Road Trip!
June 26, 2011 6:25 PM Subscribe
Help us plan an awesome trip. We will be in LA for August and want to take a 4-6 day roadtrip in the Southwest. Some caveats inside.
We have a five y.o., so are looking for less rather than more driving, child-friendly destinations, and some beginner camping options. Gorgeous vistas, indigenous culture, great food, and swimming are all plusses.
Another caveat--we are really interested in visiting Sedona and other Arizona spots, but will avoid the state if there are enough other wonderful places to go, out of solidarity with the boycott.
We have a five y.o., so are looking for less rather than more driving, child-friendly destinations, and some beginner camping options. Gorgeous vistas, indigenous culture, great food, and swimming are all plusses.
Another caveat--we are really interested in visiting Sedona and other Arizona spots, but will avoid the state if there are enough other wonderful places to go, out of solidarity with the boycott.
IF you want to stay in LA and close by there is tons to see like the La Brea tar pits, The Guggenheim, There is a big observatory, Disneyland, Knotts berry farm, lots of beaches, Queen Mary, lots of museums, lots of traffic and people, Hollywood, Or a road trip up into the sierra Nevadas, San Francisco, the red woods, Yosemite, lots to see in California too.
posted by bartonlong at 9:03 PM on June 26, 2011
posted by bartonlong at 9:03 PM on June 26, 2011
This might be too far out of the way for you (if memory serves, I think it's a 12-ish hour drive from Los Angeles, but you could stop off in Sedona for the night), but I'd highly recommend New Mexico instead of Arizona for the majority of your trip. Santa Fe in particular is very family friendly: the town itself is endlessly beautiful, there's lots to see and do including a wealth of indigenous art museums and galleries, and lodging ranges from luxurious (Inn of the Five Graces) to quite cheap at the other end of town, which shouldn't be an issue since you have a car. If you do end up going, don't leave without going to Bobcat Bite. I have traveled the world, and theirs is indisputably the most delicious burger available (and cheap to boot). For traditional New Mexican fare I'd recommend The Shed, for a casual lunch The Cowgirl, and for excellent tapas, El Farol. If you're interested in fine dining, Geronimo's probably the best in town, but The Compound and Fuego are both a little more family-friendly. Santa Fe has pretty much the best food of any town I've ever lived in, so it's hard to go wrong. As far as museums go, I'd recommend the Folk Art Museum and the Georgia O'Keeffe. All of the places I just mentioned are in or near the Plaza.
Another big bonus of Santa Fe is the camping available and fun day trips nearby. Los Alamos is beautiful, and if your kids like crawling around science-y stuff The Black Hole Museum is super cool. It's not so much a museum as a junkyard, so depends on their ages- don't expect exhibits. The drive up there from Santa Fe is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Plus nearby in Jemez there's a ton of beginner hikes to hot springs, and White Sands is not too far and absolutely worth a stop.
I do not work for the Santa Fe tourism board, I promise. But you should go! You absolutely won't regret it.
posted by libertypie at 10:04 PM on June 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
Another big bonus of Santa Fe is the camping available and fun day trips nearby. Los Alamos is beautiful, and if your kids like crawling around science-y stuff The Black Hole Museum is super cool. It's not so much a museum as a junkyard, so depends on their ages- don't expect exhibits. The drive up there from Santa Fe is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Plus nearby in Jemez there's a ton of beginner hikes to hot springs, and White Sands is not too far and absolutely worth a stop.
I do not work for the Santa Fe tourism board, I promise. But you should go! You absolutely won't regret it.
posted by libertypie at 10:04 PM on June 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
Thinking of what would be cool for kids, the coolest things I've seen in the southwest, in order, are Arches National Monument, the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, the Grand Canyon, the VLA, and the border with Mexico (if you want to deal with that).
I agree with libertypie that the Santa Fe-Taos area might be a good spot to call home. Bandelier National Monument has wildlife tours and cliff dwellings. (I didn't like the folk museum myself, but I guess others do?) On the way to Taos there are good swimming spots in the river. The problem with that idea is how long of a drive it is. Can you not just fly into Denver or Albuquerque or something if you want to see "the Southwest"?
