Heading to Arizona

nbunga

nbunga

Caught the Bug
Well with next week being spring break for my wife we decided last minute to fly out and stay in Mesa for 4 days. Other than me driving through years ago between duty stations in the Navy and her being there when she was a kid, we've never spent any time in Arizona. We're flying in on Sunday and getting a rental car, Monday morning we will swap the car out for a Wrangler. So we'll have the Jeep for three days. Looking for suggestions on places to explore and things to see. I bought the Charles Wells which guide book, which will be here tomorrow, so I'll have that available too.
 
nbunga said:
Well with next week being spring break for my wife we decided last minute to fly out and stay in Mesa for 4 days. Other than me driving through years ago between duty stations in the Navy and her being there when she was a kid, we've never spent any time in Arizona. We're flying in on Sunday and getting a rental car, Monday morning we will swap the car out for a Wrangler. So we'll have the Jeep for three days. Looking for suggestions on places to explore and things to see. I bought the Charles Wells which guide book, which will be here tomorrow, so I'll have that available too.
Click to expand...

sedona is cool, flagstaff is fun as well
 
nbunga said:
I've heard the sunsets in Sedona are great.
Click to expand...

The sunsets are pretty much amazing everywhere, here in AZ, IMO.

OP, Sedona isn't really that far from Mesa. Do a search for Arizona State Parks or even NFS areas. Tucson is about 1.5 hours southeast and you have the Mt. Lemmon area and Reddington Pass. There are tons of options. Try checking out www.roadsideamerica.com and looking for stops in AZ as well. Enjoy!
 
USMC Wrangler said:
The sunsets are pretty much amazing everywhere, here in AZ, IMO.

OP, Sedona isn't really that far from Mesa. Do a search for Arizona State Parks or even NFS areas. Tucson is about 1.5 hours southeast and you have the Mt. Lemmon area and Reddington Pass. There are tons of options. Try checking out www.roadsideamerica.com and looking for stops in AZ as well. Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Cool thanks. I'll check that out.
 
You're welcome! Tombstone would be an ambitious trip of 4+ hours or so on the road each way from Mesa. It's kinda touristy, but I still love going there. It's only a 40 minute drive for us. Anyway, I'm sure whatever you decide on, you will enjoy it here.


................................................................
Overall "build thread"
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?26097-I-guess-it-s-the-quot-Super-Stocker-quot-build

DIY trail/tube door build http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?24449-My-DIY-Doors
 
I would also recommend Sedona, it’s pretty touristy but it is a really unique place and there are a few trails you could do in a rental no problem. Have fun and enjoy the weather!


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
You can past the exit for Sedona and head down Schnebly Hill Road, or leave town that way. It’s a nice little scenic dirt road that starts at the I-17 and heads down into Sedona. You’ll exit right into the center of town. Then you can hit the tourist spots or do a nearby trail like Broken Arrow. If you buy that book it should list all the trails. Have fun and take pictures, something I always forget to do.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
I grew up in AZ, it’s a great place for exploring with a Jeep.

My recommendation is to drive up to Cave Creek for an early breakfast at Oaks’s Diner or Big Earls, then take the Seven Springs/Cave Creek road to Bloody Basin. It’s a dirt road and easily traveled unless there is heavy rain or snow. There are lots of side trails and great desert views. Make sure and have water and bring jackets. Beware of flash floods. No joke.

Then cut west on Bloody Baisin road over to Interstate 17 and then up to Sedona. Spend the night in Sedona and do Greasy Spoon Trail. Better views and not as many ‘Pink Jeeps’ on this trail as the better known Broken Arrow.

Then take Hwy 89A north along Oak Creek Canyon. Stop at ‘Call of the Canyon’ and hike the West Fork of Oak Creek. Think wet Slot Canyon. If you or your wife are looking for quality Indian Jewelry continue to drive north on 89A to the scenic overlook. Best deals around for authentic Navajo jewelry.

After this go back down to Sedona and eat at the Cowboy Club. Prickly Pear margs and buffalo ribs.
A good hotel in the center of Sedona is the Matterhorn Lodge.

If you are more interested in a day trip on a local trail the Wells Book has some good recommendations. Feel free to PM me with any questions.
 
Last edited:
Well our 5 days in Arizona were great. We flew in on to Phoenix on Sunday, grabbed a rental car and headed to the hotel. Monday morning we went to another location for the rental company and traded the little Nissan almost car for a 2017 Wrangler Sahara.
IMG_0031.jpg

We were hoping for a soft top, but with the last minute trip decision were happy to get one at all.

Here's my wife driving a Wrangler for the first time ever. Mine is a manual and I haven't gotten around to teaching her to drive a stick yet.
20180312_111059.jpg

We headed out on the second day and hit bloody basin road, didn't run the whole length of it, went about halfway and turned around, we got a late start.
The wide open spaces just amaze me. There is nothing that compares around here.

The next day we decided to head up to Sedona and do a little exploring. We found greasy spoon and figured we'd give it a try. I was a little hesitant at first since we were in a completely stock Jeep but it didn't have any trouble. Other than a couple scraped control arm brackets, it came out undamaged. IMG_0041.jpgIMG_0051.jpgIMG_0062.jpgIMG_9953.jpg
We had a great time. My wife even drove on the trail for a little while. She loved it!

I even tried out the automatic decent feature that the Jeep had. Kind of cool. Kind of weird too.

Thanks for all of the suggestions of where to go. We definitely want to go out west more now. Sure beats the crowded beaches in Florida.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom