Two weeks in April. Where to go? Your ideas will be greatly appreciated
Jan 3rd, 2003, 03:57 AM
#1
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Two weeks in April. Where to go? Your ideas will be greatly appreciated
We just found out that both of us will be able to have two weeks vacation at the same time. We would like to concentrate on the U.S. as we will be in Europe in June.
We enjoy outdoors, great scenery, wildflowers, walking, hiking, and no overcrowded places. we also like to hear and watch the birds.
We do not care about nightlife. We like to get up early and watch sunrise and sunset in the evenings
We live on East Coast so we are thinking about South West parhaps?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
We enjoy outdoors, great scenery, wildflowers, walking, hiking, and no overcrowded places. we also like to hear and watch the birds.
We do not care about nightlife. We like to get up early and watch sunrise and sunset in the evenings
We live on East Coast so we are thinking about South West parhaps?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Jan 3rd, 2003, 05:21 AM
#3
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Last April, we did a trip flying into Phoenix and flying out of Las Vegas. We included stays in Sedona and the Grand Canyon as well as a day trip down to Tuscon. Weather was pretty good, though it was a bit chilly still at the south rim and kind of windy in Vegas. But overall a great trip. This year in April, we are doing a loop, flying into San Francisco and visiting Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Carmel before reurning back to San Francisco. I have read in this forum that although it can still be cool, that April can be a great time to visit Tahoe and Yosemite for its scenic values and that any of time of the year besides winter (the rainy season) is great for the coast. From experience, I have found nowhere on the east coast that has the kind of dramatic scenery that is found on the west coast, though I have only been as far north as the southern part of Maine.
Jan 3rd, 2003, 05:30 AM
#4
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You dont say which part of the East Coast you are from, but if you want to consider Florida, the Keys can be great at that time of the year, especially Key West. It is past peak season and is warm, without being unbearably hot yet. And where can you find a better sunset?
Jan 3rd, 2003, 08:17 AM
#5
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Ginny you are mistaken. April is still high season in the Keys AND Easter is late this year (spring break.) The rates in Key West DO NOT go down until May 1. We were debating on going down to the Keys and Arizona the last week of April. Arizona won because airfare was cheaper and hotels were less.
Jan 3rd, 2003, 11:19 AM
#7
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Thank you for your wonderful help.
We will go to Arizona!!!
Five years ago we hiked in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon but there is so much to more to be discovered
I just returned from the bookstore and bought a couple guide books on Arizona desribing some interesting hikes in a few places that I have to admit never heard about.
We will need to decide where we will stay and for how long. We are thinking about splitting two weeks to three places and taking drives to trail heads, and intersting areas from there
Any recommendations on where to stay?
We prefer to stay in the small inns, cabins or small chalets with kitchen facilites.
Also if you know about any less popular places for walking, hiking, birds, flowers, sunsets please share them with us.
We live in New England and Florida is out for us. We wish for a little more active vacations than Key West provides. But thanks for your suggestion, Ginny
We will go to Arizona!!!
Five years ago we hiked in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon but there is so much to more to be discovered
I just returned from the bookstore and bought a couple guide books on Arizona desribing some interesting hikes in a few places that I have to admit never heard about.
We will need to decide where we will stay and for how long. We are thinking about splitting two weeks to three places and taking drives to trail heads, and intersting areas from there
Any recommendations on where to stay?
We prefer to stay in the small inns, cabins or small chalets with kitchen facilites.
Also if you know about any less popular places for walking, hiking, birds, flowers, sunsets please share them with us.
We live in New England and Florida is out for us. We wish for a little more active vacations than Key West provides. But thanks for your suggestion, Ginny
Jan 3rd, 2003, 11:26 AM
#8
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Nino,
You should also consider southern Utah in your trip. It is beautiful in the spring.
If you liked the Grand Canyon consider Canyon de Chelly National Monument in AZ, Monument Valley on the AZ-UT border, Glen Canyon National Recreational Area at Lake Powell also on the AZ-UT border, Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park.
Plenty of great hiking in all these places. Zion and Bryce both have cabins in the park. (It's been years since we stayed at them)
Check out this web site:
http://www.so-utah.com/
Utahtea
You should also consider southern Utah in your trip. It is beautiful in the spring.
