Arizona-Scottsdale, Tucson, Flagstaff?
Jun 30th, 2007, 03:47 AM
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Arizona-Scottsdale, Tucson, Flagstaff?
Hi
We will be coming over from the UK in Aug 2007. Spending time in Las Vegas, ? in Arizona & San Diego.
I am hoping on some help where to stay in Arizona. I have been searching, reading and all the info is now zooming around my head and no decisions are being made!!
We would like to include some of the following in our stay, which will probably be 5 nights:
Drive Apache Trail
Stay at a ranch, or at least spend some time riding
Visit Tombstone or Rawhide or both?
Watch a sports game
Visit Sliderock
Sonoran Desert tour
Where would be the best location to stay to do some of the above?
Any suggestions on the above would be greatly appreciated.
We will be coming over from the UK in Aug 2007. Spending time in Las Vegas, ? in Arizona & San Diego.
I am hoping on some help where to stay in Arizona. I have been searching, reading and all the info is now zooming around my head and no decisions are being made!!
We would like to include some of the following in our stay, which will probably be 5 nights:
Drive Apache Trail
Stay at a ranch, or at least spend some time riding
Visit Tombstone or Rawhide or both?
Watch a sports game
Visit Sliderock
Sonoran Desert tour
Where would be the best location to stay to do some of the above?
Any suggestions on the above would be greatly appreciated.
Jun 30th, 2007, 05:31 AM
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Ruby, as a local I have to say that August is the worst month to visit the desert! But to answer some of your specifics ...
> Drive Apache Trail
This is east of Phoenix and a delight in February and March when the wildflowers are blooming, but a dusty, dry drive in August, with a chance that flash floods will close some of the low water washes. I would skip it ...
> Stay at a ranch, or at least spend some time riding
You can do this at Wickenburg or Tucson or resorts outside Phoenix, but I would try to find something north like Flagstaff where the temperatures are much more moderate, because of the higher altitude. If you want to combine mule riding with the Grand Canyon you can probably still reserve a saddle for a day trip down to Panorama Point, which will likely be enough saddle time for the entire trip
> Visit Tombstone or Rawhide or both?
Tombstone is well out of the way, I'd skip it ... Rawhide is I think in Scottsdale, but if you are visiting a real dude ranch (see above) then you'll probably find Rawhide pretty fake.
> Watch a sports game
If you like baseball catch an Arizona Diamondbacks game in Phoenix. Hopefully they will still be in first place by then.
Another option is to visit the training camp of the Arizona Cardinals football team, which is typically held in Flagstaff in August. And I think the women's pro basketball team (Phoenix Mercury) might still be playing in August, but not certain.
> Visit Sliderock
This is just outside Sedona, which is more comfortable than Scottsdale in August because of the higher elevations. Try to avoid the weekends, which are busy.
> Sonoran Desert tour
If you drive the Apache Trail you'll see a great deal of the Sonora Desert already. I would suggest spending a morning at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden instead of trekking out into the raw desert though, which is deadly that time of year.
I would suggest that after Vegas you spend a day or two at the Grand Canyon and maybe take the mule ride to Indian Gardens and Panorama Point, then maybe a day or two in Sedona so you can see Slide Rock and the rest of this lovely area, then (if you want to visit a dude ranch and ride) maybe Wickenberg or similar, then a day in Phoenix for the baseball game and Botanical Gardens (and the Apache Trail, which begins about an hour east of Phoenix). Something like that to experience most of the items on your list.
Bill
> Drive Apache Trail
This is east of Phoenix and a delight in February and March when the wildflowers are blooming, but a dusty, dry drive in August, with a chance that flash floods will close some of the low water washes. I would skip it ...
> Stay at a ranch, or at least spend some time riding
You can do this at Wickenburg or Tucson or resorts outside Phoenix, but I would try to find something north like Flagstaff where the temperatures are much more moderate, because of the higher altitude. If you want to combine mule riding with the Grand Canyon you can probably still reserve a saddle for a day trip down to Panorama Point, which will likely be enough saddle time for the entire trip
> Visit Tombstone or Rawhide or both?
Tombstone is well out of the way, I'd skip it ... Rawhide is I think in Scottsdale, but if you are visiting a real dude ranch (see above) then you'll probably find Rawhide pretty fake.
> Watch a sports game
If you like baseball catch an Arizona Diamondbacks game in Phoenix. Hopefully they will still be in first place by then.
Another option is to visit the training camp of the Arizona Cardinals football team, which is typically held in Flagstaff in August. And I think the women's pro basketball team (Phoenix Mercury) might still be playing in August, but not certain.
> Visit Sliderock
This is just outside Sedona, which is more comfortable than Scottsdale in August because of the higher elevations. Try to avoid the weekends, which are busy.
> Sonoran Desert tour
If you drive the Apache Trail you'll see a great deal of the Sonora Desert already. I would suggest spending a morning at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden instead of trekking out into the raw desert though, which is deadly that time of year.
