NJgal

We are just beginning to plan a 10-day winter trip (February or March) to California and Arizona and could use some advice. We have family in Los Angeles and Tempe so we'll fly into one city and out of the other. We are a couple in our 60s - in good shape and active.

Which is the best month to go? February or March?

What are some of the sights we should not miss. For example, I want to go to the beach (Catalina Island or some other place) and my husband wants to go to the Saguaro National Forest. What about other places we should not miss? How many nights in each place? We've been to Los Angeles but not for a long time and haven't been anywhere else.

We'd be most appreciative of your advice.

Thank you!

HappyTrvlr

February can be beautiful in Feb. in AZ but March is a safer bet. It is freezing right now.

tomfuller

Would you consider flying into and out of Las Vegas?
The rental cars are cheaper there and you would not have a drop off fee.
See Hoover dam on the way to Tempe or see the Mojave National Preserve on the way to Los Angeles.

janisj

Catalina is nice in the winter. There are no crowds but some of the tours/boast rides won't operate.

February or March is really a crap shoot. There could be wet/wintry storms either month and lovely spring like weather either month. No matter which you choose, the other month could end up nicer. I'd just maybe pick March because the chances of nicer weather are slightly better.

(They want to see LA/Catalina and Tempe/Phoenix, and you want them to detour to Vegas to save on a rental car? weird.)

NJgal

Thanks everyone. Can you suggest an itinerary from Phoenix that will eventually get us to LA in 7 days ... I'm thinking that we should perhaps focus on the national parks in Arizona, maybe hit up Joshua Tree, go to San Diego, but skip the beach focus (resort) since the weather might be iffy. Although I suspect anything will be better than what it will be like on the east coast.

tomfuller

Two years in a row I went to Arizona in early February to get away from the Oregon cold.
The first year I drove via Reno, Tonopah and Las Vegas to Yuma.
The second year I took the Coast Starlight to Sacramento and the San Joaquin train/bus combo to Santa Clarita to visit family overnight. My DIL took me to Burbank to catch a Surfliner train into Los Angeles. From Los Angeles I took the Sunset Limited overnight to Tucson. I rented a car for a week and then drove back to Yuma for the annual Yuma event.
After the event I drove south through Why to see the Organ Pipe Cactus NM. After that I drove east through NM to a town east of El Paso TX to do some geocaches in a challenge I have since completed.
If you fly to Phoenix (or Tucson), return the rental car where you rented it and then take public transportation to California and rent another car there.

jamie99

I would definitely visit San Diego, nice town with lots to see and do, besides the famous Zoo we really liked the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. I prefer Palm Springs over Joshua Tree unless you like rock climbing (my late uncle lived in Joshua Tree).
Keep the car and ignore tomfuller, his advice is well meant but sometime in the past he was traumatized by a one way dropoff fee, it is what it is, just part of a vacation expense.

clarkgriswold

March and as late in March as possible. February is expected to have 22 rainy days this winter.

If you have ten days, and friends in Tempe and L.A., I imagine they can fill those short stays with activities/ideas for you. So you just need to plan the 3 or 4 days in between. A look at Joshua Tree and a night or two in Palm Springs sounds good. Then maybe a beach night....Hermosa or Santa Monica before you settle in with your friends. You really don't have time to fit San Diego into your plans unless you are just planning a quick visit/one night with your L.A. friends.

Note that rates change constantly, but when I just checked a ten day period mid-March, car rental from LAX to Phoenix was less than half the price of doing it in the reverse.

NJgal

Wow ... thanks! So much to think about.

We're going to land in Phoenix on a Monday night and spend Tuesday with a distant relative in Tempe. Then Wednesday we'll head to Arizona sights and end up in LA late afternoon on Friday. On Sunday we'll see California sights and fly out of LAX early afternoon on Thursday.

Now the big planning begins - thanks!

janisj

OK -- you might consider flying from Phoenix to LAX (or John Wayne or Burbank or San Diego or wherever).

You can either rent two cars or if you'll be sightseeing w/ the relatives, just the one in LA. That will save you a loooooong tedious drive and rental drop off charges. The airfares might even be less $$ than the drop off.

clarkgriswold

There are no rental drop off charges between LAX and Phoenix. However, since you're going the other way...there are no "drop charges" per say but they have been worked into the high rental rates. The reason is that Feb & March are very busy times for car rentals in the Phoenix area.

janisj

That is why I suggested flying . . . because they plan on traveling from Phoenix to LA.

mlgb

If you are going to see Saguaro, you'll want to decide between San Diego and Palm Springs next. I'd probably go with San Diego.