Road Trip - What's not to miss in NW Arizona and Calif. Parks?

I just got back from a quick trip to the Phoenix area (sorry to miss you!) and I went to two destinations that I was really surprised by how much I was into. - http://mim.org/ - hear and see the instruments of every country and then get to mess around and play a bunch of them and learn about the history of Women in rock! Expensive. Worth it. - http://www.dbg.org/ - there is a Dale Chihuly exhibit there now, interesting glasswork in natural settings. A lot of neat hikes (not sure if dogs are okay but I suspect not, sorry) and a way to learn a lot about the natural flora/fauna there. Also a little pricey. Also worth it.

If you are not adverse to going a bit south (less than two hours) to Tucson, try the world renownhttp://www.desertmuseum.org/. They are much much more than a zoo. Emphasis has always been on education and conservation. Also http://www.nps.gov/sagu/index.htm will be gorgeous this time of year (any time of year really but now you wont explode into flames when you leave the car, as you would in the summer). If you have never seen a forrest of Saguaro cactus before I HIGHLY reccomend. The area where these plants are able to grow is just a tiny bit of desert in the Southwest. They exist no where else. Truly magnificent especially at night against the stars! Also in the Tucson area, try (this would not need a long visit, maybe 20 mins or so if you are pressed for time but would be well worth the look) the mission http://www.sanxaviermission.org/ (The White Dove Of The Desert). I could go on and on (my heart lives in the Sonoran dessert) but it is a little out of the way you said you wanted to travel. You wouldn't regret a trip to Tuscon though, I promise!

I was going to recommend the http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23727 in California for a place to see the Sequoias where dogs are ok (I was just camping there this past summer, and it's amazing!), but then I saw you were going in January and February, and I'm pretty sure most of the mountainy places are going to be really cold. In Phoenix though, we have loads of great hiking. The most popular is http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/camelback/, right in the middle of downtown Phoenix. There are two summit trails; dogs are allowed on one of them. We've also got the http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south/, which is the largest municipal park in the country and has loads of trails. There's also http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/papago/, which has several trails and connects to the http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/piestewapeak/ area, but your dog won't be allowed on the Papago Peak summit trail (he's fine on most of the other ones, though). Make sure you take more water than you think you're going to need; it gets warm here in the daytime (even in winter) and it's obviously dry. Oh! And on your way north, you should totally visit the http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTn0AjAwgAykeaxcN4jhYG_h4eYX5hPgYwefy6w0H24dcPNgEHcDTQ9_PIz03VL8iNMMgycVQEADoWIdk!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfME80MEkxVkFCOTBFMktTNUJIMjAwMDAwMDA!/?ss=110304&navid=110000000000000&pnavid=null&cid=FSE_003741&recid=55122&ttype=recarea&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&pname=Coconino+National+Forest+Recreation+-+Lava+River+Cave just outside Flagstaff. You might need to hike a bit to get to it if the roads are closed, but the cave itself has a consistent temperature and is open year-round.

I have limited bandwidth and power for devices, but will check in tomorrow.

PS: All Phoenix municipal parks are free!

Death Valley, reputation aside, is very beautiful, and now is a time of year where you could actually walk around for more than 15 minutes without having to hop back into the car. Downsides: It is a little bit out of the way in terms of a straight shot to Joshua Tree (although it fits well if you're going to Yosemite too), and it does take a bit more planning (it's really big, and there's few facilities past the entrances, so you need to have ample water/food/gasoline/blankets if you're camping.)

Pinnacles is fabulous and this is a great time of year to visit (assuming we don't have more uncharacteristic hot weather). The park has two entrances, and you can't drive through, you have to drive around. The west entrance is more dramatic, but I liked the hiking from the eastern entrance better (not that the west side stuff is bad, because it's not). Lassen is out this trip if you don't want to go north of SF - it's a good four-hour drive.

Pinnacles doesn't allow dogs on trails, only on-leash in the campsite and carpark. Most California state parks are unfriendly to dogs, unfortunately, #$@#$.

Kings Canyon/Sequoia The road to Kings Canyon proper is closed in winter. Grant Grove is nominally part of Kings Canyon, you can see that. The General's highway that connects Grant Grove to Sequoia is closed in winter. I suggest choosing between either Giant Forest (Sequoia) or Grant Grove.