Places I've Been... By State

Grand Canyon National Park is the premier National Park in America, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and many consider the park bucket-list-worthy.

In addition to the South Rim, there is a North Rim, which is 10 miles as the crow flies, but over 200 miles by car.

I won't mention the crowds. If there was ever a need to plan ahead for a trip, Grand Canyon is it.

Maswik Lodge was the best reservation I could get in Grand Canyon Village, six months out from my trip. I checked every day for an opening at a rim hotel, but nope...

There are some interior shots of the room (however see the page for a caveat), but no exterior pics, probably because the exterior was unremarkable. There were several buildings surrounding a parking lot, if I remember correctly.

The link will take you to the Grand Canyon page.

If you're heading to Grand Canyon from US-89, the Little Colorado River Gorge is a side-stop along the way.

You can step up right next to the gorge, and if the sheer cliff face doesn't bother you... Then you're a better man than I.

The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area encompasses and products the Colorado River (and many of its tributaries) from Canyonlands to Grand Canyon National Park. It is mostly a creation of the Glen Canyon Dam, which creates a reservoir behind it (Lake Powell) a hundred miles long.

Included on this page is the Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon and the Lees Ferry Unit of the park, river level access a dozen miles below the dam.

Glen Canyon Dam is a 600 foot high thumbnail that holds back the Colorado River creating the massive reservoir named Lake Powell.

I took the Dam tour, and it was a pretty dam good... uh... It was an impressive tour which takes you all the way down to the generator room via two sets of elevators. No stairs, but there is some walking involved.

Lake Powell is created from the Colorado River (and its tributaries) by the Glen Canyon Dam. It's approximately 140 river miles (100 linear miles) long, and provides water, power and entertainment to millions in the Southwest.

Using it as a water route is also the only convenient way to get to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. These images are of the 50 river miles from Wahweep to Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

The images I have of the Navajo Indian Reservation (other than the Tribal Parks I've visited) are mostly along US-89 and US-89A, from Marble Canyon/Navajo Bridge and Page, Arizona through Antelope Pass to Grand Canyon.

There are also images along US-160 from Four Corners to US-89.

US-160 though Arizona lies completely within the Navajo Indian Reservation, from Four Corners to US-89 near the Grand Canyon.

Monument Valley is a stone's throw from US-160, so you get to see quite a few sandstone rock formations that just jut out from the desert.

(These images are on the Navajo Indian Reservation page.)

Four Corners Monument is the only place in the U.S. where four States meet, perhaps the ultimate place for a stupid tourist photo in the Southwest. I should know, I've been there twice! If I ever go back, I'm taking my GPS to see if it's really in the right spot. :-)

In addition to the monument (there is an entrance fee), there are stalls around run by (rented by?) the locals selling locally produced merchandise. Oh, try the fry bread. Mmmmmm...

US-89 is a remarkable road that follows some of the most scenic areas of the West from Canada to Arizona, and along the way passes through (or comes within a few miles of) over a half dozen major Western Parks. Glacier to Yellowstone to Grand Teton, Bryce, Zion, Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon.

I've actually frequented this road quite a bit, but in a disjointed, non-continuous fashion.

Saguaro National Park provides the iconic view of the Desert Southwest, featuring dozens of different types of cacti, including the towering, Saguaro Cactus. The park is split into two units, (East and West), with Tucson in-between.

It's also only an hour's drive from Tombstone, which attempts to preserve another iconic view of the West.

Tombstone has some real cred as a Wild West town, and they've tried to keep some of that reputation alive.

I didn't bother with the OK Corral reenactment, but I did visit the courthouse and the Birdcage Theater...