Excellent suggestions and info so far. I have more to wade though now. Keep it coming.
Really too bad that Grand Canyon and Chiricahua NM are both 4 hours from Phoenix--in opposite directions. Looks like I'll have to choose between going north toward Prescott, Sedona, Grand Canyon, or the other direction towards Tuscon and Chir. Of course, I'm sure one could spend the whole time in Tonto and the Superstitions, too. Hmm.
Bubba Suess wrote:If you hike Echo Canyon/Sarah Deming/Heart of Rocks loop, you will have hiked one of the finest trails in the entire Southwest. It is unique, fantastically routed, and a real jaw dropper. The trail basically winds its way through the maze of
these hoodoos.
By the way, if are staying in the Phoenix area and you like smoked meat, be sure to stop by Joe's Real BBQ in Gilbert. Not quite as good as its Texan progenitors, but it is pretty darn good.
Thanks for the Hike AZ link. Also, the loop you suggested in Chiricahua NM looks like what we're after. As does the BBQ. Texans know how to do brisket, but I'm partial to Memphis-style pork.
cp0915 wrote:I think it would be tragic to visit AZ as a newbie and not spend time in Sedona and Grand Canyon.
That's what I was thinking, too. I've been to the north Rim, but never done much hiking there.
1000Pks wrote:If you just wish to be a tourist, you can visit all of these places quickly
Maybe we'll just have to be SLR-toting tourists for one day at Grand Canyon. If we go.
1000Pks wrote:a regular car should be great
Of course a rental sedan can go anywhere a personally-owned SUV can go, and a rental SUV is as good as a Hummer.