Flagstaff: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

Now in Flagstaff--:--:--

--°

Flagstaff is the closest real town to the Grand Canyon's South Rim, about 130 km away by road. This day enters by the main gate, walks the historic village on the rim, and leaves by the east road past Desert View, coming back to Flagstaff by a different way. Most buildings on the rim were designed for the Fred Harvey company, several of them by the architect Mary Colter. Start early, carry water and a layer: the rim is about 2,100 metres high.

Live camera

All cameras in town (2) ▾

A short history of Flagstaff

Flagstaff takes its name from a flagpole that settlers tied to a pine tree on 4 July 1876, the 100th anniversary of American independence. The railway arrived in 1882, and the town lived from logging and sheep farming. In 1894 Percival Lowell built an observatory on a hill above the town to search for canals on Mars, and in 1930 Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto there. Northern Arizona University opened here in 1899. In the 1960s the Apollo astronauts trained in the lava fields around the city. In 2001 Flagstaff was named the world's first Dark Sky City, because it had kept its street lighting dim so as not to hide the stars.

The ten best sights in Flagstaff

1
Lowell Observatory
Come after dark for the telescopes; on cloudy nights the indoor shows still run
2
Museum of Northern Arizona
The best place to understand the Hopi and Navajo art you will see for sale along the route
3
Riordan Mansion
Visits only by guided tour, on the hour; reserve in summer
4
Historic Downtown and Route 66
Route 66 runs between the depot and the brick downtown; park once and walk
5
Walnut Canyon National Monument
The Island Trail is short but climbs back up steeply at 2,000 m altitude; take it slowly
6
Wupatki Pueblo
The pueblos are on the same loop road as Sunset Crater; one park pass covers both
7
Grand Canyon South Rim
About 90 minutes from Flagstaff; arrive before nine or after four to find parking
8
Sunset Crater Volcano
You cannot climb the cone itself; the Lava Flow Trail at its foot is the walk
9
Arizona Snowbowl
In summer the chairlift climbs to about 3,500 m; bring a jacket even in July
10
Lava River Cave
Cold all year and pitch dark; bring two torches per person and real shoes

sleepntripRoad and rail routesEvery night on the road, our hotel

Whole routes, with a room up to $80 at every stop.

To the routes

What is an audio walk?

Tours in Flagstaff →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Flagstaff:

Free walking tours in Flagstaff

A day on the South Rim

Mather Point · Named for Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, which was founded in 1916. For most visitors it is the first view of the canyon, a few minutes' walk from the main visitor centre.
Yavapai Geology Museum · The stone building was opened in 1928 as an observation station, and its big windows frame the canyon with panels naming each rock layer. It is the place to understand that the lowest rocks below you are nearly two billion years old.
El Tovar Hotel · Opened in 1905 by the Santa Fe railway and the Fred Harvey company, a few steps from the rim. Its famous visitors include Theodore Roosevelt and Albert Einstein.
Hopi House · Mary Colter designed it in 1905 on the model of the Hopi village of Old Oraibi, and Hopi builders put it up. It was made as a place to sell Native American crafts, and it still does.
Lookout Studio · Colter built it in 1914 from rough local stone so that from a distance it looks like part of the cliff. The Bright Angel Trail starts just beyond it, but going down and back is not a half-day walk.
Desert View Watchtower · Colter's tower of 1932 is about 21 metres tall and copies the style of ancestral Puebloan towers. The murals inside are by the Hopi artist Fred Kabotie.

Volcanoes and cliff houses

Around 1085 a small volcano erupted just north of Flagstaff and covered the farms around it in black cinder. The people of the area, whom archaeologists call the Sinagua, moved on and built the stone pueblos that still stand in the desert to the north, and cliff rooms in Walnut Canyon to the east. This route visits both, plus a lava tube where you walk underground. Walnut Canyon in the morning, then the volcano and pueblo loop; the cave is the other side of town, so do it on another day if time is short.

Walnut Canyon National Monument · The Sinagua built about 80 rooms under the overhanging limestone ledges here between about 1100 and 1250. 'Sinagua' is Spanish for 'without water', the name early Spaniards gave the dry mountain country.
Sunset Crater Volcano · The youngest volcano in the San Francisco volcanic field, it erupted around 1085. Hiking to the top was banned in 1973 because feet were wearing down the cone.
Wukoki Pueblo · Built on a block of red sandstone, it rose up to three storeys and can be seen from far across the plain. A family or two lived here, farming the land the volcanic ash had made easier to work.
Wupatki Pueblo · With about a hundred rooms it was the largest building for a long way around. Next to it is a ball court and a natural blowhole, a crack in the ground that breathes air in or out depending on the weather.
Citadel Pueblo · It sits on top of a small volcanic hill, and from it you can see the pueblo of Nalakihu at its foot and dozens of other ruins across the plain. A short paved path climbs to it from the road.
Lava River Cave · A tube left about 700,000 years ago when the surface of a lava flow cooled while molten rock kept running inside. It is more than a kilometre long, and the floor is still rippled where the lava last moved.