If you liked the Grand Canyon consider Canyon de Chelly National Monument in AZ, Monument Valley on the AZ-UT border, Glen Canyon National Recreational Area at Lake Powell also on the AZ-UT border, Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park.
Plenty of great hiking in all these places. Zion and Bryce both have cabins in the park. (It's been years since we stayed at them)
Check out this web site:
http://www.so-utah.com/
Utahtea
Jan 3rd, 2003, 04:35 PM
#9
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Well, april is a wonderful time to visit here, New Orleans. Its USUALLY not 95 degrees yet and the jazz festival is held then. San Antonio is beautiful, and the hill country, in april because I think the blue bonnets bloom then? Charleston, SC and its rival Savannah, Ga are also beautiful then. Theres also San Diego which I dont think really has an off season although April isnt likely to be espescially crowded.
Jan 3rd, 2003, 06:48 PM
#10
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I've recommended this place several times (but I'm not affiliated at all with it): The Skywatcher's Inn outside of Tucson. It's like a personal residence with very elaborate astronomy equipment. We scheduled a nightly astronomy session and had a wonderful time. The only problem was that because of the time difference (from the East coast) we were dead tired 2/3 through our session. Stayed two nights, exploring the caves around there, Tombstone isn't very far either.
Jan 3rd, 2003, 07:42 PM
#11
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Nino, 2 suggestions:
1) IF you end up chosing San Francisco I would like to suggest Filoli Gardens (and mansion)-http://www.filoli.org).
Make it a day or half-day trip from S.F.
It is some 40 miles south of the city, not that far from SFO airport -but in a beautiful, totally unspoilt green valley, very reminiscent of Tuscany. I was at Filoli a couple of years ago in late Mach and found the gardens there absolutely marvellous.
They have nothing to envy from the more celebrated gardens of Europe -if anything, they are actually more rich in flowers and colour! Since you are going to be in the Old Continent in June it might be nice for you "to compare notes"
-gardenwise, so to speak.
2 ) In case you end up heading for the Grand Canyon and want to experience something really unique visit the Havasupai Reservation, west of the South Rim -allow 2 or 3 days. Try and pull up more info. on the place from the Internet. The reservation sits deep down in the midst of the canyon and requires a 10 mile hike down -and 10 miles up! -but you can also arrange a mule ride. The reward at the bottom is very worth the trip -I guarantee! Apart from the incredible creek lined with all sorts of greenery that you finally stumbe into after ten miles of path getting deeper and deeper into the canyon though awsome dry rocks,
you will also find two really amazing waterfalls -one of them is taller than Niagara's! One last thing: just to give you an idea of the remoteness of the place: just think that the post office of this indian reservation is the only one left in the U.S. still dispatching mail by mule -daily. Wherever you end up going: Buon Viaggio! Pier-Mauro (Peter, Florence, Italy)
1) IF you end up chosing San Francisco I would like to suggest Filoli Gardens (and mansion)-http://www.filoli.org).
Make it a day or half-day trip from S.F.
It is some 40 miles south of the city, not that far from SFO airport -but in a beautiful, totally unspoilt green valley, very reminiscent of Tuscany. I was at Filoli a couple of years ago in late Mach and found the gardens there absolutely marvellous.
They have nothing to envy from the more celebrated gardens of Europe -if anything, they are actually more rich in flowers and colour! Since you are going to be in the Old Continent in June it might be nice for you "to compare notes"
-gardenwise, so to speak.
2 ) In case you end up heading for the Grand Canyon and want to experience something really unique visit the Havasupai Reservation, west of the South Rim -allow 2 or 3 days. Try and pull up more info. on the place from the Internet. The reservation sits deep down in the midst of the canyon and requires a 10 mile hike down -and 10 miles up! -but you can also arrange a mule ride. The reward at the bottom is very worth the trip -I guarantee! Apart from the incredible creek lined with all sorts of greenery that you finally stumbe into after ten miles of path getting deeper and deeper into the canyon though awsome dry rocks,
you will also find two really amazing waterfalls -one of them is taller than Niagara's! One last thing: just to give you an idea of the remoteness of the place: just think that the post office of this indian reservation is the only one left in the U.S. still dispatching mail by mule -daily. Wherever you end up going: Buon Viaggio! Pier-Mauro (Peter, Florence, Italy)
