Convince me that a summer trip to Sedona/Grand Canyon is bearable

[klfrech]

We are considering a summer trip (July) to the Sedona/Grand Canyon area. I so want to see this area of the country, but as a school teacher, we only vacation in the summer. Am I crazy? I've done Florida in the heat and humidity and survived, did Cancun last summer (extremely hot and humid). I don't want to burst into flames during my vacation and I don't want to spend my entire vacation either in the water or in the hotel room.

Travelers would be myself, DH and DD (17). We love hiking, sightseeing, etc., but are afraid of the heat.

 

[kathie859]

Touring the Grand Canyon and driving the rim are fantastic experiences with opportunities for some really interesting organized hikes and tours (i.e., the donkey ride down to the canyon floor!). Sedona is really interesting, too. I say go and just pace yourself and make sure you allow for lots of hydration and rest stops.

Have fun planning your trip.

 

[momrek06]

I saw go for it!!! You will not believe how absolutely amazing the Grand Canyon is to see standing on the rim!!!!! We went during Feb school vacation, so I cannot comment on the summer heat. It was me, DH and 16yoDS(at the time). We did Sedona as well as the Grand Canyon. FABULOUS!!!!

 

[FireDancer]

I don't think you are nuts at all. I know it is a cliche but the heat in AZ is not nearly as unbearable as FL because of the humidity. I would love to do a full week hike down from the north rim and would gladly do it in the summertime if that is the way it worked out.

 

[klfrech]

Since you traveled with a 16 year old, can you give me an idea of your itinerary and places that you stayed?

Thank you...I think I'm convinced!

 

[momrek06]

Since you traveled with a 16 year old, can you give me an idea of your itinerary and places that you stayed?

Thank you...I think I'm convinced!

Oh sweetie, I would love to help but this was in 2001. Such a long time ago. We actually flew from Boston, MA into Las Vegas, was there for 4 days and then rented a mini-van and drove to the Hoover Dam, Bryce and Zion National Parks, Grand Canyon, Sedona, Scottsdale and flew home from Phoenix. I really do not remember all the hotels at all. We stayed in the Paris in Vegas and then in a few Best Western's along the way. AAA set the entire trip up for us. My DS LOVED this trip!!! Yours will too. I believe we were gone 10 days total.

p.s. my DS is a college grad and off to law school now....time sure does fly.

Here is a pic of DS at the GC!!!

 

[eduk8r26]

The Grand Canyon may be hot, but it's hotter on the canyon floor than on top. Sedona gets warm, but if you travel farther up Oak Creek Canyon, it's quite nice usually. You can't go to Sedona without driving through Oak Creek. It's well worth the drive.

 

[minkydog]

I don't think you are nuts at all. I know it is a cliche but the heat in AZ is not nearly as unbearable as FL because of the humidity. I would love to do a full week hike down from the north rim and would gladly do it in the summertime if that is the way it worked out.

I agree. We have not been to Sedona, but we went to Grand Canyon in June 2007 and it wasn't even close to being as hot as Florida. In fact, the weather was quite pleasant. We stayed at a resort in Williams, AZ, where you can take a train ride up to the canyon. They will drop you off for a few hours or even overnight and then you ride back. It was a lot of fun and I didn't think the heat was difficult at all(and I'm ALWAYS hot.)

 

[ahutton]

Sedona is cooler than Phoenix, the opposite side of Oak Creek Canyon is a higher elevation and thus even cooler. We Phoenicians go up there to get out of the heat. For Sedona hotels, we love the Matterhorn. It is right in the middle of Uptown, walking distance to many great shops, galleries and restaurants.

www.thetrain.com is the website for the Grand Canyon Railroad. It is a great way to get to the Grand Canyon Village area. The El Tovar is beautiful, the other lodges are really nice too.

Grand Canyon is also much cooler than Phoenix, it is highly unlikely to be 115 in the summer up there, again, elevation is your friend. If you are looking for less expensive lodging you can check the Best Western outside the park entrance. Not too fancy, but comfortable. Flagstaff also has many decent hotels and are within a couple hours of many of our best attractions. It is also much cooler up there.

 

[Green Tea]

I was at the Grand Canyon on the 4th of July one year, and the days were moderate, nights low forties. You are thinking Tucson, Phoenix. Not Sedona, GC. They escape the blistering heat.

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

I just went through this thought process for our family -- but we are heading to Southern Utah. We did do Northern Arizona a few years ago.

The main thing I did to reassure myself was look at the average temps. Yes, Sedona will be in the 90s, but it goes into the 60s at night. So you plan your hiking in the morning and your pool time in the afternoon.

Also, Google Slide Rock State Park in Arizona -- it is outside of Sedona and looks to be a great way to beat the heat. If you can also head over to Page and Lake Powell for a few nights -- the area is beautiful and you can do a raft float on the Colorado River.

