Thread: Nonrev Correspondent - Phoenix

[quote]Originally posted by CSSup:
Donna,
My Sisters Family is still planning to visit the Grand Canyon this August.
As we see the devistation on TV of the wildfires, I wonder if any of the National parks are damaged or closed.
Let me know if I should tell her to avoid any areas.
Thanks!

A lot of roads have been closed, Coyne. The area that is burning is not anywhere near the Grand Canyon, though. Show Low (the area you keep seeing on tv) is in the eastern part of the state, about 3 to 3.5 hours from Phoenix. The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest is the one that is currently on fire. Tell them to keep an eye on the news but I wouldn't think that the fires will affect getting into and out of the canyon. A lot has been restricted, though. They really need to keep in mind how dry Arizona is this year. Quite a few areas are closed for hiking and camping because of the drought. They should check with the grand canyon website before going to make sure nothing they want to do is closed by August. Let's all hope we get rain this monsoon!

We are thinking of planning a trip to Az to see the grand canyon , which airport would be best to Land at?We we want to see the general area of Tuson & Sedona also , is this within the area or to far a distance for a short trip of 4 days?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by me:
We are thinking of planning a trip to Az to see the grand canyon , which airport would be best to Land at?We we want to see the general area of Tuson & Sedona also , is this within the area or to far a distance for a short trip of 4 days?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Let's start with the first question. The closest airport to both Sedona and the Grand Canyon would be Flagstaff airport. It is a small airport so you would probably take a flight into Phoenix and change planes to a smaller aircraft to get up there. Flagstaff is about 1.5 hours from the Canyon and maybe 1 hour from Sedona. You could see both of those places easily in 4 days.

Tucson is pretty far south. If you want to see Tucson (and it is worth it!) you would have about a 2.5 hour drive FROM PHOENIX. If you fly into Flagstaff, however, you are talking about maybe 5 hours to Tucson city limits. A long trip by car and you have a limited amount of time. With only 4 days total you may wish to simply see the Flagstaff area, the Grand Canyon (which is worth staying overnight to see the sunset/sunrise if nothing else) and explore the Sedona area. You won't feel short-changed, truly. Come back some other time to see the Tucson area. It is large and there is much to see there. Easily enough to make it a vacation all by itself.

I actually saw the show "Incredible Arizona" and was terribly disappointed. It seemed to focus on places to get drunk and wild instead of the natural beauty of the state. What about Sedona? Where to stay at the Grand Canyon? The Saguaro National Monument? Jeep Tours? The Painted Desert? All of the typical tourist things most people come to Arizona to see? I really don't care about college kids going nuts in Havasu on spring break.