2 Days to kill between PHX and Grand Canyon

[jakeparlay]

Hello all, nice to be here.

I'm leading a small Connecticut group (5) flying into Phoenix late February. We have a couple days to make our way up to Grand Canyon for a 5-day hike there, starting 3/1/11. The GC hike is all planned out, but the two days leading up to it are not. I'm looking for ideas on how to spend the two days heading north from Phoenix -- areas to see, places to camp, nice day hikes, etc.

The grand canyon hike will be an intense 47 miles or so, so we're not looking for anything too aggressive on the way up. On the other hand, we're pretty capable. I'm guessing the two leading candidates would be Sedona, Tonto National Forest, or both. Do you agree? Can anyone recommend some good camp spots near nice scenic day hikes/trailheads? We don't mind buying park permits, red rock pass, etc, if need be, but would like to avoid accommodations ($$).

[joebartels]

Sedona kind of rules out the camping option (unless you are into campgrounds along Oak Creek). Nearly all the red rock scenic day hikes are from trails that do not allow camping. The few that do are west of Sedona (north of Cottonwood) like the Loy Canyon and Casner Mtn. Loy is a great hike but the first few miles are not red rock scenic. The overnight lows in that area will be mid 20's too. For that reason alone I'd stay further south.

[jakeparlay]

thanks Joe I was hoping you would chime in. I saw your name on one of the top contributor listings.

What's camping at Oak Creek like? You make it sound like a not-so-good thing...

Is it worth looking at the national forest area... superstition wilderness, etc. I wonder if it's any warmer down there in late feb? Maybe do one night in lower Tonto NF, one night in upper Tonto NF, then proceed to GC...

[hippiepunkpirate]

Camping in Oak Creek is crowded in the summer. Late-Feb could be nice and not so crowded...or it could be snowy and not so fun. It depends on the weather. A Superstitions deal in late-feb would almost be guaranteed to be magical....but I'm nowhere close to being the best Supes info-source on this site.

[chumley]

I think Joe was probably speculating that you may not be interested in camping along a scenic highway, in a developed campground. (At least one of them isn't open in the winter anyway).

As HPP stated, February is typically a great time to spend in the Superstitions, but it doesn't qualify as "between" phx and the gc.

You may also wish to keep whatever plans you make flexible since winter weather in AZ can be a bit volatile. Phoenix has an "average" temperature in the low 70s at the end of Feb, with overnights in the low 40s. But it's not unusual for it to be cooler than that.

Sedona is in the 5,000ft range elevation-wise, and their average Feb. highs are only in the upper 50s, with lows near or below freezing. Snow can not be ruled out, though it is typically short-lived when it occurs.

Or it could be in the 70s in Sedona... I'd suggest having a couple of options on the table at different elevations to be finalized within a week of your trip when you can get a good idea of what the forecast calls for.

[jakeparlay]

thanks guys. I like the idea of keeping it flexible. Guess we kind of need to, and like was suggested, check the weather prior to our departure.

yeah, did some driving calculations -- looks like superstition area would add a few hours to the total commute from PHX to GC. Split over a few days, I'm sure it will be fine. Anyone have any favorite day hikes in the Tonto NF? Superstition area, or areas farther north?

[joebartels]

Here's a few of my favs for February in the Tonto http://hikearizona.com/location_g.php?QX=112
Most are above moderate and preference tends to be off-trail.

If you supply the distance & difficulty level you seek you'll get more responses. Too many to choose from otherwise.

[BobP]

Hiking in AZ...is like fishing the Farmington River on Aprill 15th(which I did for many years)....you know you'll catch a good one.

[jakeparlay]

the farmington does fish nicely! I am starting to learn the ropes of fly fishing, and having the river so close was a big plus for us moving to this area

Okay, Joe. I put together a map of sorts to help anyone willing to offer suggestions. I am attaching the map to this message. I've got guidebooks, sure, but tried and true local advice always tends to suit me better.

We're looking for two places to camp -- first night in the lower marked area, second in the upper area. We are leaning towards car-camping for these two nights. Drive up, set up the tents nearby, keep most gear in the car, etc. -- cheaper than accommodations, but not as strenuous as backcountry. The backcountry itch will be scratched during our four nights up in Grand Canyon.

On Sunday and Monday morning we're looking for moderate day hikes in those areas, preferably starting at or near the camping sites. There's two ways I can see this working out:

• Wake up at camp, do the local hike, then drive up to the next night's camp in the evening
• Or wake up, drive to the next camp, then hike the day away

Not looking for anything very strenuous, but not lame tourist walks either. Since we will be trying to preserve strength and energy for the 50 mile trip in GC, I'd love to hear about day trips less than 6-7 hours in duration. Views and landscape appeals to us more than flora and fauna. Elevation changes don't bother us on day hikes, but again, not too severe.

I would be more than happy to return the favor and recommend good New England camping/hiking if anyone is heading this way! Appreciate any and all suggestions and advise. We are really pumped for next February/March!!

[jakeparlay]

Also, I should mention that I chose 80/Apache Trail as our route into Tonto NF because it looks like an awesome drive. We'll be renting a minivan in Phoenix, most likely. If there's more stuff to do by entering farther south on 60, we would certainly consider that.

[joebartels]

That's a great drive! There will be plenty of hiking/camping options for late Feb (albeit to cold for my blood in the Payson/Pine region). The Apache Trail is set to open in January so it should work too.

So we're looking for a couple 8-14mi hikes around 2k ish. The one along SR88 will be like picking a tic tac out in a candy store. If no ideas pop I'll take a look.