Down to Sedona's red rocks

South of Flagstaff the land falls off the Mogollon Rim, and Route 89A drops through Oak Creek Canyon about 600 metres to Sedona in less than an hour. The forest of pines turns to red sandstone towers, the backdrop of dozens of Hollywood westerns. This day goes down the canyon, swims at a natural slide, and then visits the town and its best-known views. Sedona's car parks fill fast; start early and use the free trailhead shuttle in town where it runs.

Oak Creek Vista · The lookout sits on the very edge of the Mogollon Rim, above the switchbacks where the road starts its drop into the canyon. Navajo artists sell jewellery at stalls by the car park, and you buy directly from the maker.
Slide Rock State Park · The park was the Pendley family's apple farm, homesteaded in 1907, and the old orchard and farm buildings are still there. The slide itself is a natural chute worn into the creek bed, slippery with algae.
Sedona Heritage Museum · The town is named after Sedona Schnebly, wife of the first postmaster, who arrived in 1901. The museum, in an old orchard homestead, has a room on the westerns filmed among the red rocks.
Tlaquepaque · It looks like an old Mexican village but was built in the 1970s, modelled on the arts district of Tlaquepaque near Guadalajara. The builders kept the old sycamore trees growing up through the courtyards.
Chapel of the Holy Cross · Completed in 1956, the chapel is built straight into a red rock spur, with a huge cross forming its front wall. It was commissioned by the sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude.
Red Rock Crossing · The classic view of Cathedral Rock reflected in Oak Creek is taken from here. The picnic area was once Crescent Moon Ranch, and an old water wheel from the ranch still stands by the creek.

sleepntripFree cancellationEvery room we sell cancels for free

Plans change? Until the date on the card it costs nothing.

Find a room

Getting to Flagstaff and getting around

Flagstaff Amtrak Station · The 1926 Santa Fe depot doubles as the visitor centre; pick up Grand Canyon maps here even if you are not on a train
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport · Small airport with connections through Phoenix; useful only if someone has to fly out mid-route
Grand Canyon Railway, Williams · A day train from Williams to the South Rim and back; a way to see the Canyon without driving or parking

Cheap eats in Flagstaff

Flagstaff is a university town at 2,100 metres, so it eats like students and hikers: big breakfasts, burritos, burgers and good coffee. The food has a strong Mexican and Southwestern accent, with green chile in many dishes. Lunch costs less than in Sedona or at the Canyon, so stock up here before a park day.

MartAnne's Burrito Palace · Chilaquiles and big Mexican breakfasts, about $12-18
Diablo Burger · Burgers from local open-range beef, about $14-18
Biff's Bagels · Bagels for the road, about $4-10
Proper Meats + Provisions · Butcher shop with sandwiches, about $13-17
Satchmo's · Southern barbecue and po'boys, about $12-20
Salsa Brava · Mexican plates and a salsa bar, about $12-20

Museums in Flagstaff

Lowell Observatory · Telescopes at night, Pluto's history by day
Museum of Northern Arizona · Hopi, Navajo and Zuni art, and the geology of the plateau
Riordan Mansion · Arts and Crafts house shared by two lumber brothers
Walnut Canyon National Monument · Walk past 12th-century cliff rooms

Nature and day trips near Flagstaff

Arizona Snowbowl · Summer chairlift up the San Francisco Peaks
Lava River Cave · Walk a kilometre underground in a lava tube
Sunset Crater Volcano · Black cinder fields and the Lava Flow Trail
Buffalo Park · Easy loop with mountain views at the edge of town
Meteor Crater · A crater over a kilometre wide from an impact 50,000 years ago

Things to do in Flagstaff with kids

Lowell Observatory · Look through a telescope after dark
Bearizona · Drive-through wildlife park in Williams
Grand Canyon Railway, Williams · Train to the Canyon with a staged train robbery on the way back
Meteor Crater · Lookouts over the crater and a small space museum
Lava River Cave · An underground walk for older children with torches

Where to eat in Flagstaff

Weatherford Hotel · Historic hotel bars on two floors, with a balcony over the street
Hotel Monte Vista · Old cocktail lounge in a 1927 hotel
Beaver Street Brewery · Brewpub with wood-fired pizza
Pizzicletta · Small Neapolitan pizzeria; expect to wait
Criollo Latin Kitchen · Latin American dishes downtown

sleepntripNine conditionsA double bed and your own shower. Always.

A hotel, not a hostel. Air con, Wi-Fi, a score of 8 or more.

How we choose

Frequently asked questions about Flagstaff

What is there to see in Flagstaff?

The top sights in Flagstaff are Lowell Observatory, Museum of Northern Arizona and Riordan Mansion. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Flagstaff?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Flagstaff without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Flagstaff?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Flagstaff, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: A day on the South Rim.

How do you get to Flagstaff and get around?

The main ways are Flagstaff Amtrak Station, Flagstaff Pulliam Airport and Grand Canyon Railway, Williams. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Flagstaff, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Flagstaff that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

Looking for a hotel in Flagstaff for your dates?

Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.

All hotels in Flagstaff

Plan a trip across United StatesA coast-to-coast adventure→