San Diego to Arizona and back via Grand canyon? Help!

[Frances]

We are planning a trip From San Diego to Tuscon. We will stay for 2 nights at Tuscon. While we are there we want to drive to Tombstone for a day trip and back. Then we have plans to go to Grand canyon and also stop at Sedona on our way. We want to spend 2 nights either at Sedona or close to Grand canyon. which would be better?

from Grand canyon we plan to go to Las Vegas spend a night there and then drive through death valley on our way back to San Diego.

We are planning it to be a week's trip. Please suggest routes, best places to stop at on that route and any good modifications that might be possible in this road trip? Is a week enough to experience all of this part of the country? Where should we spend maximum time and what area we can cover in a day?

Please help, first time planning a long trip!!! Confused!!!

[Mass Tim]

I would say that you could spend a week in an area, or a lifetime, depending on how in-depth an overview you want.

As far as whether to stay in Sedona or Grand Canyon - it depends on what you are most interested in doing. Which of the two areas is more appealing to you. Think of the things that attracted you to each area; whichever area has more appeal is the place you should spend more time visiting.

[AZBuck]

A week is enough to see every place on your list and actually enjoy it a bit, but you could easily spend twice that amount of time, or even more, in this area. Consider this trip little more than a scouting trip for future in-depth travels and I think you'll be OK. Consider that you've got six destinations to hit in your week, plus the driving, and I think you can appreciate the enormity of what you're trying to do. As just one example of not having nearly as much time as you think. You say you're going to spend two nights in Tucson, but the first night is your arrival after an all-day drive from San Diego, and your second night is after your day trip to Tombstone. You're really not going to be 'in' Tucson at all, and that's a shame. You'll be missing Saguaro National Park, the Pima Air and space Museum, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Biosphere 2, and Kitt Peak, not to mention Kartchner Caverns between Tucson and Tombstone. The same is true in Flagstaff (Lowell Observatory, the Museum of Northern Arizona, Walnut Canyon), Las Vegas (Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Lake Mead National Recreation Area), and the final drive home (you won't have any time to actually stop in Death Valley).

Right now, your plan calls for you to spend half of your week sitting behind the steering wheel. That's acceptable for a survey trip, but not if your plan really is "to experience all of this part of the country."

AZBuck