My December Arizona initial Itinerary, --Now open for input
 

I've taken the plunge based on feedback here about visiting the Grand Canyon in December, and am now making plans. I've bought the airline tickets and have a good part of the lodging set. I'm a little anxious about a road trip in winter, but hopefully have built in enough time to on the driving days to allow for delays. One always has to make choices, and I have made those regarding the places we want to visit. I'm open to suggestions on the driving routes, places to stop en route, guides to use in Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly, etc. So, here is what I have so far.

Tuesday 12/22 - travel to Phoenix, spend night at Residence Inn at airport (points)

Wednesday 12/23 - drive to Sedona, stopping at Montezuma's Castle and Montezuma's Well on the way, see whatever else we can see, view sunset, stay at Best Western Inn of Sedona

Thursday 12/24 - sunrise at Sedona, visit a few other sites, drive to Grand Canyon, stay at Bright Angel Lodge, sunset at Grand Canyon

Friday 12/25 (Christmas!) - Sunrise at Grand Canyon, all day at Grand Canyon visiting the different lookouts, taking walks etc, Sunset at Grand Canyon, stay at Bright Angel Lodge
Saturday, 12/26 - Sunrise at Grand Canyon, work our way east for more lookouts and exit the park to head to Monument Valley, stay at The View, Monument Valley, sunset MV.

Sunday, 12/27 - Monument Valley, sunrise and sunset, tour?, stay at The View, sunrise, sunset.

Monday, 12/28 - Sunrise MV, drive to Canyon de Chelly, overnight Holiday Inn

Tuesday 12/29 - Canyon de Chelly, South Rim drive? Tour? overnight Holiday Inn.

Wednesday 12/30 - This is a long haul day, drive all the way to Tucson, thought about driving through Petrified Forest, but a lot will depend on the weather and hours of daylight, need to check the daylight thing.

Thursday 12/31-January 2 - Tucson area--this is really my husband's time, he has to do his research. He is a birder, so that will dictate where we stay. Maybe Madera Canyon, I don't know. Would like to visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park (East and/or West) I know.

Saturday January 2 - drive up to Phoenix and overnight at same Residence Inn for fligyt out morning of the 3rd.

I have all the lodging reservations made except down in Tucson, and was able to use some Marriott and Priority Club points for four of the nights. I do have to arrange the car rental. I think some people have mentioned Fox before? Also, since we are road-tripping in winter, want to have down phone numbers for travel advisories. So, do rental cars have things like chains in the trunk? Any advice on size of car? I wouldn't normally worry about this, but do know that snow is possible in the areas we are visiting.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Toucan2,
I live in Northern AZ and wish to add a few observations on the GC in Dec. We took our adult kids there last Christmas week for a day trip from our house. Yes, you should expect snow especially at that elevation and will most likely experience it on your drive up. Chains are frequently required in the high country around Flagstaff. We have a CRV and it came in handy during our day trip which was sunny at our house by snowing at the rim. If there is snow at the GC- we have noticed that the NPS does not do a great job of shoveling the pathways around the lodges so be very careful and bring appropriate footwear. Having said that - you will be in for a magical experience, very few visitors and a chance to see plenty of wildife. Just remember that at 7,000 feet elevation you will have snow and slippery conditions.

All the best!

Captb93, thank you. I wonder if rental cars have chains in the trunk. Something I have never had to think about. I'll check, and if not then buy a set on the way out of Phoenix? I would imagine most autosupply shops would care them, right?

I know this is an unusual time to visit, but it is the time we have available and from what you and others have said it will be pretty, we just need to be prepared.

Toucan, I have never seen chains in the trunk of a rental car. Christmas at the Canyon sounds lovely. We were there last year in November and it was definitely chilly.

I live in Tucson, so if you come up with any questions for this area I'd be happy to help. If you want to stay in Madera Canyon itself, there are a couple of B&B's and a small inn that look charming - we hike down there frequently but haven't stayed overnight.

