We are mid 50's, fairly active, thinking of flying in/out of Phoenix over the holidays. We would like to spend a couple of nights in a really nice spa-type hotel (Scottsdale?), and the rest of the time exploring some of the parks in the grand circle; all the while avoiding any chance of snow. I'm thinking this may leave out the GC for this trip -yes? We love scenic beauty and wildlife, are not golfers, and we would love to absorb some Native American culture. As far as accomodations are concerned, they need to be fairly comfortable. DH has a very bad back, making camping and soft matresses out of the question.

I'm printing out the "grand circle".org brochure, so I'm hoping that will give us more ideas, but can anyone give me a suggested route for 10 nights (including or 2 spa-nights) to get me started?

Cyn

Exactly which parks are you looking at? I think there is a chance of snow at most of the parks in the Grand Circle, so if your goal is to pick parks with zero chance of snow you'll be limited.

If you opt for "no snow"....you will be VERY limited on the Grand Circle. Better re-think that time of the year for that specific trip and stay close to the PHX/Tucson area. Spend a day and evening in Sedona. Personally, we prefer Tucson. More spiritual and nature-minded of the two. MUCH smaller metro. Great day trip to PHX for "big city" life. Great resorts in Tucson as well.

Hi there,

If you want to definitly avoid snow, travelling more than 70 miles north or east of the greater Phoenix area in December/Jan time frame is pretty much out of the question.

Dont despair! There is plenty to do in 10 days in greater Phoenix, and south!

Here is what I would suggest...3 days in Scottsdale..try the Four Seasons, Boulders or Princess resorts..if you want a smaller more boutique feel, try the Royal Palms. Let me know if you are looking for less expensive options...Take advantage of the resorts and all they have to offer. Spa treatments and resort sponsored excursions. Then, head south to Tucson (3 hour drive max).. There are bunches of cute B and Bs there..like the Hacienda, Tanque Verde Ranch. Lots of great hikes and bird watching. Things to see and do while you are there: Desert Sonoran Museum ( outside "zoo" of all the creatures who live in the sonoran desert, really neat!), Mount Lemon hikes (cool german community at the top, lots of hiking and fun stuff) and sight seeing, Titan Missile Museum (tour a missile silo with a deactivated missile in it - pretty strange but neat!) Pima Air museum, Kitt Peak observatory. There are some old catholic missions and an artist colony called Tubac that are on my list of places to go, but I can't recommend because I havent been there.

At this point you can turn around and come back to Phoenix. You could stop at Casa Grande on the way - to see an ancient Pueblo, then hit the botanical gardens for an evening of luminarios (during the holdays they light the entire outside pathways with candles, have live music around the grounds, serve hot cocoa and do a bang up job of getting you into the spirit) hit the Heard Museum (best native american museum) If you opt for this, you may want to stay in Tempe area. Pointe South Mountain Resort is a nice place to be, or the Tempe Mission Palms or one of the less expensive resorts in Mesa.

Or, instead of heading abck to PHX, you can leave Tucson and head to Rocky Pointe Mexico, aka Puerto Penasco. Its a bustling beach town south of the border. Its another 3 hours or so from Tucson (4 Hours door to door from Phoenix) You can get some beach time, and sample the local fresh seafood. Neat place if you are an adventurous duo.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have questions!

Note this would be the Casa Grande Ruins NM, not Casa Grande the town. The ruins are on Hwy 87 near Coolidge.

http://www.nps.gov/cagr/

Tubac would be a worthwhile stop for sure.

You guys are the best! I printed this off so I can plot on my map and see where to go from there.

Ok, so 70 miles N and chances are good we will hit snow? For some reason I thought snow was "limited" to the G.Canyon areas, and that most of Arizona was desert. Obviously, my geography and meteoroligical skills need help!

Do you think we'll have problems with reservations over the holidays? azhiker, you mentioned the 4S, and that is sold out already. (It's also a little pricier than we're hoping ). We may try to use some points for one night at a Hyatt in Scottsdale - any info on that resort? I'll check out the places you mentioned.

Keep the ideas coming - I really appreciate it!

Cyn