Grand Canyon tours from Sedona and Flagstaff

8 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Sedona and Flagstaff have the widest choice of guided day tours to the South Rim. The NPS gives the distance as 81 miles from Flagstaff and 119 miles from Sedona; Visit Sedona puts its own figure at 114 miles and about two hours. From Sedona most vans first climb to Flagstaff through Oak Creek Canyon on State Route 89A, a designated scenic byway.

From Flagstaff the NPS describes three ways north. One goes west on I-40 to Williams and up Highway 64, one runs on Highway 180 to Valle, and the third follows US 89 to Cameron on the Navajo Nation and turns west to the East Entrance at Desert View, 25 miles away. Many tours drive a loop: in through one entrance, along the 23 miles of Desert View Drive, and out through the other. Entering at Desert View can save time, because at the South Entrance the NPS warns of waits of up to two hours between 9:30 am and 4 pm.

What each day tour includes

The listings look alike, but the inclusion lists differ on park entry, the fee for non-US visitors, lunch and whether the day reaches the Desert View Watchtower. Where a list says nothing, the table says “not stated” rather than guessing.

Tour	Group	Park entrance	Fee for non-US residents	Meals	Desert View	From	From
Grand Canyon Classic from Sedona via Desert ViewArizona Tour & Travel	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Yes	$191	Book on GetYourGuide
Grand Canyon Classic from Flagstaff via Desert ViewArizona Tour & Travel	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Yes	$191	Book on GetYourGuide
South Rim full-day tour from Sedona or FlagstaffArizona Tour & Travel	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Not stated	$191	Book on GetYourGuide
South Rim guided tour from Flagstaff with picnic lunchGrand Canyon Adventures	Small group	Included	Not stated	Lunch	Yes	$245	Book on GetYourGuide
South and East Rim from Flagstaff with picnic lunchTrekWest Tours of Arizona	Small group	Not stated	Extra	Lunch	Yes	$151	Book on GetYourGuide
Grand Canyon day trip from Sedona in an open-canopy vanScenic Sedona Tours	Small group	Not stated	Not stated	None	Yes	$189	Book on GetYourGuide
Sunset at the Grand Canyon from Sedona or FlagstaffArizona Tour & Travel	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Yes	$241	Book on GetYourGuide
South Rim guided tour with pickup in Tusayan, Williams or FlagstaffCanyon Dave Tours	Small group	Included	Not stated	Snacks	No	$249	Book on GetYourGuide
Grand Canyon, Wupatki and Sunset Crater from Sedona or FlagstaffMa Pa Tours	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Not stated	$209	Book on Viator
Small-group South and East Rim tour from Sedona or FlagstaffMa Pa Tours	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Yes	$197	Book on Viator
Grand Canyon day trip from Sedona with the Desert View towerGreat Venture Tours	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Yes	$197	Book on Viator
Grand Canyon, lava fields and ruins from Sedona or FlagstaffGreat Venture Tours	Small group	Not stated	Extra	None	Not stated	$209	Book on Viator
Sinagua ruins, Sunset Crater and the Grand Canyon from SedonaAngels Gate Tours	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Yes	$209	Book on Viator
South Rim day trip from Flagstaff to Desert ViewAngels Gate Tours	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Yes	$197	Book on Viator
Narrated South Rim tour from Sedona via Oak Creek CanyonGreat West Tours	Small group	Included	Extra	None	Not stated	$191	Book on Viator
Small-group South Rim tour from Sedona via Oak Creek CanyonGrand Canyon Adventures	Small group	Included	Not stated	Lunch	Yes	$274	Book on Viator
Small-group South Rim tour from FlagstaffDetours of Arizona	Small group	Included	Extra	None	No	$188	Book on Viator

Inclusions as listed on the tour pages; check them again when you book. The fee for international visitors is charged by the National Park Service at the gate or by the operator before the tour. Prices come from the booking platforms and change; if you book through these links we earn a commission.

The fee for non-US visitors on these tours

Since 2026, every non-US resident aged 16 and over pays a $100 nonresident fee at Grand Canyon National Park in addition to the entrance fee. The NPS states that this also applies to visitors on a commercial tour; children aged 15 and under pay neither.

The operators handle it in different ways. Arizona Tour & Travel, Ma Pa Tours, Great Venture Tours, Angels Gate Tours and Great West Tours use the same notice: you contact the tour company before the tour date, give a credit card for the fee and bring photo ID so your residency can be checked. Detours of Arizona says it must collect the $100 in advance. TrekWest tells foreign travellers to buy the $250 non-resident annual pass, which it says covers four people; the NPS wording is that the pass covers the holder and three more nonresidents aged 16 and over in a commercial group. The listings of Grand Canyon Adventures, Canyon Dave Tours and Scenic Sedona Tours do not mention the fee, so ask the operator. Our page on entrance fees and passes explains the rules in full.

