Fodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah
Whether you want to take in the views from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, explore Salt...
From the vastness of the Grand Canyon to Sedona's red rocks and the living Sonoran Desert, Arizona's landscapes are awe-inspiring. The state's spectacular canyons, blooming deserts, raging rivers, petrified forests, and scenic mountains enthrall lovers of the outdoors in pursuit of hiking, rafting, golf, or picturesque spots to watch the sunset. But there is more to Arizona than beautiful vistas. World-renowned spas in Phoenix provide plenty of pampering, while Native American cultures thrive throughout the state.
Fodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah
Whether you want to take in the views from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, explore Salt...
Top Destinations
Top Destinations
Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe
The Valley of the Sun, otherwise known as metro Phoenix (i.e., Phoenix and all its suburbs, including Tempe and Scottsdale), is named for its 325-plus...
North-Central Arizona
Red rock buttes ablaze in the light of late afternoon, majestic mountains tipped white from a fresh snowfall, pine forests clad in dark green needles—north-central...
Tucson
The metropolitan area covers more than 500 square miles in a valley ringed by mountains—the Santa Catalinas to the north, the Santa Ritas to the...
Grand Canyon National Park
When it comes to the Grand Canyon, there are statistics, and there are sensations. While the former are impressive—the canyon measures an average width of...
Southern Arizona
Southern Arizona can do little to escape its cliché-ridden image as a landscape of cow skulls, tumbleweeds, dried-up riverbeds, and mother lodes—but it doesn’t need...
Northeast Arizona
Northeast Arizona is a vast and magnificent land of lofty buttes, towering cliffs, and turquoise skies. Most of the land in the area belongs to...
Phoenix
The nation's fifth-largest city is a bustling metropolis, still growing past its boundaries. Warm weather, stunning sunsets, year-round golf and sports, and delicious cuisine have...
Eastern Arizona
In a state of dramatic natural wonders, Eastern Arizona is often overlooked. This is unfortunate, as it’s one of Arizona’s great outdoor playgrounds. In the...
Southeast Arizona
From the rugged mountain forests to the desert grasslands of Sierra Vista, the southeast corner of Arizona is one of the state’s most scenic regions...
Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon
It's easy to see what draws so many people to Sedona. Red rock buttes—Cathedral Rock, Bear Mountain, Courthouse Rock, and Bell Rock, among others—reach up...
Northwest Arizona
Towns like Kingman hark back to the glory days of the old Route 66, and the ghost towns of Chloride and Oatman bear testament to...
Flagstaff
Few travelers slow down long enough to explore Flagstaff, a city of 72,000 known locally as "Flag"; most stop only to spend the night at...
Grand Canyon South Rim
Visitors to the canyon converge mostly on the South Rim, and mostly in summer. Grand Canyon Village is here, with a majority of the park's...
Scottsdale
Nationally known art galleries, souvenir shops, and a funky Old Town fill downtown Scottsdale—one of the largest artists' communities in the United States. Fifth Avenue...
The White Mountains
With elevations climbing to more than 11,000 feet, the White Mountains area of east-central Arizona is a winter wonderland and a summer haven from the...
Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell
Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at 1.25 million acres is about the size of Grand Canyon...
Prescott
In a forested bowl 5,300 feet above sea level, Prescott is a prime summer refuge for Phoenix-area dwellers. It was proclaimed the first capital of...
Tempe and Around
Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler are part of the East Valley, a term for the collection of suburbs located east of Phoenix. Because of their close...
The West Rim and Havasu Canyon
Known as "The People" of the Grand Canyon, the indigenous Hualapai and Havasupai tribes have lived along the Colorado River and the vast Colorado Plateau...
Lake Havasu City
If there's an Arizona Riviera, this is it. Lake Havasu has more than 400 miles of lake shoreline—it's actually a dammed section of the Colorado...
What's Near the Grand Canyon
The northwest section of Arizona is geographically fascinating. In addition to the Grand Canyon, it's home to national forests, national monuments, and national recreation areas...
Grand Canyon North Rim
The North Rim stands 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and has a more alpine climate, with twice as much annual precipitation. Here, in...