The other thing to keep in mind is that August is hot. Are you guys from somewhere that has lots of 105 degree days? As a mamsy-pamsy Bay Area resident (but also back before that), I would find it insufferable in Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, maybe also Moab. I love heat, don't get me wrong, but at a certain point, it's just like you're baking, and nobody with any sense does any outdoor physical activity after 10:30 or 11 AM. (Maybe the locals will come and tell me how wrong I am, but I remember the popular hiking trails that I had completely to myself in mid-afternoon.) Spending time in the forests around Flagstaff and also around the Grand Canyon might be nicer. Santa Fe and especially Taos have another 1000 feet or so in elevation, if I'm remembering right, so that's another reason I recommend that idea to you.
posted by salvia at 10:37 PM on June 26, 2011
I agree with libertypie that the Santa Fe-Taos area might be a good spot to call home. Bandelier National Monument has wildlife tours and cliff dwellings. (I didn't like the folk museum myself, but I guess others do?) On the way to Taos there are good swimming spots in the river. The problem with that idea is how long of a drive it is. Can you not just fly into Denver or Albuquerque or something if you want to see "the Southwest"?
The other thing to keep in mind is that August is hot. Are you guys from somewhere that has lots of 105 degree days? As a mamsy-pamsy Bay Area resident (but also back before that), I would find it insufferable in Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, maybe also Moab. I love heat, don't get me wrong, but at a certain point, it's just like you're baking, and nobody with any sense does any outdoor physical activity after 10:30 or 11 AM. (Maybe the locals will come and tell me how wrong I am, but I remember the popular hiking trails that I had completely to myself in mid-afternoon.) Spending time in the forests around Flagstaff and also around the Grand Canyon might be nicer. Santa Fe and especially Taos have another 1000 feet or so in elevation, if I'm remembering right, so that's another reason I recommend that idea to you.
posted by salvia at 10:37 PM on June 26, 2011
Response by poster: This is all extremely helpful.
To clarify: I'm from LA, although we now live in NYC, and know its charms well. We'll have the rest of the month to do fabulous LA things.
I do understand that the immigration issue is hugely complex, and I know that a boycott hurts immigrant businesses as well. It's something we have to think more about before deciding our final itinerary. We certainly won't go anywhere near the border on this trip.
Santa Fe would be amazing, but I fear that New Mexico would mean too much driving. I will keep this info in mind for another time, though!
We are used to Northeast muggy heat, and I'm used to Santa Ana winds; with that said, we will plan our days with the baking hours in mind.
A couple last questions: is Joshua Tree out of the question this time of year, and if so, assuming we go to Arizona, is there a good midway place to sleep between LA and Phoenix or do you recommend just powering through? (Is it safe to drive through the desert at night?)
thank you again!
posted by aimeedee at 3:58 AM on June 27, 2011
To clarify: I'm from LA, although we now live in NYC, and know its charms well. We'll have the rest of the month to do fabulous LA things.
I do understand that the immigration issue is hugely complex, and I know that a boycott hurts immigrant businesses as well. It's something we have to think more about before deciding our final itinerary. We certainly won't go anywhere near the border on this trip.
Santa Fe would be amazing, but I fear that New Mexico would mean too much driving. I will keep this info in mind for another time, though!
We are used to Northeast muggy heat, and I'm used to Santa Ana winds; with that said, we will plan our days with the baking hours in mind.
A couple last questions: is Joshua Tree out of the question this time of year, and if so, assuming we go to Arizona, is there a good midway place to sleep between LA and Phoenix or do you recommend just powering through? (Is it safe to drive through the desert at night?)
thank you again!
posted by aimeedee at 3:58 AM on June 27, 2011
Joshua tree is going to be hot, really hot this time of year without much relief (no thunderstorms usually). All of the midway places between LA and Phoenix are even hotter than phoenix. I would just power through. It really isn't that bad of trip. I made it from San Clemente to Surprise(this is on the backroad to prescott that goes through wickenburg) in about 6 hours. Driving on the interstates at night is safe enough, I just wouldn't try the backroads or two lanes right on the border at night, although any state highway is usually pretty safe and decently well patrolled.
