Welcome to my blog/travel guide. Take a look around, you never know what you might find!
Between the stark palette of colors and the unusual hoodoos that cover the park, Bryce canyon is one of the most unique landscapes in the United States. The colors of these rocks have even inspired a Utah Jazz jersey. Contrasted against thick pine forests, Bryce canyon in an incredible sight to be seen. Elevation at Bryce Canyon is upwards of 8,000 ft. so temperatures are much cooler than surrounding Utah and it is not uncommon to see snow during much of the year.
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.
A valley full of unusual rock formations that you can climb on. Hike the scenic trails or freely explore the fairytale-esque hoodoos that give this park its name.
Not many names conjure up such emotion like Death Valley does, although the valley has quite a vibrant history. Only a two hour drive from Las Vegas, this is one of the more accessible National Parks, but is only the 19th most visited. Encompassing more than 5000 square miles, the park is larger than Connecticut and is the largest U.S. National Park outside of Alaska.
The ruins of a nineteenth century U.S. army fort. A harbinger of change in the region, the fort was a distribution hub for many of the smaller forts throughout the southwest, supplying the American military while it enforced its will on Native Americans. Later, a earthworks star fort was constructed on site to defend against confederate soldiers during the civil war. A one mile long trail winds through the remaining adobe-style walls of the old fort.
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.
An abundance of Joshua Trees and unusual rock formations make form a unique landscape along the confluence of the Mojave and Colorado deserts.
A vast volcanic expanse covering the western New Mexican countryside. Thousands of years ago, as recently as three thousand years ago, lava poured out of a number of cinder cones south of Grants, New Mexico. The lava cooled into rough black basalt that remains a scar on the area. Whether you enjoy a relaxing scenic drive, a hike amongst ancient lava flows and cinder cones, or dark adventures through lengthy lava tubes there is something for you at El Malpais.
New Mexico is the chili capitol of the world, and for two weeks in October, every year Albuquerque becomes the hot air balloon capitol of the world. Hundreds of balloons from around the world in every color and shape imaginable ascend from the fairgrounds in Albuquerque and drift down the Rio Grande valley for as far as the eye can see.
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”
On July 16th, 1945 humanity entered into the era of nuclear warfare. The objective of the Manhattan Project was achieved here, in the remote New Mexican desert, when the world’s first nuclear device was exploded.
Near the border of Colorado and Utah, tucked into the Little Ruin Canyon sits the remains of an ancestral Puebloan city. Perched precariously on steep cliff walls and boulders, these towers may have been used for defending precious resources, perhaps water.
This famous home, designed by the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the most spectacular works of modern architecture in the United States. You would expect a masterpiece like this to be perched on a cliff in California, but this hidden gem is over the river and through the woods of rural southern Pennsylvania.
Sand dunes of this size are usually associated with hot arid climates, but the temperature here in the Rockies hardly ever gets above 80degrees, and these dunes receive more than 40” of snow per year. From a distance the dunes seem tiny compared to the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains behind them, but up close these mounds of sand might as well be mountains themselves. Dunes can reach up to 750ft. above the valley floor and the park contains three mountain peaks that stand over thirteen thousand feet tall.
In 1906, the Antiquities Act was passed giving the President of the United States the ability to declare any government land a National Monument. Three months later, Theodore Roosevelt declared Devil’s Tower the first national monument. At 1200ft tall, this volcanic scar looms over the entire region and can be seen from miles away.
Colorado is usually only associated with the Rocky Mountains, but the state shares 1/4thof the four corners monument with the Southwest. Being only forty miles from the eastern Utah border, Colorado shares the red sandstone cliffs and canyons southern Utah is famous for. The plateau from which these canyons are carved sits high above the city of Grand Junction, the Rio Grande River Valley, and Interstate-70. If you’re traveling through Grand Junction, set aside an hour so you can at least take the scenic drive through the park.
Three sites of ruined Spanish mission churches from the 17th century adjacent to ruins of Native American pueblos near Mountaineer in central New Mexico. Walk amongst the ruins to get a taste of what life may have been like during these contentious times.
