Suggested Southwest Itineraries - American Southwest - page 57

The Southwest in 2 Weeks

57

1-2 Tucson
3 White Sands National Monument
4 Carlsbad Caverns National Park
5-6 Santa Fe
7 Mesa Verde National Park

8 Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
9 Canyon de Chelly National Monument
10-11 Grand Canyon National Park
12-13 Sedona
14a Phoenix
14b Las Vegas

15

70

UTAH

C O L O R A D O COLORADO

Cortez Cortez MESA VERDE

NAT'L PARK

MON. VALLEY
NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK

MESA VERDE
NAT'L PARK

7

8

10-11

Las Vegas Chinle

9

GRAND CANYON
NATIONAL PARK

CANYON DE CHELLY
NAT'L MON.

5-6

14b

Santa Fe

Sedona

12-13

A R I Z O N A ARIZONA

N E W M E X I C O NEW MEXICO

14a

Phoenix

WHITE SANDS
NAT'L MON.

3

Carlsbad

CARLSBAD CAVERNS
NATIONAL PARK

1-2

4

Tucson

4

TEXAS

0 100 mi

10

MEXICO 0 100 km

preserve in the U.S. See “The Southwest
in 1 Week: Day 5,” above. Spend the night
in Cortez.
Day 8 : Monument Valley Navajo
Tribal Park
From Mesa Verde, head to Monument
Valley Navajo Tribal Park (p. 115). On
the way, stop at Four Corners Monument
Navajo Tribal Park (p. 91). Just be sure
you reach Monument Valley early enough
for a Jeep tour (p. 116) of the valley with
a Navajo guide. Stick around to take pic-
tures of sunset on the Mitten Buttes. This
is also the best place in Arizona to go for a
horseback ride. You'll feel as if you've rid-
den into a scene from a John Ford movie.

Day 9 : Canyon de Chelly National
Monument
The next day, drive to Canyon de Chelly
National Monument (p. 109), which
Navajo families still inhabit in summer,
farming and raising sheep in much the
same way that their ancestors did. Make a
reservation in advance for a half-day
“shake-and-bake” truck tour (p. 112) of
the canyon, or hire a Navajo guide to take
you into the canyon by Jeep or on horse-
back. Alternatively, drive one of the rim
drives. The South Rim Drive (p. 111) is
our favorite because it provides the oppor-
tunity to hike down into the canyon on
the White House Ruins trail (p. 111).