Steve and I have been wanting to take Honey Bee (our Jeep) on a road trip up to the Grand Canyon. Spending Valentine’s Day on the South Rim sounded like an excellent plan. We also happened to rent out our home for Super Bowl so it’s the perfect opportunity to cross off some items on our 2023 Arizona Bucket List. I posted our Route 66 Road Trip itinerary before leaving and I was excited to see what kind of adventures we could find along the way.
We researched all the cool places to stop along the way. The following is our itinerary for a 8-day, 7-night Northern Arizona Road trip. This time of year (February) you still have to pay attention to the weather forecast as Northern Arizona can get lots of snow. When we started planning the forecast was for clear and chilly days but as we know, Arizona weather can be unpredictable. We happened to time our trip to the Grand Canyon during a Winter Storm and it was epic. Like traveling in a snow globe. We had 40-50 mile an hour winds and so much snow. It made for quite the adventure.
One of my favorite apps for planning is Roadtrippers. I find their free version to be perfect for planning my adventures. Once we are on the road I activate the Sights & Attractions function so that we don’t miss a giant ball of string or the largest Kokopelli in the world.
Besides the Roadtrippers app, I also use Hotel Tonight, Booking.com and HotelsCombined to find the best deals on hotels and accommodations.
Day 1: Surprise to Winslow, AZ | 194 miles, 3h 6m
Sights: The World’s Largest Kokopelli. Added bonus: it’s in the Starbucks parking lot so if you need a little pick-me-up you can grab a cuppa joe when you stop.
Hotel: La Posada Hotel, 2 nights, Best rate was booking direct through the website, $139/night
The History of La Posada: A Tale of Two Visions
La Posada embodies the visions of both Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the hotel’s renowned architect, and Allan Affeldt, its current owner. But the story really begins with Fred Harvey, who “civilized the west” by introducing linen, silverware, china, crystal, and impeccable service to railroad travel. (He was so legendary that MGM made a movie called The Harvey Girls starring Judy Garland.) Harvey developed and ran all the hotels and restaurants of the Santa Fe Railway, eventually controlling a hospitality empire that spanned the continent.
In the 1920s, Harvey decided to build a major hotel in the center of northern Arizona. “La Posada”—the Resting Place—was to be the finest in the Southwest. Construction costs alone exceeded $1 million in 1929. Total budget with grounds and furnishings was rumored at $2 million (about $40 million in today’s dollars). They chose Winslow, then (as now) the Arizona headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway. Winslow was ideally situated for a resort hotel since everything to see and do in northern Arizona is a comfortable day’s drive. They asked Colter to design the new hotel.
Colter worked for the Fred Harvey Company from 1905 until her retirement in the 1950s. Although famous for her magnificent buildings at the Grand Canyon, she considered La Posada her masterpiece. Here she was able to design or select everything from the structures to the landscape, furniture, maids’ costumes, and dinner china. Many people consider this the most important and most beautiful building in the Southwest.
www.laposada.org
Read all about the history of La Posada here.
Where to Eat in Winslow
Brown Mug Cafe: When I added this gem to our 2023 Bucket List I had no idea when it was right across the street from La Posada. After we got settled into our lovely room we walked across the street to this amazing little Mexican food joint. Everyone was so kind and happy. We had the most amazing Navajo Taco and Carne Asada Burrito. The fresh-made tortilla chips and spicy hot sauce were the best I’ve had.
Flatbed Ford Café: We had an incredible breakfast at this darling restaurant just off the main street. Authentic SW Huevos Rancheros and a Spicy Skillet. I could eat here every day.
Relic Road Brewery: Great local restaurant with amazing burgers.
La Posada’s onsite restaurant and it tops all the Must Eat Arizona lists. The Fred Harvey restaurant menu is SW Fusion. We ate at The Turquoise Room for lunch and had the signature soup and caesar salad. Their soup is a smooth black bean and cream of corn with chili cream. We also had the delicious Crispy Pork Carnitas Platter. Everything was exceptional. The dining room is beautiful and full of history.
Reservations are recommended.
Things To Do In Winslow
Little Painted Hills
Standing On The Corner
Restaurants
Flatbed Ford | Amazing Breakfast
Brown Bag Café | Authentic Mexican
The Turquoise Room @ La Posada
Day 3: Winslow to Strawberry, AZ | 72 miles, 1h 27m
Hotel: The Strawberry Inn | Booked the Airstream directly through their website
The Strawberry Inn is a small boutique hotel and cabins located in Strawberry, Arizona. We rented the Airstream and I did not want to check out. It was so cozy, spotless clean and the bedding is so wonderful that I want to order it off their website. If you go, check out their blog as they have tons of ideas of places to go and restaurant suggestions.