Side Trips Near Phoenix
There are a number of interesting sights within a 1- to 1½-hour drive of Phoenix. To the north, the thriving artist communities of Carefree and...
Southwest Arizona
The turbulent history of the West is writ large in this now-sleepy part of Arizona. It’s home to the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation—the largest in...
Saguaro National Park
Standing sentinel in the desert, the towering saguaro is perhaps the most familiar emblem of the Southwest. Known for their height (often 50 feet) and...
Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park’s 221,390 acres, which include portions of the Painted Desert, are covered with petrified tree trunks whose wood cells were fossilized over...
Navajo Nation East
Land has always been central to the history of the Navajo people: it’s embedded in their very name. The Tewa were the first to call...
The Round Valley and Coronado Trail
Named by Basque settlers in the late 1800s, the "Valle Redondo," or Round Valley, is a circular, high-mountain basin on the back side of the...
Bisbee
Like Tombstone, Bisbee was a mining boomtown, but its wealth was in copper, not silver, and its success continued much longer. The gnarled Mule Mountains...
Kingman
The highway past Kingman may seem desolate, and the city itself doesn't have a ton of attractions, but the mountains that surround the area offer...
Page
Built in 1957 as a Glen Canyon Dam construction camp, Page is now a tourist spot and a popular base for day trips to Lake...
Monument Valley
The magnificent Monument Valley stretches to the northeast of Kayenta into Utah. At a base altitude of about 5,500 feet, the sprawling, arid expanse was...
Williams
If you are heading to the Grand Canyon from points west, Williams makes sense as a base, especially if you want to take the Grand...
Jerome
Jerome was once known as the Billion Dollar Copper Camp, but after the last mines closed in 1953, the booming population of 15,000 dwindled to...
The Hopi Mesas
The Hopi occupy 12 villages in regions referred to as First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa. Although these areas have similar languages and traditions...
Tusayan
The small hamlet of Tusayan, incorporated as a town only in 2010, is little more than a place to sleep and eat when visiting the...
Sonoita
The grasslands surrounding modern-day Sonoita captured the attention of early Spanish explorers, including Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who mapped and claimed the area in 1701...
Pinetop-Lakeside
At 7,200 feet, the community of Pinetop-Lakeside borders the world’s largest stand of ponderosa pine. Two towns, Pinetop and Lakeside, were incorporated in 1984 to...
Tombstone
When prospector Ed Schieffelin headed out in 1877 to seek his fortune along the arid washes of San Pedro Valley, a patrolling soldier warned that...
Cave Creek and Carefree
Some 30 miles north of Phoenix, resting high in the Sonoran Desert at an elevation of 2,500 feet, the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree...
Yuma
Today many people think of Yuma as a convenient stop for gas and a meal between Phoenix or Tucson and San Diego. Although this is...
Navajo Nation West
The Hopi Reservation is like a doughnut hole surrounded by the Navajo Nation. If you approach the Grand Canyon from U.S. 89, via Flagstaff, north...
Canyon de Chelly
Comprising two long canyons, each one more than 1,000 feet deep, Canyon de Chelly is one of the major sites in the Four Corners region...
Patagonia
Served by a spur of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, Patagonia was a shipping center for cattle and ore. The town declined after...
Verde Valley
About 90 miles north of Phoenix, as you round a curve approaching Exit 285 off Interstate 17, the valley of the Verde River suddenly unfolds...
Springerville-Eagar
Sister cities Springerville and Eagar are the self-proclaimed "Gateway to the White Mountains." Insulated by the unique geography of the Round Valley where they sit...
Wahweap
Most waterborne recreational activity on the Arizona side of Lake Powell is centered on this vacation village, where everything needed for a lakeside holiday is...
Apache Trail
President Theodore Roosevelt called this 150-mile drive "the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature ever created." A stretch of winding highway, the AZ...
Willcox
The small town of Willcox, in the heart of Arizona ranching country, began in the late 1870s as a railroad construction camp called Maley. When...
Greer
The charming community of Greer sits among pine, spruce, willow, and aspen on the banks of the Little Colorado River. At an elevation of 8,500...
Show Low
Show Low has little of the charm of its neighboring White Mountains communities, but it’s the main commercial center for the high country. The city...
