Help needed - Trip to South West
 

Hey,

We've put together an itinerary for a trip to South West USA and would like to know what eveyone thinks:

Night 1: Scottsdale after flying into Phoenix from London
Night 2: Flagstaff
Nights 3-4: Grand Canyon (S Rim)
Night 5: Lake Powell
Night 6: Bryce Canyon
Nights 7-8: Zion
Nights 9-11: Vegas
Nights 12-15: San Diego then home.

We are a group in our 20s and hope this will provide a good mix of sightseeing, hiking and nightlife.

Have we missed out any must see locations or are we overstretching ourselves at any point???

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Cheers....

I can comment on the first few days of your trip. I'd recommend staying in scottsdale for two nights and passing on Flagstaff. There's not much there, frankly, while Phoenix/Scottsdale is the 4th largest city in the US and has some interesting things, including hiking (camelback mountain, for example). The drive from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon, if you go the fast way up I-17, is only 4 hours, so easily doable early in the am after two nights in Scottsdale. BUT -- I'd recommend driving sloooowly, going thru Sedona. Truly beautiful area. At the least, consider replacing Flagstaff with a stop in Sedona - much more scenic and fun.

Sounds like a good itinerary to me, although I would agree with the previous poster about staying two nights in Scottsdale. We did a similar trip in August/September and it was fabulous.

Do not miss: Antelope Canyon in Page, hiking into the GC at least part of the way, Navajo Loop/Peekaboo Trail at Bryce, night sky talk at Bryce if it's offered when you're there, Hiking the Narrows in Zion (get gear from Zion Adventure), all the fun of Las Vegas.

If you search these boards, you can find our trip report from early September.

I envy you! This was the best trip my family has ever done and the hiking is AWESOME!

Thank you for your advice. We were only thinking Flagstaff as it is nearer GC but will definitely reconsider.

ccrosner - read your trip report and it sounded brilliant. Can't wait!!

I'm sure as the planning comes together we'll have plenty more questions so I hope to hear from you both again!!

Thanks again...

Sorry can't help, just want to compliment you on your oh so funny nickname!

Dear Mindthegap: Your itinerary sounds perfect. I would include Flagstaff, an affordable nice small college town, San Francisco peaks, wonderful modern Museum of Northern Arizona - history and geography of the area you are traveling in. Worth a visit. The most scenic route to G.C. is through Cameron and west to G.C. by ancient volcanos, Cameron trading post and ruins.

You will not want to leave Zion and Las Vegas will seem crass after what you will see. Such a wonderful country, the Colorado Plateau. Bet you'll be back.

Hi MindTheGap,

What time of year are you planning on visiting? Temperature will make quite a difference if you plan to be outdoors a lot. I see you have two days at the Grand Canyon. If you hope to hike down the canyon, be sure to check about reservations if you want to stay at the lodge at the bottom.

What about Sedona? You will be passing right by. You could at least drive through and stop for lunch.

i would second azgirls' question as to what time of year you are planning this. It makes all the difference!
Once you l leave phx/scott take exit 179 off I-17 to get to Sedona. Then take 89A north through Oak Creek Canyon into Flagstaff. Even if you just drive through and don't stop, you will see beautiful scenery and not taketoo much extra time. Personally, I like taking Rte 180 (i believe) from flagstaff and connect with Rte 64 into the grand canyon.

An alternative way of going from Phoenix to Sedona/Flagstaff is to take Hwy 87 north to Payson and then 260 over to Camp Verde. This is a higher and cooler route than I-17 and very scenic. Make sure you stop at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Pine and then in Camp Verde, a must see is Montezuma Castle National Monument.

Sounds great!
I would highly recommend the restaurants: Thee Bungalow and the sister 3RD Corner X the street in the Ocean Beach area of San Diego.
M

DO NOT miss out on seeing Sedona. The red rocks are beautiful. Make sure you have enough memory cards or film for your cameras. We stayed at Junipine in Oak Creek Canyon, just north of Sedona, and had a one bedroom condo on the creek. It was beautiful. They have a restaurant that serves good breakfast. I recommend staying one night there if possible rather than Flagstaff.

Thanks again everyone. All the advice is really great.

We're going during the last two weeks of April. Hopefully this will mean it won't be too hot. Coming from London we're only used to the cold and plenty of rain!!!

I think itinery wise we're still stuck on night 2. Sedona seems the popular choice but does Flagstaff being a college town mean more to do at night?? I think we may go through Sedona on the way (including Montezuma & Jerome) and stay in Flagstaff for the night.

Reading some other posts on these boards it seems we are already too late to book the lodge at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Still we'll do as much as we can in the day we have there.

Other comments are most welcome as you can never have too much advice!!

Cheers again,

ttfn

Hotels are very expensive in Sedona whereas you can find bargains in Flagstaff, though nothing as upscale as Sedona. I don't think either city is known for its nightlife. I stayed a few nights in Flagstaff but don't recall much excitement there. The big allure at night is in the skies -- you can see every star as if you could reach up and grab it. But you will have plenty of that elsewhere on your trip.

You may want to consider getting a National Parks Pass. The card waives fees to national parks and monuments. It costs $50 for one year, and it includes everyone in your vehicle. The Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion all charge $20 per automobile, so you'll save a little bit over that. However, if you want to see other parks/monuments along the way, they're covered by the card. If you want more info go to www.nationalparks.org.

The times I've been to Flagstaff, I haven't seen any nightlife, but I do like staying at the Embassy Suites since they provide a cooked-to-order breakfast and have a happy hour and it's conveniently located. If you want nightlife, why don't you consider staying in Scottsdale an extra night? There's plenty to do here, and lots of hiking. At the end of April, temperatures will be in the 90s to 100s range. So don't forget to pick up some sunscreen.

I thought you might be from London.

The end of April is a great time to visit the Southwest. Bear in mind, however, that in the higher elevations, it could still be chilly especially at night. Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, and especially Bryce might be 30 degrees cooler than Phoenix. Bryce may still have snow on the ground there.

Just returned from a week in AZ and was thrilled with the area! Flagstaff has little "nightlife," but a local said if you spend all day hiking, etc. outdoors at that elevation(7,000+ feet), you should be too tired to do much else. We had planned to go to the night-viewing session at the Lowell Observatory, but a snowstorm precluded that. The skies there are often very pristine and a bit of astronomy might be fun for you.(?) It was a pleasure to have a relatively short drive to the Grand Canyon, too. Come back through Cameron and the Navajo Nation's Land. The Little Colorado River Canyon in the middle afternoon was almost as good as its Big Brother! Spend at least one day(or morning or afternoon) in Sedona and make your reservations NOW. To miss the Red Rock country would be too great a loss. You will be thrilled by all the natural grandeur of this area!

Hey otis, he's from London alright - "MIND THE GAP" is heard countless times each day as passengers board and exit the tube (underground) as a precaution /warning. LOVE London!

And to mindthegap, you've gotten some great advice. I'm in the camp of skipping flagstaff totally. Not much there anymore (except a cold stone creamery, yum! :) ) There's just too much else to see and do in the glorious southwest to spend time there. And IMO Sedona is a must - see.

Ellen: I'm well aware of that. In fact, I have a T-shirt that says "Mind The Gap".

In San Francisco, The Gap has a different meaning.

Thanks again everyone. Top advice from all. If anyone is in the area late April I owe you a drink.

We're pretty much there for itinerary so expect some more specific questions on where to stay / eat soon!!

Ellen - Glad you like London.

Thanks again,