Clothing preparedness - desert
 

Hi fellow Fodorites, I'll be visiting Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and California in mid August/early September and wondering if I should bring just summer gear, or will it get chilly at night and at higher altitudes? Appreciate all advice!

Depending on where in NM, yes, it does cool off ALOT most nights with drops of 30+ degrees in cities at altitude - Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Taos. We have been having record heat here, and some nights don't cool off, but it is good to have a light weight cover up.

Thanks very much for the tip DebitNM

Oh dear, it will be hot hot hot here in AZ. Most of the women wear tank tops, shorts, hats and tons of spf if you plan on being out during the day. Hopefully wherever you are staying will have a pool. The nights are bearable but still sweaty, it will be more humid in August than it is during the other hot months but it's still no where near as humid as other states that get "real" humidity like the PNW or even California. Where will you be staying in Arizona? If you will be at higher altitudes it will be about 15 degrees cooler but still warm, possibly chilly at night if you are near the Grand Canyon but as low as Flagstaff should be nice at night yet still warmish.

Summer is a GREAT time in Arizona to snag awesome deals at expensive resorts!

The heat won't worry us too much, Australian summers are very hot and humid (in Sydney anyway). We're staying at Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Santa Fe, Monument Valley, Bluff and Springdale. At either end of the trip, a few days in LA.

I would bring a fleece jacket and call it a day.

It will be cool, particularly at night and early morning, in Flagstaff and at the Grand Canyon. Even now, when Phoenix / Scottsdale are having low temperatures of 90, overnight temperatures in Flag are in the mid-50's.

LA can be hot during the day (except near the beach) in Aug./Sept., but the nights cool off a lot so make sure you have a sweater in case it gets too cool for you. The beach can be cool (nice cool) all day and gets even cooler at night.

This site is pretty good for averages:

http://www.weather2travel.com/climat...-canyon-az.php

http://www.weather2travel.com/climat...agstaff-az.php

http://www.weather2travel.com/climat...anta-fe-nm.php

Throw in a bit of wind on those cooler nights and you'll want to have a fleece jacket or similar layer handy. Have a great trip!

Thanks to all for the good advice!

Those are great cities (well, maybe with the exception of Phoenix) to visit - just not in the summer! Could you switch Phoenix for Tucson?

<<Australian summers are very hot and humid (in Sydney anyway)>>

LV isn't like Sydney, it's like the Red Centre (steam in forty-five degrees). So is Phoenix, but you didn't say you're going there.

We are passing through Phoenix BigRuss. I'm sure we'll survive, we travelled through Egypt and Israel during heat waves.

There are some really excellent restaurants in Phoenix (and the area), let me know if you want some tips!

Ooh, yes please Guilia :-)

More important than what clothes to pack is sun screen and a hat. Once you arrive, buy a pack of water bottles too and stay hydrated.

Italophile what kind of food are you into? Where will you be staying? That will help me give you the right list of restaurants!

We like just about every cuisine under the sun. Just passing through Phoenix though, staying at Scottsdale.

Well if you want to truly experience something very "Arizona" I would say not to miss Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale the Stetson Chopped Salad is a bit of a legendary thing around here. Or Vincent's in Phoenix (but close to the border of Scottsdale), it's southwestern French and incredibly unique. All of these places can get pricey at dinner but affordable at lunch. In north Scottsdale also is an AMAZING Italian cafe called Andreoli Grocer, they make sandwiches that will make you swoon, seriously, I live 30 miles from there and when I get a craving I totally make the drive. My parents are from Italy and we've spent a considerable amount of time there and this is the real deal. They also make phenomenal homemade sweets and desserts and the coffee is excellent, the hearty dark Italian kind that will put you at attention :) If you're into shopping we have a world class shopping center in Scottsdale, some say one of the best in the country, Scottsdale Fashion Square, it really is a fantastic place even just to walk around and get out of the heat. There you will find Olive & Ivy on the canal, the food is exceptional and it's one of the most gorgeous, yet affordable restaurants around town. Don't be put off that it's a chain, it's an AZ based chain held by one guy who has a dozen restaurants that are all perfection. Those are a few off the top of my head, I'll post a more comprehensive list later when I get home!

Cowboy Ciao https://www.cowboyciao.com
Vincent's https://www.vincentsoncamelback.com
Andreoli http://www.andreoli-grocer.com
Olive & Ivy http://www.foxrc.com/restaurants/oli...t-marketplace/
Scottsdale Fashion Square http://www.fashionsquare.com