Side Trips near Flagstaff
Travelers heading straight through town bound for the Grand Canyon often neglect the area north and east of Flagstaff, but a detour has its rewards...
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Even first-time visitors to Monument Valley typically recognize the otherworldly landscape—it has appeared in countless Hollywood feature films. Straddling the Arizona/Utah border, the Monument Valley...
Second Mesa
Dubbed the "Center of the Universe" of Hopi culture, Second Mesa contains the communities of Shungopavi and Mishongnovi; in the former, you’ll find the Hopi...
Sierra Vista
A characterless military town on the outskirts of Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista is nonetheless a good base from which to explore the more scenic areas...
Snowflake-Taylor
Snowflake and Taylor are a good jumping-off point for exploring Eastern Arizona, especially if you want to get away from the crowds during summer trips...
Alpine
Known as the Alps of Arizona, the tiny, scenic village of Alpine promotes its winter recreation opportunities most heavily, but outdoors enthusiasts find that the...
Window Rock
Named for the immense arch-shaped "window" in a massive sandstone ridge above the city, Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation and the...
Tuba City
Tuba City, believed to be named after a Hopi chief, "Tsuve," has about 8,600 permanent residents and is the administrative center for the western portion...
East of Flagstaff
Within an hour's drive east of Flagstaff, you'll find plenty of natural and cultural attractions, from craters and volcanoes to Native American art and architecture...
Tubac
Established in 1726, Tubac is the site of the first European settlement in Arizona. A year after the Pima uprising in 1751, a military garrison...
Wickenburg
This town, land of guest ranches and tall tales, is named for Henry Wickenburg, whose nearby Vulture Mine was the richest gold strike in the...
Antelope Canyon
It’s saying a lot that in the beautiful swath of Northeast Arizona, Antelope Canyon is arguably the favorite destination of both professional and amateur photographers...
Salt River Canyon
Carved from years of erosion, the multicolor spires, buttes, mesas, and walls of the Salt River Canyon—which dramatically drop 2,000 feet—have inspired this marvel’s nickname...
Ajo
"Ajo" (pronounced ah-ho) is Spanish for garlic, and some say the town got its name from the wild garlic that grows in the area. Others...
Cameron Trading Post
Cameron Trading Post and Motel, established in 1916 and overlooking a spectacular gorge and vintage suspension bridge, is one of the few remaining authentic trading...
Havasu Canyon
With the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, the Havasupai ("people of the blue-green water") were confined to their summer village of Supai...
Benson
Back in its historic heyday as a Butterfield stagecoach station, and later as the hub of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Benson was just a place...
Kayenta
Kayenta, a small and rather dusty town with a couple of convenience stores, three hotels, and a hospital, is a good base for exploring nearby...
Grand Canyon West
The plateau-dwelling Hualapai ("people of the tall pines") acquired a larger chunk of traditional Pai lands with the creation of their reservation in 1883. Hualapai...
Chiricahua National Monument
With its "upside-down" rock formations and abundant wildlife, the Chiricahua National Monument is well worth the two-hour drive from Tucson. You’ll be rewarded with unique...
Hannagan Meadow
Remote even for Eastern Arizona standards, Hannagan Meadow is located along the picturesque Coronado Trail. Stop and have a bite to eat at the lodge...
Superstition Mountains
Folklore abounds in the Superstition Mountains, where visitors have sought treasure from the Lost Dutchman Mine for generations...
Globe
In the southern reaches of Tonto National Forest, Globe is the most modern of the area's dilapidated mining towns. Initially, it was gold and silver...
Tumacacori National Historic Park
Father Kino established the Tumacácori Mission in 1791, but the Jesuits didn't build a church here until 60 years later. Walk through the mission ruins...
Texas Canyon
A dramatic change of scenery along Interstate 10 will signal that you’re entering Texas Canyon. The rock formations here are exceptional—huge boulders appear to be...
Third Mesa
Home to a number of studios in which artisans create weavings, wicker baskets, and jewelry, the Hopi tribe’s Third Mesa has four main communities: Kykotsmovi...
Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Lake Pleasant Regional Park is one of the most scenic water recreational areas in the Valley of the Sun...
