I love the Southwest. It feels like a home away from home. Because I love it so much, I want to share with you some of the best parts of this desert, places which I feel make up the heart and soul of this land.
Fourteen days in the Southwestern United States is barely enough time to see all the incredible sights, but will give you a chance to experience some of the best that this country has to offer. You’ll travel to canyons and rushing rivers, to ancient dwellings and lands that seem to have been transported from another world. Days 1-2: Drive to Arizona
Living near San Francisco, it takes me about two days to drive to Arizona. Of course, travel times will differ depending on where you’re coming from (and of course, how you plan to get there), but if you’re driving, take an extra day to see the sights… like this tree we stumbled across in Nevada, which was inexplicably full of shoes.
Days 3-4: Grand Canyon National Park - North Rim
North Rim is one of my favorite spots to see the Grand Canyon, because very few tourists head up this way! You get the full beauty of the canyon without wading through crowds of people. Walk and drive along the rim, or take some time to hike farther down into a sea of red rock full of earth’s history. If you want to spend some extra time here to hike all the way down, be sure to do your research and ask the park rangers for advice on how to do so safely.
At the end of the fourth day, drive two hours north to Zion to spend the night there.
Days 5-6: Zion National Park
Get up bright and early to spend the day at Zion. I wrote a post about traveling to Zion last week, but I’ll go over the highlights here. For your first day in the park, I highly recommend checking out the visitor center before going to hike the Upper and Lower Emerald Pools trail.
On day six, either take it easy with some of the milder hikes, or dive right in. Weather permitting, hike some (or all!) of the unique and gorgeous Narrows, or take the climb all the way up to Angels Landing for a truly unforgettable view of the park.
You're at the halfway point, so on the morning of day 7, head east to Bryce Canyon. I made another post dedicated to my personal favorite hikes at this gorgeous park last week, but as with Zion, what you do here really depends on your ability level.
For people who need an easier hike, the Rim Trail offers absolutely incredible views--and you can’t miss watching the sunrise/sunset, as the colors of the hoodoos melt and shift in the sun. Mossy Cave trail has an incredible waterfall, and for the best lookout not connected to a trail, look no further than the Natural Bridge lookout (featured at the top of this post, and the only arch in Bryce!).
For a slightly more strenuous hike, I would recommend the Navajo Loop - my favorite hike in the park! Connect it with the Queen's Garden route for a moderate, 2.9 mile journey. A rigorous set of switchbacks will get your blood pumping, but be warned that the end of the route (including the famous Wall Street) is often closed during winter months due to snow).
Day 7: Bryce Canyon National ParkDays 8-9: Arches National Park
One of Utah’s more famous parks, Arches is both pretty self-explanatory and pretty impossible to describe. Drive here on day eight and stay for two days to experience the deep canyons and weathered stone that is this incredible park.
The number-one highlight of this park is the Delicate Arch, a masterpiece of stone, time and erosion. Walk to one of the viewpoints (an easy 100 yards for the lower viewpoint or a half mile for the upper viewpoint) where you’ll see it clearly, albeit far away, or hike three miles to see it up close.
Other recommended hikes include the massive Landscape Arch, and the Windows section. Day 10: Mesa Verde National Park
On day 10, drive two hours south from Arches to Mesa Verde to visit ancestral Pueblo people cliff dwellings.
Unfortunately, one of Mesa Verde’s most well-known attractions, Spruce Tree House, is closed for the foreseeable future, but there’s still plenty more to see here. Far View sites complex and Step House are so much fun to explore, not to mention the self-guided, easily accessible driving tour. If you have the chance, I highly recommend taking a guided tour with a park ranger. Not only will you get to see parts of the park which are normally unavailable to guests, but you’ll learn so much about the people who built this incredible place. Day 11: Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Another testament to the “organizational and engineering abilities” of ancestral Pueblo people, Chaco Culture is a fantastic choice for viewing ancestral Pueblo dwellings. During the day, you can take a self-guided tour along the Canyon Loop Drive to see some magnificent Chacoan buildings, or take a guided tour with a ranger!
Not only a great archaeological site, Chaco Culture is also an incredible place to o for stargazing! It was one of the earliest National Parks to be certified as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association, making it one of the best spots in the country to see the stars. They have a wonderful night sky program that I encourage you to check out if you’re interested in worlds beyond our own. Days 12-14: Take the scenic route home through Utah
Your trip is coming to a close, but there’s still more to see. From Chaco Culture National Historic Park, drive northwest to the southeast end of Utah, where you can take half a day to meander through Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and/or the Valley of the Gods. I highly recommend trying to fit both of these places in if you can find the time.
Monument Valley is one of the most iconic parts of Utah; part of the Navajo Nation, you can go on both self-guided and guided tours. Valley of the Gods is beautiful, but purely backcountry, with no designated trails or facilities -- so be prepared with your own fuel and water if you decide to give it a go. Both offer incredible, iconic views that will round out your trip and give you memories to last a lifetime. As you make your way back home, take some time to be grateful for this amazing world, and for the people who help preserve these incredible places. Remember to be respectful of any place you visit, national park or not. Finally, remember to be thankful for all the experiences you had! The Southwest is such a stunning place, and I hope that if you get the chance to make this trip, you’ll fall in love with it just as much as I have. Like this post? Why not share it?
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Hi, there! Call me Kris. I’m a world traveler, author and artist working to showcase the world's beauty and inspire you to find your confidence to see the world!
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