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Any Arizonans/ New Mexicans on here - could use travel advice

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Kybluedude

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Nov 19, 2005
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We have never been to the Southwest. My wife and I retired and would like to see part of it. It’s overwhelming trying to piece it out

Just a rough itinerary looking at an atlas. Remember those?

Fly into Phoenix- stay 2 days and see Phoenix, Saquoro NP & Tucson.

Drive to Sedona for 3 days- visit Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce. Guess the Arches NP is too far?

Drive to Santa Fe - stay 2 days and see Santa Fe & Taos areas

To Albuquerque for a day and then fly home. 8 days.

Any suggestions/ changes/ additions or better places to see would be welcome.

Not interested in Cali or Vegas at this time. Just in the above general areas. Ariz and NM.
Thanks in advance!
 
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rudd1

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Oct 3, 2007
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Kennedy_UK

Kennedy_UK

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Nov 24, 2007
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Kybluedude said:
We have never been to the Southwest. My wife and I retired and would like to see part of it. It’s overwhelming trying to piece it out

Just a rough itinerary looking at an atlas. Remember those?

Fly into Phoenix- stay 2 days and see Phoenix, Saquoro NP & Tucson.

Drive to Sedona for 3 days- visit Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce. Guess the Arches NP is too far?

Drive to Santa Fe - stay 2 days and see Santa Fe & Taos areas

To Albuquerque for a day and then fly home. 8 days.

Any suggestions/ changes/ additions or better places to see would be welcome.

Not interested in Cali or Vegas at this time. Just in the above general areas. Ariz and NM.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
My only critcism of this proposed itinerary is the driving distances will take 2-3 days alone. It's 3hrs or more from Phoenix to Sedona, then 6-7hrs from there to Santa Fe.

I'd scrap Phoenix/Tucson/Albuquerque altogether in favor of focusing your time in Sedona (fly into Flagstaff) and Santa Fe (you can fly from SF to Denver or DFW depending if you're United or American airlines ppl). Never been to Tucson, and while I love Scottsdale, I don't think you'd be missing much just heading to Sedona. Regardless, don't plan on spending any time in the Que. It's an absolute ********...

I can give you all the recs you may need for Santa Fe. Stay at La Posada (or if you have $$$$, the Four Seasons), which is right by the historic plaza. As @rudd1 said, plan to work in 10,000 Waves (Japanese spa) and its restaurant, Izanami (Japanese & Mexican fusion). Bandelier is awesome, but might be closed ATM because of fires. Tent Rocks and Choco Canyon are sweet. Ghost Ranch is dope too. Unless you plan to ski, skip Taos.
 
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vhcat70

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Feb 5, 2003
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Kybluedude said:
We have never been to the Southwest. My wife and I retired and would like to see part of it. It’s overwhelming trying to piece it out

Just a rough itinerary looking at an atlas. Remember those?

Fly into Phoenix- stay 2 days and see Phoenix, Saquoro NP & Tucson.

Drive to Sedona for 3 days- visit Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce. Guess the Arches NP is too far?

Drive to Santa Fe - stay 2 days and see Santa Fe & Taos areas

To Albuquerque for a day and then fly home. 8 days.

Any suggestions/ changes/ additions or better places to see would be welcome.

Not interested in Cali or Vegas at this time. Just in the above general areas. Ariz and NM.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Well I've visited all of those places, most twice, though live in KY.

Here's what I would do:
- Phoenix & Tucson are just cities imo. Go for the beauty.
- Immediately go thru gorgeous Cottonwood Canyon to Sedona. Stay two days & take a jeep tour of various red rock formations.
- Drive to south rim of GC. They have free (I think) Park-run bus tours that cover ~20 miles I'd say along the rim. Walk down Angel Trail into Canyon. Halfway down & back is about 4-6 hours. 1-2 nights
- Drive to Zion - about my favorite park. Various overlooks along the east entrance are amazing. I'd go thru and stay on the west side. Walk the river canyon upstream thru the water a mile or two. 2 nights.
- Bryce is worth a night. Unique formations. Probably first thing of all this I'd cut.
- For 8 days, yes, Arches/Canyonlands too far. Even all this may be to far/much. I'd say this is more like 10 days & still quick.
- Monument Valley on way to SF/Taos is fantastic with all the buttes & mesas. Many old westerns filmed there. 2-3 hour drive through it is neat.
- Love Santa Fe & Taos. Territorial architecture of SF great to me. Go to Georgia O'Keefe Museum. See basilica with spiral staircase. We also stayed at the La Posada as mentioned. Outdoor sculpture museum very good. Many art galleries, great restaurants.
- Take the High Road to (or from) Taos. Visit Church of the Holy Mud (no joke). Rancho di Chimayo is a nice inn for food and to stay at. Native rug stores along the way. Several 1500-1600's mission churches along the way closer to Taos.
- Taos has art galleries, Kit Carson Home museum, and Millicent Rogers Jwelry Museum that I thought was excellent. The high bridge over the Rio Grande Canyon north of town is impressive. The "Earthships" on the bluff west of town are interesting homes. Friend used to own one & we stayed there. Take the main road back to Santa Fe.
- Al-B-Q? OK. Not where I'd spend my limited time.
 
