14.
El Malpais (Grants, New Mexico)
Photo courtesy of Bridget Marrine
Pros: Huge with lots to see; volcano craters; lots of trees; good views of high desert
Cons: Huge with lots to see (that's not a typo); views a bit generic
Experience: El Malpais is a nice place to see if you have some time to kill. The highlight is seeing the old volcano craters that have created very fertile soil. The picture above is of me standing in one of these craters.
Description in a few words: lava, trees, caves, Batman
13.
El Morro (Grants, New Mexico)
Pros: Easy to see in 2 hours; great views of desert plains; Native American, Spanish, and white inscriptions all over base of rock
Cons: A bit too small
Experience: It's easy to see the whole place even if you don't have too much time. A great historical timeline on the rock.
Description in a few words: inscription, rock, high
12.
Saint Michaels area (Arizona & New Mexico)
Pros: Saint Michael Indian School; Cocina Dominguez; Diné Restaurant; Window Rock's big hole; Hubbell Trading Post; Pyramid Rock (view of valley, mountains, and sunset); Gallup (Sammi C's, Coal Street Pub, Jerry's Cafe, Gennaro's, Goodfellas, Route 66, El Rancho, seeing trains); Shiprock (the rock)
Cons: Gallup (C_ass Act, City Lights, Fire Rock Casino, being stuck because of trains, the long drive to/from Saint Michaels); Pyramid Rock (view of Gallup); Shiprock (the town)
Thoughts: Working at a school founded over 100 years ago by a saint who wanted to serve those in need is an honor. Living within a stone's throw of 1,000 year old ruins is also amazing. Talk to me in person to get a better idea on this one.
Description in a few words: isolated, foreign
11.
Horseshoe Bend (Page, Arizona)
Pros: Being 1,000 above the Colorado River; not being able to explain how Mother Nature can form this; it's free and only takes a few minutes to see
Cons: You see it, then you leave.
Thoughts: The pros pretty much sum this up.
Description in a few words: vertigo
10.
Pecos (Pecos, New Mexico)
Pros: Combination of Native and Spanish influence; original adobe; Glorieta (the history)
Cons: Glorieta (preservation)
Thoughts: The Pecos are a hidden gem. I would suggest going to (in this order) Canyon de Chelly, Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and the Pecos to have a chronological look at indigenous history in this region. (I have yet to visit Taos, but would like to do so, despite limited time.) The Pecos is excellently preserved and really shows how Native Americans and Spaniards lived together, fought together, and worshipped together in the post-Columbian area. The Glorieta battlefield is a bit of a disappointment. I have complete respect for the people who fought and died there, but the battlefield has basically grown into a forest. This growth, in my mind, is an allusion to the forgotten nature of this key battle. I could easily have switched this with number 9...
9.
Monument Valley (Mexican Hat, Utah)
Pros: Being an American icon; the best green chili stew and frybread I've had to date; great Navajo pottery; fun 4 mile hike that gets you close to mittens; great photo opportunity
Cons: Maybe not worth a whole day; a bit too commercial
Thoughts: Monument Valley has been in so many movies, it's hard to ignore its importance. Definitely worth a trip, but only as a part of a trip to Antelope Canyon or Arches.
Description in a few words: Native, American, iconic, desolate, hot, dry
8.
Antelope Canyon (Page, Arizona)
Pros: Look at the picture: so unique; excellent photo opportunities; friendly tour guides; driving on a rocky river bed to reach the canyon
Cons: Tourist trap
Thoughts: It's a tourist trap, and it only takes 1-2 hours to see, but Antelope Canyon is just way too unique to rank any lower than this.
Description in a few words: Colorful, fiery, unique, optical illusion
7.
Bryce Canyon (Bryce Canyon, Utah)
Pros: Easy hikes to bottom of "canyon;" pink hoodoos unique to America; easy to see in a hour or two
Cons: Not worth a whole weekend, or even a whole day; town is a bit tacky
Thoughts: Visit Bryce around the time you visit Zion. It's only a two-hour drive between the two parks. The Queen's Garden Trail is fun and easy to do in about 30 minutes, and you can get some great pictures of the mountains and forests in the area since Bryce is at an elevation of 8,000 ft.
Description in a few words: Pink; hoodoos; formations
6.
Canyon de Chelly (Chinle, Arizona)
Pros: Off the beaten path; great place to learn Navajo history; Navajo ruins; running down
Cons: Hard to access bottom of canyon; running up
Thoughts: I strongly recommend Canyon de Chelly. An amazing historical landmark for all Americans. You can also see the Painted Desert above the canyon. Definitely try to run down and back up...try...