Thank you Lennyba. The Tucson part is more my husband's responsibility, and he doesn't plan nearly far enough in advance for me :) So, I'll probably be back with questions on that closer to the trip. I did visit the GC (a short one) once in February and it was cold, but still so beautiful. Secretly I would like to see some snow on the canyon.

I just found that on the South Rim drive there are cell phone tour signs. If you see one you can dial 928-225-2907 and enter the number on the sign to hear a 2 minute interpretative talk by a ranger. so cool! If one gets signals of course.

3 years ago we did arizona in the summer. At Canyon de Chelly horseback rode GREAT. Take a pick jeep tour in Sedona. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (GREAT)a(like NO other)and Saguaro National Park (East and/or West) I know. Burger King near Mounument Valley has a museum about Code Talker(inside) GREAT ENJOY

Thanks Srosenb. I read about that Burger King museum somewhere, I'm glad to hear it is good. We'll have to be sure to make a stop there. What a funny place to have a museum! I'm trying to remember that movie about the code talkers, I should watch it before we go.

I've just scheduled and put a deposit on an all day tour with Adam Teller at Canyon de Chelly for Tuesday December 29. I gulped a little at the all day cost, but figured what else am I going to do all day, right :-) Plus, one never knows when one will get to return to such remote places.

I am thinking of holding off on arranging the tour at Monument Valley until we get there. I heard from Trailhandler Tours and they wouldn't guarantee Richard, and I keep reading that he is the best guide. So I wonder if I should just wait till we get there.

I'm also looking at maps and trying to figure the best route between Monument Valley and Chinle. It looks like more main roads if you go 163 south to 160, take 160 NE to hit 191, then take 191 south all the way to Chinle. But it also looks like there is a paved road, 591, that you could take south of 160 and connect with 191. However, although the legend says it is a paved road, it looks like a lot thinner line. Is anyone familiar with those highways and can give advice?

I have now also booked Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon for our last three days in AZ. We will do a long haul drive from Chinle to there on December 30. I'll also be trying to figure the best route there. It looks like a lot out of the way to take 40 back west to 17 and drop down to 10 for Tucson, but, it is also all major highway if we do that and I wonder if that would end up being faster. Any advice?

<b>I'm also looking at maps and trying to figure the best route between Monument Valley and Chinle.</b>

We've driven this several times and the fastest route is to Kayenta, then about 8 miles to the east on 191 take the turn-off (I *think* this is 59 instead of 591, can't tell for sure on my map). This goes past Chilchinbito and Rough Rock, intersecting with 191 at Many Farms. Chinle is a short drive south from Many Farms. If memory serves this save about 40 miles of driving.

This road is more narrow than 160 and 191, more like a farm-to-market road than a highway, but it's paved and there is very little traffic, typically just a couple of vehicles.

If it's snowing hard (unlikely but possible) I'd probably stick to 160 and 191 since if you skid into a ditch it could be a while before someone comes along to help. Though probably the 'someone' will be a Navajo in a pickup with a tow rope who will pull you from the ditch.

Thanks Bill, just the info I needed! It looks like on the regular AAA map 591 and 59 are on and the same, or at least one becomes the other. So I dug out the AAA Indian Country map, which is a bit more detailed, and I can see what you are talking about, that I should go over to 59. On this map 591 doesn't look paved although it does hook up with 59, so I will definitely avoid that. The weather, then, will dictate the route as to 59 vs 160 and 191. Thanks so much.

I checked a more detailed map and the road I mentioned is called "Indian Route 59" on that one, so you're good to go.

Make sure you have gasoline before leaving Kayenta. Both Chilchinbito and Rough Rock are actually well off of 59 on spur roads, both are very small rural communities and neither seemed to have a gas station.

Okay, thanks again Bill. I'll be sure to gas up in Kayenta as well.

do you have any thoughts on the route down to Madera Canyon? It is south of Tucson, near Green Valley. Should I try to stay on the interstates even though it looks longer milage wise?

Tucson to Madera Canyon on the interstate is a pretty quick trip. I'm not familiar with where you're coming from, so not sure how far out of the way it really is.

