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Southwest Trip Questions
I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to the southwest for next
year. Locations we want to visit - Las Vegas for a day or so, Grand Canyon and then some areas in Arizona (that's where I need the help). Questions - 1) I was thinking of flying into Las Vegas and renting a car and then driving down into Arizona, see the GC, etc. and then flying out of Phoenix. Will there be a problem dropping off the rental car in Phoenix? How much extra do the rental companies usually charge for doing this type return? 2) We'd probably spend two nights and one day seeing Grand Canyon. Where is best place to stay for this type visit? 3) We've heard about Sedona. What is there and how long should I budget time-wise? 4) Is Tucson worthing visiting? If so, for how long? 5) What else in Arizona should we see? Thanks for any and all help. |
#2
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Southwest Trip Questions
As far as dropping the car is concerned it depends what you mean by a
"problem". The car hire company will almost certainly charge a one way fee (at a guess USD100) but other than that there shouldn't be any problems. If you can get a room at the Grand Canyon do so (See www.nps.gov). If you've never been to a US National Park then be aware that the rooms inside the park tend to be simpler than those in commercial motels (nothing wrong with that, it's just a fact). There are commercial motels about 7/8 miles south of the rim at Tusyan but, in my opinion, there's no substitute for staying in the Grand Canyon Village and being able to amble over to the rim for sunrise, sunset and just another quick peek because it's there! If I didn't stay in the Village I'd be tempted to stay in Williams and ride up on the train http://www.thetrain.com/index.cfm What else to see? Tucson hosts one of the best aircraft bone yards and museums at Davis Monthan AFB. There's a trolley (tram) runs downtown some nights (using a 2nd hand Japanese tram!). We enjoyed the botanical garden (small). Continuing south east you come to Tombstone which is a wonderful tourist trap but still well worth an hour or two. Beyond that there's the Chiricahua Mountains (NPS web site again) which are beautiful. East of the Canyon, past Tuba City, you come to the southern end of Monument Valley (Cowboy films etc) a little further on you go past 4 corners (only place in the US where 4 states meet at one point and you can crouch with one appendage in each state!). Then on into Colorado to Mesa Verde (NPS again) and Durango (http://www.durangorailway.com/). Turn south after Monument Valley and you can go down past Canyon de Chelley and the Painted Desert (both NPS) and on to Phoenix (across country). -- ***** *****The "return to" address embedded in this mail is wrong as an antispam measure. Please address new mails or replies to edwarddotharrison1atbtinternetdotcom replacing dot with a . and at with an @***** ***** |
#3
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Southwest Trip Questions
Graham Harrison wrote:
East of the Canyon, past Tuba City, you come to the southern end of Monument Valley (Cowboy films etc) a little further on you go past 4 corners (only place in the US where 4 states meet at one point and you can crouch with one appendage in each state!). Then on into Colorado to Mesa Verde (NPS again) and Durango (http://www.durangorailway.com/). Turn south after Monument Valley and you can go down past Canyon de Chelley and the Painted Desert (both NPS) and on to Phoenix (across country). You have this a tad mixed up. Four Corners is WAAAAAYYY past Tuba City. And Monument Valley past Four Corners (in Colorado, IIRC). You might be thinking of the Painted Desert. I'd do this drive crossing the Painted Desert, Canyon de Chelley, maybe Window Rock or Shiprock on the reservation, then Four Corners, Monument Valley, possibly Mesa Verde, across southern Utah to Bryce, Zion. For the Original Poster, South from the Canyon, through Flagstaff, about 4 to 6 hours (cannot remember exactly) to Sedona's red rock country. Then only a couple hours to Phoenix from there. I also liked Jerome, a town on a very steep hill. Julie -- Julie ********** Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm |
#4
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Southwest Trip Questions
Graham Harrison wrote:
East of the Canyon, past Tuba City, you come to the southern end of Monument Valley (Cowboy films etc) a little further on you go past 4 corners From: Juliana L Holm You have this a tad mixed up. Four Corners is WAAAAAYYY past Tuba City. Perhaps a scenic 3 hour drive, with only one stoplight the entire way. Not bad at all. And Monument Valley past Four Corners (in Colorado, IIRC). You're the one mixed up, to find Monument Valley drive past Tuba City to the next town (Kayenta) and turn north for 24 miles, well before you hit Four Corners. Monument Valley is located on the Arizona - Utah border, a couple hours drive from Four Corners and the Colorado border. Bill |
#5
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Southwest Trip Questions
WolfpackFan wrote in message ...