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
Administered by the National Park Service, this well-preserved Navajo trading post provides a glimpse into the region’s legacy as a trading hub of fine weavings...
Keams Canyon Trading Post
The trading post established by Thomas Keam in 1875 to do business with local tribes is now the area’s main tourist attraction, offering a primitive...
Sells
The Tohono O’odham Reservation, the second largest in the United States, covers 4,400 square miles between Tucson and Ajo, stretching south to the Mexican border...
Goosenecks Region, Utah
Monument Valley’s scenic route, U.S. 163, continues from Arizona into Utah, where the land is crossed, east to west, by a stretch of the San...
Sunrise Park Resort
One of Arizona’s favorite locations for snowplay, Sunrise Park Resort is a prime destination for desert dwellers looking to ski or snowboard—or build a snowman...
Navajo National Monument
It takes a little effort to reach this remote national monument designated on the site of two prominent, 13th-century pueblos, each with well over 100...
Pioneer Living History Village
It's easy to wonder what places in Arizona were like 100 years ago or more. A trip to the Pioneer Living History Village provides an...
Deer Valley Rock Art Center
Any visit to Arizona requires a viewing of petroglyphs, and the Deer Valley Rock Art Center is one of the best in the state. Its...
First Mesa
The easternmost of the three main Hopi Mesas, First Mesa comprises several centuries-old communities acclaimed for polychrome pottery and kachina-doll carving. Hano, Sichomovi, and Walpi—with...
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
The largest habitat north of the border for organ pipe cacti (the beautiful multiarmed cousins of the saguaro) is off the beaten path unless you’re...
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge
Something of an anomaly, this 25,765-acre wildlife refuge, created when the Imperial Dam was built, is home both to marshy-river species and creatures that inhabit...
Boyce Thompson Arboretum
If all that cacti get overwhelming, take a trip about an hour outside of Phoenix to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, where you'll find a wonderland...
Peralta Trail
This 4-mile hike offers a spectacular view of Weaver's Needle, which is one of Arizona's most famous sites in the folklore-rich Superstition Mountains. It takes...
Theodore Roosevelt Lake Reservoir and Dam
Water is a rarity in the desert, which is why Theodore Roosevelt Lake is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the area. Boaters...
Tonto National Monument
One of the best-preserved examples of Salado cliff dwellings, Tonto National Monument offers visitors a peek at 13th-century life...
Tortilla Flat
Tortilla Flat might just be the closest thing to the end of the world you'll find. A sort of cowboy rest stop, it's a favorite...
Goulding's Trading Post
Established in 1924 by Harry Goulding and his wife "Mike," this trading post provided a place where Navajos could exchange livestock and handmade goods for...
Holbrook
Holbrook, the largest town close to Petrified Forest National Park, is a monument to Route 66 kitsch. The famous "Mother Road" traveled through the center...
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
Encircled by seven mountain ranges in the Altar Valley, remote Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge is the only place in the United States where the...
Fort Bowie National Historical Site
Fort Bowie was built in 1882 to protect this important travel route for wagon trains. Historic sites, including the fort ruins and the stagecoach stop...
Kitt Peak National Observatory
Funded by the National Science Foundation and managed by a group of more than 20 universities, Kitt Peak National Observatory is on the Tohono O’odham...
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Kartchner Caverns is a large and beautifully maintained cave system where visitors can walk through the fantastic stalactites and stalagmites while learning about the unique...
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Visitors have been fascinated by Casa Grande Ruins for more than 300 years, and it's no wonder. The buildings are a marvel of not just...
Arcosanti
Off the beaten path near Cordes Junction is the unusual community started by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti. Tourists visit partially to stretch their legs...
Titan Missile Museum
The Titan Missile Museum houses one of the 54 missile silos built around the country during the Cold War in case the United States needed...
Coronado Trail
One of the most picturesque drives in Arizona—and one of the curviest, too—the Coronado Trail is a 123-mile stretch of off-the-beaten-path road, where you’ll find...
The ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center
The American Smelting and Refining Company (abbreviated as ASARCO) gives visitors a glimpse not only of a vast, open-pit mine but also of the complex...
