Arizona Pelicans...Travel tips please...pretty please.

[MFAFF]

Guys,

I'm trying to organise a 'surprise' trip for my folks to Arizona in late March....

They have expressed an interesting going there (from the UK) to see the Cactus 'forests' and landscapes...perhaps even Monument Valley.

I'm trying to organise a number of places for them to see.

Hopefully they can fly into Phoenix and head south initially to see the Saguaro National Monument sites near Tucson....when I went it was to see David Monthan and the Pima aircraft Museum so not much common ground there...

First off is this the beat area to see vast landscapes of cactuses and so forth or are they other places....?

I'm also keen that they should see Sunset Carter up near Flagstaff....I thought it was great....we went in December and it was a fantastic experience....but we only saw that part of Arizona at sunset and at night so the rest of the landscape remains a mystery...

I'm also keen for them to go up to Monument Valley...from the images it is really worth it and I'm hoping that the reality matches the images...what do you guys think...

They are looking for a landscape holiday...having in the last three months been to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shian, Venice, London, Paris etc....so cities are not really on the agenda.

They are going skiing at Alta end of Jan for two weeks so are unafraid of traveling and in pretty good health...

I reckon seven full days in Arizona should be sufficient to do the traveling in comfort..renting a car...and not spend every day on the road.

Any tips on unexpected discoveries all you who live there might had considered...plus experiences from those who have traveled thro welcome.

Wishing you all a great 2007...

Cheers,

Michel.

[Moses]

A scenic tour of Arizona should be centered around Sedona. Nothing like it anywhere in the world. Truly magnificent.

Pictures cannot capture the majesty of the place.

[Moses]

A few more;

[rattlsnak]

go north from phx, hook a left near montezuma, and go up through prescott, then to williams, of course the canyon, then south to flagstaff, then south through oak creek canyon and sedona. do it every year and it just gets better.

[Moneyguy1]

Yes...Sedona. Be sure to visit the Red Rock Chapel. I recommend a mid-week trip otherwise it gets a bit crowded around the area. From there it is not a bad trip to Flagstaff (nice pine forests and high peaks), Monument Valley, painted desert and not to far away in New Mexico is a dormant volcano and an ice cave that is awesome. Don't forget to stop in some places in Indian Country for a flavor of the Native American culture. Jewelery is very reasonably priced, and hand crafted. There is so much to see in old AZ that a single trip cannot suffice. There is just about every kind of terrain imaginable from the sand dunes around Yuma to the high peaks, to the forests, to the old mining towns in the Southeast corner, and don't forget Tombstone-The town too tough to die. I recommend a book "Arizona for Dummies" as a good starting point for investigation. Another is "Arizona Off the Beaten Path". Phooeynix is just an eastern city plopped down in a desert and just too big for my tastes so I would not recommend it. Tucson is a bit different, being smaller (but growing), less "sophisticated", more multi-cultural. Right outside the City is the Pima Air Museum and also San Xavier Mission, an old mission that is being lovingly restored by the tribe upon whose land it resides.

Of course, I am a bit biased when it comes to my home state.

[SLO-BOB]

By all means check out Sedona. However, if you want to do a nice day trip near Phoenix, simply rent a jeep, or sign up for a guided tour of the areas just east of Scottsdale. Very pretty. If you and your parents are up for it, do what I did - rent a Harley (plural in your case) and take a local scenic ride up Apache Trail (?) to Tortilla Flats.

[MFAFF]

Wow....

Fanastic.....I need to get marking this stuff up on a map and planning it all out...

I'd love to do the Harley thing... pretty certain my folks will prefer the Jeep...

I was already jealous.. now I'm green with envy..

Keep it coming...

Thanks.

M

[Moneyguy1]

And bring back a bumper sticker:"Where the Hell is Tortilla Flats?"

[Seahawk]

Have them try some white water rafting...they don't have enough time for the Canyon, but do a search and you can find great day trips all over the state...or Utah.

If your parents are into birding, one of the migratory paths for much of North America goes through Southern AZ. Do a search on Sierra Vista, etc.

I will echo the Sedona recommendation. There are some areial tours out of the local airport. I've flown through the area many times when I was stationed in San Diego and it is simply incredible.

Lastly, New Mexico is very doable from AZ...I recommend Chaco Canyon.

They'll have ball. http://www.nps.gov/chcu/

Edit: I'm not from Az, but have spent a lot of time there, mostly in my misspent youth as a ww rafting guide.