The high country is significantly cooler than the valleys in Arizona this time of year, often to the amount of 30 degrees or more. And when a thunderstorm moves through (and this usually daily above the Mogollon Rim in august)it can cool things off to 50's or 60's breifly. Sedona can hit 100 this time of year but you are just minutes away from climbing the rim and that drops the temp into the 80's at the most. It would be easy to kill 3 or 4 days in Northern Arizona at the cool spots between the Grand Canyon, ride the ski lift at the peaks in flagstaff, visit the lava cave on the way to the ski lift, see all the cool shops and architecture and the museum in Jerome, the same in prescott, there is a great railroad that you can ride daily from cottonwood through the verde river valley that is awesome. If you catch the right day the hiking in Sedona is great and not too hot (just after a thunderstorm is the right day), watching the weather interact with the canyon from any point is really cool. The canyon is going to be really crowded in august however. If you have the right vehicle the drive from sedona to Flagstaff on Schnebly Hill road is neat (lots of ground clearance and good tires-it is a rough unpaved road).
posted by bartonlong at 8:29 AM on June 27, 2011
The high country is significantly cooler than the valleys in Arizona this time of year, often to the amount of 30 degrees or more. And when a thunderstorm moves through (and this usually daily above the Mogollon Rim in august)it can cool things off to 50's or 60's breifly. Sedona can hit 100 this time of year but you are just minutes away from climbing the rim and that drops the temp into the 80's at the most. It would be easy to kill 3 or 4 days in Northern Arizona at the cool spots between the Grand Canyon, ride the ski lift at the peaks in flagstaff, visit the lava cave on the way to the ski lift, see all the cool shops and architecture and the museum in Jerome, the same in prescott, there is a great railroad that you can ride daily from cottonwood through the verde river valley that is awesome. If you catch the right day the hiking in Sedona is great and not too hot (just after a thunderstorm is the right day), watching the weather interact with the canyon from any point is really cool. The canyon is going to be really crowded in august however. If you have the right vehicle the drive from sedona to Flagstaff on Schnebly Hill road is neat (lots of ground clearance and good tires-it is a rough unpaved road).
posted by bartonlong at 8:29 AM on June 27, 2011
um, so you don't need to "be in a well armed group" to travel in southern Arizona. Ridiculous.
Anyway, given the weather, I'd suggest you stay up on the rim if you do central AZ; sedona, payson, pine, and prescott are all nice small towns. Flagstaff also has a lot to offer, and is a good jumping-off point for other sight-seeing (meteor crater, grand canyon, oak creek canyon to sedona, etc.). There is easy camping all throughout the parks and forests in central/northern AZ.
HOWEVER
I'd actually suggest you hit southern Utah instead -- bryce canyon, zion national park, canyonlands/arches/moab... there is a lot of fantastic landscape, native american culture and history, and the weather can be a lot nicer than the AZ desert.
posted by Chris4d at 10:29 AM on June 27, 2011
Anyway, given the weather, I'd suggest you stay up on the rim if you do central AZ; sedona, payson, pine, and prescott are all nice small towns. Flagstaff also has a lot to offer, and is a good jumping-off point for other sight-seeing (meteor crater, grand canyon, oak creek canyon to sedona, etc.). There is easy camping all throughout the parks and forests in central/northern AZ.
HOWEVER
I'd actually suggest you hit southern Utah instead -- bryce canyon, zion national park, canyonlands/arches/moab... there is a lot of fantastic landscape, native american culture and history, and the weather can be a lot nicer than the AZ desert.
posted by Chris4d at 10:29 AM on June 27, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
There is lots to see in Northern Arizona and the height of monsoon season is the best time of year. Do bring some rain gear and warm clothes though. It can get surprisingly chilly at night and after the storms. Take i10 to phoenix than head up to Prescott than over to Jerome and then into Sedona. There are several monuments and things to stop and see in all three places. You might want to spend a day in just Jerome and Sedona. You want to stay off i-17 as much as you can. The two lane state highways are were all the cool stuff and scenery is. On to Flagstaff and then the Grand canyon. Out to Cameron on the east rim and up to monument valley. Over to Capital Reef and then Maybe Zion if you have time. From there go to Vegas see the Hoover dam and the new bridge then back to LA on i40. That is probably 6 full days right there and lots and lots for a family to do and see.
posted by bartonlong at 8:56 PM on June 26, 2011