This is a completely unhelpful post, LOL. Have fun!

<b>do you have any thoughts on the route down to Madera Canyon?</b>

From Chinle taking the freeways (I-40 to I-17 to I-10 to I-19) would be the simplest.

But it is about 100 miles shorter if you stay to the east, something like 191 from Chinle to I-40 to Holbrook, then 77 to Show Low and 77/60 to Globe, then 77 south to Tucson and the freeway. This would surely be a more varied, interesting route than the freeways, but again if there is any snow or ice it's going to be more difficult.

Maybe someone from Tucson could comment on which route is preferrable (I've driven it from Globe north but haven't taken this south of Globe).

Mapquest seems to think the route thru Globe is better. They spec that route (Chinle to Green Valley via Globe) at 6 hrs 55 minutes, 390 miles. Mapquest specs the interstate route at 7:40 and 496 miles.

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/312304.php

Thought you'd like this article and photo from the local rag, Toucan. Last time we went past Santa Rita lodge there was a herd of wild turkeys lounging in the parking lot. :)

That was an enterprising deer Lennyba! Thanks for the link.

I tracked that route through AAA too, Bill. I guess it is kind of like the MV to Chinle route, dependent on the weather. It seems like I read somewhere that at least one part of that route is pretty winding, and if it were snowy/icy, I'm not sure I'd want to be on it. Unless someone comments, I'll probably play it by ear until the time for th drive.

We leave for our trip tomorrow. Thanks again to all of you for your valuable input. I am so looking forward to this! For the next several days, anyway, it doesn't look like snow, albeit a bit chilly. But we have long underwear, coats, hats and scarves, so we should be okay :)

Have fun! We've got a storm heading our way, fyi. "Storm" here equalling "mildly unpleasant". Have a great time!

Lennyba, that sudden dust storm (near Casa Grande I think) certainly sounded scary! And I am glad I wasn't on my way up to GC yesterday with that big accident by Williams. Instead, I am indeed some of the lovely red rocks of Sedona with skiffs of snow on them :-)

Make sure you have dinner at Cafe Elote at the Kings Ransoms hotel and also Enchantment Resort for a great lunch/dinner at Yavapai.
Sedona is goregeous with a little dusting..
Glad you are having a great time!

Just saw your question and I know you've already left for AZ, but just in case you're checking while you're gone, I wanted to put in a recommendation for the Casa de San Pedro near Sierra Vista. It's billed as Arizona's Premier Lodging for Birding and Outdoor Adventures.(888) 257.2050 / (520) 366-1300 email: [email protected]. We stayed there last year and it's a very nice small inn, with motel style rooms, but also a nice large living room with fireplace, kitchen and dining room and the opportunity to visit with other birders.

We also did the Canyon de Chelly tour with Adam Teller's dad and it was fascinating. You'll be very glad you booked it.
Happy Holidays!

I haven't been able to be online since my post on the 23, and so missed both ksucat's and BevK's posts. I tried to get to Fodors on my Blackberry, and was able to see it ever so briefly but couldn't get it to come up again. So the only thing I could remember was ksucat's post having Yavapai in it. so I thought maybe that meant I should go to the Canyon Cafe at Yavapai in the GC. After eating there I was pretty sure that was not the case (reminded me of junior high cafeteria food) and now I see that it indeed was not! :)

Thank you for your post BevK. We are staying at Santa Rita lodge this time around, but it is always good to tuck info like yours away. We would like to come back to AZ during spring migration one of these years.

We are at Monument Valley now, will be at Canyon de Chelly in a couple of days and are really looking forward to it.

Lennyba, I just posted a picasa link on my trip report. About pic 160 is a picture of the deer eating from the bird feeder at Madera Canyon! I had to take a picture, it was so funny to see after the link you posted.

I'll look for it, Toucan. We're taking my parents down there next month, hope there's still water running in the creek.