I would suggest that after Vegas you spend a day or two at the Grand Canyon and maybe take the mule ride to Indian Gardens and Panorama Point, then maybe a day or two in Sedona so you can see Slide Rock and the rest of this lovely area, then (if you want to visit a dude ranch and ride) maybe Wickenberg or similar, then a day in Phoenix for the baseball game and Botanical Gardens (and the Apache Trail, which begins about an hour east of Phoenix). Something like that to experience most of the items on your list.
Bill
Jun 30th, 2007, 10:56 AM
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We also live in the UK and did a similar holiday a couple of years ago. Here is our itinerary.
We flew into Phoenix and had 2 nights there, you can visit Scottsdale whilst there. We then moved on to Tucson for a further 2 nights. The scenery en-route to the Senora Desert Museum is breathtaking,we also went to Tombstone whilst staying in Tucson, very touristy, but we really enjoyed it,there is an element of humour about the whole set-up and although the shoot-out at the OK Coral was a serious business, it makes for a great day out.
From Tucson we travelled on to Sedona. Again the scenery is absolutely breathtaking here, we stayed overnight then moved on to Flagstaff for a further 2 nights, from here we went to the Native American Indian reservations on the edge of Monument Valley,from Flagstaff we drove on to Kingman which is just next door.
In Kingman there is a detour to a little disused mining town called Oatman, look out for signs and take the detour if you have the time.
It's a small mining town with wild horses (burros) roaming the streets, you can buy food to feed them, they are very tame and curious, we saw one with it's head inside someones car, looking for food.
From Oatman we re-joined the main route and made our way to Vegas for a further week, via the Hoover Dam, also worth a visit.We would have detoured to the Grand Canyon, but we visited there a couple of years ago.We flew home from Vegas.
We fit quite a lot into our 2 weeks and felt we saw everything we had planned to.If you are flying home from Phoenix, you could just have a couple of nights in Vegas,then make your way back to Phoenix.Don't know how you would fit in San Diego though. You will have to prioritise your trip to get maximum enjoyment or you will be shattered!
If I were you though, I would try to pre-book accommodation for that time of year to save dissappointment.Hope this is of some use to you. We really enjoyed it.
We flew into Phoenix and had 2 nights there, you can visit Scottsdale whilst there. We then moved on to Tucson for a further 2 nights. The scenery en-route to the Senora Desert Museum is breathtaking,we also went to Tombstone whilst staying in Tucson, very touristy, but we really enjoyed it,there is an element of humour about the whole set-up and although the shoot-out at the OK Coral was a serious business, it makes for a great day out.
From Tucson we travelled on to Sedona. Again the scenery is absolutely breathtaking here, we stayed overnight then moved on to Flagstaff for a further 2 nights, from here we went to the Native American Indian reservations on the edge of Monument Valley,from Flagstaff we drove on to Kingman which is just next door.
In Kingman there is a detour to a little disused mining town called Oatman, look out for signs and take the detour if you have the time.
It's a small mining town with wild horses (burros) roaming the streets, you can buy food to feed them, they are very tame and curious, we saw one with it's head inside someones car, looking for food.
From Oatman we re-joined the main route and made our way to Vegas for a further week, via the Hoover Dam, also worth a visit.We would have detoured to the Grand Canyon, but we visited there a couple of years ago.We flew home from Vegas.
We fit quite a lot into our 2 weeks and felt we saw everything we had planned to.If you are flying home from Phoenix, you could just have a couple of nights in Vegas,then make your way back to Phoenix.Don't know how you would fit in San Diego though. You will have to prioritise your trip to get maximum enjoyment or you will be shattered!
If I were you though, I would try to pre-book accommodation for that time of year to save dissappointment.Hope this is of some use to you. We really enjoyed it.
Jun 30th, 2007, 11:04 AM
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Arizona in August is going to be wickedly hot..115 degrees+
I would fly into Phoenix and stay in a nice 5 star resort which are super cheap in August..
Phoenician 5* is $199 a night, Boulders 5* $129..deals on Expedia.
Head up to Sedona for at least a night or two..it will be cooler but still hot..around 90+ degrees.
Sedona is stunning!
I would forgo Tucson even though I do love it..just too hot to do much.
Las Vegas..Where are you staying?
I would suggest the Wynn Hotel, Bellagio or the Palms.
San Diego..it's where I live..happy to give you places to stay and go.
Keep us posted ruby!
I would fly into Phoenix and stay in a nice 5 star resort which are super cheap in August..
Phoenician 5* is $199 a night, Boulders 5* $129..deals on Expedia.
Head up to Sedona for at least a night or two..it will be cooler but still hot..around 90+ degrees.
Sedona is stunning!
I would forgo Tucson even though I do love it..just too hot to do much.
Las Vegas..Where are you staying?
I would suggest the Wynn Hotel, Bellagio or the Palms.
San Diego..it's where I live..happy to give you places to stay and go.
Keep us posted ruby!