Madera Canyon
This prime hiking and birding area south of Tucson is where the Coronado National Forest meets the Santa Rita Mountains. Higher elevations and thick pine...
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at about 1.25 million acres is roughly the size of Grand...
Outside Saguaro National Park
Saguaro stands as a protected desert oasis, with metropolitan Tucson, Arizona's second-largest city, lying between the two park sections. Spread over 227 miles, and with...
Outside Petrified Forest National Park
Located in eastern Arizona just off Interstate 40, Petrified Forest National Park is set in an area of grasslands, overlooked by mountains in the distance...
Tucson
The metropolitan area covers more than 500 square miles in a valley ringed by mountains—the Santa Catalinas to the north, the Santa Ritas to the...
Phoenix
The nation's fifth-largest city is a bustling metropolis, still growing past its boundaries. Warm weather, stunning sunsets, year-round golf and sports, and delicious cuisine have...
Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon
It's easy to see what draws so many people to Sedona. Red rock buttes—Cathedral Rock, Bear Mountain, Courthouse Rock, and Bell Rock, among others—reach up...
Flagstaff
Few travelers slow down long enough to explore Flagstaff, a city of 72,000 known locally as "Flag"; most stop only to spend the night at...
Scottsdale
Nationally known art galleries, souvenir shops, and a funky Old Town fill downtown Scottsdale—one of the largest artists' communities in the United States. Fifth Avenue...
Prescott
In a forested bowl 5,300 feet above sea level, Prescott is a prime summer refuge for Phoenix-area dwellers. It was proclaimed the first capital of...
Tempe and Around
Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler are part of the East Valley, a term for the collection of suburbs located east of Phoenix. Because of their close...
Lake Havasu City
If there's an Arizona Riviera, this is it. Lake Havasu has more than 400 miles of lake shoreline—it's actually a dammed section of the Colorado...
Bisbee
Like Tombstone, Bisbee was a mining boomtown, but its wealth was in copper, not silver, and its success continued much longer. The gnarled Mule Mountains...
Kingman
The highway past Kingman may seem desolate, and the city itself doesn't have a ton of attractions, but the mountains that surround the area offer...
Page
Built in 1957 as a Glen Canyon Dam construction camp, Page is now a tourist spot and a popular base for day trips to Lake...
Jerome
Jerome was once known as the Billion Dollar Copper Camp, but after the last mines closed in 1953, the booming population of 15,000 dwindled to...
Williams
If you are heading to the Grand Canyon from points west, Williams makes sense as a base, especially if you want to take the Grand...
Tusayan
The small hamlet of Tusayan, incorporated as a town only in 2010, is little more than a place to sleep and eat when visiting the...
Sonoita
The grasslands surrounding modern-day Sonoita captured the attention of early Spanish explorers, including Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, who mapped and claimed the area in 1701...
Pinetop-Lakeside
At 7,200 feet, the community of Pinetop-Lakeside borders the world’s largest stand of ponderosa pine. Two towns, Pinetop and Lakeside, were incorporated in 1984 to...
Cave Creek and Carefree
Some 30 miles north of Phoenix, resting high in the Sonoran Desert at an elevation of 2,500 feet, the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree...
Tombstone
When prospector Ed Schieffelin headed out in 1877 to seek his fortune along the arid washes of San Pedro Valley, a patrolling soldier warned that...
Canyon de Chelly
Comprising two long canyons, each one more than 1,000 feet deep, Canyon de Chelly is one of the major sites in the Four Corners region...
Yuma
Today many people think of Yuma as a convenient stop for gas and a meal between Phoenix or Tucson and San Diego. Although this is...
Patagonia
Served by a spur of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, Patagonia was a shipping center for cattle and ore. The town declined after...
Springerville-Eagar
Sister cities Springerville and Eagar are the self-proclaimed "Gateway to the White Mountains." Insulated by the unique geography of the Round Valley where they sit...
Wahweap
Most waterborne recreational activity on the Arizona side of Lake Powell is centered on this vacation village, where everything needed for a lakeside holiday is...
Willcox
The small town of Willcox, in the heart of Arizona ranching country, began in the late 1870s as a railroad construction camp called Maley. When...
Greer
The charming community of Greer sits among pine, spruce, willow, and aspen on the banks of the Little Colorado River. At an elevation of 8,500...
