Advice for Arizona/ NM/ Texas Holiday in April (COVID-19 permitting!)

[Bes]

Hi

We have our last holiday before parenthood booked for the start of April (Yeah I know Coronavirus, etc, but let's work off the assumption we are going!)

Flights are booked with BA into San Jose, California, and out of Austin, TX.

First part of the trip we are going to spend 3 days in San Jose/ Fran, and do a route which takes in a little of Yosemite (Remember my other half will be 24 weeks pregnant so won't be able to do big hikes, etc). Then we are heading down the coast towards LA before spending a few days there. Total time for this part: 11 days.

The bit we are stuck on is getting from LA to Austin (From 12th April onwards). We thought this was a great opportunity to see some of the more arid parts of the US (Cool deserts, nature, etc) so we were looking at possibly: (And we could do this in reverse too, starting in LAS and ending in PHX).

1) Flying LAX -> Phoenix
2) Driving through/ staying/ exploring Tonto National Forest & Coconino Nat. Forest
3) Possibly staying in Flagstaff (Or similar) and driving to Monument Valley for a day trip (Looks super cool!) - About 350 miles round trip so not sure if worth it. Probably too much driving for her.
4) Heading across to the Grand Canyon Nat. Park
5) Driving across to Las Vegas and flying from there to Austin

That then gives us about 3 days (Friday-Sunday) in Austin at the end.

We have about 5-6 days for this part of the trip. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We aren't interested in spending any time in Las Vegas. Only reason to go there is the big airport.

We looked at going the other way towards Albuquerque, but it looks like a huge drive and very poor flight options to anywhere other than Dallas for TX.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[BlueMerle]

I'd say Grand Canyon and Monument Valley are a must see if you're anywhere near them. Pictures just don't give you any idea how breath taking they are. /my2cents

I'd avoid Albuquerque if at all possible. It's a **** hole.

If you like BBQ you'll be in driving distance to arguably the best in the US when you're in Austin. Though, there's other things to do in Austin... like drink!

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Bes]

Thanks We were also told about Horseshoe and Antelope Canyons - they look amazing!

 

[Thekwango]

Thanks for any advice!

Don’t do it! The wife and I went on a long weekend to Oslo at around the 24 week period in her pregnancy. She swore blind she wanted to go and would enjoy it. Ultimately she didn’t because the travel took too much out of her. Most of the sightseeing we did was a let down, even though she tried to smile through it all, because ultimately she was knackered most of the time due to the pregnancy. Of course everyone handles pregnancy differently but assuming from the wording of your post it’s your first - while she may tell you she’s well up for it but after a long flight, taxis/hire cars and all the rest she’ll tire quickly.
Probably not the advice you wanted

 

[Paracelsus]

If you're a fan of Breaking Bad, you should do the Breaking Bad tour in Albuquerque. If you're not...yeah, I guess there's not much there to see, though I enjoyed it, I couldn't recommend it over other options unless a fan.

 

[BlueMerle]

Thanks We were also told about Horseshoe and Antelope Canyons - they look amazing!

Sounds like you're into nature, if so then I highly recommend looking into the Utah canyons. Specifically Zion and Bryce. ***Not for this trip as the mrs. is preggers and they would involve too much hiking.***.

Google Zion and Bryce.... tell me the pictures aren't stunning. Now imagine what it's like in person. .

Also, just a note, there's not a lot of Yosemite you can see from a car. The really spectacular scenery requires a hike.

 

[Bes]

Thanks for this everyone.

So my other half and I have now got the beginnings of a plan....

It turns out she does want to spend one night in Vegas (And it ties well into our itinerary).
I've been to Vegas quite a few times and stayed at a few hotels on the strip - my favourite and the one I would pick for a first timer is probably the Cosmopolitan... But I haven't been for a while, nor have I sampled them all.

Where do you think is best with a decent casino, good location and a good level of luxury? (Budget is up to about £250).

Thanks