Advance Planning
- If you are traveling during the summer or spring break then book your campsites or hotels in advance.
Sedona is a great town for hiking and walking—you can be easily rewarded with spectacular views with very little energy. However, the hikes are so beautiful I highly recommend taking a longer walk to appreciate the vistas.
One great hike is up Bell Rock. There is a small parking lot at the trailhead that gets quite full – so head out early or off peak if you can.
Just a short drive from Bell Rock is the Red Rock Café—a great place for a hearty breakfast before your hike or a rejuvenating lunch following.
Take your time driving north from Sedona to the Grand Canyon through Oak Creek Canyon. Not only are there beautiful vistas, but Slide Rock State Park can also be found in the canyon. This is a great spot when the weather is warm to put on your bathing suit and slide down the natural chutes formed by the creek. In the summer months the park gets extremely crowded and there can even be a wait to park. So arrive early to minimize having disgruntled children in your backseat.
Stop at the lookout at the north of Slide Rock State Park for views back down the canyon towards Sedona. This is a must for the driver, as with hairpin turns and a narrow road, the driver will want to stay focused on the road not the vistas while driving.
Activities: Ranger Talk, Hike Partway down the South Kaibab Trail, Ride the Shuttle
Both the north rim and the south rim offer fabulous views of the Grand Canyon. While some people prefer one rim over the other, the best choice for your family is likely to be whichever is closer to your route it’s over 200 miles to drive from one rim to the other. The south rim hosts far more visitors as snow closes the north rim for much of the year and the north rim is generally less accessible. If you are visiting the Grand Canyon along with Sedona (to the south) and Vegas (to the West), then you will most likely want to visit the South Rim.
Start with a ranger talk at the visitor center. Check the schedule in advance. For younger children you can pick up a Junior Ranger guide with activities for children to complete as they learn about the canyon.
If you’re feeling fresh and full of energy start with a short hike along the rim and down into the canyon. The South Kaibab trail is somewhat less traveled and has fabulous views into the canyon.
Hike at least part way down into the canyon. Remember: This is a canyon—knees aside, most people will find themselves more tired and moving more slowly on the return trip so plan accordingly. Ensure that you have adequate water for your group—everyone should carry his or her own water, kids too—and a snack to re-energize for the return trip is well advised.
Game suggestion: The observation game. If you need a diversion from “how much farther?” “Look up at the top of the rim, that’s how much farther”, here’s an easy game all ages can enjoy. Whenever you pass a group of hikers, everyone observes how many people there are, their relative ages, what the fellow hikers are wearing, perhaps even snatches of conversation. Then each member of your hiking party can ask an observation question or 2 such as, “What was written on the smallest child’s T shirt?” or “What color was the first hiker’s back pack?” Everyone in the group tries to answer; hopefully the question asker remembers the correct answer to his or her question. Everyone scores a point for each question answered correctly and the asker gets a bonus point for stumping all but one responder.
Back along the canyon rim take a shuttle ride. The shuttles are not only the only way to drive along the rim of the canyon, they are convenient, frequent and driven by helpful and generally talkative drivers.
Activities: Take a Dam Tour
Not only is a tour the only way to see the giant turbines in the Hoover Dam, it is a great way to learn about the history of the dam for kids and parents alike. The ticket prices are steep ($30 per person in 2010), but the tour guides are generally very entertaining, the views from the top of the Dam are quite breathtaking when looking down to the Colorado river and the tours are quite educational both in the engineering of the dam and the history of its planning and construction.
Activities: Walk along the strip, view the hotel extravaganza, ride a double decker bus ($7 for a 24 hour pass)
There is plenty for children and teens to see in Vegas. The fabulous facades at the major hotels are attractions in and of themselves. Three that are worth stopping to view are the Bellagio Fountains, the volcano at the Mirage and the Sirens of Treasure Island at the Treasure Island Hotel. All keep the times of their shows posted and crowds will gather in advance of shows for a front row standing view.
Let your children and teens experiment with their cameras in Vegas—from the juxtaposition of lines and color to the neon lights at night—there is ample material for any photographer to experiment with day and night.
