[SIZE=12pt]Hey o'knowledgeable ones! My DH and I and daughters, age 8 and 14, are going on a road trip this summer from Orange County to the Grand Canyon. I know it will be hot, and our girls like to swim, so we are looking for a leisurely paced journey taking perhaps 3 days to get there and three days back? Where would you stop? Our rig is small and we have never stayed anywhere where we need to use a/c - do you think we should hotel it on one leg of the journey? Your opinions are priceless - I am embarassed to say that none of us have ever been to a state not touching an ocean, so this will be an adventure! Thank you so much from a grateful mom! :blink: [/SIZE]
Yes, it will be very HOT in summer months. I would map out a route you would like to see from LA to Grand Canyon and pick a different route on return back to LA. Take some back roads or use I-10 and I- 40. Then pick places you would like to stop at, them look at all the information on this site to find good campgrounds to spend time in. You can camp inside the Grand Canyon if you have reservations. Park will be full in summer months. Plan on AC power, you will need it. Have fun!
Don't necessarily count on it being hot. I know, I know, it can be. If you do a free-word association with "Arizona" and you say words like "blistering" and "scorching". Don't forget, the South Rim of the GC is around 7,000 feet in elevation. Flagstaff is around 7,600. Also, summer in Arizona is "Monsoon Season". Sudden (sometimes severe) thunderstorms boil up in the late afternoons. We went a few years ago and drove from LA (80 degrees) through Needles (118) and ended in Flagstaff (66!). There are plenty of great places all over the area to visit if you want to do something other than the canyon. Meteor Crater in Winslow. Wupatki National Park (ancient indian ruins). Walnut Canyon. Since you have kids and if it does get hot, drive to Slide Rock State Park about 1 hour south of Flagstaff. Rock formations make a natural water slide that the kids will love. Enjoy.