Jun 30th, 2007, 11:34 AM
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Hi rubydander....I am also a lifelong local and have many relatives from Scotland visit us, but in the fall/winter. The Apache Trail is their most favorite thing to do, however I do agree with Bill...at this time of year, it will be very dusty, plants are not pretty. August is the one time we MIGHT get rain and that would be dandy for you as it cleans things off and possibly cools down a LITTLE bit!!! The difference is Tombstone is a town, Rawhide is a place to spend a small amount of time, possibly eat....What would I do for UK visitors in August???
Phoenix-Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West one hour tour. Take a city of Phoenix tour to see some of the residential areas, resorts, mountains, etc.
Tucson-Desert Sonora Museum-it is superb, outside, so best to go in the a.m...unfortunately some of the animals won't be out in the heat. Tour of Sabino Canyon, resorts, San Xavier del Bac
Head on to Bisbee/Tombstone, both will be hot days, but can be interesting..
Other than that, I'd head to Sedona/Grand Canyon/Monument Valley/Canyon de Chelly....all will be hot during the day, a slight bit cooler at night. To me, Monument Valley/Canyon de Chelly are "IT" in Arizona, I love them and the tours are terrific.
You could then head up to Las Vegas if that's what you want to do. San Diego??? Well, of course, we love SD, but in August it is packed with Arizonans + others...they call us "zonies".
I meant to also say that most dude ranches are closed during summer, but they are a must do if you ever come at another time of the year.
I got a chuckle out of mel710 saying the landscape from Phx-Tucson and north is "breathtaking"....Now, we've been to the UK many times and THAT scenery is breathtaking...we always say our landscapes, especially during summer and along the highways, are really pretty awful. I would love to help in any way to make your trip successful....restaurants, accommodations, etc...I'd say to let someone else tour you and tell you what you're seeing.
Phoenix-Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West one hour tour. Take a city of Phoenix tour to see some of the residential areas, resorts, mountains, etc.
Tucson-Desert Sonora Museum-it is superb, outside, so best to go in the a.m...unfortunately some of the animals won't be out in the heat. Tour of Sabino Canyon, resorts, San Xavier del Bac
Head on to Bisbee/Tombstone, both will be hot days, but can be interesting..
Other than that, I'd head to Sedona/Grand Canyon/Monument Valley/Canyon de Chelly....all will be hot during the day, a slight bit cooler at night. To me, Monument Valley/Canyon de Chelly are "IT" in Arizona, I love them and the tours are terrific.
You could then head up to Las Vegas if that's what you want to do. San Diego??? Well, of course, we love SD, but in August it is packed with Arizonans + others...they call us "zonies".
I meant to also say that most dude ranches are closed during summer, but they are a must do if you ever come at another time of the year.
I got a chuckle out of mel710 saying the landscape from Phx-Tucson and north is "breathtaking"....Now, we've been to the UK many times and THAT scenery is breathtaking...we always say our landscapes, especially during summer and along the highways, are really pretty awful. I would love to help in any way to make your trip successful....restaurants, accommodations, etc...I'd say to let someone else tour you and tell you what you're seeing.
Jul 4th, 2007, 08:50 AM
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Slight correction desertduds. I said the scenery en-route from Tuscon to the Senora Desert museum was breathtaking and not the scenery from Phoenix to Tuscon, which I admit was dry, dusty and uninteresting, however the giant cactus on way to Senora Desert Museum were great and something us in the UK have never seen before. Well, we thought so anyway.
Jul 4th, 2007, 10:03 PM
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You are SO right Mel, Saguaro Nat'l Park is one spectacular place and a wonderful drive any time of the year! For some reason this year's cactus blooms were unbelievably huge and showy. In all my life I've never seen flowers so prolific and large.
Jul 6th, 2007, 08:36 AM
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Ruby,
If you can possibly hit Tucson on the weekend, the Desert Museum has an evening program on Saturdays during the summer. They charge $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids 6-12 and kids under six get in free, after 5 p.m on Saturdays. This is a really sweet deal, as the animals are more active in the evenings during the summer months. Here is the site and the page for more information, http://www.desertmuseum.org/visit/events_saturday.php.
Most guest ranches will not be open in the Summer. However, Tanque Verde Guest Ranch will be open and offering summer specials, http://www.tanqueverderanch.com/specials.html.
Slan Beo (Take Care),
Bit Devine
If you can possibly hit Tucson on the weekend, the Desert Museum has an evening program on Saturdays during the summer. They charge $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids 6-12 and kids under six get in free, after 5 p.m on Saturdays. This is a really sweet deal, as the animals are more active in the evenings during the summer months. Here is the site and the page for more information, http://www.desertmuseum.org/visit/events_saturday.php.
Most guest ranches will not be open in the Summer. However, Tanque Verde Guest Ranch will be open and offering summer specials, http://www.tanqueverderanch.com/specials.html.
Slan Beo (Take Care),
Bit Devine