Second Mesa
Dubbed the "Center of the Universe" of Hopi culture, Second Mesa contains the communities of Shungopavi and Mishongnovi; in the former, you’ll find the Hopi...
Show Low
Show Low has little of the charm of its neighboring White Mountains communities, but it’s the main commercial center for the high country. The city...
Sierra Vista
A characterless military town on the outskirts of Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista is nonetheless a good base from which to explore the more scenic areas...
Snowflake-Taylor
Snowflake and Taylor are a good jumping-off point for exploring Eastern Arizona, especially if you want to get away from the crowds during summer trips...
Alpine
Known as the Alps of Arizona, the tiny, scenic village of Alpine promotes its winter recreation opportunities most heavily, but outdoors enthusiasts find that the...
Tuba City
Tuba City, believed to be named after a Hopi chief, "Tsuve," has about 8,600 permanent residents and is the administrative center for the western portion...
Window Rock
Named for the immense arch-shaped "window" in a massive sandstone ridge above the city, Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation and the...
Tubac
Established in 1726, Tubac is the site of the first European settlement in Arizona. A year after the Pima uprising in 1751, a military garrison...
Wickenburg
This town, land of guest ranches and tall tales, is named for Henry Wickenburg, whose nearby Vulture Mine was the richest gold strike in the...
Ajo
"Ajo" (pronounced ah-ho) is Spanish for garlic, and some say the town got its name from the wild garlic that grows in the area. Others...
Cameron Trading Post
Cameron Trading Post and Motel, established in 1916 and overlooking a spectacular gorge and vintage suspension bridge, is one of the few remaining authentic trading...
Kayenta
Kayenta, a small and rather dusty town with a couple of convenience stores, three hotels, and a hospital, is a good base for exploring nearby...
Benson
Back in its historic heyday as a Butterfield stagecoach station, and later as the hub of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Benson was just a place...
Hannagan Meadow
Remote even for Eastern Arizona standards, Hannagan Meadow is located along the picturesque Coronado Trail. Stop and have a bite to eat at the lodge...
Texas Canyon
A dramatic change of scenery along Interstate 10 will signal that you’re entering Texas Canyon. The rock formations here are exceptional—huge boulders appear to be...
Third Mesa
Home to a number of studios in which artisans create weavings, wicker baskets, and jewelry, the Hopi tribe’s Third Mesa has four main communities: Kykotsmovi...
Globe
In the southern reaches of Tonto National Forest, Globe is the most modern of the area's dilapidated mining towns. Initially, it was gold and silver...
Sells
The Tohono O’odham Reservation, the second largest in the United States, covers 4,400 square miles between Tucson and Ajo, stretching south to the Mexican border...
Keams Canyon Trading Post
The trading post established by Thomas Keam in 1875 to do business with local tribes is now the area’s main tourist attraction, offering a primitive...
Holbrook
Holbrook, the largest town close to Petrified Forest National Park, is a monument to Route 66 kitsch. The famous "Mother Road" traveled through the center...
Goulding's Trading Post
Established in 1924 by Harry Goulding and his wife "Mike," this trading post provided a place where Navajos could exchange livestock and handmade goods for...
First Mesa
The easternmost of the three main Hopi Mesas, First Mesa comprises several centuries-old communities acclaimed for polychrome pottery and kachina-doll carving. Hano, Sichomovi, and Walpi—with...
Tortilla Flat
Tortilla Flat might just be the closest thing to the end of the world you'll find. A sort of cowboy rest stop, it's a favorite...
Arcosanti
Off the beaten path near Cordes Junction is the unusual community started by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti. Tourists visit partially to stretch their legs...
Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe
The Valley of the Sun, otherwise known as metro Phoenix (i.e., Phoenix and all its suburbs, including Tempe and Scottsdale), is named for its 325-plus...
North-Central Arizona
Red rock buttes ablaze in the light of late afternoon, majestic mountains tipped white from a fresh snowfall, pine forests clad in dark green needles—north-central...
Grand Canyon National Park
When it comes to the Grand Canyon, there are statistics, and there are sensations. While the former are impressive—the canyon measures an average width of...