A friend and I will be doing a trip to Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde and Canyon De Chelly in early May. I am a 75 yr old man and my buddy is a 55 yr old guy. We are both in good health. Can someone please advise me on whether we should take a whole day tour or a half day tour at Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelly. At my age I will not be back to any of these places and I am inclined to go for the full day at each. Should we book now in February? I believe that it's quite costly for a full day tour especially if you request one of the more famous guides. I will be extremely grateful for any suggestions that you have for us. Thank you.

Calguy, did you post a separate inquiry? I don't want your question to go unanswered. Somehow I missed your post here.

For Canyon de Chelly I would strongly recommend you do the whole day tour. I personally enjoyed going with Antelope House Tours, Adam Teller's family. It won't always be Adam, sometimes it will be his friend or another that works with the group. Your experience would be different with each.

We went with Ben. He is an older gentleman, and may be more quiet than other guides, so be sure to ask him the questions you want. H won't always have a prattle going on. Frankly, I enjoyed the quiet times when I didn't have questions and he had already told me something about where we were. It's like I enjoy my dentist who doesn't feel the need to always talk, especially when your mouth is clamped open and you can't respond.

In Canyon de Chelly, to really see the canyon, you need to go in with a guide. and I don't think 4 hours would do it. There's some driving to get in and if you only do 4 hours a lot of that time is drive time. My trip report is on here too, and if you have found it the link to Adam's group is there. You can either call or reserve online. I did make sure to take the phone number with me and call them the day before to confirm. They picked us up at our hotel that morning (we stayed at the holiday inn there right outside the entrance).

For Monument Valley, we didn't take the tour. We did the self drive, and took several hours to do that, stopping, taking pictures, taking in the sites. Since I was doing the full day at CdC I didn't want to do a full day in MV. I think others have really enjoyed those tours, I found some good threads on those. You can go more places in MV, again, where you cant go unless you are with a guide. I might have the info from Adam Teller of who he recommended, I will see if I can find it.

I hope this is helpful toyou.

Calguy, I couldn't find the person Adam recommended. I had an unfortunate incident with my inbox recently :-( But, Adam was very helpful by email. Here is his email: antelopetours at citilink dot net. You could ask him who he recommends at Monument Valley, and, of course you can ask him about his tours in Canyon de Chelly.

Oh, if you do the all day tour with him in CdC you get a Navaho taco for lunch at the stop at Ben's home. It's really good! :-)

Hi Toucan2,
Thank you for your responses to my question about Canyon De Chelly tours. This was the only area where I posted my inquiry. I have enoyed reading your trip report so very much and picked up some good tips. I also enjoyed your photos and I hope that mine are half as good.

We booked a half day tour with Antelope Tours - Adam or his Father will be our guide. Yes - I fully agree with your suggestion that we should go for the full day tour. At my age I seriously doubt that I will ever be there again. My friend (he's driving) thinks that the half day is enough as he wants to drive the north rim on our own in the afternoon.
I may have an answer to that as I just realized this morning that on the day before, we can drive from Mesa Verde to Chinle - via Tsaile. We will have enough time that afternoon to drive the north rim road into Chinle.
I will email Adam and ask about his recommendation for a guide at Monument Valley - thanks for that suggestion.

Again - I thank you for taking the time to respond and now I can't wait to get on the road.

Hi Calguy

You're welcome! We did the same thing you are talking about. We arrived in Chinle at maybe 1 or so the day before and drove the north rim, starting a the Spider Woman lookout and working our way back.

If you are feeling really fit you could do the White House trail hike (the only trail that you can go in on without a guide). You climb down from the rim, cross the canyon floor, and the White House ruins are there. I think there are pit toilets there, and there are some vendors with jewelry and such. The only problem is you have to walk back across the canyon floor then go UP to the rim :-) I think they say to allow 2 hours for the trip itself.

The family we ran into at the Spider Rock overlook had done it with their kids earlier that day, and as we arrived at the White House lookout a woman about my age (late 40s) and looked to be no more fit than me, was just arriving back at the top from her hike. She was huffing and puffing and took a bit to catch her breath, but said it was totally worth it. Something to consider.

Can't wait to see your trip report and pictures...the time of year will be so different I am sure.