[artplumber]

Are they limited to 7 days, or is that what you think they'll need. There's a lot more to the scenery than you can do in 7 days. Plus if you extend into So Utah (also very scenic) you can easily get up to a month.

[Eric Coffey]

All excellent suggestions.

If your folks are curious as to where their London Bridge ended up, you could take them to Lake Havasu.

If you do make it down to Tombstone (very cool - O.K. Corral, Boot Hill, etc), you may consider taking a slight detour to check out Kartchner Caverns State Park. Well worth it IMO. The tours book up quick though, so it is recommended to make early reservations.

[MFAFF]

Guys,

Many thanks.. a real help....

They are not limited to exactly seven days.. but its more like 7 than four weeks.... they travel quite extensively and thier next trip is early Amy to South Africa so they'll need some tiem at home to mentally and physically change gear ( oh and some of that work kinda stuff)...

As people make suggestions I'll gather together the info and see what really gets them excited...

Keep 'em coming.

Cheers..

M.

[rouxroux]

Sedona!!! No way to describe it until you actually go there. We drove another one of our "waterless wonders" out there a few years ago. Great trip. It might sound hokey, but the "pink jeep" tour is the way to go. Diane really enjoyed it! Our guide was great, very informative. He was an accountant who finally said "fuch it" and moved west. One of the prettiest places we've travelled in the US.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Another vote for Sedona and for the pink jeep tours. Is it Williams where the vintage train leaves from that takes you to the Grand Canyon rim? Complete with horse-mounted train robbers on the trip back? I highly recommend it.

[rouxroux]

Yes, Williams it is!!! Here's a pic of the train...Very nice ride, tour AND show...

[Joeaksa]

There is a steam train from Williams to the Grand Canyon that will take you to a hotel there. Overnight there and head back when you want to. Not many steam trains in the world these days.

Ditto on Sedona, Pima Air Museum and so on. Just get a car and drive around. Lots to see...

[charleskieffner]

if going up on the rez ie. monument valley.........do not miss hubbell trading post. this is where indians will come in off the rez and pawn jewlery/rugs/kachina dolls etc for cash. do not miss the pawn vault. this is the super rare stuff that never sees daylight. some good buys on rugs etc.

in tucson there are (2) saguaro monuments. (1) east and (1) west sides of town. the west side is in the haunted tucson mtns. haunted because of many apache depradations years old. ie. lots of whiteys killed. west side offers old tucson movie set. go out gates pass road. also down the road is the dezert sonoran wildlife museum. that is a must see. east side town offers reddington pass/sabino canyon. hot ticket is grab horses at stables by joe bonnannos(mafia dude) ranch and ride off into sunset.

i am an arizona native and your actually missing out on some of the most splendid country............the WHITE MTNS! if you want to see game/catch trout(germans/rainbows/brook/apache(salmo-apache native heat resistant trout) this is the hot ticket. big lake and the black river either fork east or west. greer also(town).

go into southern utah, and its another world. dont miss bryce canyon or zion. new mexico add another week. this is a huge state along w/utah and new mexico. plan on lots of driving!

remember at lower elevations during march warm up rattlesnakes will be coming out of dens hungry. and they get BIG! some are 15-20ft long! LOL! and they are EVERYWHERE! well maybe not 15-20ft.........more like 6-8 footers! taste like chicken!

[MFAFF]

Guys,

Thanks again for all that info.. the trip is looking good..I need a few days to get somehting together...

My folkd are really only looking to see Arizona on this trip... they are in Utah in Jan for a couple of weeks skiing...(again) and will be over on the East Cost again in the Fall....colours in New England...

Charles,

The info on south arizoan and the wildlife stuff is particularly interesting...

Joe,

I went to Pima amd DMAFB.....surprising the pics I took there really disn't appeal.. although there was a glimmer of interest at the sheer size of the AMARC......and hte numbers involved...I'll work on them a little more.

Thanks agin and keep 'em coming..

M.

[charleskieffner]

el molino's for margaritas and mexican food on speedway. la fonda on miracle mile ditto. south 4th ave eldorados for mex food also. south in green valley is ICBM missile silo. you can go inside and pretend to launch an ICBM at your foe!

[Jim727]

Not living in AZ now, but went to college and pilot training there. Ditto on the Grand Canyon and Sedona. If your parents like things other-worldly the Meteor Crater outside Winslow is a real kick, though I hear it's getting touristy. Kitt Peak observatory has some interesting programs, you can get quite a bit of info from: http://www.noao.edu/kpno/

Don't forget to keep the eyes open for the sunsets - they're incredible.