Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
54
city in the desert, noted for its art, cuisine,
and shows. Yeah, right. Most people, of
course, come to gamble. In recent years
this city has become a master of illusion,
with hotels posing as pyramids or Italian
palaces, their structures providing whole
worlds of fantasy. Some find Las Vegas a
fun and convenient entryway to their
Southwest vacation.
SOUTHERN UTAH
All five of Utah's
national parks are in this region, and for
good reason—it's undeniably beautiful.
Ancient geologic forces, erosion, oxida-
tion, and other natural processes have
carved spectacular rock sculptures—deli-
cate and intricate, bold and stately—and
painted them in a riot of color. This is
where you'll find Zion National Park, with
its undulating landscapes; Bryce Canyon
National Park, with its marvelous stone
sculptures, called hoodoos; and the stun-
ning red-rock country of Arches and Can-
yonlands National Parks. It's also the
home of the bulk of Lake Powell and Glen
Canyon National Recreation Area, a sce-
nic play land for nearly every type of
boater.
2
THE SOUTHWEST IN 1 WEEK
A week really isn't long enough to do justice to this vast and sprawling landscape, but if
that's all the time you have, you can definitely hit the highlights. The following is just
such an itinerary. You'll gaze in awe at the Grand Canyon, marvel at the play of light on
the buttes and mesas of Monument Valley, ponder the mysterious cliff dwellings of Mesa
Verde, and stroll the streets of Santa Fe.
Note:
If you take this trip in the summer, try to
get an early start each day in order to avoid the heat. During the middle of the day, it's
best to be in an air-conditioned car or hotel room.
4
Day
3
: Canyon de Chelly National
Monument
If you can, get up early enough to catch
sunrise from one of the Grand Canyon
overlooks. Then head east out of the park
to Cameron, and go north to
Tuba City.
Be sure to check out the dinosaur foot-
prints in the bedrock just west of Tuba
City. Continue east through the villages of
the Hopi mesas. Here, you can tour
Walpi
village
(p. 102) with a guide and shop for
Hopi crafts and jewelry at the many road-
side crafts shops. When you reach
Canyon
de Chelly National Monument
(p. 109),
take one of the Rim Drives before it gets
dark.
Day
4
: Canyon de Chelly to
Monument Valley Navajo
Tribal Park
Do a half-day truck tour of Canyon de
Chelly in the morning. After lunch, drive
to
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Day
1
: Sedona
Fly into
Phoenix.
Before leaving town to
head north to Sedona, stop at the
Desert
Botanical Garden
(p. 434) or the
Heard
Museum
(p. 434). Just be sure you make
it to Sedona in time to watch the sunset
from either
Airport Mesa
or
Crescent
Moon Picnic Area
(p. 507).
Day
2
: Sedona to Grand Canyon
National Park
In Sedona in the morning, do a
Jeep tour
(p. 510) or a hike. Then head north to the
Grand Canyon
by way of scenic
Oak
Creek Canyon
(p.508). Take US 89 from
Flagstaff to the east entrance of Grand
Canyon National Park. Be sure to stop at
the
Cameron Trading Post
(p. 105) to
see the gallery of Native American artifacts
in the historic stone building. Stop at
Desert View,
just inside the park entrance,
and also at
Lipan Point,
and catch the
sunset over the Grand Canyon.
