Arizona is a state with a lot to offer and you could easily spend weeks here exploring every nook and cranny. Most of us don’t have that time luxury and have to limit what we can see. If you only have a few short days, here’s two templates for an Arizona 5 day itinerary.
Arizona Itinerary #1 – Grand Canyon and Monument Valley
This five day itinerary focuses heavily on my favorite national park in Arizona. It’s also one of the most famous national parks in the entire United States. The Grand Canyon is famous for a reason and it will be one of the highlights of this trip.
On this itinerary, we’ll be flying in and out of Flagstaff to save driving time. However, if it’s more convenient for you, you can fly in and out of Phoenix. Just note that you will have more driving if using the Phoenix airport.
Day 1 – Arrive in Flagstaff and Drive to Tusayan
Today is pretty straightforward. Your goal is to get to Tusayan. From the Flagstaff Airport, it’s an hour and fifteen minute drive to Tusayan. Sitting just outside the south rim of the Grand Canyon, Tusayan makes a fantastic base for exploring.
Sleep: Tusayan
Day 2 – The South Rim of the Grand Canyon
Today is all about the Grand Canyon. If you love hiking, there’s plenty of trails that will take you inside the canyon for incredible views. If you don’t think you’re up to a huge day of hiking in the Grand Canyon, but still want to do something besides riding the shuttle to the various view points, consider renting a bike. There are bike rentals near the visitor center and you can do a self guided tour along the rim. If you’re not into hiking or biking, you can take in the views from the many different look out points by utilizing the shuttle.
On my visit, I did a little bit of all three of these options. My mom and I rented bikes in the morning, hiked the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point in the early afternoon, and finished the day with some awesome viewpoints.
No matter what you do, plan to focus your time on the main lodge and South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Tomorrow, you’ll be driving through the eastern section of the park. So to be more efficient, skip this section today, and focus on the rest of the South Rim.
Sleep: Tusayan
Day 3 – Drive Grand Canyon to Monument Valley
Today is another long driving day. It takes three and a half hours of driving to reach Monument Valley from Tusayan. Note that depending on the time of year, it might actually be four and a half hours because of a one hour time change. Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, but the Navajo Nation, where Monument Valley is located, does observe it.
The most efficient, and fun, way to go between the Tusayan and Monument Valley is to enter Grand Canyon National Park the same way you did yesterday. Instead of heading to the main visitor center, take a right and drive through the eastern section of the park. This is a very scenic drive and there are numerous view points to stop at. When we did this drive, there were multiple view points where we were one of only two cars in the parking lot (although visitor numbers had not completely bounced back from Covid).
If you’re short on gas, don’t worry about the high prices of fuel in Tusayan. There are gas stations 30 miles past the eastern entrance of Grand Canyon National Park, and these were actually reasonably priced. We put in three gallons of gas in Tusayan, which got us to Cameron (with gas to spare), where we could then completely fill our tank for gas that was $1 per gallon cheaper than Tusayan.
Once you exit Grand Canyon National Park, it’s a long and not very interesting drive to Monument Valley. The scenery is nice, but it does get a little monotonous after nearly three hours.
If you still have energy when you get to Monument Valley, consider doing the Monument Valley scenic drive. This is a 17 mile loop that costs $20 per vehicle. And if you don’t have the energy today, there’s still a little time tomorrow. Despite this being a fast paced 5 day itinerary through Arizona, you should have enough time to hit the big stuff.
There are two hotels in Monument Valley: The View Hotel and Goulding’s Lodge. The View is located inside Monument Valley and offers fantastic views. Goulding’s Lodge was slightly cheaper than The View Hotel, which is the sole reason we chose this hotel. The views may not be as spectacular as those from The View Hotel, but you will still be able to see some of the iconic rock formations of Monument Valley since Goulding’s Lodge is less than six miles from The View Hotel.
If you are still concerned about price, you have the option to stay outside of Monument Valley. There was a couple on sunrise tour who chose to stay in the town of Kayenta. Kayenta will have a few more options for food and hotels, but it’s located nearly a half hour drive away so make sure you factor that in.
Regardless of where you sleep, plan to go to bed early, because tomorrow morning, you’ll need to be up well before sunrise.
Sleep: Monument Valley
Day 4 – Monument Valley Sunrise Tour and Drive Monument Valley to Flagstaff
The best way to experience Monument Valley is with a guided tour. In fact, a guided tour is the only way to get to some of the locations in the park. My mom and I did a sunrise tour and it was absolutely fantastic. We met our guide at The View Hotel over an hour before sunrise. He drove us, and the rest of our group, through Monument Valley while giving us an awesome history lesson. We found a great spot just before sunrise and got to watch the sun creep up above the horizon, surrounded by the rock formations at Monument Valley.
While early, there is one huge benefit to taking a sunrise tour (besides the amazing sunrise). There were only a handful of tourists up this early. We passed very few cars and tour trucks until we neared the end of our tour. By that point, the normal daily tours were starting and the crowds were picking up. Our last stop had three other tour groups stopped and it felt very busy.
After your sunrise tour, you can grab some breakfast before packing up.
