Mesa AZ to Grand Canyon drive: Distance, time & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Mesa AZ to Grand Canyon drive are Camp Verde, Sedona and Flagstaff. The distance from Mesa AZ to the Grand Canyon by car is 246 miles, with a 4h driving time.

Planning a Mesa AZ to Grand Canyon road trip itinerary

The Mesa AZ to Grand Canyon drive takes you from urban Arizona to the state’s greatest natural wonder

Mesa is the third-biggest city in Arizona. You’ll find the Arizona Museum of Natural History here, as well as the Mesa Arts Center.

For fun in the sun, you can always take to the slides of the Golfland Sunsplash water park. Or, for hiking and outdoor activities in the Sonoran Desert, head for Usery Mountain Regional Park.

Top Mesa accommodation options with a pool include the Azure and the Delta.

The most visited section of the Grand Canyon is on the South Rim by Grand Canyon Village. This is where you’ll find the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, which shows a 20 minute orientation film every half hour.

Most of the walking trails are also here, with the 12 mile, mostly paved Rim Trail being the most popular option. Free shuttle buses run along the route, so you can just do parts of it. The 0.7 mile stretch between Mather Point and the Yavapai Observation Station is the obvious taster.

The National Parks Service website has details of the tougher walks into the canyon.

Grand Canyon experiences departing from Grand Canyon Village include jeep tours.

Mesa AZ to Grand Canyon distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Mesa AZ to the Grand Canyon is 246 miles. That makes for a driving time of around four hours. The quickest route changes depending on travel conditions, but most go via the I-17, I-40 and AZ-64.

The best road trip stops on the Mesa AZ to Grand Canyon drive are Camp Verde, Sedona and Flagstaff.

Best stops between Mesa AZ and the Grand Canyon: Camp Verde, Arizona

Camp Verde is an all-action kind of place. Great Camp Verde activities include tackling the Verde River in an inflatable kayak, horseback-riding through the mountains and off-road Jeep tours.

Top attractions include the Out of Africa Wildlife Park – where you can also take on a zipline course – and the Verde Valley Archaeology Center. The latter looks at the life of the Native Sinagua people.

Great Camp Verde accommodation options include the Cliff Castle Casino Hotel and the Fort Verde Suites.

Mesa AZ to Grand Canyon road trip attractions: Sedona, Arizona

Desert town Sedona sits in an inspirational setting amid red rock buttes, canyons and forest. It’s no wonder so many artists choose to live there.

The surrounding desert trails and state parks are magnificent for hiking and biking. You can also explore on a scenic helicopter flight, outback Jeep tour, guided ATV adventure or e-biking at Cathedral Rock. 

Other Sedona experiences include Verde Valley wine tours, Jeep tours of the mystical Sedona vortexes, glassblowing workshops and nighttime stargazing sessions.

For great Sedona accommodation that makes the most of the views, try the Sky Ranch Lodge or Amara Resort.

Mesa AZ to Grand Canyon drive: Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff AZ is largely known as a gateway to the Grand Canyon. You can take a Grand Canyon day tour from here, but you can also do a day trip to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.

Other Flagstaff experiences include haunted pub crawls, e-bike tours and an adventure course of wobbly bridges, ropes and ziplines. Stargazing enthusiasts can also take a tour of the Lowell Observatory and the Walnut Canyon National Monument is just to the east of the city. The latter is home to several ancient cliff dwellings.

Good Flagstaff accommodation options include the utterly charming Little America, and the great value Elev8.

The Grand Canyon from the South Rim.
The Grand Canyon from the South Rim. Photo by Becky Vogel/ Unsplash.

More Mesa AZ road trips

Mesa AZ to Albuquerque | Mesa to Flagstaff | Mesa AZ to Sedona | Tucson to Mesa AZ | Yuma to Mesa.

More Grand Canyon (South Rim) road trips

Albuquerque to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Flagstaff to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Phoenix to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Scottsdale to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Sedona to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Tucson to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Williams AZ to Grand Canyon (South Rim).