I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to the southwest for next year. Locations we want to visit - Las Vegas for a day or so, Grand Canyon and then some areas in Arizona (that's where I need the help). Questions - 1) I was thinking of flying into Las Vegas and renting a car and then driving down into Arizona, see the GC, etc. and then flying out of Phoenix. Will there be a problem dropping off the rental car in Phoenix? How much extra do the rental companies usually charge for doing this type return? Check with the rental agencies. Then decide if the charge is worth "saving" a day that you would otherwise need to spend driving back to Las Vegas. 4) Is Tucson worthing visiting? If so, for how long? Sure, it's worth a visit. How long depends on what you want to see. It's a pretty good base for visiting a lot of the other sights in southeastern AZ. It's close enough to Tombstone for a day trip. A day trip to visit some of the old Spanish missions [Tumacacori and San Xavier del Bac] would also make sense. Tucson also puts you between the two segments of Saguaro National Park, and at the base of Sabino Canyon [Of the two choices, I think Sabino Canyon is more interesting]. Then there's the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, which is definitely worth a day. The University of AZ campus is in Tucson, and on that campus are the state playhouse, a natural history museum, and a science center/planetarium. 5) What else in Arizona should we see? A rather astonishing number of national monuments in addition to the several national parks. Many of the national monuments are anthropology-based, and a few are geology-based. In the northeastern portion of the state is Monument Valley. TK |
#6
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Southwest Trip Questions
Not sure of your time frame, I would suggest Las Vegas to Williams/Grand
Canyon. Williams if you want to take one of the "Train" packages to the Grand Canyon. In the Canyon the El Tovar is the "Grand" Hotel but needs to be booked well in advance. This goes for as the others on the rim as well. From The Grand Canyon I would head back through Flagstaff to Holbrook, Petrified Forest & Painted Desert, stopping in Winslow on the way. Great little museum in Winslow. From Holbrook head up to Monument Valley via 191, and visit Canyon De Chelly along the way. From Monument Valley head over to Zion and Bryce via Page AZ. This will take you by Lake Powell and the Rainbow Bridge. If you want to take the tour to the Rainbow Bridge you might want to stay in the Page area for the night. From Zion NP it is about a 3-4hr drive back to Las Vegas, saving you any surcharges on the car rental. This can be done in just a week but I would stretch it out a little longer and spend some time enjoying the sights and people. Hope this helps Frank |
#7
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Southwest Trip Questions
In article ,
WolfpackFan wrote: 1) I was thinking of flying into Las Vegas and renting a car and then driving down into Arizona, see the GC, etc. and then flying out of Phoenix. Will there be a problem dropping off the rental car in Phoenix? I did precisely this a few years ago, and the one-way rental was reasonable. We did it the other way, though, so you may want to check with the car company to make sure that one direction isn't cheaper than the other. How much extra do the rental companies usually charge for doing this type return? Dunno, but it wasn't much for us. Call 'em and ask. 2) We'd probably spend two nights and one day seeing Grand Canyon. Where is best place to stay for this type visit? We made it to the canyon on a day trip from Flagstaff, but overnighting there probably isn't a bad idea. No recommendations for lodgings, but staying in the park shouldn't be unreasonable, if you can find a room. 3) We've heard about Sedona. What is there and how long should I budget time-wise? The country around Sedona is gorgeous, but the town seemed pretty dull. I found Flagstaff much more to my liking. It was a good base for sightseeing visits, and fun to come back to at night for food and drink. 5) What else in Arizona should we see? I highly recommend the section of old Route 66 that loops north around Williams and comes back down into Kingman. It's a pleasant change of pace from the Interstate. Not much to see other than mountains, desert and two lanes of blacktop, but if you're into that, it's a great trip. -- --- "I never had to pretend I felt the lyrics. I could always relate to the words." --Teddy Pendergrass |
#8
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Southwest Trip Questions
"Graham Harrison" wrote:
Tombstone which is a wonderful tourist trap but still well worth an hour or two. I'd say a few hours but the big thing about Tombstone is that it's on the way to Tucson's great Desert Museum. Also on the way is a wonderful mission. Mesa Verde I love it! It's fascinating and beautiful! __________________________________________________ __________ Un San Francisqueño en San Francisco http://geocities.com/dancefest/ http://geocities.com/iconoc/ ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 IClast at SFbay Net |
#9
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Southwest Trip Questions
Icono Clast wrote:
"Graham Harrison" wrote: Tombstone which is a wonderful tourist trap but still well worth an hour or two. I'd say a few hours but the big thing about Tombstone is that it's on the way to Tucson's great Desert Museum. Also on the way is a wonderful mission. It's not on the way from anywhere north of Tucson. -- Evelyn C. Leeper http://www.geocities.com/evelynleeper Separate is not equal. The right time to do the right thing is always now. Those who say "wait" usually mean "never." --Bonnie Tinker and The Rev. Cecil Prescod |
#10
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Southwest Trip Questions
WolfpackFan wrote:
I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to the southwest for next year. Locations we want to visit - Las Vegas for a day or so, Grand Canyon and then some areas in Arizona (that's where I need the help). Questions - 1) I was thinking of flying into Las Vegas and renting a car and then driving down into Arizona, see the GC, etc. and then flying out of Phoenix. Will there be a problem dropping off the rental car in Phoenix? How much extra do the rental companies usually charge for doing this type return? 2) We'd probably spend two nights and one day seeing Grand Canyon. Where is best place to stay for this type visit? 3) We've heard about Sedona. What is there and how long should I budget time-wise? 4) Is Tucson worthing visiting? If so, for how long? 5) What else in Arizona should we see? Thanks for any and all help. [The following are all just personal trip logs. We like to travel and love the Southwest. There are no ads and they are completely non-commercial. Feel free to email me if you have more specific questions.] You might check my trip logs for Arizona and New Mexico at http://www.travel-library.com/north_america/usa/southwest.trip.eleeper.html (from 1992), Las Vegas at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/lasvegas.htm (2000), and Las Vegas and Arizona at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/lv_az03.htm (2003). Mark also wrote recently about the Verde Canyon Railroad at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/VOID0402.htm#verde. If you're getting into Utah, check http://www.travel-library.com/north_america/usa/utah/leeper.html (1995) as well. -- Evelyn C. Leeper http://www.geocities.com/evelynleeper Separate is not equal. The right time to do the right thing is always now. Those who say "wait" usually mean "never." --Bonnie Tinker and The Rev. Cecil Prescod |
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