Road-Trip to Saguaro and Petrified Forest National Parks, with moderate hikes

Name: Road-Trip to Saguaro and Petrified Forest National Parks, with moderate hikes
Start: 2024-11-28T11:00:00-07:00
End: 2024-12-02T18:00:00-07:00
Location: Saguaro National Park

Schedule

Thu Nov 28 2024 at 11:00 am to Mon Dec 02 2024 at 06:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Saguaro National Park | Tucson, AZ

Let's spend this long weekend in the mild warmth and sun of Arizona while covering two cozy national parks - Saguaro National Park and Petrified Forest National Park. These parks is a must if you want to see some iconic southwestern landscapes.
In Saguaro National Park in we will see Saguaros, a supreme symbol of the American Southwest, and a plant with personality )) Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park. In this park besides hiking cacti forests we may get a chance to see the Bridal Wreath waterfall in the middle of the desert, if water is there. We will also take a look at Old Tucson movie-making site.
Then we proceed to Petrified Forest National Park that lies within the Painted Desert is one of the wonders of Arizona. We will hike Giant Logs, Cristal Forest and other trails with colorful surroundings, and drive a scenic drive.
Then we will keep driving though New Mexico deserted areas that are sunny but cool at that time of the year and we will visit enchanting historic sites like Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Site, the town of Acoma Pueblo. We will finish the trip in Albuquerque, NM.
Winter weather in southern Arizona is usually referred as delightful with mild warm days averaging 65 degrees F and cool nights averaging 40 degrees F. The Petrified Forest area is chillier with days averaging 48 degrees F and nights averaging 20 degrees F. See updates weather forecasts at:
Saguaro NP area, https://bit.ly/37xnGVg
Petrified Forest NP area, https://bit.ly/36Kybpc
In general, in the Saguaro area can be chances of gentle rain in January, but so far, the weather forecast shows no precipitation in our dates.
Trip's summary:
* 5days/4nights trip for a small group of 6 explorers.
* The starting and ending point is Phoenix, AZ.
* Hotel accommodations in Holbrook, AZ, Scottsdale, AZ, and Tucson, AZ All locations in this event follow safety requirements by the state.
* Level of activities: Easy to Intermediate.
Clothes and gear recommended:
* good hiking boots,
* warm jacket for evenings, be ready to layer up,
* hiking poles if you used to them,
* consider hydration bladder for hikes,
* sunglasses,
* sunscreen,
* hat,
* swimming suite, cap, flip-flops for relaxing at hotel's pool,
* for personal protection: mask, carry-on sanitizer, gloves (by your choice.)
Cost will be calculated at least 2 months before the event. What is included:
* 5days/4nights stay in 2-people occupancy non-smoking room (two beds in room)
* Breakfasts at some hotels,
* Transportation by minivan (like Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Grand or similar) covering approx. 680 mi of road-tripping total,
* Park entrance fees,
* Organized hikes in all days.
What is NOT included:
* Getting to/from Phoenix, AZ,
* Meals, snacks, water.
Sunrise: 7:25am. Sunset: 5:30pm. Every day we want to start off from the hotel at 7:30am, or 8am as the latest.
Photo-album from the previous trip with a similar itinerary and activities:
https://www.meetup.com/u-s-national-parks-quest-group/photos/31186110/
UPD. There will be a Zoom meeting on this trip and a WhatsApp group chat will be formed for the group to communicate and prepare for the trip. Please be available to connect by WhatsApp (provide the organizer with your WhatsApp contact info to be included in the chat.) Regular messaging will not work out for this trip, sorry.
HOW to RESERVE a SPOT in the GROUP:
1. You should be able to see an Eventbrite payment link. The $10 payment through Eventbrite is for reserving your spot in this small group(and it counts in toward the whole payment for the trip.) After you reserved a spot, you will be contacted by the organizer about a Zoom meeting with the group and joining a WhatsApp group chat. Meeting your future group-mates in a Zoom and being able to communicate by WhatsApp are mandatory steps to become a part of this trip and make the full payment.
If any of these cannot be done/mind changed, the $10 reservation payment will be refunded in full though the initial means of payment, minus fees paid to Eventbrite/third parties.
2. Send a message to THIS PAGE, or comment stating your interest. I, Lana, check on the inbox nearly daily and will try to help with any inquiries!

The outline of the trip will be communicated during a Zoom meeting and in WhatsApp group chat. The detailed, hour-by-hour, itinerary will be provided to the confirmed participants of the trip.
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UPD. Comments are OPEN. Please post your questions, requests, suggestions 👍