Arizona in the summer
 

Hi --I am planning almost 2 weeks in August mostly in Arizona -- 2 adults and our 11 yr old son. We have never been to the south west on vacation. We are flying in from the east coast probably to Phoenix, and want to leave from Las Vegas. We want to visit the Grand Canyon (how many days? Which hotel?) We also want to visit Canyon de Chelly. Looking for suggestions given the weather in August. Should we plan on a few days on Canyon de Chelly? Other suggestions in Flaggstaff, or along the ways? Thinking of spending time in Flaggstaff and going to the Lowell Observatory --is that worth the trip?

Look forward to suggestions on locations, hotels, sites we must see, and where we should be spending more time.

August is an unusual time to visit Arizona.

I love Tucson and the Sonoran Desert - but not in August.

In August, you have to withdraw to higher elevations.

- Grand Canyon: Stay one night at the south rim and see both sunset and sunrise. Forget going down in August (and with an 11year old).

- Make a side trip to Monument Valley. It is breathtaking.

- Go to Lake Powell. Make a boat trip to Rainbow Bridge or (better) rent a houseboat and spend several days on the water.

- Visit Canyon de Chelly. Spend at least one full day there.

- Think about seeing Mesa Verde, Zion Natl. Park and Bryce Canyon (I know this is not Arizona, but these places are close.)

- Go to Sedona.

- If you want a kind of religious experience, go to Yuma. In August, it gives you an impression how it is in hell.

>> - If you want a kind of religious experience, go to Yuma. In August, it gives you an impression how it is in hell.<<

:-))

Seriously, everywhere you want to go will be really, really hot. If you want to do this, drink a *lot* of water, and always make sure you have water in the car with you. Wear a hat with a brim (not just a baseball cap) and wear sunscreen.

If there is any way you can do this trip another time of year, I would do that.

Lee Ann

Keep in mind that it's tough to be outside, especially if you aren't used to that kind of heat. I find it challenging to walk from the car to a store even!

Thanks for your recommendations. I think I will need to stay in places by the water - or try have hotels with a pool. Lake Powell and Monument Valley --- I will look into that.

One thing going for Arizona in August is all the locals have left town. They've all gone to San Diego or Los Angeles to escape the heat. :)

You know the weather can reach 120 degrees mid August? You gotta really, really love the heat.

In reading your post, I see that you are considering Phoenix as a place to fly into. That's fine, if you head north asap. Flagstaff will be fine too, as well as the Grand Canyon. I'm not that familar with Canyon de Chelly...been there but not in August. The most important thing to consider is elevation. This is what will make the temperatures bearable or not. Phoenix and Tucson will be hot as Hades...the other places you mentioned should be okay.

Arizona is much more than a desert climate.:)

&quot;<i>I think I will need to stay in places by the water - or try have hotels with a pool.</i>&quot;

So you plan on staying in the pool till 10 or 11 AM, the rush inside to the air conditioning, then venture back outside around 10 or 11 PM?

Being &quot;by the water&quot; doesn't make the air any cooler . . . .

good point janisj and it reminds me of a family trip to Lake Havasu about 20 years ago. The outside temp was 119 degrees at 5:00 in the afternoon and the pool (which was &quot;heated&quot; naturally by the sun) was probably 119 degrees too. Too hot to swim in.

It is NOT anywhere near 120 degrees at the Grand Canyon in August, nor in Sedona, nor Flagstaff. Phoenix, yes. Fly in, get a car, and drive north ASAP.

Heat is an elevational issue in AZ, which means water alone will not mean cooler temps. But again, GC, Sedona and Flagstaff will be doable. Millions of visitors do it all the time. Many people on this board are retired and therefore have the luxury of choosing their travel periods.

Do make time for Sedona. I like the Sky Ranch Lodge, which has a spectacular location atop Airport Mesa. Oak Creek Canyon is gorgeous, and there's a water slide somewhere in there that will be refreshing!

Oh, and as for GC, make your reservations inside the park NOW--they can be cancelled without penalty up to 24 hours in advance of your stay. Bright Angel cabins are my faves, or Bright Angel Lodge. There are others on the rim, which is the ideal location, but anything inside the park is way better than driving from outside, particularly for watching sunrises and sunsets.

Since you're already looking at Lake Powell, you may as well just make the loop around the Grand Canyon and see the North Rim, Bryce Canyon and head back to Las Vegas through Zion. With almost 2 weeks, you'll definitely have time to fit those in along with the South Rim, Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly.

It would be helpful to know what your interests are for recommendations on what to do in those areas. Do you like hiking, scenic drives, history, photography, etc? There are some standard must-sees but also a lot of more specific recommendations that can be made based on your interests.

