Phoenix and Sedona in January?

Question

I'm heading to Phoenix on business in January and am thinking of extending my trip to do some sightseeing. I thought maybe I'd check out Sedona and perhaps the Grand Canyon, but I want to avoid bad weather, snow in particular. I'd be up for seeing cool things in the city and the desert, but I'm not an "artsy" person. I wouldn't mind a good hike (no more than 6 miles or so).

What do people recommend I see in January?

Answer 1

We were all over North AZ last January, including Sedona. There was no snow and it wasn't even cold enough for a jacket. You could go to Williams and take the Grand Canyon Rail (train) through the verde valley out to the Grand Canyon for a nice day trip. If you have a car, the Grand Canyon Caverns can be cool, also some Indian ruins out in the area you can hike up to. If you like animals, the Deer Farm outside Williams would be a nice stop and also Out of Africa and/or the Wildlife World Zoo (both hands on). An off road jeep tour is a fun activity in Sedona but should probably book ahead.

http://www.thetrain.com
http://www.tourthesouthwest.com/indian_ruins_tour.html
http://www.outofafricapark.com

Answer 2

We just moved from Phoenix to Austin, TX. The weather in Phoenix itself should be perfect in January. Daytime is in the 70's, sunny and clear usually. Evenings do get cold so bring a coat or heavy sweater. Not the rainy season at all.
Sedona is gorgeous, but please note anything north of Phoenix is cold. As soon as you head north on the I-17 you climb almost to 6000-7000 ft above sea level and the temperature up there feels like January every place else in the country that experiences winter. There is snow and icy conditions north. Sedona is close to Flagstaff and they have the Snow Bowl up that way for skiing if you are interested in that at all. Sedona is beautiful but I think it might be too cold to hike, but you might like that.
Grand Canyon is even further north by about 1 1/2 hrs and frankly it's cold there all the time except for SUMMER July and August. We went on our honeymoon to visit from Vegas in May and there was a thunderstorm that produced hail, then it snowed! In May! It was like 30 degrees that night and our tent was a 2 season tent. It was awful. It's such a large gash in the earth that the heat just falls in I think.

Good thing you aren't artsy, because the museums and galleries kinda suck. They do have some interesting concerts and things going on, so you might want to check before you go to see what playing at any of the stadiums or venues. The Professional Bull Riders come in January as well as monster trucks....fun, cheap nights out.

Phoenix has great shopping, golf, spas and some great scenery. I find Phoenix lacks what other cities I've been to have-can't really explain it but it's nice for a visit, I do miss the weather and sunsets. It's kind of slow and the clubs close very early for a major city, but as a visitor you should find enough to keep you busy.

You might want to check out the ghost town, Goldfields in Apache Junction, about 40 miles southwest of downtown Phoenix, and past that is the old Apache trail, a great state park called the Lost Dutchman state park with the Superstition Mountains...great hiking, camping and such there. The apache trail drive is great to see some great scenery plus a lake called Canyon lake and then the Roosevelt Dam. You will pass thru a neat town called Tortilla Flat....residents 6, but actually it's 4 now. Nice cafe and they have live music on the patio in the winter.

There is lots of casinos on the indian reservations such as Gila Bend and Ft McDowell Casino.

Rawhide is an old western theme town that has great food and lots of character.


Whatever you do, have a great time and enjoy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition_Mountains
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortilla_Flat%2C_Arizona
http://www.rawhide.com/

Answer 3

If you want to hike, you probably want to stay in Phoenix. Both the Grand Canyon and Sedona are cold in January and even could have snow on the ground.

If you stay in Phoenix, I can suggest a gorgeous hike. It is in North Scottsdale and it is called Pinnacle Peak. The trail is a near 4 mile hike and it has some breathtaking scenery and will have NO snow :)

Another nice one is Squaw Peak and that one is actually in Phoenix. That is more of a climb up stairs in its difficulty than it is a flat out hike. Scenery is still interesting but in my opinion not as beautiful as Pinnacle Peak.

Either case, take plenty of water with you if you hike either of these because you do tend to dehydrate pretty quickly there. You might also actually check out the guided hikes through the McDowell Mts too come to think of it.

Hope that helps..