During a short trip down to the Phoenix area for Siobhan’s training class, we took the opportunity to get a hike in around big cacti for the first time. The Granite Mountain Trailhead is a 5.5 mile loop and is located about 45 minutes north of Scottsdale.

The main reason we started our trip in Arizona was to check out Sedona. We took two trips down from our base in Flagstaff to this red rock haven.

The Grand Canyon, one of the wonders of the world. We spent much of the day hiking to Skeleton Point as well as stopping at a few other view points to take in the unique landscape.

Just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona there are two national monument parks that are worth visiting. They are only a half hour drive from each other and both can be done in one day.