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All in Arizona
Possibly the most recognizable icon of the Southwest. These monoliths have been featured everywhere from the Roadrunner cartoon, to Mario Kart, to Forrest Gump. Although these monuments are synonymous with the American desert, the valley is actually a Tribal Park on the Navajo Nation near the border of Arizona and Utah.
The Grand Canyon is known worldwide and is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world, but it was not made a national park until 1919. Despite its remoteness, it is the second most visited National Park in the U.S.
Being bifurcated by Interstate 40 (and the old Rt. 66) in eastern Arizona, this is one of the most accessible National Parks in the United States. Fossilized trees from the time of dinosaurs and the Painted Desert unite to form one of the most unique parks in the country.
Just outside of Page, Arizona, the Colorado River doubles back on itself to form a horseshoe-shaped bend, upriver from the Grand Canyon. The river is within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, but the parking lot is technically within the city limits of Page. If you’re recreating around Lake Powell or taking a tour of Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe bend is a quick and easy side trip.
This massive hole in the ground was created when a meteor struck the Arizona desert 50,000 years ago. The crater’s proximity to the San Francisco Volcanic Field near Flagstaff, Arizona fueled debates for years whether or not this was a volcanic crater or of extraterrestrial origin. Apollo astronauts trained here for possible crater missions on the moon.
This vertical rock wall canyon is bested only by the Grand Canyon in inspiring awe in those who gaze upon its wonder. Shear rock walls, hundreds of feet high loom over the valley below. Views are so vast, it’s difficult to get a sense of scale of objects on the canyon floor. Chelly is pronounced “Shay”
This is the crown jewel of Arizona’s ruin national monuments, of which there are many. Although not actually a castle, the ancestral multi level housing complex perched high on a cliff side is formidable, overlooking the Wet Beaver Creek and the valley in the distance. This must have been a paradise in its heyday.
The centerpiece of the park is a natural bridge that stands over a 393ft long, 183ft tall, and 150ft wide tunnel. It is believed to be the largest travertine bridge in the world. The tunnel is so large it feels more like a cave. Pine Creek runs through the tunnel and creates a grotto oasis that has become a popular swimming hole for Arizonans looking to escape the summer heat. A small stream runs along the top of the bridge that plummets over its southern end.
The famous Hoover Dam is known around the world. This impressive structure attracts tourists from all over and countless Southwest itineraries include a trip to this historic and monumental structure. Being only a one hour drive from the Las Vegas strip makes the dam a popular side trip from the neon capital of the world.
20,000 years ago, the volcano that produced Merriam Crater spewed lava across the Arizona desert and dammed the Little Colorado River more than five miles away. Lava filled the small canyon carved by the little river and forced it to change direction northward before returning, hundreds of feet downstream, and plummeting over the canyon wall.
Ancestral Puebloan Ruins tucked into alcoves in spectacular canyons. The relatives of modern day Navajo Native Americans once subsisted here in the harsh dry desert. Around the year 1300, a major mass exodus of nearly the entire Southwest led to the abandonment of countless ancestral villages, including those here at Navajo National Monument.
