Dear Arizona Travel:

I am researching for at trip to Las Vegas in July.  I will be with 25-30 men, we are celebrating our 50th birthday.  We would like to take a 1-day white water rafting trip (class IV or V).  We are not interested in hiking, it is more about the white water!  Please give me your recommendations!

–Mitch M.

Hi, Mitch! What a great idea; you guys will have a great time. Because of your need to do a 1-day trip, with a departure from Las Vegas, you’re limited to just this one option, but I assure you, it’s a great one. The Grand Canyon White Water Rafting Trip from Las Vegas tour found here includes:

• Complimentary Las Vegas hotel pickup and return included!
• Enjoy a comfortable air-conditioned drive by van from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon (departure is from Peach Springs, AZ – about 3 hours from Las Vegas – 152 miles.)
• Enjoy approximately 5.5 hours of rafting through rapids reaching class 3 to class 6!
• Raft approximately 40 miles through the Grand Canyon with your expert rafting guide as sheer 4,000-foot cliffs surround you!
• Complimentary picnic lunch included!
• Ascend 4,000 feet from the floor of the Grand Canyon to the rim in a luxury jet helicopter! (7-minute flight approximately).
• Maximum of only eight passengers per raft
• This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience
• Native Hualapai guides ensure your safety throughout your rafting experience
• The helicopter ascent is weather permitting

This is a motorized trip so you will not be paddling, but you will experience exhilarating rapids nonetheless. With 8 passengers per raft, you’ll obviously need to book several rafts for your large group. You can expect a 15 hour day (approximately) from beginning to end. As an added bonus, this trip is currently on special, with a savings of $109.00 per person off the recommended retail rate of $578.99.

Enjoy your mens’ trip, Mitch. And Happy Birthday!

– ChristinaToo

Take your kids sledding in AZ! Photo credit: Tony the Misfist on Flickr.com / Creative Commons

Got a great question on our Facebook page today, but thought I’d post the reply here for everyone to read. If you still have questions, or have any other recommendations to add, please feel free to comment here.

Dear Arizona Travel: Where do we take the kids sledding on a day trip from Phoenix?
Maria – Phoenix

Hi, Maria! Try these:

Flagstaff Nordic Center

• The Flagstaff Nordic Center offers snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowman building and pull-behind sledding and night play on Fridays when conditions allow. Downhill sledding is available at Crowley Pit, just 1 mile past the Flagstaff Nordic Center. The center is open daily and had 20 of its 40 kilometers of trails.
• Getting there: The center is about 15 miles northwest of downtown Flagstaff and 160 miles from central Phoenix. Head north on Interstate 17, which leads into Milton Road in Flagstaff. Follow Milton Road downtown to U.S. 180 north. The parking lot is along the highway at mile marker 232.
• Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily and 6-9 p.m. Fridays if conditions allow.
• Skiing: Reservations for equipment rentals must be made by 3 p.m. three days before your visit. Skis and rental packages range from $10 – $20/day, and trail passes are priced at $10 – $18/day.
• Snowshoeing: The center has about 9 miles of marked snowshoe trails, and dogs are allowed if kept under control. Reservations are suggested to ensure equipment availability. Trail passes and snowshoe rentals are $10 – 18 per day each.
• Sledding: A sledding area is near U.S. 180 at Crowley Pit, about 1 mile past the Nordic Center. The pit’s parking area is not maintained, but portable toilets and a garbage can are available. Several hills with various grades and lengths are available. Learn more about Crowley Pit, a Forest Service site, at flagstaffnordiccenter.com/snowplay.php
• Details: 928-220-0550 or flagstaffnordiccenter.com

Wing Mountain Snow Play area

This area offers small sledding hills and moguls for tots, as well as areas for skiing, snowshoeing and other snow play. Food and hot drinks are available.

• Getting there: It’s about 150 miles from central Phoenix. Take I-17 north to Milton Road into downtown Flagstaff, then U.S. 180 north. At mile marker 226, 2.8 miles past Snowbowl Road, turn left onto Forest Road 222B.
• Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.
• Admission: $12 per vehicle. Sleds are available for purchase.
• Details: 928-226-0493 or snowplayaz.com.

