstaff in March of this year. Drove through Sedona on the way back to PHX for our flight home, and stopped for a meal and a hike around the airport on the airport loop trail.
We much preferred Flagstaff. Sedona seemed way too touristy and jammed with people. We like solitude. We spent a day hiking in the mountains north of Flagstaff and had an awesome time even though it was waist-deep snow in spots. Spent another day at the GC doing the South Kaibab Trail to Tipoff point and it was amazing. Had the best breakfast meal of my life at a small cafe in Flag, and found some cool spots for drinks.
We both agree we’d go back to Flag in a heartbeat but are not so jazzed about Sedona.
My girlfriend and I stayed in Flagstaff in March of this year. Drove through Sedona on the way back to PHX for our flight home, and stopped for a meal and a hike around the airport on the airport loop trail.
We much preferred Flagstaff. Sedona seemed way too touristy and jammed with people. We like solitude. We spent a day hiking in the mountains north of Flagstaff and had an awesome time even though it was waist-deep snow in spots. Spent another day at the GC doing the South Kaibab Trail to Tipoff point and it was amazing. Had the best breakfast meal of my life at a small cafe in Flag, and found some cool spots for drinks.
We both agree we’d go back to Flag in a heartbeat but are not so jazzed about Sedona.
You’ve piqued my interest, what did your breakfast consist of??
My girlfriend and I stayed in Flagstaff in March of this year. Drove through Sedona on the way back to PHX for our flight home, and stopped for a meal and a hike around the airport on the airport loop trail.
We much preferred Flagstaff. Sedona seemed way too touristy and jammed with people. We like solitude. We spent a day hiking in the mountains north of Flagstaff and had an awesome time even though it was waist-deep snow in spots. Spent another day at the GC doing the South Kaibab Trail to Tipoff point and it was amazing. Had the best breakfast meal of my life at a small cafe in Flag, and found some cool spots for drinks.
We both agree we’d go back to Flag in a heartbeat but are not so jazzed about Sedona.
Sounds like you are in your element with snow and cold weather outdoor activities. Assuming that’s correct, then I’d definitely recommend Flag over Sedona in March for you. But recognize that the reason Sedona has more tourist activity in March than Flag is that the weather is more mild.
OP stated they were looking for hiking and mountain biking. How was the biking in the snow when you were in Flag in March?
Flag has a great road cycling route out on Lake Mary road to Mormon Lake and beyond. You can do 40 to 80+ miles, with good pavement, wide shoulders, interesting terrain, beautiful scenery, and relatively spare vehicle traffic. Our local road cycling group goes up there regularly in spring, summer, and fall. But yesterday was our last ride there for the season until spring.
Weather deteriorates quickly into November. Snow likely there starting late next week. And, in most years, there will still be snow there in March. In Sedona, March is often fleece early in the morning, but t-shirts and shorts by midday. All depends on what type of climate you prefer for springtime outdoor activities…
Where is the best breakfast in FLG ? You can’t hold out after that line !
Ha, sorry about that! The cafe is called “Tourist Home All Day Cafe†and the meal was their Hash Bowl. Here’s their breakfast menu: https://www.touristhomecafe.com/menus/
We have spent last 2 spring breaks in Sedona. (Last year was actually VOC instead of Sedona) weather has been amazing. MTB gets all the cred in sedona but there is great road riding. The roundabouts get a little sketchy through town but adds to the fun. A few years ago we were in flag and it was cool but also cold. Plus… dang air is thin. We have day tripped to PHX each trip and weather has been perfect there everytime too.
We have spent last 2 spring breaks in Sedona. (Last year was actually VOC instead of Sedona) weather has been amazing. MTB gets all the cred in sedona but there is great road riding. The roundabouts get a little sketchy through town but adds to the fun. A few years ago we were in flag and it was cool but also cold. Plus… dang air is thin. We have day tripped to PHX each trip and weather has been perfect there everytime too.
A few years back, we spent a week in VOC (with one day up in Flagstaff), and I really want to go back. Lots of amazing, yet not too technical, trails within a few minutes riding from the house we rented. We were there in May, so the weather was a bit warmer, but still never got too hot. I didn’t enjoy Flagstaff quite as much, due to the thinner air and the trail we rode being just a bit above my skill level. But the trails around Bell Rock were some of the best I’ve ever ridden…