Weather and heat???
Hello, my husband and 2 boys ages 12 and 13 are doing the Red Rocks and Painted Canyon tour mid July. I am wondering about the weather? Will the heat be oppressive? Trying to get an idea of what we signed up for in July. Appreciate any feedback anyone can supply.
Thanks!
Carrie
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Anywhere from 80-100 degrees and very dry. Drink lots of water and bring sun hats and serious sun screen. Nights cool off much more than more humid climates.
Yes, but I guess it depends on your definition of oppressive. Maybe not at Bryce due to elevation, but elsewhere expect triple digits during the day.
Personally, I wouldn't do that tour from May-Sept, even if they paid me to take it.
I think early May or late September would be great. BKMD is used to mile high and up temperatures so he’s “heataphobic”. I live in Tucson so I’m not afraid of the dry heat.
I agree with Sam. We've done a lot of camping in Utah and Arizona during shoulder season (before or after school is out). It can be hot mid day then but doable with the precautions I said before.
It also depends on whether you can find some shade. Makes a huge difference. In addition to NM I've also lived in Tampa. There even in shade or dark you don't get much relief during the summer.
That's why I said "personally," Sam.
I've been to Moab, Bryce, and Zion a number of times and prefer March/April and Oct/Nov. Back to the OP, if your limiting factor is when the kids are off from school, you might want to consider Thanksgiving or Spring break. Another consideration is your priorities. If you' and the kids are really into exploring the parks, hiking, etc., you might want to consider doing it on your own. These areas are very easy to get to. If it's more of an overview you want, then the Tauck tour would be fine.
Weather is always a crap shoot. We got snowed in at Bryce in April on a our last trip. Snowed furiously for about 10 minutes, then the sun broke out and a biting wind came up. Got some great photos though.
Do you know, I can’t remember when we took the Tauck Canyonlands tour, the equivalent one, I guess to the Bridges tour. We have taken several Tauck tours to national parks that we had previously taken ourselves and we much preferred them when we took them with Tauck. When we took the children with us the first time, we lived in England. It seems that it’s quite difficult to ‘bag ‘ park accommodations when you go independently. We had a company organize all the hotels and we just could not get into the Grand Canyon lodging, it meant driving a long way to get into the park and of course Mr B had to do all the driving so he missed out on the views.
Caroline, don’t be too discouraging about possibly booking this tour when it is too hot, children are resilient, Tauck will ensure there are plenty of fluids available and sufficient rest times, they have been doing it for a long time. You will be prepared and have the correct clothing, sunscreen, hats etc
Right now, your main concern might be whether the tour will take place because of the Covid situation. If you have to rebook for the following year, you may be able to pick a slightly earlier time of year, maybe as soon as the children finish school. Good luck, enjoy this beauty country
For me looking for good temperatures is important, but more important is trying to avoid rain. Rain makes everything more difficult - drying clothes, taking pictures, protecting camera equipment, etc.
I'll chime in one last time...
OP - don't let me dissuade you from this trip or its timing. You asked for info without providing much context. Oppressive means different things to different people. Smiling Sam is correct in that I don't like excessive heat. If it's cold, you can put on a jacket and hat. If it's raining (unless there's wind.too) a rain coat and/or umbrella does the trick. If it's oppressively hot, there's not much you can do. Again, that's me. When I did my DNA test, it came back that I was 25% penguin
As a Las Vegas resident, I'll chime in. Weather will vary substantially, particularly with elevation. Expect Phoenix and Las Vegas to be seriously, no fooling, stay inside and enjoy the air conditioning, HOT. This past summer we were in the area of 105 to110 most days in July. We hit 114 one day. We never got below a high of 100. Phoenix is usually a few degrees hotter. Late July is also when the monsoonal flows start to come up from the Gulf of California, adding a little humidity and the possibility of thundershowers. Page, AZ will also be hot. The national parks are at elevation and substantially cooler. Expect warm days and cool nights (Bryce UT shows a typical high of 80 and low of 53 in July). If it were me, I'd go in June. I recommend that you go to weather.com and look at the monthly highs and lows for each destination to get a better idea.
Thanks everyone. Unfortunately due to my kids schedules we only have the options of July. So this is when we are going, hot or not. Not what I would typically choose, but if we want to travel with our boys and see the world this is our option. We don't mind heat, not looking forward to oppressive heat. I do think we will end up managing. We are all pretty resilient. I guess with all the moving around and changing elevations it won't be the same every day? 80-90 degrees is easily doable. I am concerned about 100 plus. Ugg!
Caroline-
As an update, this summer is shaping up to be the hottest on record. Last week, we hit some record highs for those dates. Wednesday through Saturday are expected to hit 115 or 116 here in Vegas and Phoenix is showing 117 or 118 most of the week. This is really early to be in the teens. In addition to your comfy clothes, be sure to pack a refillable water bottle for everyone, you will need to drink lots of fluids. To the extent you have free time in Arizona and Las Vegas, look for indoor activities. Be sure and check the 10 day forecasts before you leave.