Family RV trip in the Southwest. Looking for suggestions.

[slalom frog]

Hey Ballers, considering doing a family trip in the Southwest this March. Concept would be to fly into Phoenix, rent and RV and hit the road for a week or two. I'm not very familiar with that part of the US, so suggestions of sites and things to do would be appreciated. In theory the trip would have to end where it started to return the RV, though I have seen that some do allow you to return the RV to a different location. Thanks in advance!

[Wayne]

What type of things are you into? We ran a lot of automotive development trips out if Phoenix when I was supporting Volvo car company. We did a lot of day trips out of there and some locations we're just out of reach but will be a possibility for you with the RV.

 

Going north, Sedona has some beautiful scenery but there wasn't much to do as you continued to Flagstaff unless you went to the Grand Canyon.

 

South and West are Tuscon, Tombstone and Death Valley. There are also some copper and silver mines that you can tour in Bisbey. Tombstone has what I would equate to Gatlinberg TN. Shops and little museums that have the history of the west and of course what the movies glorified. Death Valley is mostly scenery and a "yep, been there" type of place. There is an RV park in Death Valley so you could make it a later destination, sleep there, hit the scenic spots and head out before dinner.

 

That's kind of the bigger stuff but depending on what your tastes are I might point you in a different direction. We used to see a lot of rental RVs passing through Death Valley so it seems to be popular. I liked seeing the old mines but some of my coworkers preferred the more touristy stuff.

[slalom frog]

Wayne, thanks for the info. I'm not quite sure what we will do. Certainly going to hit the "usual" spots; grand canyon and the Hoover dam for sure. Beyond that it's up in the air. The mines sound interesting, will have to learn a little more about that. I think the trip is going to be a mix of a lot of different things.

 

[Chuck_Dickey]

@slalom frog

If you make it as far west as the Barstow / Newberry Springs area I may be able to give you a couple ski rides. Best time is during the week as weekends can get a bit hectic. I have parking for but no hook ups for your RV. Let me know as far in advance as possible.

 

[XR6Hurricane]

Three words: ZION NATIONAL PARK

[liquid d]

Make sure you visit that Stadium in Pheonix where UCF whoooooped Baylor's assss in the Fiesta Bowl!!!!! How 'bout them KNIGHTS!!!!!!!

[BlueSki]

On the way to Sedona you could hit Jerome, which was a gold mining town until hippies found it in the 60's and brought it back. The town is in the Mingus Mountains and has some great views. There is also the Verde Valley Railroad where you can take a several hour trip.

[slalom frog]

Zion certainly sounds great. We would be going in early to mid March. It sounds like winter weather can still be an issue around that time. Any thoughts on this?

[Marco]

Be really careful if you go out on Lake Powell that time of year. The spring winds can come up quick, and I have witnessed many boat sinkings on the lake over the years. The deserts can be beautiful that time of year, not too hot, not too cold. Just be ready for wind.

[XR6Hurricane]

Zion shouldn't be a problem at that time. I'm actually in the midst of planning a late February trip to Zion and possibly Death Valley. The higher elevations like Bryce Canyon get more snow but I would just plan to be flexible - which is easy with a RV! Zion is relatively low elevation - the canyon floor is 3700 feet. You are in for an extremely good time no matter where you go.

 

IF weather allows, Utah Route 12 between Bryce Canyon and Torrey is the coolest freaking road you could ever drive on but I would NOT go on it if there is a threat of snow or ice. It goes from sheer cliffs to pine forest and mountains within a few miles, and it's 100 miles of that type of landscape.

 

I think all kids should take a field trip to Hoover Dam, to show them what America CAN do. And the story about them not even knowing how they were going to do all of it, yet finished early and under budget, well...good stuff for kids to learn about.

 

[EricKelley]

I recommend running up the Colorado River North from Lake Havasu. I rented a boat and did this last February during Desert Storm. Absolutely fabulous. The River does need to be up some to be able to navigate it. There is a marina some 20 miles away from Havasu. I can't think of the name of it now. Some of the prettiest scenery I've been in.

[slalom frog]

Guys, thanks for the tips on the trip. We did end up going to Zion. What an amazing place. So happy to have spent some time there. For those of you that have been, you probably know about Angels Landing. I ended up doing that hike. Wow, a bit crazy. Here is a little GoPro footage from the final 5 or so minute of my hike up Angels.

[foxriverat]

@bananaron @bluesky agreed Sedona is a must see. Jerome is a neat little town filled with artist shops and frequented by bikers who like to ride the twist and turn hwy 89A down into Prescott. We will be heading there March 26th staying with friends in Cottonwood

[foxriverat]

Try the pink jeep tour in Sedona. If all you have is an Rv you wont be able to make it down a lot of the small roads to see the sights.

[XR6Hurricane]

@slalom frog I did wind up going to Death Valley and Zion the last week of February. It was my third time at Zion and I turned back on Angel's Landing for the second time. I just can't do that one. If you go back there, try going further up that same trail past Scout Lookout and get on the West Rim Trail. You will be amazed at the scenery that awaits you :).

[slalom frog]

I will go back to Zion someday. I wanted to continue to Scout Lookout but I was running out of daylight and I had already hiked about 10 miles that day. Angels is certainly a bit intimidating at some points but overall it is not that bad. That being said, I feel that you need to be confident with it and should not push yourself if not comfortable. When I was hiking back, I ran into someone about 5 minutes into the hike out to Angels. He stated that he was turning back and couldn't do it. I encouraged him to turn around if he was already feeling that that because he had not yet reached some of the "hairy" points. If you take your time with Angels and concentrate during the entire hike, you will be fine.