Although Sedona may not be 120 degrees, the average high temperature in August is still 94 degrees, and since it's a place you'll want to be outdoors (hiking), guide yourselves accordingly!

A dry 94 will feel far cooler than a humid 94.
I'm not being argumentative, I guess I'd hate for visitors to be scared off by alarmism.

&lt;A dry 94 will feel far cooler than a humid 94.&gt;

Correct. And it's also worth noting that the temps listed are the average high for the day - morning temps are about 30 degrees cooler so you have a very nice window from sunrise to late morning for outdoor activities before it gets hot.

If you choose to go to the Grand Canyon's North Rim and/or Bryce Canyon, the high temps are 75-80. Flagstaff has similar temps.

I realize not everyone on vacation wants to get up early, but doing so for those days spent in hotter areas is much preferable than being out in the hot midday sun. And certainly for the Grand Canyon South Rim, you're going to want to get up early to beat the midday crowds as well.

This is all very helpful -- thank you. We do want to enjoy the outside as much as possible, hiking, etc, and definately want to take in the history of the area. My sone is also is getting interested in astronomy, so I thought the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff in the evening would be fun (although I saw one reviewer on tripadvisor say it was boring.) The temperature is making me think twice - especially if it means we are going to have to spend too much time inside.

It's monsoon season in August and the humidity goes up.
We usually do a 5 star resort ($100+ for rooms that usually go for $500+) in Scottsdale/Phoenix..
Great pools and water slides with misters going everywhere..
I use expedia on great deals.
Phoenician, Princess..Royal Palms, Sanctuary and the Biltmore for 3 days and then head up to Sedona..slide rock is fun but if you can avoid the weekedend and do mid-week would be so much better.
So many great places to stay for under $150..Sedona Rouge Hotel..Best Western Inn of Sedona..
Radisson Poco Diablo..even La Quinta and Days Inn.
Flagstaff is a cool quaint town.
Maybe head down to Tucson and go to Bisbee.

I have lived in Phoenix for 39 years and I would NEVER suggest to anyone that coming to Phoenix in August is a good idea. You should rent a car and IMMEDIATELY drive up to Flagstaff. Its in the 80's there during August and its a great town. Go to the historic old town area and walk around all the little shops. They also have great food in that area. A short drive from Flag is Williams. Its a neat little rout 66 town with great little stores and some nice little places to eat. I went there last summer and really enjoyed it.
I have been to Lowell observatory and I thought it was very boring. They did not let us look through any of the telescopes. We went in for a few minutes and looked around and that was about it. i do not recommend it.
Grand Canyon is really amazing and I do strongly recommend that. I also recommend Canyon De Chelly. It is very beautiful as well but can get extremely windy so do not wear a hat outside the car if it is. I learned this the hard way and made a contribution to the scenery.
You mentioned Vegas. I strongly recommend getting to Vegas with a few days left. It is really an incredible place and takes more then just a day or two to see. Food is king in Vegas so make sure you do your research on places to eat before you go. Check out the Vegas section on Fodors to get all kinds of great ideas of things to do and see.
If your thinking about seeing a show I recommend any of the Cirque shows, there all great. My favorite show in Vegas is Blue Man Group. Your 11 year old will really love it. Book very early if you want to see any of the big shows. And for Blue Man, try and get up front. The closer the better.
Hope you have a great time and make sure you drink 5 times more water than you normally do when in Phoenix. If you think you have drank enough drink some more. One way to see if your properly hydrated is your urine should be clear not yellow. If its yellow you need to drink. I know I know to much info.
mscmkr

LCP - we'll be in Arizona for the first week of August, so I've been reading the warnings/suggestions with great interest. We're renting a house in Sedona with plans for visiting sites in that area as well as the Grand Canyon, so I'm hoping I won't be posting a trip report that has the message, "HOT, HOT, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE" as the main theme!

LOL..when our kids finally grew up and flew the coop and we weren't tied to school schedules, we sore off going to Utah and Arizona in the summer. So what happens, we have family members who wanted us to go with them to these areas and August was the only time they could go. Two years in a row we ended up at the Grand Canyon in August. It really wasn't that bad as long as you don't try to hike down into the canyon. As you go down in elevation, the temperatures go up. I think both years Grand Canyon in early August was in the low 80's on the rim.

Canyon de Chelly will be hotter. They don't call the tours into the canyon the "shake and bake" tours for nothing! Keep that in mind.

Lake Powell will be HOT, but you have the lake to go cool off in.

Monument Valley will also be HOT so make sure to either drive into the park in your own air conditioned vehicle or choose a tour guide who has air conditioned vehicles.

If you venture farther north into Utah, it will also be a little cooler in Bryce National Park, Utah.

Be ware that August can also be monsoonal season for Arizona.

Utahtea