You’ll have a three hour drive back to Flagstaff today. If you have the energy and time, you could add a few more stops. They are a little out of the way, but are great if you aren’t quite ready to head back yet.
If you didn’t do the scenic drive in Monument Valley yesterday, you could do it now.
The next option is Forest Gump point, which marks the scene in the movie where Forest Gump completed his run across the US. This is the complete opposite direction since you’ll be heading north into Utah, but it’s not too far out of the way.
The final stop option is also out of the way as it is located in Utah. Goosenecks State Park is a state park in southern Utah that mostly consists of a gravel parking lot, small campground, and a great view. This park over looks the San Juan River, sitting directly above two bends in the river, called “goosenecks”. Since this trip skips Page, Arizona and Horseshoe Bend, this state park makes a great alternative. It costs $5 per vehicle to enter.
Regardless of what options you choose, remember that you have a three hour drive from Monument Valley to get back to Flagstaff.
Sleep: Flagstaff
Day 5 – Fly Home
Return your rental car and fly home. Your five days in Arizona are over.
Arizona Itinerary #2 – Saguaro and Petrified Forest National Parks
This Arizona itinerary is based off a 5 day trip I did in February 2023. However, I think it’s a bit more relaxed than what I did (as I had to squeeze in 8 hours of work while on this trip).
Day 1 – Fly into Phoenix, Drive to Tucson
You’ll likely be able find cheaper flights into Phoenix than into Tucson, so I’ll be using Phoenix as the start and end point for this itinerary, but you could use Tucson as well (although then you’ll have more driving at the end of your trip). Regardless of where you fly into, your goal is to get to Tucson by the end of the day. This will set you up nicely for the next day, which is when this Arizona itinerary really kicks off.
From the Phoenix airport, you’ll have an hour and a half to two hour drive to Tucson. The time variance is due to traffic leaving Phoenix and where your hotel is in Tucson.
Sleep: Tucson
Day 2 – Saguaro National Park
It’s all about Saguaro National Park today. Planning your time may seem difficult because there are two distinct sections of Saguaro National Park: Saguaro West and Saguaro East. If you want to do a longer hike, you’ll need to pick just one section of the park. If you just want to see the highlights and get a feel for each section, it’s totally possible to do both sections in one day.
The choice for how to spend the day is up to you.
Sleep: Tucson
Day 3 – Tucson to Holbrook
Today you’ll be driving across most of the state of Arizona. It’s a four and a half hour drive to get from Tucson to Holbrook. While it is a long drive, you can consider adding more time in either Saguaro National Park or Petrified Forest National Park as the drive won’t take you the entire day. Just realize that you’ll add more driving time (particularly if you choose Petrified Forest National Park) if you do one of these options.
Sleep: Holbrook
Day 4 – Petrified Forest National Park
You get one day in Petrified Forest National Park. It may not seem like a lot, but you can accomplish a lot during this time. You’ll be able to drive the main road through the entire park, stop at numerous scenic overlooks, and do some short hikes. I recommend looking at the Blue Mesa Trail and the Crystal Forest Trail. For more adventurous hikers who have the necessary route finding skills, you can look at the Blue Forest Trail and the Jasper Forest Trail.
Where you’ll sleep tonight is dependent on your flight home tomorrow. You’ll have a three hour drive from Holbrook back to Phoenix, so you’ll need to make sure you have plenty of time to get to Phoenix, return your rental car, and still get to the airport on time.
Sleep: Holbrook or Phoenix
Day 5 – Fly Home
Return your rental car and fly home. This Arizona itinerary is complete.
Which Arizona Itinerary Should You Do?
I don’t think you can go wrong with either Arizona itinerary. I think the choice is personal and comes down to what you want to do. If you want epic views, pick Arizona itinerary #1 for the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. For those wanting more hiking, choose Arizona itinerary #2 for two national parks.
No matter which Arizona itinerary you choose, you’re sure to have a great time with your five days in Arizona.
When to Go
Summer is going to be incredibly hot and hiking in Arizona can be dangerous, regardless of which 5 day itinerary you choose. In winter, you need to be prepared for snow (especially if you’re doing itinerary #2). I did itinerary #2 in February and drove through a snowstorm on my way from Holbrook to Phoenix.
Shoulder season (spring and fall) is ideal. I visited the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley in the first week of October and had beautiful weather.
Final Thoughts
While I’ve done everything included in these itineraries, I’ve only truly done itinerary #2. Regardless of which itinerary you choose, it will feel fast paced, but with only five days in Arizona, it has to be. However, even with a fast pace, you’ll be able to see a lot of scenery and visit some incredible national parks.
Continue Your Adventure
Arizona Travel Guide: Check out my guide to Arizona to get you started on your trip planning.
Grand Canyon National Park: Learn how to spend one perfect day on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Saguaro National Park: Surround yourself with seemingly endless cacti at Saguaro National Park.
Petrified Forest National Park: Get up close and personal with petrified wood (and also hike and visit some scenic overlooks) and Petrified Forest National Park.
Monument Valley: Beat the crowds and get some of the best views by touring Monument Valley at sunrise.
More Arizona Itineraries: Visit the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley along with Utah’s Mighty Five on my 10 Day Utah National Park Itinerary.