Help plan trip in the wake of the corona virus

Pandy220

Earning My Ears
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Hi there ,

DH and I cancelled our WDW trip next week due to the corona virus. We live in Southern California and we’d like to plan a 5 day road trip heading east to the neighboring states. His parents live in Northwest AZ , so we’re gonna stop by there for a day, but from there, we have no idea. We’re thinking of making a stop by Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon. At either of those locations , we don’t plan on staying for anymore than a couple hours at a time . Any suggestions for hotels, must see attractions, day trips, tour groups?

Some additional notes :
* Trying to avoid a large concentration of crowds
* Low impact exercising. Hikes less than an hour

TIA!!
 
Have you tried asking at your local AAA office for help planning your trip? They usually have very good help with things like this.
 
Trip Advisor would have lots of good info in their planning forums for Arizona.
For the Grand Canyon, I recommend staying in one of the park lodges on the South rim so you dont have to drive in the dark. (El Tovar, Thunderbird, etc.) I think the GC needs more than a few hours, however, as there is a lot to see. There's a paved walkway along the rim that takes you to various lookout points and shuttle busses.
Antelope Canyon I dont know much about but I think you need a tour to see it? I could be mistaken though...
About crowds...there are tons of people at the Grand Canyon. Yes, everyone is more dispersed but you will find lots of visitors from all over the world.
 
Why are people cancelling trips due to CORVID-9? I'm actually really curious. The wide spread panic is not followed by millions of deaths. Many are from immune surpressed folks, elderly,young children. 3k deaths from it. Not many in the states or surrounding areas.

With 10k or more flu deaths each year why does anyone ever travel?. I really hope you have a great vacation what ever you do. But please don't buy into the panic that the media is tossing around. Do some research and than make a solid choice.
 


My husband has a compromised immune system . COVID 19 is highly contagious and we can’t trust that people on the plane or at WDW would be responsible and take all the proper precautions to keep themselves and others protected . There’s no vaccine for this virus and the rate of death as compared to the flu is high. Until they have a better idea about how, why and how to control this , I’ll probably wait before I take any trips too far from home.
 
Trip Advisor would have lots of good info in their planning forums for Arizona.
For the Grand Canyon, I recommend staying in one of the park lodges on the South rim so you dont have to drive in the dark. (El Tovar, Thunderbird, etc.) I think the GC needs more than a few hours, however, as there is a lot to see. There's a paved walkway along the rim that takes you to various lookout points and shuttle busses.
Antelope Canyon I dont know much about but I think you need a tour to see it? I could be mistaken though...
About crowds...there are tons of people at the Grand Canyon. Yes, everyone is more dispersed but you will find lots of visitors from all over the world.

This is exactly what I’m looking for . Thank you for this
 
My husband has a compromised immune system .

You didn't owe us that explanation, but it did help provide a lot of context. For the general healthy population, cancelling a trip due to these fears does seem like a massive overreaction, but the data we currently have available does show that those who are elderly or have compromised immune systems need to take this very seriously. Considering that there are many people who are currently infected and are not even aware of it, I think you are making the right call. Good luck in figuring out an alternative trip.
 


You didn't owe us that explanation, but it did help provide a lot of context. For the general healthy population, cancelling a trip due to these fears does seem like a massive overreaction, but the data we currently have available does show that those who are elderly or have compromised immune systems need to take this very seriously. Considering that there are many people who are currently infected and are not even aware of it, I think you are making the right call. Good luck in figuring out an alternative trip.

Thank you 😊

We’re so fortunate and it’s such a “first world problem”, that we’re essentially dropping a pin in a map and making a trip out of it . The wonderful thing about Disney is once you’re there, there’s so much to do. When we go rogue like this , the possibilities are vast and we never know what we’re missing.

Either way, we’re excited just to take a break from our normal day to day.
 
So many cool places to see in the southwest! We loved Antelope Canyon and the views from Horse Shoe Bend. Did Grand canyon. Trip Advisor is awesome for reviewing hotels. We spend a full day recently in Death Valley...it was amazing and very few people.
 
... a stop by Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon. At either of those locations , we don’t plan on staying for anymore than a couple hours at a time...