Sunrise Park Resort

Known for its downhill ski runs, Sunrise also offers tubing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

• Getting there: It’s about 220 miles from central Phoenix. Take Arizona 87 (Beeline Highway) north to Payson, then Arizona 260 east through Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside to Arizona 273, on the Fort Apache Reservation. Turn right (south) on Arizona 273. Sunrise Park Lodge is about 4 miles south, and the Sunrise Ski Area is about 3 miles past the lodge.
• Tubing: It’s like sledding, only you fly down the hill on an enormous inner tube. A tubing hill is behind Lake Ono, off the main entrance. Tube rentals are $8 a day, or you can bring your own tube.
• Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing: More than 13 miles of groomed trails are available. Trail passes cost $7 for adults and $4 for juniors. Equipment rentals are $10 a day.
• Sleigh rides: $22 per person for a 30-minute ride, and $30 for a 60-minute ride.
• Details: 928-735-7669 or sunriseskipark.com

Elk Ridge Ski and Recreation Area

Named for the ridge line south of the ski area, this site once was known as the Williams Ski Area. Tubing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding are available. The lodge has been renovated and is under new management. Check their website for schedules and holiday closures.

• Getting there: It’s about 180 miles from central Phoenix. Take Interstate 17 north to Flagstaff and Interstate 40 west to Williams. Go south on Fourth Street, which turns into Perkinsville Road, then Ski Run Road to Elk Ridge.
• Hours: 10a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
• Prices: $13 Adults ages 13+; $10 Kids ages 4-12; $35 Family (2 adults, 2 children under 13); Free for children younger than 4 with an Adult.
• Details: 928-814-5038 or elkridgeski.com

Enjoy the snow! Let us know how it goes and feel free to share pictures through email and/or on our Arizona Travel Facebook page!

– Christina

Okay, your turn folks… any other questions or suggestions to add?

We plan a trip for our honeymoon in August to stay in Sedona for 1 week but want to drive to Phoenix and or Flagstaff. Can you suggest the best flight to take into what airport and then renting a car?  We will be flying out of a different location than where we fly in to, but do not know exactly where yet as we want to be flexible. We have a time share in Sedona for the week, but can you recommend a romantic place for a dinner or two?

Thank you,

Sandy and Bob

Photo credit: SMercury98 CC by 2.0

Hi, Sandy and Bob. Best wishes and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

If you’re coming from or through Los Angeles (LAX) you could look for a flight on Horizon Air (horizonair.com) into Flagstaff – just 40 beautiful minutes from Sedona. (Note to readers: Sadly, Horizon Air will no longer service the Flagstaff and Prescott, Arizona airports after August 22, 2010. However, US Airways Express continues to fly into Flagstaff from Phoenix.)

However, most people – and I recommend you do the same – fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), rent a car at the airport, and drive 90 minutes up to Sedona. You’ll see a bit of Phoenix when you fly in… you could even pop over to Old Town Scottsdale for lunch and a bit of walking through air-conditioned shops and galleries (although do be prepared for “seasonably warm temperatures!”) Drive on up to Sedona and anytime that week, you can take a beautiful 40-minute drive up 23 miles of Oak Creek Canyon toward Flagstaff for a great day trip.

[Another aside to readers: Sandy and Bob have their lodging squared away with their Sedona timeshare, but if you're looking for a romantic bed & breakfast or resort in Sedona for a once-in-a-lifetime trip like your honeymoon, I recommend El Portal Luxury Hacienda (elportalsedona.com) Sedona Cathedral Hideaway Bed & Breakfast (sedonacathedralhideaway.com), Canyon Villa Bed & Breakfast (canyonvilla.com), the Enchantment Resort & Mii Amo Spa (enchantmentresort.com), and L'Auberge Resort (lauberge.com)]

You two will find romantic dining at Savannah’s (savannahssteakhouse.com) and L’Auberge (lauberge.com). For an alternative take on romantic dining, swing by New Frontiers Natural Marketplace (1420 West Highway 89A – no website) and pick up some of their yummy prepared foods and a great bottle of wine (with a twist-off) and head up Oak Creek Canyon or Schnebly Hill Road for a romantic picnic for two overlooking some of Sedona’s best scenery. Also, don’t forget there’s great dining in Flagstaff, too! Try Tinderbox Kitchen (tinderboxkitchen.com) or Pasto (pastorestaurant.com), both located downtown.

Again, best wishes for your wedding and marriage. Take care,

– ChristinaToo

Dear Arizona Travel:
I will be staying at [name redacted] resort in Scottsdale, AZ from April 18th thorough April 22nd, I would like to tour the Grand Canyon. How far is it from the hotel? How much will it cost? trasportation? how long will the trip be? Give all possible details please.
Thanks.
Natalia

Hi, Natalia!

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is approximately 4 hours from Scottsdale… 232 miles.

I recommend Open Road Tours or DeTours. The cost for either tour is $145/person.

Plan on 12.5 hours; it’s a full day trip. Most tours depart around 7:30 am and return around 8:30 pm, depending on when they pick you up at your hotel.

