Mesa Verde National Park is one of those “Wow!” locations in the West. It’s one of the most unique national parks in the country because it protects the remains of the Ancestral Puebloan civilization, including the cliff dwellings they built over 700 years ago. Mesa Verde is a perfect one-day park. The thing to do […]
Did you know the very best ancient ruins, cliff dwellings, and petroglyphs in the United States are located where Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico meet? Not only that, but there are several national parks and monuments in the area as well as beautiful scenery on tribal lands, and it’s not crowded! To see the […]
Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico is one of the most incredible yet least visited national park units in the United States. It has the largest ancient structures in the United States and has a combined total of 700 rooms! Chaco Culture National Historic Park can be visited in one day. Visitors […]
Most people have never heard of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, but it has incredible cliff dwellings, towering red rock walls, and Navajo-run tours that will take you to dwellings and petroglyphs most will never see. One day is all that is needed to visit Canyon de Chelly National Monument. You can begin the day […]
Hovenweep National Monument, spanning across the Utah and Colorado border, is a lesser-known yet incredibly unique addition to the National Park System. It preserves six prehistoric villages built by the Ancestral Puebloans between A.D. 1200 and 1300. Its stone towers, many perched dramatically on canyon rims and balanced on boulders, are awesome! It feels remote […]
Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is one of the lesser-known of the 63 national parks in the United States. Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is a drive-through park that can easily be seen in two hours to a full day. There are two visitor centers (one at each end), several viewpoints, a few […]
In April 2025, we took a road trip through the Four Corners region (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado). This was one of the most amazing trips we’ve ever experienced. We’ve visited this area several times, and it delivers new and wonderful surprises every time. Here’s a day-by-day overview of our trip, what we did, […]
Monument Valley is a cornerstone of any trip to the Southwest and a uniquely American icon. There is something magical about the towering buttes dotted across the desert landscape. Most people visit as part of a longer trip, but how many days should you allot for Monument Valley? One day is enough to see Monument Valley, […]