Southern Arizona
Southern Arizona can do little to escape its cliché-ridden image as a landscape of cow skulls, tumbleweeds, dried-up riverbeds, and mother lodes—but it doesn’t need...
Northeast Arizona
Northeast Arizona is a vast and magnificent land of lofty buttes, towering cliffs, and turquoise skies. Most of the land in the area belongs to...
Eastern Arizona
In a state of dramatic natural wonders, Eastern Arizona is often overlooked. This is unfortunate, as it’s one of Arizona’s great outdoor playgrounds. In the...
Southeast Arizona
From the rugged mountain forests to the desert grasslands of Sierra Vista, the southeast corner of Arizona is one of the state’s most scenic regions...
Northwest Arizona
Towns like Kingman hark back to the glory days of the old Route 66, and the ghost towns of Chloride and Oatman bear testament to...
Grand Canyon South Rim
Visitors to the canyon converge mostly on the South Rim, and mostly in summer. Grand Canyon Village is here, with a majority of the park's...
The White Mountains
With elevations climbing to more than 11,000 feet, the White Mountains area of east-central Arizona is a winter wonderland and a summer haven from the...
Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell
Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at 1.25 million acres is about the size of Grand Canyon...
The West Rim and Havasu Canyon
Known as "The People" of the Grand Canyon, the indigenous Hualapai and Havasupai tribes have lived along the Colorado River and the vast Colorado Plateau...
What's Near the Grand Canyon
The northwest section of Arizona is geographically fascinating. In addition to the Grand Canyon, it's home to national forests, national monuments, and national recreation areas...
Grand Canyon North Rim
The North Rim stands 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim and has a more alpine climate, with twice as much annual precipitation. Here, in...
Side Trips Near Phoenix
There are a number of interesting sights within a 1- to 1½-hour drive of Phoenix. To the north, the thriving artist communities of Carefree and...
Southwest Arizona
The turbulent history of the West is writ large in this now-sleepy part of Arizona. It’s home to the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation—the largest in...
Navajo Nation East
Land has always been central to the history of the Navajo people: it’s embedded in their very name. The Tewa were the first to call...
The Round Valley and Coronado Trail
Named by Basque settlers in the late 1800s, the "Valle Redondo," or Round Valley, is a circular, high-mountain basin on the back side of the...
Monument Valley
The magnificent Monument Valley stretches to the northeast of Kayenta into Utah. At a base altitude of about 5,500 feet, the sprawling, arid expanse was...
The Hopi Mesas
The Hopi occupy 12 villages in regions referred to as First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa. Although these areas have similar languages and traditions...
Navajo Nation West
The Hopi Reservation is like a doughnut hole surrounded by the Navajo Nation. If you approach the Grand Canyon from U.S. 89, via Flagstaff, north...
Apache Trail
President Theodore Roosevelt called this 150-mile drive "the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature ever created." A stretch of winding highway, the AZ...
Verde Valley
About 90 miles north of Phoenix, as you round a curve approaching Exit 285 off Interstate 17, the valley of the Verde River suddenly unfolds...
Side Trips near Flagstaff
Travelers heading straight through town bound for the Grand Canyon often neglect the area north and east of Flagstaff, but a detour has its rewards...
East of Flagstaff
Within an hour's drive east of Flagstaff, you'll find plenty of natural and cultural attractions, from craters and volcanoes to Native American art and architecture...
Salt River Canyon
Carved from years of erosion, the multicolor spires, buttes, mesas, and walls of the Salt River Canyon—which dramatically drop 2,000 feet—have inspired this marvel’s nickname...
Antelope Canyon
It’s saying a lot that in the beautiful swath of Northeast Arizona, Antelope Canyon is arguably the favorite destination of both professional and amateur photographers...
Havasu Canyon
With the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, the Havasupai ("people of the blue-green water") were confined to their summer village of Supai...
Grand Canyon West
The plateau-dwelling Hualapai ("people of the tall pines") acquired a larger chunk of traditional Pai lands with the creation of their reservation in 1883. Hualapai...
Superstition Mountains
Folklore abounds in the Superstition Mountains, where visitors have sought treasure from the Lost Dutchman Mine for generations...
