Hello Tuggers:
An East coast snowbird planning a road trip out west in Jan- Mar 2019 after visiting daughter in Milwaukee for Xmas. We love hiking easy to moderate trails up to 6-7 hrs to enjoy beautiful sights - love temps in mid 50-60s for hiking. Here is the tentative plan:
1. Dec 26 to Jan 5 (11 days): Depending on weather in the Rockies, visit Mesa Verde NP, Canyonlands and Arches NP, & Capital Reef NP enroute to Palm Spring.
2. Jan 5-12 : Palm Springs - Marriott timeshare exchange
3. Jan 12-26: 2 RCI timeshare wks in southern CA coast
4. Jan 26- Feb 9: 2 timeshare wks in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and/or Tuscon
5. Feb 9-23 : 2 wk RCI exchange confirmed in Arroyo Roble in Sedona
6. Feb 23 - Mar 2: 1 wk road trip visiting Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Albuquerque, etc
7. Mar 2-9: 1 wk timeshare in Ruidoso NM
8. Mar 9-16: 1 wk RCI exchange confirmed in New Orleans
9. Mar 16 - head home
Questions:
2. Palm Springs: Are all the Marriott timeshares essentially the same - any favorites?
4. Phoenix, Scottsdale, and/or Tuscon: We do NOT play golf, just want to hike or sightsee in area. What is the difference between Phoenix and Scottsdale?
Only one RCI timeshare in Tuscon - has anyone ever traded into the Starr Pass Golf Suites? How difficult of a trade since this is winter snowbird season? Is this area worth a visit for hikers or our option is to spend another week just chilling in Sedona - which supposedly is a hiker's paradise.
6. Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Albuquerque - any other cool must see sights enroute during this road trip to Ruidoso?
7. Ruidoso NM - is this area worth a week's timeshare visit?
Thanks for any comments or suggestions.
Joyce
Some comments from a fellow hiker who likes the same temps:
Weather wise, the most problematic area is your first one. The UT parks are well worth the visit, but you might have more luck if you can rearrange your trip to put those at the end instead of the beginning. March will still be iffy, but it's better than New Years. Or take those out and save them for a spring (April/May) or fall trip.
From Cap Reef to Palm Springs, the likely route is US 12 which is extremely scenic. However, it goes over a 10000' pass and the road is very windy and VERY unforgiving; I wouldn't want to drive it in slippery/icy/snowy conditions. If conditions are dicey, head east and then down I-15 regardless of what google maps says. In addition, there is limited lodging near Cap Reef in the winter. You might pass on that park for a warmer time of year and focus on other areas. From Mesa Verde, you might look at heading south to Chaco Canyon (out of the way but one of my favorite spots) and some of the other National Monuments around Santa Fe and western NM.
St George is the banana belt of Utah and can be quite a bit warmer. It might be a good alternative with access to Zion and Bryce if the weather allows. I was chased out of Moab by a big snowstorm in late Oct several years ago and we ended up in St George. We were able to hike in Zion and Valley of Fire while the trucks were chaining up 10 miles north of town on I-15; the whole state except or the St George area was under snow.
I don't know much about Phoenix; I know there is some hiking there, but I just can't get all that excited about it. However, I really liked Tucson and the hiking in the surrounding mountains (Catalinas) and Saguaro NP plus various other large park areas. We also enjoy birding and there is a very active Audubon in Tucson you can join for day trips. There is also a National wildlife area south near the border that had a weekly walk and they suggested we join in on a walk at another state park; one thing led to another and we had a really nice week. We stayed at Starr Pass and it is one of my favorite exchanges. They are side by side duplexes with a studio lockout (2 beds with small kitchen area) and the 1 BR side. I would go with the 1 BR side vs a lockout. It is up on a hill right next to a large natural area (can't remember the name) but the trailhead for the area was within walking distance.
We were in Sedona the beginning of Feb this year and had perfect weather. However, a couple of days before, they had quite a bit of snow so it can vary. Things melted pretty quickly. It was very cold in the morning but blue skies in the afternoon which I consider perfect hiking weather. There is lots of hiking of varying lengths and abilities. If you do a day trip up to the Grand Canyon, it will be frigid and you will want very warm clothing. It can be spectacular, but, especially if the wind is blowing, it can be really cold. The Mogollon Rim is a geologic feature that runs just north of Sedona through Flagstaff and east/west across the state (essentially I-40). The cold air tends to come down to it and it can be snowing hard in Flagstaff and blue skies in Sedona. Staying in Sedona in Feb is a good option so you can head south if the weather to the north is acting up. There are several National Monuments within an easy drive from Sedona that are also well worth the trip: Walnut Canyon and Wupatki to the north (plus Sunset Crater if you haven't seen much volcanic stuff) and Tuzigoot and Montezuma's Castle and Well.
Check out some of the National Monuments in eastern AZ and NM: Some of these will depend on the weather. Distances are long and things can get very lonely with no help around if you end up in a ditch so make sure you check before you head out. Canyon de chilly in NE AZ is one of the lonely spots. El Moro in western NM is one of my favorites with a nifty (short) hike up over the top of the mesa and a very interesting history.
The 1 week road trip to G Canyon to Alburquerque: I'm assuming you want to stay on the rim at the G Canyon, but the snow can shut the road down at times (it was shut down for most of the week we were there last Feb) so you might be safer doing a day trip from Sedona in the 2 weeks you are there. Then head south instead hitting Tonto NM and then on down to SE AZ for Chiricauhau NM (like Bryce only with white formations) where there is a really nice one way hike you can do if they are still doing the shuttle from the ranger station. Nearby is Fort Bowie which I also really liked. There's a loop hike that takes you through the area and you feel like you are in the middle of a John Wayne western.
Palm Springs has some nice short hikes and you should make sure you do Joshua Tree NP while there. The access is easiest from the southern end of the Palm Springs-Indio area.
You have 2 weeks in S CA which is fine but you might see if you can squeeze in a week on the Central CA coast near San Luis Obispo, and especially Moro Bay. There is an RCI timeshare at San Luis Bay Inn that is a good option or rent a house in Moro Bay. There is great hiking along the coast from Montana de Oro SP (including a fabulous hike just south at Point Buchon (
https://www.pge.com/en_US/residenti.../diablo-canyon-trails/point-buchon-trail.page)) up north to San Simeon including trails along the cliffs at various spots. There are also trails to all of the little peaks (the Nine Sisters) as well.
So many places, I think you will need to come back again to take it all in.
Sue