The Tower of Babel in Arches National Park, Utah 1

There are some images and landscapes recognized the world over. Just as a photograph of Uluru (formerly called Ayers Rock) immediately brings to mind the Australian Outback and the Arctic makes one think of polar bears and ice caps, the dramatic red landscapes of the American Southwest conjure up images of vast canyons, Old West movies and stunning panoramas.

Home to such greats as the world-famous Grand Canyon, the unrivaled pinnacles of Monument Valley and the ancient Puebloan dwellings of Mesa Verde, the region boasts an uncommon concentration of spectacular national parks and monuments and unarguably deserves its standing as one of the most popular and distinctive tourist destinations in North America.

LAY OF THE LAND

Four Corners

	Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona 2

The Southwest comprises various US states but many of the region’s main attractions are located in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Interestingly enough, these same states are the only place in the US where four states meet at one point. The junction–a perpendicular corner intersection–is referred to as Four Corners and is marked by a bronze plate set in the ground where visitors can literally be in all four states at the same time. It is in the broader area of this intersection that many of the Southwest’s natural splendors are located.

ATTRACTIONS

Arizona
With its fabled deserts, dazzling red rock and one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Arizona is irrefutably the heart of the Southwest. From its Navajo tribal lands to the Sonoran Desert’s distinctive saguaro cacti, the state is as striking as the extraordinary canyon it holds.

The Grand Canyon
Drawing more than five million visitors a year, the Grand Canyon has the deserving title as America’s most famous natural attraction and even near perfect photographs do not capture its scale and magnitude. Measuring 227 mi (446 km) long, up to 18 mi (29 km) wide in places and almost a mile (1.6 km) deep, the canyon exposes more than two billion years of Earth’s history and features layer upon layer of colored rock, cliffs, side canyons, and of course, what formed it all so many years ago, the Colorado River.

Today, the Grand Canyon can be seen and experienced from literally top to bottom. Half-day airplane and helicopter tours are available from Las Vegas and Phoenix as well as from Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. Or, for those with more time, multi-day river trips offer the opposite perspective of the canyon’s depth and a reprieve from summer crowds.

The Grand Canyon at Dawn 3

Most visitors, however, experience the canyon from the many trails and lookout points along its rims or by venturing into the canyon itself. The South Rim is the most accessible and as a result has the most facilities and visitors. The North Rim remains open year round but the visitor facilities do not and the road is often closed in winter. Guided tours of both rims are available as well as two-day mule trips to the bottom where guests stay overnight at the Phantom Ranch. These, as well as the river trips, are hugely popular and often fill up months in advance. For visitors able and willing to put in the effort, hiking to the canyon floor is a great way to see the Grand Canyon and several routes are available, the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trail loop being the most popular. At least two days are recommended for such hikes and entail a stay at the Phantom Ranch or in one of the canyon’s campgrounds. For rim visitors, a host of accommodation options are available at Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim or in the surrounding towns of Flagstaff, Williams and others.

Monument Valley
Situated in northern Arizona and southern Utah, Monument Valley is perhaps the definitive image of the American Southwest and many people around the world have seen it in one form or another. From the 1939 movie Stagecoach, starring John Wayne, to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, the area has served as the setting for many films, television shows, album covers and even computer games.

Known for its wide, flat landscape interrupted by startling red mesas and pinnacles that rise up to 1000 ft (350 m) from the surrounding desert sands, Monument Valley is as stunning in real life as its portrayal in the movies. The area

features such splendors as the Totem Pole, a 300 ft (91 m) high spire that is only a few meters wide, the much photographed “Mittens” and the sheer red cliff wall known as Moon Rise.

	One of the famous Mittens in Monument Valley 4

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is open year round, although its visitor center closes from November through February. Most of the well-known landmarks are visible from the self-guided 17-mi (27-km) dirt road which runs through the valley while more off-the-beaten-path attractions such as Ear of the Wind and Mystery Valley require authorized guides. Guided jeep tours, as well as day and overnight horseback tours, are also available. Accommodation can be found at the View Hotel & Spa, Goulding’s Lodge and Campground and the Fire Tree Bed & Breakfast, all in or near Monument Valley. Alternatively, the nearest towns of Kayenta, AZ and Bluff and Mexican Hat, UT offer more lodging options.

Utah
Known by many as home to the Mormon Temple and Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City and Olympic ski resorts such as Park City, the southern part of this state harbors some of the country’s most majestic national parks and is a wonderland of red rock canyons and desert wilderness.

Zion National Park
Called Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909, Zion became Utah’s first national park in 1919 and was named after the ancient Hebrew word meaning “sanctuary.” The park, located in the southwestern corner of the state, is indeed a sanctuary of narrow canyons and towering cream, pink and red cliffs. The main feature of the park is Zion Canyon, a stunning 15-mi (24 km) long, half-mi (800 m) deep gorge caused by the Virgin River, which has become so popular that the park now closes the road to cars in summer and operates a free shuttle bus along the scenic drive. Cycling is also a common way to travel within the park and the Pa’rus Trail is a paved, car-free road that connects with the Zion Canyon Scenic Trail.

More than 100 mi (160 km) of trails, sheer sandstone walls and the Virgin River coursing through tight chasms make hiking, climbing and canyoneering equally popular. While the park’s exposed, big-wall cliffs and strong river currents make rock-climbing and cayoneering recommended only to those experienced in the sports, Zion National Park offers a host of walking trails from easy, paved paths to multi-day, rugged circuits. Guided walks, horseback trips , rock climbing excursions and jeep or bicycle tours can be arranged at either of the park’s two visitor centers or in the nearby town of Springdale.

The Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon 5

Bryce Canyon
Located east of Zion, Bryce Canyon is more remote than both the Grand Canyon and Zion, making it less visited but no less stunning. The small national park is not actually a canyon as the name suggests but a series of natural, horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters filled with hundreds of red and pink hoodoos, pinnacles and spires. Most visitors experience the park from an 18-mi (29-km) scenic drive along the rim, which provides 13 viewpoints over the amphitheaters, or from one of eight walking trails that wind through the hoodoos. Alternatively, overnight backcountry hikes and cross-country ski trails are available, as well as a host of guided rim walks, snowshoe tours, horseback or mule rides and geology talks, all available from the park visitor center.

Bryce Canyon is equally distinctive at night. The area’s high elevation, clean air and low light pollution give it a 7.3 magnitude night sky, making it one of the darkest places in North America and allowing over 7500 stars to be seen with the naked eye (instead of the average 2000 in most places). As a result, stargazing and night programs are popular park activities and the annual Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival attracts thousands of visitors every June.

A free shuttle runs along the rim in summer, stopping at most lookout points and the visitors’ center. Accommodation can be found at one of the park’s two campgrounds, the historic Bryce Canyon Lodge or at several motels, campgrounds and cabins in the nearby towns of Bryce and Tropic.

Arches National Park
Featuring a landscape of vibrant colors and more than 2000 natural sandstone arches, Arches National Park is unlike any other. The park lies above an underground salt bed which, over millions of years, has shifted and buckled creating the unusual domes, fins and arches seen today, among them the often-photographed Delicate Arch, Balanced Rock and Devils Garden formations. These and other of the park’s prominent attractions can be seen from the road or by easy hikes, making auto touring, cycling and day hiking the main ways to experience the park.

Close to one million tourists visit Arches every year and while recreational activities within the park boundaries are limited in order to protect its delicate structures, the area around the park is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. Moab, just 5 mi (8 km) from Arches is a happening town with dozens of mountain biking, rock climbing and whitewater rafting companies. Visitors can stay at the park’s campground or in one of Moab’s various lodging facilities.

Colorado

	The Cliff Palace Ruins at Mesa Verde National Park 6

Home to the Rocky Mountains, most of Colorado is green with alpine valleys and snow-capped peaks, hardly in keeping with the red windswept vistas of the Southwest. The southwestern corner of the state, however, is where mountains and desert collide, where sand dunes take over from ski slopes and where the ancestral Puebloan Indians of the region left behind their most fascinating settlement.

Mesa Verde National Park
Named Mesa Verde (or “green table”) by Spanish explorers in the 1770s for its forests of juniper and piñon trees above the valley cliffs, the national park today is known for its spectacular and ancient cliff dwellings. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mesa Verde contains thousands of archaeological sites, including some 600 well-preserved cliff dwellings of ancient Puebloan communities. These ancestral people, also called the Anasazi Indians, inhabited much of the Southwest from the 5th to the 14th centuries and lived at Mesa Verde for over 700 years in great cliff cities built under the rock overhangs of the canyon walls.

Cliff Palace, considered North America’s largest cliff dwelling, and Spruce Tree House, Mesa Verde’s most well-preserved site, both feature large settlements of hundreds of rooms and kivas (ceremonial structures) situated under dramatic cliffs. Balcony House, another spectacular ruin, is smaller but harder to get to and involves climbing several ladders and crawling through rock tunnels to access the fascinating dwelling. Most of the sites are accessed by guided tours, which are available at the Far View Visitor Center, while loop roads along the mesa tops provide a larger perspective of the cliffs and the dwellings’ intriguing locations. Visitors can stay in the park at the Far View Lodge or the Morefield Campground, both open May through October, or at several accommodation options in the nearby towns of Cortez and Mancos.

New Mexico
Whereas Arizona is the heart of the Southwest, New Mexico is perhaps its soul. With its sweeping, desolate landscape, historic Spanish cities and pervading Native American culture, the state and its attractions are at once captivating and mysterious.

When To Visit Peak season is June through August. Reservations are highly recommened during this period and visitors should expect temperatures as high as 100°F (38°C). Spring and autumn are quieter and good periods for backcountry camping or rafting. The national parks remain open during winter but some facilities and roads close. Trip Essentials Overnight hiking, climbing bivuoacs and rafting trips require backcountry permits—available on a walk-up basis during non-peak season but requiring advance reservations during summer months. Annual passes are a good deal if visiting more than one or two parks as they give unlimited access to all US Parks and Federal Recreational Lands for a full year.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Located in the wild and barren Four Corners region, Chaco Culture National Historical Park contains the most impressive concentration of ancient ruins north of Mexico. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ancient Puebloan cultural center features the ruins of more than a dozen settlements of ancient Anasazi, Hopi and Navajo peoples whose modern-day descendants continue to inhabit the region today.

From 850AD to 1250AD, the settlements served as a thriving cultural center and the remains of its significance are still apparent today. Pueblo Bonito, Chaco’s most important site, covers nearly 2 acres (0.8 ha) and originally featured structures up to four stories high. The complex, comprised of more than 600 rooms and kivas in a symmetrical pattern, is thought to have been a ritual center for much of the area.

The national park includes numerous other sites, most of which can be seen by a 9-mi (14-km) road through Chaco Canyon and short self-guided trails leading to the settlements. Guides, free backcountry hiking permits, and night sky programs are all available at the visitor center and lodging can be found at the Gallo Campground within the park or further afield in the surrounding towns of Farmington, Cuba or Sante Fe.

The attractions listed here are just a sample of the region's many national parks, historic sights and monuments and together with the rugged landscapes and open roads, the American Southwest is just waiting for its next visitor.