Sedona is not significantly cooler than Phoenix. 10-15 degrees cooler. And Phoenix can have humidity in August.

Two words: Hell. No.

I went last year end of June, and it was horrible. Yes, it was dry heat, but I grew up in dry heat. There's no one touting dry heat more than me in our humidity, but I thought I was gonna die. It was hot, and locals just kept saying it was only starting to warm. Just say no.

Anonymous wrote:No way around it--the Phoenix heat in August is brutal. And dangerous. If you're lying around a pool, or hiking in the desert, and not careful, you can do some real damage to yourself.

If you go to Arizona in August, spend your time in Sedona and the Grand Canyon--both significantly cooler than Phoenix. See what sights/parks/hiking/camping you can find around Flagstaff or Prescott. Stay the heck out of Phoenix.

PP who did this in August with three kids. The heat really is dangerous, so when you go, be really careful to stay hydrated. And be sure to carry enough water with you everywhere you go. We went on a hike in Sedona and got lost. We ran out of water. By the time we found our way back, we were carrying two of the kids and, but for the fact that we saw fresh bobcat tracks, I am not sure that we wouldn't have stopped and hoped for help.

Anonymous wrote:No way around it--the Phoenix heat in August is brutal. And dangerous. If you're lying around a pool, or hiking in the desert, and not careful, you can do some real damage to yourself.

If you go to Arizona in August, spend your time in Sedona and the Grand Canyon--both significantly cooler than Phoenix. See what sights/parks/hiking/camping you can find around Flagstaff or Prescott. Stay the heck out of Phoenix.

I agree with this 100%. Don't stay in Phoenix - everywhere else is more interesting anyway. Sedona and Grand CAnyon will be cooler and Prescott is a neat town. Also stop in Jerome, a very small, very old town that is a cool place to stop for lunch.

No way around it--the Phoenix heat in August is brutal. And dangerous. If you're lying around a pool, or hiking in the desert, and not careful, you can do some real damage to yourself.

If you go to Arizona in August, spend your time in Sedona and the Grand Canyon--both significantly cooler than Phoenix. See what sights/parks/hiking/camping you can find around Flagstaff or Prescott. Stay the heck out of Phoenix.

First, you should definitely go to the Grand Canyon. GC is about a 3.5 hour drive from PHX. I would recommend staying in GC at one of the National Park lodges for a couple of days. Grand Canyon and Flagstaff will be much cooler than central AZ.

Second, yes it will be hot in PHX. My husband lived there for several years. He still speaks of hte day it was 123 and "just brutal." He is an east coast native and has lived here all the rest of his life, except the 5 years in PHX (in his 20s). There is an incredible amount of hiking and great outdoor stuff to do, but I would caution you. A lack of humidity is a plus to the PHX heat, but "123 is 123" no matter how you slice it. I liked the Botanical gardens and Phoenix Zoo a lot. Papago Park is great, too.

Sedona is really nice.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So if it helps:

We went to Florida in August a few years ago for the same reason (cheaper, only time we could go, etc.). It was hot mid-day but still fun.

Also, we aren't likely to go ever in the spring because it will be much less affordable for us (like no discounted lodging so that would really add up).

Ok, then go. But the PPs gave you their advice, which you asked for.

OP here. So if it helps:

We went to Florida in August a few years ago for the same reason (cheaper, only time we could go, etc.). It was hot mid-day but still fun.

Also, we aren't likely to go ever in the spring because it will be much less affordable for us (like no discounted lodging so that would really add up).

I spent time in Vegas, where it was almost 115 degrees. Then flew to New Jersey, where the temp was in the mid 80's, with humidity. NJ felt brutal. I say go!

We did it. My kids were 1.5 years, 7.5 years and 10. It was hot but we had a great time.

Yes, unless you want to spend 99.9% of your time in the pool and applying sunscreen in the shade.

I agree! Yes! We went to Sedona w 3 kids that young; we hiked a lot. Was it hot? Yup. But it is a dry heat, which is funny but true. plus, if you spend a lot of time in the pool, perfect. In fact, at that time of year, rain/monsoon is a possibility. Sedona is great, although adult oriented in my opinion. Try the Pink Jeep tour, and, we went to a working ranch to ride horses, then go to a fireside cookout with the actual cowboys and girls. It was a blast. And the ranch picked you up in the middle of Sedona.

In a word, yes.

Sight seeing will be unpleasant, and if you're going to be in that area, it would be a shame not to see the Grand Canyon. Phoenix/Scottsdale is kind of characterless.

If you haven't seen much of the West, there are lots of other options that would be more pleasant in August. Here are a few:
San Francisco and area
Yosemite
Lake Tahoe

You could shoot for Arizona for spring break next year.

Yes. I lived in Phoenix for two years and it's simply not fun being outside during the day.

Pool: too hot to be out of the pool, constant reapplication of sunblock needed, and you'll just want to be indoors.

Sedona might be tolerable but Slide Rock, the main attraction you'll end up wanting to visit (natural rock formation with a creek/river where everyone goes to swim) has a mile-long line leading out of it in the mornings and has been closed on occasion due to high levels of e. coli.

Sedona is also a good ways away from Scottsdale and Phoenix.

It;d be a bad idea to go out there if you just want to sit around the pool and see a few sights. If you can afford $100/night, drive to a hotel with a pool near some sights around here.

So DH and I would like to plan a 2013 family vacation. Spring break week is out due to a minor surgery for one of us, and we are already going to the beach with family one week in July but on a pretty small scale.

I want to visit Arizona, particularly the Sedona/Scottsdale/Phoenix area, and then maybe see the Grand Canyon. Neither DH nor I have been to the Southwest. We have two kids, ages 7 and 5.

Through a connection I can get a hotel and resort stays for a very good rate during that time (think $100/night at JW Camelback), so that is enticing. Also the cost would only be that low during the summer, not in the high season in March. But are we just crazy to consider going in August because of the heat? We just want to sit by the pool mostly, but also see some sights and do what we can there.