Hope that helps, Natalia! Have fun!
–ChristinaToo

Dear Arizona Travel:

I am visiting my son in February who lives in Phoenix, my sister and daughter are coming along and have never been to Arizona.  We are only there 4 days and I want to give them a crash course of the area.  We will be in Sedona for a night and would like to drive to the Canyon from there.  If we arrive at around 11:00am can we see some of the overlooks by just spending the day??  Say from 11:00 to 5:00?? Can’t find anything that gives me the distance we need to travel once we arrive? Realize this is all weather permitting but none of us have seen it and this could be our last shot. My son graduates in June!!
Any help our suggestions would be appreciated.  I have a triptik from AAA showing how to get there from Sedona, just don’t know how much time to allow, or if doable in a day?   Thank you for your time.
–Marlene

Read my suggestions for an hour-by-hour timeline on seeing the South Rim in just an afternoon, after the bump.

snowy tree by vandelizer on flickr.com/creativecommons

Hi, Marlene.  You absolutely can spend 11am – 5pm at the South Rim viewing different overlooks.  It’s hard to tell you how much you’ll be traveling once you get inside the park, as it’s up to you how much you want to do.  However, I highly recommend parking your car at one of the many parking lots and then riding the very easy hop-on-hop-off shuttle around the South Rim area also known as Grand Canyon Village.  You can also walk to several viewpoints along the Rim Trail…you can walk as little as 0.5 mile or up to 11 miles from one end to another.

If you like guided talks and information from park rangers, I highly recommend that you call  (928) 638-2771 before you even arrive to reserve spots for the Kolb Studio talk, which is limited to 12 participants only.  More on that later…

11:00 am

I would start your visit near the Verkamp’s Visitor Center (where you’ll also be near the historic El Tovar Hotel and Bright Angel Lodge and the Grand Canyon Railway train depot.)  You can do the 45 to 60-minute ranger-guided Rim Walk starting at 11am at the Verkamp’s Visitor Center.

11:45 am

Hop in your car and head 7 miles west to Hermits Rest – a popular overlook. (No Hermit Road shuttle available December – February.)

12:30 pm

I would have lunch at the El Tovar Hotel Lounge overlooking the rim. No reservations, it’s a first-come, first-served…but because you are visiting in the off-peak season, you should have little trouble if any.

2:00 pm

Here’s why I recommend making reservations for the Kolb Studio talk (Kolb Studio is back near the Verkamp’s Center.) Kolb Studio, built in 1904, spills five levels down the canyon wall. The Kolb brothers played an integral role in the early years of development at Grand Canyon. From the studio they photographed countless visitors as they began their mule trips. Fascinating stuff!

2:45 pm

Hop on the shuttle (no cars allowed) to Canyon View Plaza, where you’ll find a visitor center, bookstore, restrooms and a short walk to the beautiful lookout at Mather Point.  This is on the east end of Grand Canyon Village.

So to sum up, plan on driving or riding the shuttle up to 20 miles or so within Grand Canyon Village (7 miles out and back to Hermits Rest to the west, and about 2 miles each way to Canyon View Plaza to the east.)  Allow yourself about four hours inside Grand Canyon Village.

4:00 pm

Last, you have two options on exiting the park.  Of course you can head south back through Tusayan toward Williams (if it’s snowy, do this and get south of Flagstaff before the sun sets at around 6pm. You want to avoid the high-country area highways in the snow and the dark.) If it’s clear skies, here’s what I would do: You can see several beautiful overlooks by taking the Desert View Drive (Hwy 64) from Grand Canyon Village out toward the east entrance to the South Rim. This road is 26 miles and will let you out of the park near Cameron (check out the Cameron Trading Post) and then you would take Hwy 89 South back into Flagstaff.  If you take this route, plan on an hour of driving from Grand Canyon Village to Flagstaff without stops.. But because I know you want to see overlooks, give yourselves two hours with stops and weather considerations.

Winter at the Grand Canyon – Helpful Tips

Remember to dress warmly in layers.  It is cold on the rim in the winter (Feburary high 45 / low 21) and you’ll want warm shoes with plenty of grip or tread.  The overlook points are often accessed by stairs that get slippery in the wet snow and ice.  Use caution, but enjoy yourselves!  You will love seeing the Canyon in the winter. I hope the weather is just perfect for you!

PS:
Please find here links to a map of Grand Canyon Village

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/200909village_map.pdf

and to The Guide, the national park’s visitor newspaper.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/upload/2009-10winterSRguide.pdf

These are two excellent national park offerings that really help the visitor visualize the lay of the land and get tons of info.

Enjoy your trip!