Looking to drive to Phoenix late January and looking for recommendation on sites to see, places to visit. I'll be crossing the border at Detroit and heading south as quickly as possible. Probably hitting Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque and on the return trip through Tuscon, Ciudad Juarez, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Tallahassee, Montgomery, Atlanta and back.

Available for side rips of interest and/or changing the route where appropriate. Any and all suggestions are solicited and sincerely welcomed.

 

The one place I'd say you "can't miss" is Sedona, AZ... It's about 1 1/2 hours North of Phoenix.. Unbelieveable Red Rock Country... Artsy-Fartsy town, but many down-to-earth things to do... Great Hiking, 100-mile vistas, etc. You can rent a Jeep or take a Jeep tour.. If you are so inlcined, you can seek out their famous "vortexs" and re-energize your soul...

And there are great driving tours... Also in the area: Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon (part of Sedona); Jerome (Old mining town),, Prescott; and Flagstaff...

Sedona is cool, (probably around 50 degrees) in January--but it is beautiful!!

My family goes at least once per year for a week...

And, of course, there are a "million" things to do on the route you're going... But I just focused on your "Phoenix" statement...

Hope this helps!!

PS--watch out in Juarez--many issues there right now...

 

Detroit to Phoenix via Atlanta and Nashville? Damn, that's a hell of a trip!! I say hit St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, then back to Detroit. Catch an NHL game in every city.....now that's a road trip!

 

"GO SHARK'S" Oh Sorry! He won't be travelling through California !

 

Grand Canyon.

 

I would recommend stopping in Carlsbad New Mexico and going to Carlsbad Caverns. The cave is really awesome. I've been there twice in the last 5 years. I don't know if they are open in the winter or not so look them up on the internet.

If you are skier or snowboarder you could stop in Toas, New Mexico. It's a few hours north of Albequerque. It's a nice, small little town with a few good ski hills in the area. It's sort of like Banff Alberta with a Mexican twist. The hills are nothing like the Canadian Rockies but it's still good. I did some geological mapping in that area a few years ago.

I would also recommend stopping in El Paso, the sister city of Juarez. It's a really nice city with some great Mexican restaraunts.

 

You may also consider going to/through Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park. I don't know what they offer in the winter but during the spring/summer and fall these places are great for camping and hiking and such.

I've seen pictures from Bryce Canyon in the winter and it looks awesome.

Zion is a couple hours drive from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Bryce is a few hours north of Zion.

Again, if you like winter sports Salt Lake City and surrounding area offer some great ski hills.

 

Anyone know how's the weather in January? I was thinking about a late December trip there? I am thinking it's cold that time of year.

Just drive through OK City, I can say that since I was born there and visit my family several times a year. Yes there are some sights to see, but nothing extraordinarily great.

 

The Grand Canyon will be cold in December and January. I think the average high temperature during those months is right around freezing. The evening lows are well below freezing.

When I was there in July a couple of years ago the over night low was just above freezing for a couple of days. It must have been a cold snap that moved through the area because I expected it to be a lot warmer in the evenings. Tent camping is not very pleasent when it starts to get cold like that. This was at the North Rim of the Canyon.

 

Taking notes, thanks for all the input, quickly building myself a trip plan.