Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: deSelys on January 25, 2018, 10:27:58 AM
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Hello Ladies and Gents,
This summer, the family and I will fly across the pond to visit places of the USA we've never been to yet.
I'd mostly like to visit national parks and scenic cities/towns around Twin falls ID, Ely NV, Moab UT and Phoenix AZ.
We'd like to hike, but with a limit of 2-3 hours/day as the little one will only be 6.5 years old.
Any recommendations / experiences welcome :)
Thanks in advance
:salute
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So all desert?
I would say definitely don't hit Phoenix AZ in the middle of Summer, it can be absolutely scorching.
The other locations shouldn't be too bad in the summer but Phoenix is pretty hot.
You might look at Sedona, AZ if there's nothing specific to Phoenix. It's a couple hours north of Phoenix.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sedona+arizona&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI6rPLy_PYAhUr34MKHdsuBG4Q_AUICygC&biw=1459&bih=835 (https://www.google.com/search?q=sedona+arizona&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI6rPLy_PYAhUr34MKHdsuBG4Q_AUICygC&biw=1459&bih=835)
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Keep in mind that summer is peak travel season and most places are going to be booked solid. Make sure you make reservations in advance. Places like the Grand Canyon are going to be PACKED, be prepared for a wait to get into the parking lot and a long search for a parking place. In Utah we visited Lehman caves and had a great time there. Since it will be hot outside, the cave will be nicely cool to you. The walking tours are short, only about an hour or so.
Phoenix will be a hot mess for you with temps over 110 and some significant humidity. Plan on indoor activities and drink LOTS of water. Frankly as an Arizona native, I avoided Phoenix and the metro area around it like the plague. Tucson has a couple nice attractions, the Sonora Desert museum, a day long visit and Old Tucson, a tourist trap "frontier town", movie studio.
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Moab, UT, I've been to Arches National Park. Lot of short trails there to pull over on the road and hike to.
Get there right when the gate opens though, it can get really busy and it gets hot after 11am.
Moab is 'next' door, perhaps plan a 2 day trip in that area.
You can stay in Grand Junction, CO which is about a 1 hr drive to both areas.
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If you are traveling north to south, stop at the Grand Canyon. It’ll be a zoo of crowds in the summer but, worth the stop if you’ve never seen it.
Phoenix is oppressively hot and humid in the summer.
Tucson has several great attractions, the Pima Air Museum being one (allow a full day and do the bone yard bus tour). To escape the heat, take the drive up Mt Lemmon north of Tucson and lunch at the Iron Door restaurant. Ride the ski lift across the street to the top for great views. The temps on Mt Lemmon are most often 20 degrees cooler than down in Tucson.
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One word. Yosemite.
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Starting in the north be sure to visit Glacier National Park. One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and not too far from ID.
From there it's possible to zip through the corner of Yellowstone (well, not exactly zip... traffic is a nightmare) and spend a night outside the Grand Tetons (There's some really great disbursed camping... non campground... just to the east of Jackson Hole).
Continuing south you could hit Rocky Mountain National Park although it's a little out of the way. Trail Ridge Road is a bit frightening but it's worth the trip. Just like it's name says you follow a ridge on a narrow road well above the tree line.
The best way to see the area around Moab is either in a Jeep or on a mountain bike. I used to go there every year for the Easter Jeep Safari. Considering you're travelling there are Jeep rentals and maps available. It's easy to spend a week and not hit all the trails.
Arches National Park is also worth a visit and also has off the beaten path Jeep access.
Finally Grand Canyon National Park. If you didn't have the little one in tow you might try an overnight hike into the canyon.
If you make it through all that you're going to be pretty worn out. Good luck. Have fun.
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Don't overlook Kansas. After all, we have Mt. Sunflower, which is a relatively short hike. :uhoh
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If you are traveling north to south, stop at the Grand Canyon. It’ll be a zoo of crowds in the summer but, worth the stop if you’ve never seen it.
Agreed. Make your reservations now. You'll want to stay at one of the places in the park.
Grand Canyon, like Niagara Falls, is one of those places that just doesn't get represented well in photographs and movies.
