Relocation scouting visit HELP!!!! (Phoenix, Prescott: rental car, rentals, hotels)

[jjdavis]

My hubby and I are planning a relocation move in Feb next year, but we want to do a scouting visit in June this year. What I need help with is we are flying into phx but we are scouting the Prescott, PV, CV, and DH areas. should we get a hotel in phx and rent a car drive to the scouting area or should we just get a hotel in PV. We are gonna do a 3 day cram session and hope to get some GCanyon in there as well. any advise on scouting the quad city area would really help. hotels, eatery, sightsee, things that would help . Thank you in advance

[observer53]

Well, you'll be renting a car either way. I'd go straight to Prescott Valley in your rental car and set up shiop there, centrally located (not sure what "DH area" is) for looking around that immediate area; you can take a day and go up to the south rim of the Canyon from there too.

[keninaz]

You have a lot to see in 3 days.
The Grand Canyon is a day trip from Prescott, we go quite frequently as it's only about 120 miles.
I don't know if you are aware, but the area you are interested in has it's own forum~~ http://www.city-data.com/forum/prescott/ that you can pick up information on the area too.
Good Luck

[jjdavis]

dewey humboldt( lol) my way of short hand. Thank you just wasn't sure which was easier, that does make sense. thankyou

[NW Crow]

If you only have 3 days, I might put the grand canyon trip on the second day (if it is a high enough priority to take at least half a day) and either real early in the day or real late so you get a sunrise or sunset there and so you can use at least a few hours in the other part of the day in your relocation search area. Do a dose of relocation looking around, then go to GC and digest that info, then come back and do the relocation work what you didn't get to initially or follow-up on things that came back during your first round of activity. Make a list (by location to avoid excess criss-cross driving) and a time budget for each item and try to be realistic about what you can do in the available time and what is most important to do and answer. Sightseeing may have to take a second position to investigation of neighborhoods and any other stuff that really could affect your decision whether you want to relocate or not.

[M_Martillo]

NW Crow, you must not be familiar with Arizona. There are very few roads in AZ and so it is simply not possible to do any 'criss cross' driving. There is one and ONLY ONE way to go to the Grand Canyon from Prescott. That is straight up 89 to Ash Fork, 40 East to Williams, and North on 64 to the South Rim. Obviously the same coming back.

jjdavis, you are under-estimating the scale of the area you wish to cover.
From Phoenix to Prescott is a long drive and unless you arrive at Desert Sky at dawn, there won't be a lot left of your first day when you get to Prescott Valley. Also, take my word for it, you will not like Dewey or Humbolt. Going to Prescott valley you will take I17 north to Cordes Junction and on to 69. You will pass through Dewey and Humbolt on the way to Prescott Valley and see what I mean. Just smile and pass on through. It'll save the day I promise you.
Now, another effect the few roads has is that on weekends they are jam packed. So if you can set your schedule for all weekdays it's gonna go a lot better. Also, it's difficult to get around in Prescott. Prescott is always jammed up because of the geographical restrictions to road building. Also because Presott over grew it's original plan so it's kind of hub like and full of bottle necks.
It really doesn't seem sensible to me to attempt to get to the Grand Canyon and back if you have only 3 days. To cover the areas you are talking about will require almost 3 days of driving, with stops long enough to eat, sleep, and have a quick look. So if that's what it's all about, go for it. But you won't have time for getting a feel for the neighborhoods and the crazy layout of the towns. It's all real spread out.
So good luck and hope you find what you're looking for.

[jjdavis]

@ M_Martillo Thank you so much that is exactly what i needed to hear, I need more time. I really was under the impression that i could do a hop and stop in those cities. I have a map posted on my wall highlighted and I am ready to roll. It looks like I need to narrow down even more and focus on my move see GC when we move there.
Thank you everyone for helping this newbie out. I am just trying find the easiest way to make this move. well got more research to do thank you

[NW Crow]

M_Martillo, you apparently had a different impression of what I meant by criss-cross driving than what I meant. Perhaps I should have said back 'n forth driving. I was referring to driving within the Prescott- Prescott Valley- Chino Valley- Dewey-Humboldt region and out to Cottonwood, the main substance of the OP's relocation search and nothing to do with the GC drive at all.

Unless one plans things carefully, you could go from a base in Prescott Valley to do one thing in Prescott then backtrack say to Dewey to look at something else then run out to Chino Valley, etc. etc. I've seen folks not plan their time and do this kind of driving back and forth. With little time, that seemed especially important for the OP to avoid here.

You describe the region as "kind of hub like and full of bottle necks" with a "crazy layout of towns" that's "all real spread out". Faced with that reality, one would be smart to plan their driving in the region carefully to avoid extra back n forth mileage.



There is actually more than one way to the south rim. From the south I prefer to go to Desert View first on 64 from the west (sometimes before sunrise) to avoid traffic and have more quiet and then proceed west and exit from the South Rim Visitor Center area later in the day. The heavily congested main route up 64 North to the South Rim Visitor Center and straight back is what most people do but it is not the only way to do it. I prefer not to start a GC morning sitting waiting to get in from 64 North.

I go to the North Rim more often for even less traffic and more quiet. And the other parts of the Park are also good additions or alternatives.



Others know more and have more experience, but I know a moderate amount about the state, having lived in the state at two different occasions and from visiting pretty regularly for decades in-between and since.

Despite a misunderstanding over "criss-cross driving", it appears we agreed on the bigger point that going to the Grand Canyon and checking out a spread out region in 3 days would be quite challenging. I offered caution and then a plan if she wanted to try it. You took a position of even greater caution. It appears the OP is re-thinking the plan based on the cautions given. That's a sensible outcome.

[khuntrevor]

As a Phoenician, let me be the first to tell you that you should fly into LV. Rental Cars are way less, you could go to Laughlin in 90 minutes, and get a room for almost free, then make your way to the GC, and on to Prescott (poor place to invest), then come to Phoenix (great place to invest). I've heard of car rentals going for 500 per week at Skyharbor. You could just fly to Phoenix, take the rail to the Hilton on Central, and get your agent to pick you up. The majority of your work should be done before you arrive. Online, you can view 100s of homes in a day. In person, maybe 8. And realtors always have a knack for showing you some that you are not evenly remotely interested in. Do your school research now. Look at the satellite maps. Location, Location, Location--not what shade of beige is the stucco painted.

[keninaz]

Funny, I did not see Phoenix in the list of cities that they are interested in