Grand Canyon honeymoon?

tpwkalyn · January 2015

Hi! My FI & I are getting married 11.21.2015 & were thinking about flying out west and having a mini road trip to the Grand Canyon, & all the other attractions in Arizona (maybe venture into Nevada). We live in Alabama so we definitely know how to handle heat, but we figured Arizona in late November would be pretty bearable. We love to adventure & I'm a HUGE history buff, but we want to divi out our time both adventuring & relaxing

Anyone here have any tips on traveling in the west?

CMGragain · January 2015

The north rim of the Grand Canyon is closed in fall and winter, so you will be at the south rim, which is very crowded and touristy. The canyon is beautiful, but dealing with the crowds is not.
How are you with driving in snow? Grand Canyon and many other western sights are at higher altitudes, and you might see some. Texas and New Mexico might suit you.

nicole4793 · January 2015

Whenever I go out west my family flies into Vegas, and we use that as our central location. It's awesome because California, Utah, and Arizona are all within driving distance. You can also get a steal if you stay right off the main strip (first few times we stayed on the strip- the last 2 times we stayed at the Sun Coast). The Grand Canyon is so beautiful and definitely worth seeing, but definitely be aware of what PP said. I'm okay with crowds and touristy stuff so it wasn't an issue for me, but might be for you depending on your personality! The Hoover Dam is also pretty neat to visit too! Good luck planning your honeymoon, and have a good time.

CMGragain · January 2015

History buff? Have you considered Colonial Williamsburg, VA? If you haven't been there, you'd be in for a treat! There is a Busch Gardens nearby, too.

tpwkalyn · January 2015

@CMGragain I indeed have been to Colonial Williamsburg! I was a teenager but absolutely loved it, and would love to go back! I've vacationed in New England for the past 2 years with my family (Boston, NY, the Coast of Maine), and I've tried to convince my FI to let us go up there for our honeymoon - I couldn't imagine how beautiful it would be in the late fall. I've even mentioned DC, but he said he doesn't like history *THAT* much, lol! We have only briefly mentioned going out west, mainly for the reason that we both kind of want to go somewhere neither of us have been.

ALSO, driving in snow would definitely be something new to us, hah! I drove in a small winter storm while in Maine a few years ago, but it wasn't anything gnarly. Seeing as I'm a self-proclaimed control freak, I would most likely be doing all the driving on our HM. How bad does the snow/ice usually get up around there that time of year?

CMGragain · January 2015

The west is not as homogenous with weather as Alabama. I live in a valley, in Grand Junction, CO. It is beautiful. We hardly ever have snow, and when we do, it melts within a day or two. Drive 40 miles east and there might be 8 inches of snow pack on the roads. We have to check the road conditions before leaving the valley in winter. The higher elevations get quite a bit of snow. (That's why we have so many ski resorts!) Once you descend to lower altitudes, the weather can be completely different.

I would postpone your western trip until summer. Most of the good national parks close for winter. If you are in very late spring to very early fall, you could see Mesa Verde, Arches, and you might want to go as far north as Yellowstone. Your FI would probably love that! There is the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY, with the world's largest gun collection. Lots of western history, too.
But in November - no.

Have you considered a short cruise? November is a bargain month for cruises, and you could go to some historic islands like Puerto Rico, Martinique, Barbados. They also have cruises in and out of the Panama Canal. Read my sticky about cruises at the top of the forum. Food is great, entertainment is included, and your FI could go on adventurous excursions like zip-lining over a jungle or hiking.

freebread03 · January 2015

Arizona in late November, especially Northern Arizona, will be quite cold, and like others have noted, could also involve a lot of snow. I grew up in Tucson (very Southern Arizona) and I've had plenty of Thanksgivings in the 30s in the morning and evening, and have been lucky for it to get up to the 50s during the day (but sometimes we get lucky and it will be 60s during the day). Arizona is high desert, so it does get cold. There WILL be ice on the ground-because the sun is warm during the day, ice melts, and then re-freezes. My parents got snow a few days ago-it looked like just under an inch.

