7-Day Arizona Itinerary – from a Solo, Female Traveler

Are you trying to find the perfect 7-day Arizona itinerary? Well, I’ve got your back. I’m here to tell you what you absolutely NEED to see while you’re there and maybe some things that you won’t be sad that you missed.

Arizona is a GORGEOUS state filled with anything you’d like to see or do. You have bustling cities, gorgeous landscape, and delicious food. Filling up your 7-day Arizona Itinerary will be no problem. If you’re anything like me, you’ll just be wishing that you had more time!

When to Visit Arizona

Arizona is a desert. It gets hotttttt. If you try to go in the summer, you’re hitting temperatures well over 100° F. This drastically limits the events or activities that you can do outside – unless you want to wake up at 5AM every day and be back inside by 7AM.

However, much to my surprise, it also gets quite cold. If you try to go in the winter, you will encounter snow in some popular areas, like The Grand Canyon.

That goldilocks time to visit Arizona is in the spring or the fall. You may still encounter sweltering heat or snowcapped mountains, but your chances of enjoying outside activities is far greater.

Make sure to do your research before leaving so that you don’t encounter brutal temperatures or random road/park closures. You also want to make sure you pack appropriately for all the weather you might encounter!

Background

Before you decide if this is the 7-day Arizona itinerary for you, you need to have some background on me.

I am a 30-year-old, solo, female traveler. I went to Arizona for one thing: hiking. That is what my week and my itinerary consisted of the most. I did my best to stay out of major cities. So much so, that I completely skipped Phoenix all together!

So, if you’re looking for a family trip or a couple’s vacation centered around spa dates and five starts restaurants, this is not the itinerary for you. If you are solo traveler, or even a traveling couple, looking for some of the best places to hike in some popular areas of Arizona, then this is absolutely the itinerary for you!

To be completely transparent, I totally took the “wing it” approach on my trip. I had my first two days planned out, as well as my last three. The rest of the week, I decided where I was going and what I was doing the night before. This allowed me to see places I may not have originally set out to see and it allowed me to get some sweet, last minute Airbnb deals.

I skipped a lot of popular Arizona sites, like Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon, but I did include other popular destinations like The Grand Canyon and Sedona.

Every trip is a give and take. This is the route I took to see as much of Arizona as I could and overall, I have no regrets!

Without further ado, here is my 7-day Arizona itinerary!

Day 1 – Grand Canyon National Park

To start off day 1 of your 7-day Arizona itinerary, you need to start at Grand Canyon National Park. Yes, it is a popular tourist destination and yes, it will be crowded, but you cannot go The Grand Canyon State without taking some time to visit The Grand Canyon.

Plus, avoiding crowds is easy and I’m going to tell you exactly how to do it.

If you are interested in a more detailed itinerary for visiting the Grand Canyon, check out everything I wish I knew before visiting the Grand Canyon.

Where to Stay:

The first step to avoiding crowds is to book hotels in less popular areas. There’s not much around The Grand Canyon, so a lot of travelers opt to stay within park limits. Well, this can get overly crowded and expensive very fast.

However, if you look at a map, you will find the small town of Williams, Arizona is directly south of The Grand Canyon. Williams, Arizona prides itself on being the last historic Route 66 town that was bypassed by Interstate 40 so it is loaded down with Historic Route 66 memorabilia and decor. I chose to stay here mostly because of the price and proximity to the park. As luck would have it, it turned out to be a great decision in all categories because this was an adorable walking town that was filled with adorable shops and delicious breweries.

Even though it was exactly an hour to get to the south entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, it certainly didn’t seem like it. All I had to do was take a left out of my hotel and stay straight until I hit the park limits.

I stayed at the Rodeway Inn and Suites in Williams, Arizona. This was a straightforward, 2-star motel directly in the center of town and right off historic Route 66. Their customer service was excellent and they offered free breakfast.

If you want the full experience, you can hike all the way to the bottom of the canyon and stay at The Phantom Ranch. By the time I learned about this, it was too late and I could not get a reservation. But, after hiking only 3 miles out of the canyon, I’m kinda glad I didn’t stay there.

When to go:

On the first day of my trip, I woke up at 4 AM in order to drive to The Grand Canyon to catch the sunrise. Since I was still operating on east coast time, this was not a big deal. It was already 7 AM where I was from.

I would HIGHLY recommend you try to find time to squeeze this in. I can try to tell you all about it, or I can just show you.

1000000% worth it!

Not only do you catch the gorgeous sunrise over this indescribable natural wonder, you also beat the crowds by a few hours. I got to the park around 5:30 AM and I started my hike around 7:30 AM. By doing that, I was hiking by myself most of the time. I encountered enough people to feel safe, but not enough people to feel overcrowded.

