I'm looking to do a road trip on January 5th-12th. Initially, I wanted to go to Vega$, but there is a slight problem. January 5th-8th is the CES in Vegas, one of the big major events, which means hotels are probably not available. I'm probably too late.
How about Flagstaff or Phoenix, AZ, instead? I'll be traveling from Sacramento, CA. Ideas?
Sedona is nice, Phoenix is blah. I would go to Zion & Bryce Canyon NP and also the Grand Canyon (either rim).
Page, Monument Valley, 4 Corners? Did this in May; liked it. On way back, you can hit Petrified Forest, old US 66 sites.
The North Rim Grand Canyon hotels close for the winter. The roads may be chancy getting to the North Rim in January. You're at a reasonably high elevation and the roads could be closed for snow/ice.
You should be fine taking a north loop through the Plateau in Utah to hit the five national parks and Monument Valley. I'd skip Phoenix and double back via the Grand Canyon east entrance to Williams so you can take Old 66 from Seligman to Oatman. Most of the tourists are long gone by winter and all you'll have to contend with is some snow birds or elderly gamblers out of Laughlin. Oatman and Sitgreaves Pass are basically a living road museum given it's the original alignment on US 66 and is pretty much what you would expect out of an early US Highway. Good news is that they repaved Sitgreaves Pass, so even though it's still narrow it's a lot more smooth these days.
If you are heading back via I-40 in California stop off on the Old 66 alignment to see Goffs, Essex, Cadiz Summit, and Amboy. Kelso up in the Mojave preserve might be a good side trip with the dunes and old rail depot town.
You might want to keep an eye on the weather in the high country though. I've run into so many blizzards over the years on the Mogollon Rim that shut down the roads. Even Utah can get some significant snow on the Plateau but it's much more rare....I did run into -14F up there though in February 2013.
It depends a lot on your tolerance for cold. Flagstaff can be horribly cold in January and often very snowy. On the other hand, it's a cool vibe there in the winter when the NAU students are gone, as they will be when youre there.
North Rim is just outright closed through the winter. No road access. South Rim can be very pretty and quite striking with snow on it, but it's still really cold.
Were you going to gamble? Both Phoenix and Tucson have casinos near them but, in AZ just like in CA, drinks are not comped. Not that exciting, I guess. But you can find stuff to do in both cities, and the weather is usually pretty nice.
What about a detour to Mojave National Preserve on the way in? Or even Death Valley? And the old Route 66, especially through Batman and Peach Springs is worth your time.