My mind and body are on sensory overload. I've run the gamut of emotions and been challenged in so many ways. What a wonderful group and everyone you introduced us to along the way only enhanced the experience. I hope I can hold onto this feeling - sometimes magical things aren't meant to be described, only lived. -- Debbie W, NJ

Women’s Adventure Tour of Arizona

Canyons are calling you to Arizona on this premier trip which launched Canyon Calling Adventures for Women. Who can pick a highlight when each day is a new and wonderful surprise? We start and end in beautiful Sedona. Canyon de Chelly is enchanting, and you’ll feel the connection between this sacred land and our Navajo storyteller. The famously photographed Antelope Slot Canyons and Horseshoe Bend are mysterious and beautiful. Monument Valley boasts famous rock formations that leaves one awestruck at the stark beauty. The Petrified Forest offers backcountry hikes into areas such as Puerco Pueblo and little known areas like Martha’s Butte. The Colorado River float is delightful and a great way to see the Grand Canyon. The stillness and magic of this special corner of the world will touch your soul.

Arizona Spectacular Activities at a Glance

Arizona Spectacular Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Sedona by 3pm at our hotel, The Southwest Inn at Sedona. Your Trip Leader will meet you in the lobby of our hotel for check in. Enjoy a tour of Sedona, including a short hike with a visit to a vortex. Many people visit Sedona to explore its metaphysical dimensions, especially its vortices. Page Bryant coined the name “vortex” in 1980 for areas in Sedona that have highly concentrated energies conducive to prayer, meditation and healing. Nonetheless, the term “vortex” has taken hold because it helps to explain people’s experiences of well-being at the sites. Let’s see if you can feel the energy! We’ll enjoy a delicious welcome dinner at one of the many splendid Sedona restaurants. Overnight Sedona.

Day 2

Depart Sedona and drive up onto the Colorado Plateau through Flagstaff with a stop at Walnut Canyon for a two mile hike to view the dwellings sheltered by overhanging cliffs that were home to Walnut Canyon’s only permanent inhabitants more than 800 years ago. Then it’s off to Winslow, Arizona where we’ll stop for photos at “the corner” that the Eagles song made famous!  We’ll have lunch, and then it’s off to the Petrified Forest National Park . We’ll enjoy a variety of hikes to see the petrified logs, the Agate House, another short hike to a petroglyph site, and visit Puerco Pueblo, then on to the Painted Desert Visitor Center and to Tawa Point to hike the Painted Desert Rim Trail. Gorgeous! Back to town to check into our hotel and have dinner. Overnight Holbrook.

In the middle of this unexpected transition in my life, words cannot express what this trip has meant to me. Thanks for the opportunity to grow and explore new worlds. -- Patsy R, AL

Day 3

After breakfast, we cross the plateau to Chinle.  It’s about a 2 hour drive north with stops and a time change along the way. Once we get to Chinle, all aboard for a fun jeep ride into Canyon de Chelly. Our private tour includes a visit to Antelope ruins and to famous White House ruins, among many other sites. Our Navajo guide shares historical and interesting stories. Inhabited by Native American peoples for millennia, the area is dotted with prehistoric rock art. The White House Ruins, among others, are remains of ancient Pueblo villages. We’ll head back to Chinle to check into our lodging with time to relax before dinner. Overnight Chinle.

Day 4

After breakfast we’ll drive along the rim of the canyon enjoying the great views from the top of the canyon that we jeeped in the day before. A special stop for a short walk is to enchanting Spider Rock.  Navajo legend claims Spider Woman lives between the towers and she taught them to weave.  We’ll enjoy several scenic overlooks before stopping at the Visitor Center on the way out of town. The scenes as we drive towards Monument Valley are breathtaking.  Then it’s on to lunch at historic Goulding’s Trading Post. We’ll have some time to shop and wander about. Check out the old movie sets from John Wayne westerns.  We drive to Page to check into our lovely hotel. We’ll have some free time to enjoy the pool and hot tub, then we go to town for a delicious dinner. Overnight Page.

I've backpacked thousands of miles alone but I treasure this week spent traveling with these amazing women. -- Kate L, MA

Day 5

After breakfast, we have a full day, semi-private tour of one of the most beautiful and photogenic areas of Antelope Slot Canyons. Unlike other Antelope Canyon tours, this company strictly limits the number of guests to ensure ample time to enjoy and photograph one of the most unique and magical places of the American Southwest. Over thousands of years, wind and water have formed narrow crevices in the mesa measuring a quarter mile long and 130 feet deep. It’s beautiful and mystical. We’ll also gain unique insights to the Native Navajo culture in this sacred and peaceful setting. Next, we visit a private overlook at Horseshoe Bend. We’ll have an iconic, breath-taking view of the Colorado River winding 1000 feet below. We avoid the congested public parking lots, more crowds, and we drive to within 100 meters of the rim on a private road. After lunch, we’ll enjoy our Colorado River float trip, which begins with a ride down the two mile long Glen Canyon Dam access tunnel. With the dam soaring 700 feet above us, we will board a motorized pontoon raft for our journey downstream, where we will experience one of the most dramatic stretches of river found in the western US. This is a gentle float trip and while underway, our experienced guide will tell the area’s story of abundant wildlife, former inhabitation by native cultures, exploration by Major John Wesley Powell, and the Colorado River’s modern role in the Southwest’s water and power delivery system. Our trip also includes a stop to view ancient petroglyphs left by Ancestral Puebloan peoples. We float to Lee’s Ferry and enjoy the scenic bus ride back to Page. Delightfully tired from this scenic and exhilarating day, we drive south to  Marble Canyon to check into our lodging and have dinner. Overnight Marble Canyon.

What a fun experience! This trip has opened my eyes to a part of Arizona that I truly want to revisit. The hiking, the spectacular and dazzling views, the frequent laughs and the easy camaraderie all made for a truly memorable experience. Thanks go out to our intrepid trip leader and to  a fine group of traveling sisters. Hasta luego. -- Sally H, NY

Day 6

After breakfast, we hike and explore! In 1984 Congress created the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument area. Vermillion Cliffs National Monument is a remote and unspoiled, 294,000-acre monument and a geologic treasure, containing Paria Plateau, Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes and Paria Canyon. It’s known for its outstanding scenery, desert wildlife, colorful history, and opportunities for primitive recreation so it will remain free from the influence of man and are protected for future generations. We’ll choose hikes that are particularly scenic and moderately challenging. We drive back to  Sedona with a stop to shop, then check into our lovely hotel. We may have some time for a dip in the pool before our fabulous farewell dinner. Overnight Sedona.

I loved just being able to sit back and enjoy the trip knowing everything was taken care of.  What a great way to travel!  I enjoyed all my travelling companions and thought we had a good bond. I look forward to doing more trips with you in the future.  Thank you for a most memorable trip. -- Janet S, AZ

Day 7

Enjoy breakfast and the hotel’s amenities before you board your pre-arranged shuttle service back to Phoenix, or stay and play in Sedona!

What’s Included

• 6 days/6 nights fully guided tour by a Canyon Calling Trip Leader
• All land transportation as outlined in this itinerary
• Hotel accommodations, double occupancy
• All meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on Day 7
• All activities outlined in this itinerary
• All activity guide gratuities
• All entrance fees, park passes and permits

What’s Not Included

• Round-trip transportation to/from Sedona, Arizona
• Alcoholic beverages and items of a personal nature
• Optional gratuity to your Trip Leader at the end of the trip