There’s no better time to visit Arizona than during the Fall. The beautiful sunrises, wispy green fields, and ginormous rock formations were calling my name the minute I had my flight booked. But I’m gonna keep it real. Being a city girl and all, I was hesitant to figure out where to go and what to see with my minuscule survival skills. As much as I wanted to see outdoor landmarks, I just didn’t want to hike 4 days to get there. After noticing the huge lack of information of how others were able to travel to the locations they photographed, I decided to share my top locations in Arizona that you can easily travel with little to no effort at all. Interested? Keep on reading.
TOP 5 MUST-SEE ARIZONA SPOTS DURING THE FALL
Grand Canyon South Rim
Location: Yavapai Lodge | 11 Yavapai Lodge Road, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
You might think,”Girl, are you crazy?!” Trust me, I thought so too. Then I thought,” How is it possible that thousands of people visit this location each year?” That’s when I discovered Yavapai Lodge online while I was roadtripping (BTW, I promise that I’m not sponsored). For my last minute booking, they were so helpful to me in arranging a fabulous room and for navigating my way to the Grand Canyon. When I learned that the lodge offers free bus shuttles to the Grand Canyon every 15 minutes, I ended up waking up around 6 am to catch a bus. Once the bus arrives at “Bright Angel Trail,” you can drop yourself off and easily walk up to the top of the canyon in less than 5 minutes. I ended up being one of the first people there to see the sunrise that day with no crowds. If you decide to go with a group, I would still consider bringing a tripod for photos for hassle-free, hands-free photographing.
Bonito Park
Location: Sunset Crater | 6082 Sunset Crater Road, Flagstaff AZ, 86004
If you don’t want to walk up to anything, then how about driving to beautiful yellow fields with a mountain view instead? After being lost forever during my trip, I decided to randomly stop by Sunset Crater to see what it was all about. After deciding not to pay the $30 fee for entrance to the actual crater, I drove away and stopped by the side of the road to take a look at these yellow fields! They were so vibrant-looking and flickered like gold as the wind breezed by that I couldn’t help but take some photos and frolic around! You can spot this field area right before the entrance gate of Sunset Crater. Plus, there are side road areas where you can easily park your car and step right into the fields for free. I can easily say this spot was the best photo-op I discovered during my trip.
Little Colorado River
Location: Cameron Trading Post | Hwy. 89 Cameron, AZ 86020
This spot was another surprise to see. At this point of my road trip, I needed to stop by a store to use the restroom and get some snacks. So, the Cameron Trading Post was coincidentally the closest spot along the road. What I didn’t realize was that is was right next to the Little Colorado River! So, I did a photo-op session behind the store (AKA best decision I ever made that day). The area was completely deserted despite the fact that there was lots of people inside the trading post and I was able to get hassle-free photos. Afterwards, I went inside the back of Cameron Trading Post and dined at a fabulous Navajo Indian restaurant called Grand Canyon Dining Room. If you got time, I highly recommend dining there for the amazing local Native American cuisine and beautiful intimate environment.
Devil’s Bridge Trail
Location: Devil’s Bridge Trail | 42 miles south of Flagstaff (12 miles west of Sedona)
Take a stop at Sedona to check out Devil’s Bridge Trail! Even with the scary sounding name, I felt like the views here were absolutely angelic. I can still vividly remember the sunset from this hike today! The drive there from Phoenix is a little hectic, not gonna lie, but the views are totally worth it. There is free parking by the entrance of the hike trail, and you can easily take photos along the side of the trail. Although I did not end up walking up to the top (due to time constraints), I still believe you can have a great view from any angle of this place.
Bell Rock
Location: Bell Rock Courthouse Butte Pathway | 4999 State Route 179, Sedona, AZ 86351-8995
This area is a great first stop if you’re completely new to outdoor sightseeing! In less than 3 hours, you can easily view Bell Rock Vista along the way to Sedona. The area is along the side of the road and there are surrounding stores near by as well. Just be aware that there is limited amount of free parking spots and I saw a huge crowd when I arrived during sunset hours. I had to be a little creative with my photographs, but I still had a lot of fun viewing it!
Enjoyed my blog post? Please share this travel guide to friends and family who are planning a trip to Arizona and tag me if you end up going to any of my recommended spots! You can always follow me on Instagram for more of my trip in Arizona. Until next time!
Wow, your pictures are amazing! Arizona is a gorgeous place to visit and it’s def on my bucket list. Thanks for the insightful post, it was very inspiring!
Oh my word! The views that you saw of the Grand Canyon and the surrounding areas are absolutely breathtaking and beautiful! I love these pictures! I know my parents do not like walking around too much, so this would be the perfect guide for them if they want to visit the area around the Grand Canyon again! I may want to visit too someday.
These photos are gorgeous! Arizona seems to have some really cool places to visit! And girl, your outfits are GORGEOUS!!! I really love all of them!
I have yet to visit Arizona. Your pictures make it look amazing. One day I hope to vacation there!
Haha, I can COMPLETELY relate to being not at all an outdoorsy kind of person! But I feel like these are all really very realistic options for the survival-challenged, none nature type of person!