Perhaps wait until Spring? We always head to Arizona in late Feb-its still cold but not bad. March, April, and May are beautiful. Summer would be hot if you are planning to go outside Northern Arizona (perfect weather up north though!)

tpwkalyn · January 2015

@freebread03 I literally had NO idea that it got cold over there! HAH - I need to get out more, my co-workers are laughing at me as we speak (well, type if we're being literal). Wow, that's crazy. Well, I may need to just cross that off my honeymoon list & save it to a vacation list! Do you have any suggestions for a good honeymoon spot that time of year in the continental US? Thanks for all the info!

tpwkalyn · January 2015

@CMGragain - I would LOVE a cruise. I've heard so many mixed reviews on them though! My parents said they were bored the whole time they were on the ship (they went to Cozumel), but then a friend of mine said her & her husband had the time of their lives (they went to St. Martin). My FI isn't too fond of "the beach", but I figured if we cruised to somewhere like the Baths at Virgin Gorda (they have these awesome caves that you can explore), he might be up for it! We could have a pretty good split between relaxing & adventuring, I would think.

jenna8984 · January 2015

You're not the only one! My aunt booked a trip to Vegas in December and said she was going to "tan by the pool". We had to tell her that it would be jacket weather and the pools would be closed- she had no idea. If you do make it out there at a later time definitely go to Sedona, AZ. We started in Vegas for 4 days then drove past Hoover Dam to Grand Canyon (6 hours), then down through Flagstaff and Sedona AZ for 3 days, then down to Phoenix and flew out there. It was awesome, we did that in mid May and it was actually cooler than expected. We didn't get much pool time until we hit Phoenix.

Other options- cruise sounds great. There are excursions and stuff other than sitting on the beach.

I love your New England idea because I live here, but yes it would be cold. There's not much that would be warm besides FL and I'm sure you've been there a lot being from AL.

What about San Juan or Cancun?

tpwkalyn · January 2015

@jenna8984 HAH! I love it. I'm glad I'm not alone! Also, you pretty much just described my dream trip out west! I've been North, South, & East, but not *technically* West. I've been to San Diego but only stayed for a couple of days & I went to Hawaii in 2009, so I am dying for a western road trip

I love to travel.

I LOVED New England in the winter. A LOT of things were closed, but I am a lighthouse fanatic & loved getting to see so many & not having to deal with a lot of crowds. We obviously don't get a lot of snow down here in Alabama, so we had a field day playing in it. I'm sure the Maine natives thought we were idiots, lol. We went back to NE this past summer but I surprisingly enjoyed it more in the winter!

I think I might just mention a nice, relaxing, WARM cruise to my FI tonight. Maybe he'll go for it

CMGragain · January 2015

I have been on 17 cruises. They work well for us because my DH likes to do different things than I do, and it is so economical. You couldn't afford a land vacation that gives you the room, the food, the entertainment and the transportation. The ship mostly sails at night while you are sleeping. You wake up in a whole new location, with different things to do.
Here are some examples:

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=34127

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=29024

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=17326

This travel site is safe. They don't bother you. I use it all the time. That first one is a good deal, and we loved Cartagena! The old fort is magnificent. Just don't wander off on your own.

CMGragain · January 2015

You have a PM.

SBmini · January 2015

The lower elevations of Arizona is really nice in November. Phoenix, Sedona, Tucson. You can see Petrified Forest National Park, Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Canyon de Shay) and Saguaro which will all be really nice this time of year.

I've been to Grand Canyon in winter a few times. It's nice, but you can't really enjoy all it has to offer in winter. Because of the elevation it gets cold at the top, but it can be pleasant at the bottom. Of course, it's a 7 hour hike to get to the bottom- and a 9 hour hike back up. Totally worth it if you love the outdoors. Phantom Ranch- at the bottom of the canyon- is open year round. You could hike down to the bottom, where it will be 20-30 degrees warmer, spend a day exploring the canyon floor, then hike back up.

Here's a nice article on doing the hike to Phantom Ranch in winter: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/01/winter-visit-grand-canyon-national-parks-phantom-ranch

I hiked it in late March, there was still some snow on the ground at the top of the canyon, but it was very nice at the bottom.

[Deleted User] · January 2015

You can get some great day trips from Vegas to the Grand Canyon & then also the Hoover Dam. In fact there are some kayaking adventures you can do at the Hoover Dam. I know you didn't mention Vegas, but there are a lot of great day trips that leave from there (pick up at hotel) to might hit the areas you want to go to. And then at night you can enjoy the excitement of the night life in Vegas.

photokitty · January 2015

There are two cabins with unobstructed views into the canyon. We stayed in one and I highly recommend it...as well as eating at El Tovar as much as possible.

triess · January 2015

If you are going to grand canyon, I highly reccomend going to havasupai falls, it is part of the indian reservation, not the national parks. The hike is intense, but you can also take a horse or helicopter down. You can camp at the base of the falls or i believe there is a hotel too. I went in April and it was one of the most beatuiful camping trips of my life!

