25 Feb Arizona Trip

Last week Colby and I got back from Arizona. In January we were trying to decide where to go over President’s day, a weekend we like to travel over because Colby gets the day off. We usually go skiing in Colorado but this time discussed going near Big Bend State Park since we had never been. After realizing there were little to no places to stay we started brainstorming other options. Well it was a week before President’s Day when we still hadn’t booked anything. But after looking at the forecast and realizing the weather in Dallas was going to be really cold, we decided the best option was to find the warmest place to go, which was Arizona!

Day 1

We booked flights and flew into Phoenix airport. After renting our car, we drove to our hotel, JW Marriott Desert Ridge, where we checked-in and headed straight to the pool. Colby’s mom lives in the area so that night we met up with her for dinner.

Day 2

Our first hike we did in the Phoenix area was called the Gateway Loop Trail which is a 4.2 mile loop with 715 foot elevation gain. Being that we hadn’t been active in who knows how many months this was a great hike to start with. Between the three hikes we did, it was probably our least favorite. There was nothing bad about it, but just thought I would share that if you are planning on hiking in the area and want to decide which one to do. 

After hiking, we spent the afternoon by the pool. It was Valentine’s Day so after pool time we headed out for a delicious dinner!

Day 3

Our second hike we did was called Tom’s Thumb Trail which is a 4.2 mile out-and-back hike with 1,200 foot elevation gain. This was definitely my favorite hike. We always love hikes that take you to the summit and give you a great overview of the town and this is exactly what Tom’s Thumb trail did.

Day 4

Our third and last hike we did is called Pinnacle Peak Trail which is a 4 mile out-and-back hike with 1,000 foot elevation gain. This also gave some great views of the town! If you want to guess what we did that afternoon, you guessed it! We went to the pool!

Day 5 – 7

So, we were supposed to fly home on Wednesday, but due to the weather and situation in Dallas we decided to change our flight to Saturday. After sitting pool-side we checked out of our hotel and headed for Colby’s moms house. We originally were going to spend 1 night with her but ending up spending 4 nights with her which worked out great. Colby and I were both able to get some work done during the days, I was able to meet up with two of the Moms in the Making Phoenix leaders and we were able to meet up with one of our groomsman who lives out that way too.

Overall it was a wonderful trip. Did I mention how perfect the weather was all week? We couldn’t believe that our home state, Texas, was facing such awful weather and it was absolutely beautiful and sunny in Arizona. The mornings and evenings were brisk and we needed a jacket, but the afternoons were absolutely lovely. Perfect weather to sit by the pool, hike and enjoy the outdoors!

Have you been to Phoenix before?

Our Prior Vacations:

I didn’t start sharing our traveling adventures on the blog until the end of 2013, but you can see some of our vacations below. You can also see our best tips for traveling on a budget here!

Pacific Northwest
Western Caribbean Cruise
Arizona
Hilton Head
South America: Argentina
South America: Torres Del Paine
South America: Lake Region
South America: Santiago + Coast
Colorado
Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio
Costa Rica: Santa Teresa
Costa Rica: La Fortuna
Michigan
Las Vegas
Caribbean Cruise – Grand Turk + Dominican Republic
Caribbean Cruise – Aruba + Curacao
Colorado Ski Date #2
North Carolina
Maui
Kauai
Oahu
Palm Springs
Colorado #3
Anniversary Staycation
Florida
Europe: The Netherlands
Europe: Montenegro + Greece
Europe: Croatia
Branson, Missouri
Cancun, Mexico
Colorado Ski Trip #4
Northern California + Lake Tahoe
Yosemite + Napa
Ft. Worth
Phoenix, Arizona
Eastern Caribbean Cruise: Grand Turk + San Juan
Eastern Caribbean Cruise: St. Kitts + St. Maarten
South Carolina
Colorado Skip Trip #5
Utah: Zion and Bryce National Parks
Utah: Arches National Park
Washington D.C
Florida Trip Recap
Western Caribbean Cruise
Colorado Trip #6
Florida Keys