San Francisco Volcanic Field
The San Francisco Volcanic Field north of Flagstaff encompasses 2,000 square miles of fascinating geological phenomena, including ancient volcanoes, cinder cones, valleys carved by water...
Goosenecks Region, Utah
Monument Valley’s scenic route, U.S. 163, continues from Arizona into Utah, where the land is crossed, east to west, by a stretch of the San...
Madera Canyon
This prime hiking and birding area south of Tucson is where the Coronado National Forest meets the Santa Rita Mountains. Higher elevations and thick pine...
Coronado Trail
One of the most picturesque drives in Arizona—and one of the curviest, too—the Coronado Trail is a 123-mile stretch of off-the-beaten-path road, where you’ll find...
Outside Saguaro National Park
Saguaro stands as a protected desert oasis, with metropolitan Tucson, Arizona's second-largest city, lying between the two park sections. Spread over 227 miles, and with...
Outside Petrified Forest National Park
Located in eastern Arizona just off Interstate 40, Petrified Forest National Park is set in an area of grasslands, overlooked by mountains in the distance...
Saguaro National Park
Standing sentinel in the desert, the towering saguaro is perhaps the most familiar emblem of the Southwest. Known for their height (often 50 feet) and...
Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park’s 221,390 acres, which include portions of the Painted Desert, are covered with petrified tree trunks whose wood cells were fossilized over...
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Even first-time visitors to Monument Valley typically recognize the otherworldly landscape—it has appeared in countless Hollywood feature films. Straddling the Arizona/Utah border, the Monument Valley...
Chiricahua National Monument
With its "upside-down" rock formations and abundant wildlife, the Chiricahua National Monument is well worth the two-hour drive from Tucson. You’ll be rewarded with unique...
Tumacacori National Historic Park
Father Kino established the Tumacácori Mission in 1791, but the Jesuits didn't build a church here until 60 years later. Walk through the mission ruins...
Lake Pleasant Regional Park
Lake Pleasant Regional Park is one of the most scenic water recreational areas in the Valley of the Sun...
Navajo National Monument
It takes a little effort to reach this remote national monument designated on the site of two prominent, 13th-century pueblos, each with well over 100...
Sunrise Park Resort
One of Arizona’s favorite locations for snowplay, Sunrise Park Resort is a prime destination for desert dwellers looking to ski or snowboard—or build a snowman...
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
The largest habitat north of the border for organ pipe cacti (the beautiful multiarmed cousins of the saguaro) is off the beaten path unless you’re...
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge
Something of an anomaly, this 25,765-acre wildlife refuge, created when the Imperial Dam was built, is home both to marshy-river species and creatures that inhabit...
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
Encircled by seven mountain ranges in the Altar Valley, remote Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge is the only place in the United States where the...
Kartchner Caverns State Park
Kartchner Caverns is a large and beautifully maintained cave system where visitors can walk through the fantastic stalactites and stalagmites while learning about the unique...
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Visitors have been fascinated by Casa Grande Ruins for more than 300 years, and it's no wonder. The buildings are a marvel of not just...
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Lake Powell is the heart of the huge Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which at about 1.25 million acres is roughly the size of Grand...
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Sedona, Arizona
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Road Trip; Long Beach, Nevada, Arizona, Utah
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Guidebooks
Guidebooks
Our worldwide travel correspondents bring you the best and most up-to-date coverage of over 7,500 global destinations.
Shop NowFodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah
Whether you want to take in the views from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, explore Salt...
Fodor's Arizona & the Grand Canyon
Whether you want to hike the Grand Canyon, golf in Phoenix, or take a road trip on Route...
Fodor's Arizona & the Grand Canyon
Written by local experts, Fodor's travel guides have been offering advice and...
Fodor's InFocus Grand Canyon National Park
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA: All 63 parks from Maine to American Samoa
Whether you want to hike through the jaw-dropping scenery of Acadia, see rare wildlife and...
Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips
<p><b>Whether you want to hike through jaw-dropping landscapes of Yosemite, see rare...
Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips
Whether you want to explore a national park, visit major tourist sights, or escape to a...
Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West
Ready to experience the National Parks of the West? The experts at Fodor's are here to...
