I'm visiting my mom out in Arizona (on the edge of Phoenix) for a week, and want to see the natural sights.  Already on my list is the Meteor Crater and Sedona Valley.  What else is a must-see natural place in that area?

grand canyon

In no perticular order..

Petrified Forest
Horseshoe Bend
Slot Canyons
Sunset Crater
Oak Creek Canyon(89a, the road from Sedona to Flagstaff)
Red Rock State Park
Mogollon Rim, but you are limited to the visitors center lookout off of HWY260 since FR300 is closed.
Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Monument Valley
Grand Falls(if it is going)

How far do you want to travel because many of the places mentioned above are multiple hours drive from Phoenix? Meteor Crater is like a 4 or 5 hour drive. Each way.

That's with rush hour traffic.
Attached File

But not snow.

Drive the Apache Trail (rt 88) out in the east valley. You will go past Goldfield Ghost town which has a restaurant and shops etc. Then you'll go on to Canyon Lake, then Tortilla Flat.
Stop in Tortilla Flat and have lunch. I recommend the chili bread bowls. Then on up to Apache Lake and finally Roosevelt Lake.
Once at Roosevelt, you can turn west on rt 188 and come back rt 87 or east on 188 and come back into the Phoenix area through Globe and rt 60. (my fav)
The road (88) is pretty rough past Tortilla Flat, but it's some of the most spectacular scenery in the Phoenix area.

If you don't mind a drive Kartchner caverns is cool.

I would skip meteor crater, it's just a big hole in the ground, Tortilla Flats is a nice drive.
You got a 4 wheel drive vehicle ?
Jerome is one of the coolest towns I've been to in Az