USA 2013 - The Southwest
Tour facts
Hotel review
Date of the tour: Beginning till end of May 2013
Start and end point: Las Vegas
Flight: Munich - Philadelphia - Las Vegas (US Airways)
Car: Booked IFAR (Midsize SUV) at Alamo through the travel agency - we got a Jeep Grand Cherokee
Duration of the tour: 21 days
*****
****
***
**
*
Very good, everything fit here
Good, we felt comfortable
Complies with the standard
Very simple but clean
Never again
Tour details
| Day | Activity of the day | Day remarks | Overnight stay | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Day 1 | Arrival and drive to Overton | Changing planes in Philadelphia was a disaster. If we hadn't had three hours, we would have missed the connecting flight. But we were lucky to get a Jeep Grand Cherokee at Alamo. | North Shore Inn, Overton*** | 72mi |
Day 2 | The temperatures in the Valley of Fire are beyond 30 degrees. It is incredibly hot for hiking. | North Shore Inn, Overton*** | 76mi | |
Day 3 | It is still incredibly hot, beyond our comfort zone. | Holiday Express Hotel & Suites North St.George, Washington*** | 282mi | |
Day 4 | The whole thing was planned a little differently, but even so the hike was great and the view wonderful. | Holiday Express Hotel & Suites North St.George, Washington*** | 65mi | |
Day 5 | It is still very hot. The hike in Cathedral Wash, especially the way back, is therefore more like walking from shade to shade. | Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn, Tusayan**** | 291mi | |
Day 6 | Not recommended to follow!!! Also, only Gerd was at the bottom of the canyon. | Best Western Premier Grand Canyon Squire Inn, Tusayan**** | 14mi | |
Day 7 | This day is not packed, there is still time to chill by the pool. | Best Western Inn of Sedona, Sedona**** | 187mi | |
Day 8 | Super Sedona day with no stress and plenty of time to enjoy the hike. | Best Western Inn of Sedona, Sedona**** | 31mi | |
Day 9 | Unfortunately, the weather is not quite optimal, but it is very warm. | Best Western Inn of Sedona, Sedona**** | 84mi | |
Day 10 | Apache Trail is great to ride. The day is relatively relaxed. We went shopping and to the movies. | Best Western Plus Tempe by the Mall, Phoenix*** | 225mi | |
Day 11 | By far our favorite location today was Biosphere 2, which we loved. | Courtyard by Marriott William Center, Tucson**** | 209mi | |
Day 12 | Sunset again in the western part. Also on this day is still time for a little relaxation at the pool. | Courtyard by Marriott William Center, Tucson**** | 91mi | |
Day 13 | Driving day, sunset at Jumbo Rock Campground. | Best Western Garden Hotel, Twentynine Palms**** | 483mi | |
Day 14 | Very nice Joshua Tree day. Due to the short trails there was also time to pause and enjoy. The day was not too stressful. | Best Western Garden Hotel, Twentynine Palms**** | 137mi | |
Day 15 | Wide drive with nice interruptions. At the Trona Pinnacles it is extremely windy. | Best Western Plus Frontier Hotel, Lone Pine*** | 337mi | |
Day 16 | We dedicated half a day to each of the two locations. Especially at the Alabama Hills, we could have easily spent more time. | Best Western Plus Highe Sierra Hotel, Mammoth Lake*** | 193mi | |
Day 17 | Memorial Day weekend is not an appropriate time to visit Yosemite NP. It was overcrowded. | Best Western Plus Highe Sierra Hotel, Mammoth Lake*** | 259mi | |
Day 18 | Because of Memorial Day, the shuttle at Devils Postpile NM was in operation. This time the holiday was great, because otherwise the NM was still closed. | Furnance Creek Ranch, Death Valley NP*** | 226mi | |
Day 19 | Today we really took advantage of the fact that May has such long days. It was a jam-packed day. In autumn you probably can not do it in one day. | Furnance Creek Ranch, Death Valley NP*** | 218mi | |
Day 20 | - | Courtyard by Marriott Green Valley, Henderson**** | 199mi | |
Day 21 | Las Vegas and return journey | Since we still took off in daylight, we had a great view of the complete southwest from above. That was again a highlight on the return trip. | - | 20mi |