Good day fellow RVators,
A friend and I are planning a flying trip to some of the southwestern states in mid-September. We are planning to visit Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Does anyone have any suggestions of sights to see, airports and FBO's, restaurants, and places to stay. On our docket so far is the Grand Canyon, the aircraft bone yard, Lake Powel & Mead, and Monument Valley. Just looking for someone to point us in the right direction.
Hi John,
Hi John,
You almost can't go wrong in the southwest! The most important thing is an open attitude. I've known a lot of guys that fly thru and think it is the most barren/boring thing they have ever seen - they are expecting trees and greenery, there is very little of that (as compared to the east). A little history about the area often goes a long ways to make it more interesting. Altitude is another enemy
- seeing the sights from 12,500' is downright boring (in my opinion). If it is still warm, plan your flying early and be done by noon-ish. In the summer/hot months, it is generally very rough in the afternoon.
Sedona, AZ (SEZ) - Beautiful. Good restaurant as well.
Canyonlands, UT south of CNY and Moab. A spectacular flight is down the Colorado River for 30 miles or so starting at Caveman Ranch. To find Caveman, follow the river south out of Moab about 5 miles. If your into backcountry strips, swing by Caveman Ranch and Mineral Canyon while in this area (about 18 nm southwest of CNY along the Green River).
Bryce Canyon, UT (BCE). The national park just south of town is very pretty.
The Las Vegas, NV (LAS) area is very rugged but very pretty. Following the river south to Lake Havasu City (HII) is also very neat.
East of Phoenix, AZ (PHX - northeast of Tucson) is all very pretty. There is a range that kind of extends from Flagstaff, AZ to Silver City, NM (SVC) which is all very pretty (including the Gila Wilderness Area north of SVC).
I have a couple blog posts with a few driving photos of this area
here and
here (click on them for a bigger version). It's really hard to go wrong in western New Mexico and nearly all of AZ. Northern AZ is a little bland and then this huge, 1 mile deep trench (Grand Canyon) opens up. Of course, with all the restrictions in place, it is a little difficult to get a good view of it from the air.
If you are interested in some old Indian ruins, let me know and I'll get you some coordinates (in New Mexico). Pueblo Bonito in the Chaco Canyon National Park is an example (52 nm 039 degrees from Gallup, NM (GUP)).
Hth!