Tripadvisor.com has great information about the areas you mentioned. Just click on Forums, get the right state, start reading and you will be hooked! They also have info on hotels, restaurants, and attractions with tons of reviews and comments by "real" people.

Last, but not least, rooms in the Grand Canyon Park fill up quickly -- so get your dates set and get some reservations ASAP.

Have fun!

 

[kristilew]

We did 3 days in Sedona on our own last (late)June, followed by the Adventures By Disney Southwest Splendors tour. It was great. Not too hot. We did a lot of hiking in Sedona and were fine as long as we caried plenty of water. There are some really wondeful trails there for every level of hiker.

One thing you might do is jump over to the ABD board and check out some of the trip reports from Southwest Splendors. Even if you're not interested in doing the Disney trip, you could get some planning ideas from their schedule and activities.

And ITA with the Oak Creek Canyon suggestions. Beautiful!

 

[Carl]

I flew there once from Henderson, NA. The plane ride was horrible - it was so hot. They advertised "climate controlled." But, when I pointed that out, they said, "Yes, it is controlled by the climate." Of course, when I see anything in Houston that says "climate controlled" it means air conditioned. So, beware of that phrase if you come across it in Nevada. Now, to answer your question - it was quite pleasant at the rim of the Grand Canyon, once we arrived.

 

[wilderness01]

We did this trip last summer. It was great and the heat was bearable. We took a guided tour and loved it. There are so many things to do in the area, plus the beauty of it all, that you can't go wrong. Have fun planning.

 

[Bearvet]

We did a trip a few years ago when our kids were 8, 10 and 14 in July. It was HOT - it doesn't matter if it's a dry heat - 115 degrees (Hoover Dam) is hot. Just prepare for it - tons of water, those cool neck wraps, hats, etc. We had an amazing trip - the boys still talk about it.

We flew into Phoenix and then spent a week in SW Colorado (Durango). Did Four Corners, Mesa verde NP (my favorite), whitewater rafting, Durango-Silverton train, hot springs in Pagosa, Sand Dunes NP, horse back riding and a few other activities. We stayed in a timeshare for the week.

The 2nd week we traveled and spent each night in a different place - it was exhausting, but worth it. Stops included Colorado NM (another fav), Dinosaur NM (Utah), Arches NP (Utah), Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Bryce NP (another fav) and Zion. For Bryce and Zion we stayed in the parks which I highly recommend.

The 3rd week we had another timeshare in Sedona. Slide Rock SP was awesome, did day trip to Grand Canyon (were actually not thrilled after having seen so many other wonderful sights!), Meteor Crater (a tourist trap but DS10 requested it and we're glad we did it), Sunset Crater Volcano, Canyon de Chelley, Petrified Forest and Painted Desert NPs and did a Hummer tour.

I think I missed a few things, but that's most of it. We were busy and it was hot but we'd do it again in a heartbeat! I used Trip Advisor like PP mentioned and got a ton of great info.

Do it - you won't regret it!!!

 

[TIAMOMMA]

OP - thanks for asking this. This is also my dream trip and I've been debating this over and over. I thought perhaps we should try during spring break but it seemed that it would still be too cold in Sedona at that time for a trip to that Slide Park.

How long of a trip is it ex. Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon? I hear that the rental cars in Phoenix are very high. (Sorry for the hijack, op!)

 

[everylastbreath]

Totally agree with prior posters- I would gladly take 115 out West, than 85 + humid in FLA- it's a dry heat, plenty of sunscreen & LOTS of water, easy to get dehyrdated- because you really don't sweat there! The sun burns but as long as your out of the sun it's comfortable. Love, Love, Love the heat out West, dry- it's really the humidity that kills ya.

 

[Janet Hill]

Also, Google Slide Rock State Park in Arizona -- it is outside of Sedona and looks to be a great way to beat the heat.

This is a fun place. We brought a picnic lunch and were here for about 7 hours total. My kids still talk about this place and want to go back. Lots of people of all ages were having a great time here.

 

[landshark]

If you can survive Florida in the summer, Grand Canyon should be fine. It will likely still be ridiculously hot, but hey--it's a dry heat! Honestly though, when daily temps exceed 100, it's HOT regardless of whether or not there's humidity.

If you plan to actually hike down into the canyon, be careful to stay hydrated, take it easy, and don't do more than you think you could handle.

 

[mill4023]

I know "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" is a cliche, but it's true. It's hard to imagine for those who haven't experienced it, but 110 in Arizona is really no worse than 90 in Florida. And 95 in Arizona is very comfortable.

But as others have mentioned, the Grand Canyon is cooler than Phoenix.

So you've got nothing to worry about.

http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/weather.htm