Following up on a few other posts, Antelope Canyon is awesome, but you have to do it on a tour. There are a couple of tour companies in town where you park and ride their shuttle out to the canyon (about a 15-20 minute drive if I remember correctly). Walking through takes a little more than an hour, but it's all relatively flat and low-stress.

If you have the time, I'd recommend swinging north into Utah to take in Zion National Park. We stayed at the Cable Mountain Lodge and it was pretty spectacular; right at the entrance to the park.
 
You could hit up Montezuma Castle National Monument. Grand Canyon Railway in Williams is supposed to be a fun way to get to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

If you're going to be in northern AZ on or around 3/13, you could go to the Crownpoint Rug Auction in Crownpoint, NM (https://crownpointrugauction.com/). Nearest place to stay is Gallup, NM. This is one of THE best ways to purchase a Navajo rug directly from the artist who weaved it.

You could also go visit the Aztec Ruins National Monument in northern NM near Farmington, NM. It has a rebuilt kiva that you can go into. Justin Scarred's YouTube channel did a great video showing it recently (
).
 
So, for example, you could hit up NW Arizona first, then go to the Grand Canyon. If you end up going to the Aztec Ruins, you could drive back on I-40 (once you drive south to I-40, that is). And on the way back home, go see the Petrified Forest. Stop in at the Jackrabbit Trading Post on I-40 (don't remember the exact location). Then stop for an overnight in either Sedona or Prescott. Prescott has a cute old timey downtown area.

Leave Prescott through AZ Hwy 89, which will land you in Wickenburg (lots of cowboys and horses around there). Then go west on US Hwy 60 until you hit I-10.
 
You could hit up Montezuma Castle National Monument. Grand Canyon Railway in Williams is supposed to be a fun way to get to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

If you're going to be in northern AZ on or around 3/13, you could go to the Crownpoint Rug Auction in Crownpoint, NM (https://crownpointrugauction.com/). Nearest place to stay is Gallup, NM. This is one of THE best ways to purchase a Navajo rug directly from the artist who weaved it.

You could also go visit the Aztec Ruins National Monument in northern NM near Farmington, NM. It has a rebuilt kiva that you can go into. Justin Scarred's YouTube channel did a great video showing it recently (
).
So, for example, you could hit up NW Arizona first, then go to the Grand Canyon. If you end up going to the Aztec Ruins, you could drive back on I-40 (once you drive south to I-40, that is). And on the way back home, go see the Petrified Forest. Stop in at the Jackrabbit Trading Post on I-40 (don't remember the exact location). Then stop for an overnight in either Sedona or Prescott. Prescott has a cute old timey downtown area.

Leave Prescott through AZ Hwy 89, which will land you in Wickenburg (lots of cowboys and horses around there). Then go west on US Hwy 60 until you hit I-10.

Awesome advice! I will definitely look into this ! Thank you
 
For Antelope Canyon, there are two near Page, AZ. We did both, and if we ever have a chance to go back, I will skip the UPPER Antelope tour. It's a boat tour on Lake Powell that goes up into a side canyon for a short distance.

LOWER Antelope Canyon, on the other hand, is AMAZING. My avatar is a cell phone pic of Lower Antelope Canyon.

You don't need anybody's shuttle, but you do have to take a tour. Nobody is allowed to just walk into the canyon. Just drive yourself out to Lower Antelope Canyon, pay the entrance fee (It's a Navajo Nation Park) and take an easy walking tour. We used Ken's Tours, right inside the park, and they were great.

LOWER Antelope Canyon is really something to see! Here's a link to Ken's Tours: https://www.lowerantelope.com/

Monument Valley is about a 2 hour drive east of Lower Antelope Canyon. We stayed at The View Hotel, right on the rim of the valley, and the view and sunset there is really worth the cost. https://monumentvalleyview.com/

You can take a tour of Monument Valley, but you can also drive your own car, which you would probably prefer. It's a dirt road most of the way, but you're going very slow and you just drive around holes.

If the prices at The View are too high, there are a number of chain hotels in the nearby town of Kayenta, AZ.

