March 20 week-too cold to go Phoenix, Grand Canyon and Sedona for spring break with 14 and 12 year old? Any recommendations of where to go for 5 days? |
What sort of temperatures would you find too cold for an enjoyable vacation? |
Grand Canyon might be, and there also might be too much snow. If you do Phoenix and Sedona you're probably safe. Maybe add Tucson, but you don't really need to. |
It’ll be a little chilly but I was there last march (early march) - didn’t do the gc as I’ve been there many times but I visited Sedona and Page and hiked a ton - had excellent weather - chilly in the morning, shorts by afternoon |
Too cold in what sense? |
It's fine. But you may not hike into the canyon. But do you really want to? |
It was last year. In the 40's during our Pink Jeep tour and the popular GCNP trails all had snow and ice on them. I would personally not go back that time of year. Phoenix weather was great and we should have just stayed there for the week. |
Tucson is lovely that time of year. 70s/80s.
For hikes you could do Sabino Canyon in Tucson Gates Pass Saguaro National Park Desert Museum Titan Missile Museum |
We went during mid March a few years ago and Grand Canyon on the east side was between 30s-40s with snow. When we left there and went to lower elevation, it was in the 50s in Sedona and Page. |
Friends went last year for spring break and it snowed the morning of the pink jeep tour. They said it was freezing. |
We went to Sedona, Page, and GC during Spring Break 2023. It was a cold year, with snow well into April. But we still had a phenomenal time. Daytime temps at all 3 places were fine, and Sedona and Page were milder than GC. If you just do rim hikes GC is totally fine. |
Within Sedona, the Amara Resort & Spa is always well reviewed but runs somewhere around $225-300 a night. Red Rock view rooms or Creekside rooms can run a little more but are really lovely. Southwest Inn at Sedona has older buildings, not as amenities, but well kept up, and around $140 a night if you book direct. Cottonwood is about 25 minutes south and has a few hotels which are much cheaper and perfectly fine, but you are not in the middle of where you want to be when visiting Sedona. Just a straight drive though. I love hiking in Sedona in the winter. Cathedral Rock is beautiful. It's a dark sky community, and there are a couple of stargazing tours. The Melting Pot also offers glassblowing classes, but I mostly hike out there. |
That time of year in the mountain west is a crapshoot. You could get a foot of snow, I-17 and I-40 shut down or it could be sunny and in the 60s in the mountains. |
+1. Add in Pima Air and space museum, bisbee mine tour, karchner caverns, and maybe mission San Xavier del bac on the Tohono o’odham reservation (get fry bread and shop after the mission tour). And maybe a walking tour of the old barrio. |
This is the most accurate. We’ve hiked in both 60 degree weather and snow the second week of March. I’d think by the 20th you’d be fine in Sedona. The Grand Canyon should be okay (especially if you’re not planning on hiking into the canyon) and is beautiful in snow, but a late season snow storm isn’t out of the question which could make it more difficult getting there. If you’re flexible, I think it’s a fine time to go. If the weather is cold in NAZ then it will be more pleasant in Phoenix and you could just stay in the valley or head to Tucson. It could also be 85 in Phoenix, so you could head North. So far the winter has been warm and dry. |