southwest feb/march vacation

[globetrotter]

ok, thinking about a long weekend, maybe a week, in the southwest with my family. been to florida a few times, dont really want to go to south cal, want someplace warm - open for pretty much any type of suggestions. my thought was grand canion, maybe drive around a few of the desserts in the area. anything you can suggest would be helpful. thanks

 

[Full Canvas]

Compared to Chicago, some of the Southwest is relatively warm in February or March. The Arizona and New Mexico mountains don’t warm-up until May. City kids usually love the open desert vistas. Long ago, I began my rock, arrowhead, and petrified wood collections on just such a late-winter trip with my parents. Who could possibly pass by America's largest meteor crater without stopping to look? Parts of old Route 66 still exist there in a time warp

By "petrified wood" I don’t mean the fright Connemara suffers when he encounters any female under the age of 65!

___

 

[shellshock]

yes +1 on that meteor crater, its badass. go see it.

taos, nm is cute. go visit it.
the red rock scenic byway of sedona, az is nice.

 

[BDC2823]

Meteor Crater is pretty badass. If you haven't been to the Grand Canyon yet, I'd recommend that and you can check out the Painted Desert. If you go to AZ, definitely check out Antelope Canyon. You won't regret it and it is truly beautiful.

A few years ago a friend and I took a 10 day roadtrip through the southwest through as many national parks and monuments as we could. Obviously the Grand Canyon is just awesome and if you've never been there it's well worth it. Besides that, my favorites were Bryce Canyon and Antelope Canyon. So I guess if you do the AZ route, I would recommend Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Painted Desert, Meteor Crater, and perhaps a day spent in Sedona. If in Utah, check out Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Mesa Verde. Either way, you can't go wrong. I forget the names of all the smaller nat'l monuments we went to, but if you are into Anasazi and other indian ruins, they are plentiful and rather remarkable.

Edit: Forgot about Arches Nat'l Park. Truly spectacular and well worth the visit. Add that to the Utah recommendation. Monument Valley is also nice to drive through.