Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
56
at the
Santa Fe Opera
or the
Santa Fe
Chamber Music Festival
(p. 185).
The next day, start at the
Museum of
International Folk Art
(p. 168), then visit
the
Museum of Indian Arts & Culture
(p. 167). Have lunch at the
Museum Hill
Café
(p. 167), and then see either the
Wheelwright Museum of the American
Indian
(p. 168) or the
Museum of Span-
ish Colonial Art
(p. 168). Spend the late
afternoon exploring and shopping along
Canyon Road
(p. 178), where you can
also eat dinner.
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THE SOUTHWEST IN 2 WEEKS
If you have 2 weeks to explore the Southwest, consider yourself fortunate. You'll not only
be able to hit the highlights, but you'll also be able to spend time getting to know such
places as Tucson, Santa Fe, and the Grand Canyon. Additionally, you'll have time to visit
some of the region's more out-of-the-way attractions, such as Carlsbad Caverns National
Park and White Sands National Monument.
take the 16-mile Dunes Drive, stopping
along the way to hike on the sand. Stay in
the mountains at the
Lodge at Cloud-
croft
(p. 304).
Day
4
: Carlsbad Caverns
National Park
Today you'll drive farther, through forest
and more Chihuahuan Desert to
Carlsbad
Caverns National Park
(p. 319). Be sure
to take the 1-mile self-guided walk down
along the Natural Entrance route, follow-
ing the original explorers' path deep into
the earth. In the evening, visit the
Living
Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park
(p. 316)
to see some 50 species of (rescued) desert
animals and 500 varieties of plants. Stay
the night in Carlsbad.
Days
5
&
6
: Santa Fe
It's a hearty drive to Santa Fe; once there,
you'll enjoy the sophistication of the City
Different. See “The Southwest in 1 Week:
Days 6-7,” above.
Day
7
: Mesa Verde National
Park
Head north on one of the region's prettiest
drives, US 84, to Pagosa Springs, Colo-
rado, then across to Cortez. Spend the
afternoon touring
Mesa Verde National
Park
(p. 88), the largest archaeological
Days
1
&
2
: Tucson
Head straight for the pool at your resort—
after all, lounging in the sun is one of the
main reasons to visit Arizona. If you're a
hiker, head to one of the trails in the foot-
hills of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Sabino Canyon
(p. 375) is just about the
best place in the city for a quick hike. If
you're more interested in culture, head to
Mission San Xavier del Bac
(p. 379), a
Spanish mission church that is known as
the “White Dove of the Desert.” The next
day, go west to the
Arizona-Sonora Des-
ert Museum
(p. 374), which is more a zoo
than a museum. After you've hung out
with the hummingbirds and communed
with the coatis, drive a few miles to
Saguaro National Park
(p. 375). Be sure
to check out the petroglyphs at Signal
Hill.
Day
3
: White Sands National
Monument
Spend the morning driving east across the
Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. You'll
see the lovely Chiricahua Mountains and
the Gila National Forest en route. Stop for
lunch in Las Cruces, on
Old Mesilla
Plaza.
Spend the afternoon exploring
White Sands
(p. 304), the world's largest
gypsum dune field, where you'll want to
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