- oldman
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I think you do want to do Arizona in the summer. You must experience that heat to really get this place. You have air conditioned cars houses and restaurants so you really aren't out in it all the time. Of course all the nice hotels have swimming pools too. The grand Canyon and Sedona are up at altitude so they are fine in the summer anyways. I ride a motorcycle 12 months here in Phoenix. I survive it quite well. That intense heat must be experienced. It is Arizona.
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Good point. This time of the year in Arizona is fantastic. Crystal clear blue skies and temperatures are in the mid 70s. Summer, temperatures in the mid 110s. Just a matter of how much you want to warm up. :D
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Hey thank you all for the info and tips :)
Yes, I'd like to mostly travel through the deserts. I've already been twice to Nevada and California (visited Yosemite both times :) ) and once to Oregon (Crater Lake :O) and Washington States, and the desert is the most outlandish scenery for us. I was tempted to go see Colorado too but we regularly go to the French Alps and I finally decided to go see some places really different from what we're used to.
For the same reason (maybe we're some kind of masochists), we don't mind to experience the heat of places like Phoenix... for a limited time at least ;) Like Zoney said, it's a plus to really get the places.
I'll try to hit a max of the locations and activities you listed, thanks again and I'll keep you posted :rock
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Another thing to see after the Grand Canyon is the Great Meteor Crater. It’s a short side trip to the east when traveling from the canyon to Phoenix.
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Chickasaw national recreation area... Sulphur Ok
See real America...
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If your 106 miles from Chicago, you got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and your all wearing sunglasses.
I suggest you.. Hit it!
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So all desert?
I would say definitely don't hit Phoenix AZ in the middle of Summer, it can be absolutely scorching.
The other locations shouldn't be too bad in the summer but Phoenix is pretty hot.
You might look at Sedona, AZ if there's nothing specific to Phoenix. It's a couple hours north of Phoenix.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sedona+arizona&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI6rPLy_PYAhUr34MKHdsuBG4Q_AUICygC&biw=1459&bih=835 (https://www.google.com/search?q=sedona+arizona&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjI6rPLy_PYAhUr34MKHdsuBG4Q_AUICygC&biw=1459&bih=835)
I agree go to Sedona and go to Red Rock Park and go swimming and hiking. Much nicer and Sedona is a beautiful place one of my favorite places to go when I visit family. Also Prescott is very nice.
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For the same reason (maybe we're some kind of masochists), we don't mind to experience the heat of places like Phoenix... for a limited time at least ;)
Please be careful, especially with a child. The heat and dryness in places like that can be extreme enough to cause heat stroke and dehydration very quickly. Once in a while, European families on vacation die in US deserts not knowing how quickly things can get dangerous.
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Starting in the north be sure to visit Glacier National Park. One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and not too far from ID.
I grew up an hour from the park and could see the gun sights out of my window on a clear day. It's an amazingly beautiful park.
I live in CA now, but will be flying back up to MT this summer and bringing the woman so she can check it out. Going to the Sun Highway is a modern engineering marvel, and quite the views.
You can also stop at Lake Macdonald, awesomely clear beautiful lake glaciers, all that good stuff. It's about 8 hours or so from the Boise area, so it might be a bit of a drive to get up there, but definitely worth it. Yellowstone would probably be closer to where you're going to be at. I've actually never been there...
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Walking up to the edge of the Grand Canyon and looking at it in person for the first time was truly awe inspiring. It was the most visually awe inspiring thing I have ever seen.
Bryce Canyon is is also worth visiting.
The grand canyon is Awesome defined.
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Hi there,
Thanks again for all the advices and recommendations: we had a tremendous holiday!
We visited:
Birds of prey world center in Boise
Snake river canyons and Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls
Flaming Gorge on Green River in WY
Dinosaur Monument Valley in Vernal UT
Harper's Corner and Colorado Monument in CO
Arches Park and Canyonlands in Moab
Grand Canyon
Sedona
Lots of awesome hikes and we rented a jeep in Moab for 1 day, which allowed us to go see stuff only accessible by trails and get away from the crowd.
As we are waiting for our return flight in PHX, I wanted to say that your country is truly beautiful.
Thanks again!
PS: and you were right, the heat in Phoenix is brutal ;) :)
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My brother shipped his jeep up there to do Moab. They have been gone for a week and a half. They are supposed to get back in town late today.