Where to Hike:

The two most popular hikes from the south rim of The Grand Canyon are the Bright Angel Trail and the South Kaibab Trail. There are several longer hikes that you can do, but if you’re looking for a day hike, one of these two trails are for you.

According to all my research, Bright Angel Trail is the most popular of the two I mentioned. From what I understand, it is not as steep and there is water at every stop (season permitting). The South Kaibab Trail is a steeper incline, but it is also less crowded. I chose that trail for the simple fact of less crowds.

Be aware that there is NO water on the South Kaibab Trail. There is a fill up station at the trailhead but that is it. PLEASE come prepared with more water than you think you’ll need.

Some popular tourists spots are popular for a reason. The Grand Canyon is definitely one of them. There is no describing Mother Nature’s masterpiece, you just have to see if for yourself.

Day 2 – Petrified Forest National Park

From Williams, Arizona, you can drive two hours directly east to get to Petrified Forest National Park. This is a stunning national park that nobody has ever heard of, but it’s worth the evening visit.

On your way there, you will drive directly through Flagstaff. Make sure you stop for lunch at one of their many breweries.

Where to Stay:

Since Petrified Forest National Park is not as well known as some of the other National Parks, it is not nearly as commercialized. There is nowhere to stay within the park and very few options outside the park as well.

The closest town to Petrified National Forest is Holbrook, Arizona. A small little town with not much to it. I was fortunate enough to find a perfect little Airbnb about 20 minutes from the park entrance.

When to go:

When I finally made my way to the park, it was about 4:30 PM. All the visitor’s centers close at 5 PM, but you can remain in the park until 7 PM.

When I say I was one of the only people in the park that late, I’m not kidding. I think I passed a dozen other cars in the 2 hours I was in the park. It was a great time to go and really have the place to yourself.

What to Do:

Petrified Forest National Park does have some hiking trails. You can check them all out on their website. However, you can also just drive through the park and stop at all the pull offs.

I decided to give my hiking boots a break and just drive through the park. I started at the South Entrance so that I could end at the Painted Desert for sunset.

Guys. Painted Desert for sunset. Do it. Trust me on this one.

Just make sure that you are in your car and out of the park by 7:00 PM. Or else hungry coyotes might eat you.

If you do decide to stay in Holbrook during your stay, make sure that you make time for Studio 66 in the morning for breakfast. A cozy little spot filled with adorable decor that also serves deliciously unique food.

Day 3 – Sedona

There’s a good chance you know someone who has hosted or been to a bachelorette party in Sedona, Arizona. There is a lot of hype around this town.

Usually, I try to stay away from those kinds of expensive, romanticized towns, but I am sure glad I didn’t skip this one.

As soon as I arrived within Sedona boarders, I understood what everyone was talking about. Turning the corner and seeing the sprawling red rocks made me, literally, catch my breath.

To say this area is gorgeous would be the understatement of a lifetime.

Where to Stay:

Because it has become so popular in recent years, there is no shortage of hotels and Airbnbs in Sedona. However, you are going to pay for it. Sedona knows it is gorgeous and that means it can charge you whatever it wants.

It was certainly the most expensive Airbnb I stayed in all week. I booked my stay the night before and got a pretty decent deal on an amazing room in a quiet neighborhood. I have no regrets about spending the money to stay in Sedona.

When to go:

Sedona is crowded. There is no real easy away around that. If you are planning to go, take a little extra patience. If you get out early in the morning or late at night, you can avoid some crowds.

Sedona was some of the most crowded hikes I had done yet. 100% still worth it though!

What to do:

As soon as I came into Sedona, I came upon a ranger station for the Red Rocks State Park. One of the rangers recommended the perfect 2-mile hike that would give me amazing views of Sedona and the famous Cathedral Rock.

My 2-mile hike on the Baldwin Loop turned into roughly 3 miles because I took a lot of offshoots out of sheer curiosity. By getting off the beaten path, I was able to get up close and personal with the rushing Oak Creek. Take some time to dip your toes in – your tired feet will thank you.

After completing this hike, I went back to my hotel to shower and headed over to Sedona Beer Company for dinner and a cold beer. I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but I managed to get a table that framed the gorgeous red rocks, so I had dinner with a view.

A quick walk around town ended my evening before heading back to my Airbnb, where I slept like an absolute rock until my alarm went off at 4:00 AM the next morning.

Why did my alarm go off at 4:00 AM? Because I was determined to catch the sunrise from Cathedral Rock. A 20-minute car ride and the toughest hike I had done this entire trip lead me to a view like no other.

Seriously, just take that view in for a minute. You know a camera can never do it justice, so imagine how spectacular it was in person?

If you’re going to do the hike to Cathedral Rock, be prepared that there is some scaling involved. It’s not a carved-out trail like you had at The Grand Canyon. A good workout AND a good view. What more could you ask for?