For Indian Ruins in Northern AZ, check Montezuma's Castle National Monument -- between Cape Verde and Sedona -- or Wupatki National Monument north of Flagstaff. Montezuma's Castle is a small cliff dwelling; Wupatki is an expansive area just west of the Painted Desert, that has several large ruin sites -- including at least one that you can walk into.

Montezuma -- www.nps.gov/moca
Wupatki -- www.nps.gov/wupa

On the Grand Canyon, I certainly would try to stay ONSITE in one of the park lodges. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is not as famous, but it is much less crowded and has a lodge right on the rim of the canyon. The problem with the North Rim is that it is WAY out of the way.

The other place I would certainly hit would be Sedona, AZ. Really pretty red rock country with a hippy-weirdo-artist colony ambiance. You can see some breathtaking scenery, or you can get your aura photographed.

Things to see in Sedona --

Chapel of the Holy Cross - https://chapeloftheholycross.com/ - built into the red rock, with beautiful views
Sedona Airport -- https://sedonaairport.org/ - great view on the road up to the airport
Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village - nice shops and dining
Oak Creek Canyon -- drive north from downtown along the river
 
For Antelope Canyon, there are two near Page, AZ. We did both, and if we ever have a chance to go back, I will skip the UPPER Antelope tour. It's a boat tour on Lake Powell that goes up into a side canyon for a short distance.

LOWER Antelope Canyon, on the other hand, is AMAZING. My avatar is a cell phone pic of Lower Antelope Canyon.

You don't need anybody's shuttle, but you do have to take a tour. Nobody is allowed to just walk into the canyon. Just drive yourself out to Lower Antelope Canyon, pay the entrance fee (It's a Navajo Nation Park) and take an easy walking tour. We used Ken's Tours, right inside the park, and they were great.

LOWER Antelope Canyon is really something to see! Here's a link to Ken's Tours: https://www.lowerantelope.com/

Monument Valley is about a 2 hour drive east of Lower Antelope Canyon. We stayed at The View Hotel, right on the rim of the valley, and the view and sunset there is really worth the cost. https://monumentvalleyview.com/

You can take a tour of Monument Valley, but you can also drive your own car, which you would probably prefer. It's a dirt road most of the way, but you're going very slow and you just drive around holes.

If the prices at The View are too high, there are a number of chain hotels in the nearby town of Kayenta, AZ.

For Indian Ruins in Northern AZ, check Montezuma's Castle National Monument -- between Cape Verde and Sedona -- or Wupatki National Monument north of Flagstaff. Montezuma's Castle is a small cliff dwelling; Wupatki is an expansive area just west of the Painted Desert, that has several large ruin sites -- including at least one that you can walk into.

Montezuma -- www.nps.gov/moca
Wupatki -- www.nps.gov/wupa

On the Grand Canyon, I certainly would try to stay ONSITE in one of the park lodges. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is not as famous, but it is much less crowded and has a lodge right on the rim of the canyon. The problem with the North Rim is that it is WAY out of the way.

The other place I would certainly hit would be Sedona, AZ. Really pretty red rock country with a hippy-weirdo-artist colony ambiance. You can see some breathtaking scenery, or you can get your aura photographed.

Things to see in Sedona --

Chapel of the Holy Cross - https://chapeloftheholycross.com/ - built into the red rock, with beautiful views
Sedona Airport -- https://sedonaairport.org/ - great view on the road up to the airport
Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village - nice shops and dining
Oak Creek Canyon -- drive north from downtown along the river

I love this !! Thank you for all this information!
 
The other suggestion I would offer is that five days is really VERY limited time. We did the places I described -- but we did it in TWO WEEKS.

The distances out there are vast. You can do Lower Antelope Canyon in two hours (if you preregister for a tour), but it's probably at least a two hour drive from where you will be. Monument Valley is two hours from Lower Antelope...and two hours BACK.

Two hours definitely is not enough time for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Depending on when you arrive, you could sit in line at the entrance station for two hours!

A bare minimal visit to South Rim would be one day, and that would involve a lot of driving and quick looks at things you really should sit and enjoy.

If you can, I would take considerably more time. If you can't, I would drastically reduce the scope of the trip -- maybe just South Rim and Sedona. Or South Rim and Lower Antelope, but that's a lot more driving.
 

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