We needed to do some work before we checked in and The Sportsman Chalet had WiFi and a roaring fire. We spent a few hours at this awesome pub. Everyone was so friendly. Beers were cheap and we felt right at home.
For dinner we went down to Pine, about 3 miles, and discovered one of our favorite spots of the trip. The Old Country Inn has a Taproom with a beautiful bar and about 6 tables. The Billys were playing live music in the corner and everyone was laughing and smiling. The food was amazing. Nicky, the bartender was outstanding. The night was perfect.
Day 4: Strawberry to Sedona, AZ | 71 miles, 1h 25m
Hotel: Sky Rock Inn of Sedona | Booked directly through Marriott Bonovoy.
I just can’t help adding Sedona to every roadtrip we go on. Those red rocks just pull me in. The Sky Rock Inn was lovely. The views stunning. Since it was Super Bowl Sunday we asked about a sports bar close by. They recommended the Stagecoach, just down the street. Apparently it use to be a dive bar but no more. Beautiful restaurant and bar. We bellied up, made new friends, loved our bartender, Gabriel, and had delicious appetizers.
Day 5: Sedona to Williams, AZ | 62 miles, 1h 24m
Hotel: Grand Canyon Railway Hotel
Before we left Sedona, we had to stop at Goodwill and buy warmer clothes as a Winter Storm Warning was threatening our trip to the Grand Canyon. We should have bought ski pants and parkas as temperatures got down to 4 degrees with 40 mph winds!
The drive from Sedona to Williams was stunning. Oak Creek Canyon is absolutely beautiful and we were grateful to get up the windy highway before the storm hit. We stopped in Flagstaff for a car picnic at Freddy’s, a delicious fast food burger joint in Arizona. It hit the spot.
As we approached Williams, there was a giant billboard advertising Bearizona. And who doesn’t want to visit a place called called Bearizona? We had to go. To be honest I thought it was going to be cheesy but it was absolutely awesome. You drive through the park at your own pace. They feed the animals near the road so they are literally right next to the car. On this cold day they were having some sort of bear popsicle yumminess. The enclosures were lovely and we saw bears, reindeer, buffalo, big horned sheep, wolves…
After you drive through the park, you arrive at the parking lot where you get out and walk through zoo like grounds. It’s huge. The animals were so excited to see us. The otters jumped in the water and did all their best tricks. The park was practically empty, since a Winter Storm was about to hit. We absolutely loved it and can’t wait to go back.
The Grand Canyon Railway is both a train adventure and a hotel. Their website is very user friendly and has a ton of information but when it came to reservations I couldn’t get the online system to do what I wanted. I called and received amazing help. I booked the package deal that included:
- Hotel room at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel
- Dinner at the Fred Harvey restaurant at the hotel
- Breakfast at the hotel before the train leaves
- Our train tickets. The ride is 2 1/2 hours each way. I booked the Luxury Dome for the ride to the GC and coach home.
- 90-minute bus tour at the GC
- Hotel at the Maswik Lodge, Grand Canyon
The hotel was lovely. The dinner and breakfast buffet wasn’t our favorite of the trip but it served a purpose and made things very simple.
Day 6: Williams to Grand Canyon via The Grand Canyon Railway
Itinerary
- 8:00AM Breakfast at Fred Harvey Restaurant
- 9:00AM Cowboy Shootout in Williams, it was too cold and windy to make it to the shootout but some brave souls did say it was great.
- 9:30AM Board The Grand Canyon Railway Train | We purchased the luxury dome tickets for the trip up to the canyon and then coach tickets for the way back.
- 12:00PM Arrive at the Grand Canyon, 90 minute bus tour (included in our package)
- 2:00PM Explore
We left the following day at 3:30PM so we had lots of extra time for making our own adventure.
Hotel: Maswik Lodge
Day 7: Grand Canyon Railway back To Williams & Home to Surprise
3:30PM Train ride back to Williams was delayed an hour but that just gave us more time to explore and we got to see a beautiful sunset. The Railway does a great job telling you about the history of the land, pointing out landmarks and there was even a train robbery at the end. It would be so fun for small children. I kept thinking that I can’t wait to bring grandchildren on this trip.
Williams back to Surprise was a bit hairy for the first hour. Roads were still covered in ice but Honey Bee did great and we made it home in just 2 1/2 hours. It was an epic trip.
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