Description in a few words: Solemn, horses, red, historical
5.
Chaco Canyon (Farmington, New Mexico)
Pros: Off the beaten path for sure; AMAZING Chacoan Pueblo ruins with mysterious origins, especially Pueblo Bonito (inside the canyon and the largest dwelling) and New Alto (on top of the mesa and one of the smallest dwellings); great mesa-top hike with even more ruins and fun rock alcoves to explore; all ruins accessible once you've gotten into the park; high heat (if you have water)
Cons: 20-mile rocky gravel road might be a bit much for some cars; high heat (if you don't have water)
Thoughts: Along with the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site while it is not a National Park like the other two destinations. I suspect this is partially due to its isolation, but nonetheless, Chaco Canyon has quite an international reputation and is worth the trip. You will also never see such enormous dwellings. It seems that Chaco Canyon, especially Pueblo Bonito, was some sort of ceremonial center or "resort" for the rich and famous and is a must-see. Cocoa residue in ceramic pots and parrot bones point to some sort of trade with central Mexican tribes like the Aztecs. Chaco Canyon also predates Mesa Verde by up to 500 years in some cases. Regardless of what it was specifically, it was definitely a center of power and the mystique speaks for itself.
Description in a few words: Mysterious, hot, dry, sacred
Mesa Verde (Cortez, Colorado)
Pros: Big; beautiful green mesas; massive canyons; hundreds and hundreds of Pueblo ruins (literally); climbing into/out of the ruins; great camping; awesome tour guides; seeing thousands of stars at night
Cons: Long lines at times; touristy
Thoughts: Wow! That was my first reaction to seeing so many stars when we camped. I actually slept outside in my sleeping bag and fell asleep to that sight. Tours were awesome. Try Balcony House for a nice steep climb. Visit Cliff Palace (above) for quintessental views of the park. Long House and the old kivas are the things to see if you like really old and untouched things.
Description in a few words: Green, dwellings, Pueblo, stars
3.
Grand Canyon (Grand Canyon, Arizona)
Pros: The most beautiful sunset on the planet; unimaginable size; dozens of colors of rocks; seeing snow on the slopes of the canyon; the "tiny" Colorado River; standing on the extreme edge of a 5,000 ft. cliff with nothing but gravity between you and the canyon floor
Cons: Like Mesa Verde, very touristy
Thoughts: This really should be 1B, with my top choice being 1A. The Grand Canyon should definitely be on anyone's "Top 10 Things to See Before You Die" list. I feel like I have unfinished business and should hike down this at some point. Until then, I put it a close 2nd, in what some might say is an upset.
Description in a few words: Grand, canyon, sunset, massive, snaking river
2.
White Sands (Alamogordo, New Mexico)
Pros: Being on the moon; being on a missile range; being in the middle of a dry, hot desert, hiking with not one soul in sight
Cons: None.
Thoughts: White Sands is truly an experience. As if snow-white, sugar-light sand is not trippy enough, try standing in the middle of a missile range where they tested the first atomic bomb. Of course, you can only do this after driving through Truth or Consequences, NM and passing by/through several border checkpoints due to your proximity to military testing and Mexico. White Sands is definitely the strangest, most unique, most beautiful, and mind-blowing thing I have yet seen on this planet (despite not even feeling like this planet).
Description in a few words: White, sand, missile, range, atomic, bomb, lonely
1.
Zion (Springdale, Utah)
Pros: Sharp mountain peaks; tons of green; the beautiful Virgin River; Angels Landing, Observation Point, and the Narrows to name a few of the hikes; great solitude on a few of the trails; sheer drops and wading through water on hikes; sunrise/sunset; Springdale; camping; bus system that takes you to most places in the park and keeps traffic down; friendly people
Cons: A bit crowded on a few of the hikes; difficulty finding certain information about backcountry hiking, though I assume this is to keep those places remote and unique
Thoughts: Zion National Park is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Everything I mentioned in the Pros section is a superlative and I cannot say enough good things. Climbing the narrow ridge of Angels Landing is such a unique and riveting experience, especially with the sheer drops of close to a quarter of a mile at points. Observation Point is definitely an underrated hike and is worth the 8 mile round trip and stuns with a gain of almost half a mile in elevation on the way up. I only wish I had the materials and better weather to complete the entire Narrows hike. I would also like to comment on the superb friendliness of the people of Utah. In my experience, Utah is definitely the friendliest state. Overall, Zion National Park is a must-see in the Southwest.
Description in a few words: Gorgeous; steep; religious; spiritual; mountains; river; narrows; green; camping; moonlight; sunset/sunrise
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