[Deleted User] · February 2015

@futurekhugz - Total history nerd here too, but I have to chime in...DC is a great city for LOTS of things, not just history. I'm thinking especially about food...some of the best restaurants I have ever been to are in that city.

The Grand Canyon is great...I've been a couple of times, once with my family (all history nerds) and once with my women's choir in college. We all had a blast. There's also a cool observatory in Flagstaff not too far away...if he's a science person, that might be something fun to do.

SP29 · February 2015

DH and I were just in Arizona at the end of October for our honeymoon- we loved it!!

We stayed at a lovely resort in Phoenix. It was unseasonably warm (in the 90s, I think seasonal was low-mid 80s). We did a small hike up a nearby mountain one day, also did some sight seeing in Old Scottsdale for the day (lovely little town, touristy yes, but it wasn't super busy).

We took an overnight trip to Sedona, went horseback riding and did a wine tasting, and then explored a bit of the red rock. I was interested in Slide Rock Park, but decided it wasn't *that* warm. Then we drove to the Grand Canyon for the day. North Rim is closed, but I doubt we would've went there anyway considering we were driving up from Phoenix. There were lots of people there, but we didn't find it too busy, particularly if you drive out east or west along the routes away from Grand Canyon Village. It was cool (70s I think), but with the sun we were still in shorts and drinking lots of water.

Flagstaff would also have been nice to explore a bit more. And there is always the option of heading over to Nevada.

I didn't know you could so easily hike down to the floor!!! DH and I are planning on returning to Arizona again, so we will definitely have to do that.

wilsonmo · February 2015

We're also planning a grand canyon stop on a honeymoon road trip to New Orleans. Our Arizona friends told us

"You must MUST do sunrise at the grand canyon.

You'll think 'Nah, it's not worth it! It's so early!' but you are wrong."

Lol. So that is definitely part of our plan now. So happy you started this thread so I can mooch off suggestions

CMGragain · February 2015

SP29 said:

DH and I were just in Arizona at the end of October for our honeymoon- we loved it!!

We stayed at a lovely resort in Phoenix. It was unseasonably warm (in the 90s, I think seasonal was low-mid 80s). We did a small hike up a nearby mountain one day, also did some sight seeing in Old Scottsdale for the day (lovely little town, touristy yes, but it wasn't super busy).

We took an overnight trip to Sedona, went horseback riding and did a wine tasting, and then explored a bit of the red rock. I was interested in Slide Rock Park, but decided it wasn't *that* warm. Then we drove to the Grand Canyon for the day. North Rim is closed, but I doubt we would've went there anyway considering we were driving up from Phoenix. There were lots of people there, but we didn't find it too busy, particularly if you drive out east or west along the routes away from Grand Canyon Village. It was cool (70s I think), but with the sun we were still in shorts and drinking lots of water.

Flagstaff would also have been nice to explore a bit more. And there is always the option of heading over to Nevada.

I didn't know you could so easily hike down to the floor!!! DH and I are planning on returning to Arizona again, so we will definitely have to do that.

Oh, yes, you can easily hike DOWN to the canyon floor! Hiking back up is a completely differrent issue. There are no roads. If you give out half way up the trail, the only solution is for you to be rescued by helicopter. The park has VERY stiff fines for this. Be very sure that you are prepared for the physical stress of hiking miles up at a high altitude! (I live in Colorado. We have this happen quite often.)

December in the Grand Canyon is very different from October.

Clouds have filled the Grand Canyon twice in six weeks.

Clouds have filled the Grand Canyon twice in six weeks.

jkg31372 · February 2015

The Grand Canyon, South Rim is very touristy but still amazing and quite gorgeous. My fiance and I got engaged there on November 7th this last year(2014). The weather was perfect. We went to Vegas for a four day vacation and took a tour from there to the Grand Canyon. It was more spectacular than anything imaginable. Pictures do no justice to the amazingness. Have fun on your trip and enjoy.

Grand Canyon honeymoon?

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