In my humble opinion, Sedona was worth the hype. Some towns are popular for a reason. I’d definitely make some time in your 7-day Arizona itinerary to visit Sedona!

Day 4 – Jerome

After leaving Sedona, I headed towards the old mining town of Jerome. Some people said it was worth checking out, so I figured why not? It was only a 45 minute drive.

As soon as you come into town, you can stop at Jerome State Historic Park. It is a cool place to learn all about the old mining history and see some of the equipment and remaining buildings up close. However, the real reason to stop here is for the view. From the back patio, you can see clear to Humphrey’s Peak, which is the tallest point in the state of Arizona. It is simply spectacular.

The town of Jerome is like any other historic town filled with fun restaurants and cute shops. If you’ve got the time, take a walk through the streets.

One thing that you can for sure skip in the “ghost town” in Jerome. Just outside of town, there is Jerome’s Ghost Town. To me, it looked like some folks got together and wanted a junk yard and a farm but needed a way to start making money off of it. They just called it a ghost town. Save your time and money. Skip this.

Jerome was a small, cute mountain town with a lot of history and some spectacular views! If you get the chance to drive up the mountain and spend an afternoon here, it is worth it.

Day 4 (con’t) – Scottsdale

Okay, I know I said I skipped Phoenix all together, but I kind of lied. I did stay here, but it was only to break up the drive between Sedona and Tuscon. So, I stayed at an Airbnb that had a Phoenix address, then spent my afternoon and evening exploring old town Scottsdale.

Where to stay:

Scottsdale is right next to Phoenix, so you can easily find a hotel or Airbnb somewhere between these two cities. I was fortunate enough to find a very comfortable Airbnb on the east side of Phoenix, just 20 minutes from old town Scottsdale.

What to do:

By the time I reached Scottsdale, my body needed a break. So I gave it one and didn’t do any hiking. I took the evening to check out old town Scottsdale. I got my souvenir tattoo at Good Time Tattoo, enjoyed a beer at Goldwater Brewing Company, then checked out all the eclectic shops around town.

Since I had no interest in seeing anything in Phoenix, I used this night as my rest night. I did my laundry and laid on the couch of my Airbnb watching Netflix before crawling in bed at around 8:30 PM. I’m not even sorry! You have to remember to give your body a break every once in a while.

When I was planning my trip to Arizona, I knew I had no interest in seeing Phoenix. It is a city like any other city. However, there were a few recommendations to see old town Scottsdale. It was a great place for a rest day!

Day 5-7 – Tuscon

My last few days in Arizona were spent in Tuscon, visiting a friend. When visiting a new place, it is always good to get a local’s input! I put my day planner away and left the itinerary to her!

I wanted to see some of the hidden gems and favorite local spots and I certainly got what I asked for! Dinner was spent at some of the best local, Mexican restaurants in town. We also made some for gelato and local fast-food joints.

Where to stay

Since I was staying with a friend, I didn’t do much research in the hotel and Airbnb category. However, I can tell you that there will be plenty of options in Tuscon! It is a bustling metropolis that is smack dab in the center of some of the most beautiful mountains that Arizona has to offer.

What to do

Tuscon is LOADED with hiking trails, restaurants, and breweries. You will have no trouble finding a hiking trail and then ending at a local brewery.

Be extremely careful about when you go out on the trails. You have to go early in the morning or later in the evening. The Tuscon heat is no joke. Even in April, it reached highs of 95° degrees.

I don’t want to scare you, but there have been plenty of stories about people dying from heat stroke because they weren’t prepared for the Arizona heat. Please, please, please take the heat seriously! Bring more water than you think you’ll need and load yourself up with electrolytes.

While you’re in Tuscon, you need to take the time to go see Saguaro National Park. It doesn’t get more Arizona than beautiful mountains covered in gigantic Saguaro cactus. We took the last full day of my trip to go out here and watch the sunset. It was truly breathtaking.

Tuscon is a bustling town filled with so much to do, whether you’re an avid hiker or not. Since it is only an hour and a half from Phoenix, it is definitely worth including in your 7-day Arizona itinerary!

Final Thoughts on your 7-Day Arizona Itinerary

Arizona had never been on my travel list until a friend who had recently moved there invited me out to visit her. Since I never turn down an opportunity to see something new, I decided to build an entire trip around this offer. I was flying out there anyway, I might as well make the best of it!

After all was said and done, I put 1200 miles on my rental car. I covered a lot of ground in 7 days, and I sure am glad I did.

I hope that my 7-day Arizona itinerary helps you in determining YOUR 7-day Arizona itinerary! Regardless of what you put in your schedule, I know you’ll have a great time!

Happy traveling everyone!