Loop tours via Cameron and Desert View

The Grand Canyon Classic by Arizona Tour & Travel is the standard version of the day. From Sedona the van drives through Oak Creek Canyon and past Cameron Trading Post to Desert View, where you can climb the Watchtower, then follows the East and South Rims with a rim walk of about a mile and optional time in Grand Canyon Village. Lunch is not included, and the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users. A Flagstaff version takes about nine hours and stops in Tusayan on the way back, and the full-day tour from Sedona or Flagstaff enters through the South Entrance and returns past the Little Colorado River Gorge.

Reviews of the Classic praise guides who explain the geology and look after slower walkers, and one guest singled out lunch at Cameron. The criticism concerns time: one guest picked up at 7 am reached the canyon around 1 pm and stayed about 20 minutes at each of three stops.

Ma Pa Tours runs a small-group version from Sedona or Flagstaff with usually no more than ten guests. It starts at a rim viewpoint, leaves time for lunch on your own in the village, follows the rim east to the Watchtower and ends at Cameron. Great Venture Tours sells a similar day from Sedona, with a private upgrade for parties of four or more. Angels Gate Tours starts its Flagstaff day in the village and then lists Yavapai Point, Lipan Point and the Watchtower. Lipan Point and its road are closed from 22 June to 23 December 2026, so tours that list it stop elsewhere until then.

Cameron Trading Post was founded in 1916 and has a restaurant and a shop. The overlooks of the Little Colorado River Gorge belong to a Navajo tribal park with its own small fee; national park passes are not accepted there. Cameron lies on the Navajo Nation, which observes daylight saving time while the rest of Arizona does not, so from March to November clocks there run one hour ahead of the national park.

Ruins and lava fields on the way

Some tours spend the morning north of Flagstaff. Ma Pa Tours visits the ruins of Wupatki and the lava fields of Sunset Crater, stops at Cameron and then gives about three hours to viewpoints on the East and South Rims. Angels Gate Tours, from Sedona, visits Sinagua pueblo ruins and the Sunset Crater lava fields, enters through the East Gate at Desert View and continues along the South Rim to the village. These days ask for moderate fitness and leave less time at the canyon.

Tours with a picnic lunch

Grand Canyon Adventures starts in Flagstaff at 400 S Malpais Lane, without hotel pickup, and spends about five hours in the park with stops such as El Tovar and the Watchtower. A picnic lunch on the rim, drinks, snacks and a headset to hear the guide are included. Children under 4 cannot join, and free cancellation ends seven days before the tour, earlier than on most others.

TrekWest Tours of Arizona takes up to 11 guests from 1 East Route 66 in Flagstaff, the address of the city’s Amtrak station, or picks them up within the city limits. The day starts with a geology talk at Yavapai Point, walks through the village historic district, follows Desert View Drive to the Watchtower and ends at Cameron, with a picnic lunch from a Route 66 café.

Scenic Sedona Tours leaves from a shop called The Dragon’s Den in Sedona, where you can park free all day, and visits Mather Point, Kolb Studio, Hopi House, Yavapai Point, Moran Point and the Watchtower. Its listing is contradictory on food: a group lunch appears in the inclusions, while food and drinks are excluded, and one guest in October 2026 wrote that the advertised lunch stop did not happen. Plan to bring your own.

Smaller vans, sunset and a Rim Trail walk

Detours of Arizona runs a seven-hour day from Flagstaff in a high-roof van with up to 13 guests and about three hours at the rim, partly guided, with El Tovar, Hopi House and Mather or Yavapai Point. The van has no toilet, comfort stops are made during the day, and the tour can be cancelled if too few people book. Grand Canyon Adventures also sells a small-group day for up to 12 that is listed as a tour from Sedona; parts of its itinerary text refer to Flagstaff, so confirm the pickup town with the operator after booking.

For the evening light, Arizona Tour & Travel runs a sunset tour in a vehicle with up to 14 seats. It enters through the East Entrance at Desert View, follows the South Rim viewpoints and ends at a sunset spot, with time for dinner on your own; hotel details are needed 72 hours ahead. More evening options are on the sunset and sunrise page. Canyon Dave Tours picks up in Flagstaff (or in Williams and Tusayan for shorter versions) and walks part of the Rim Trail in the village with you, with snacks and drinks but no lunch.

If you would rather go by train for part of the way, the Grand Canyon Railway page covers the tours from Sedona that include a ride from Williams.

Food, water and what to pack

The South Rim is still recovering from a flash flood on 29 August 2026. As of November 2026 the park is open for day visits, but the NPS asks visitors to bring their own water where possible, and its operations update of 4 November lists the El Tovar Dining Room and the Maswik food court as closed. The Canyon Village Market is open from 7 am to 7 pm, and the Harvey House Café serves lunch from 11 am to 3.30 pm. If lunch is not included, pack it in Sedona or Flagstaff, and check the NPS current conditions page before you travel.

The rim lies at about 7,000 feet, and in November the average high there is 52°F (11°C), with nights below freezing. Bring layers and closed-toe shoes. Most tours need your hotel details 72 hours before the day, and the operators from Sedona and Flagstaff ask you to bring your own car seat or booster for children aged 8 and under.