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ukcatz12

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Mar 27, 2009
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vhcat70 said:
Drive to Zion - about my favorite park. Various overlooks along the east entrance are amazing. I'd go thru and stay on the west side. Walk the river canyon upstream thru the water a mile or two. 2 nights.
Click to expand...
Took a road trip out west last year and hit Zion among many other National Parks. Zion is incredible. But it's really busy (and I guess most National Parks are these days), so anyone looking to take a trip to Zion should probably research it before hand to make sure then don't show up at 11 am the day of their visit and realize the won't be able to actually do anything they want to do.
 
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vhcat70

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Feb 5, 2003
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ukcatz12 said:
Took a road trip out west last year and hit Zion among many other National Parks. Zion is incredible. But it's really busy (and I guess most National Parks are these days), so anyone looking to take a trip to Zion should probably research it before hand to make sure then don't show up at 11 am the day of their visit and realize the won't be able to actually do anything they want to do.
Click to expand...
I understand the crowds in all western NP's have gotten unbearable. Maybe it's a temporary covid aftermath. Hope so. Fortunately we mostly went years ago & things weren't bad at all imo in August/Sept.
 
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Spica Orbit

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Apr 7, 2007
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Kybluedude said:
Drive to Santa Fe - stay 2 days and see Santa Fe & Taos areas
Click to expand...
---

I'm partial to the mid to southern areas of New Mexico. I like Socorro, Cloudcroft, Alamogordo & Las Cruces. Lots of things to do & see in those areas. If you've got an interest in WW2 history, you're allowed to visit the Trinity site on the White Sands Missile Range, twice a year, in April & October, IIRC. That's where the first atomic bomb was tested.

 
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drew_ukfan_rivals

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Aug 6, 2008
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I lived in ABQ for a year, its okay. Stay in the north (northeast specifically). Avoid the southwest and downtown. Check out Sandia Mountain (ride the tram up) and Tent Rocks, between ABQ and Santa Fe

i thought Santa Fe was hugely overrated but a lot of people like it.

Imo green chile > red Chile but they’re both good. I especially like it on some eggs
 
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Ron Mehico

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Jan 4, 2008
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You’re doing too many things in too few days. Way too much driving that’ll be 60% of your trip. I lived in Tucson for 4 years and though I loved it that needs scrapped from your trip. You won’t accomplish anything in 1 day other than completely driving out of the way. I think you need to trim the list and visit 2/3 places tops. Sedona is incredible and you could spend a week there alone. I think you need to focus on quality not quantity. It sounds like a guy that hasn’t been to the northeast so he wants to see New York/Philly/Boston/Baltimore/ and DC in 8 days. It’s too much.
 
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CastleRubric

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Nov 11, 2011
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Kybluedude said:
We have never been to the Southwest. My wife and I retired and would like to see part of it. It’s overwhelming trying to piece it out

Just a rough itinerary looking at an atlas. Remember those?

Fly into Phoenix- stay 2 days and see Phoenix, Saquoro NP & Tucson.

Drive to Sedona for 3 days- visit Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce. Guess the Arches NP is too far?

Drive to Santa Fe - stay 2 days and see Santa Fe & Taos areas

To Albuquerque for a day and then fly home. 8 days.

Any suggestions/ changes/ additions or better places to see would be welcome.

Not interested in Cali or Vegas at this time. Just in the above general areas. Ariz and NM.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...


Lived in tucson about 3 years before returning to Ky in 2019

Go see Mount Lemon in tucson
perhaps the boneyard/aerospace museum
 
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