Places I've Been... By State

Golden Spike National Historic Site is where that final spike (made of gold, hence the name) was driven, completing the Transcontinental Railroad. That single event tied a geographically divided nation together, transforming a treacherous six month trip by wagon or ship to a five day, sightseeing adventure.

They have seasonally operated replicas of the Central Pacific Jupiter and the Union Pacific 119, the locomotives present when the final spike was driven. It's a must for any train buff...

Cedar Breaks National Monument has a problem. It's a beautiful place, almost a mini-Bryce Canyon. But that's its problem. It's located about 60 miles North of Zion National Park, and 60 miles West of Bryce Canyon National Park. If you drove here (and you probably will if you visit), it is dwarfed by the majesty of either (or both) of the other parks.

So if you visit Cedar Breaks, try to see it first. :-)

Zion National Park is another victim of its own success. It's a decent sized park, but its premier attraction, Zion Canyon, is narrow and confined. During certain times of the year (which might be all year now), you can only get in via a shuttle bus.

That said, it is a beautiful park. And don't forget there's another entrance to the park, the Kolob Canyons.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park isn't that far off US-89 between Zion and Glen Canyon.

Should you choose to stop there, you'll find a very, very fine, pink sand, eroded from the neighboring cliffs and shaped by the wind into large dunes. Should you choose to walk into the dune field, you'll find your shoelaces pink, your socks pink, with sand between your toes, and will track inside your car and follow you around for days...

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.

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.

Rainbow Bridge National Monument is the largest (known) Natural Bridge in the world, at 290 feet high and 275 feet wide.

It is accessible by boat from Lake Powell, or you can get a permit from the Navajo, and do an arduous 14 mile hike across a sandstone desert.

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.

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.

Monument Valley is definitely worth a stop. It's landscapes are some of the most memorable in the world, immortalized by everyone from John Ford to Robert Zemekis.

Goulding's Lodge is also on this page, as are images from one of the four-hour tours through the restricted parts of the park.

Gouldings Lodge has history. You'll find it featured in a lot of "Making of" John Ford/John Wayne movies. The rooms you can rent today aren't as old as the movies, and are quite modern in fact. They all face the sandstone monuments, so every room has a premier view, among the best I've had.

This link will take you to the Monument Valley 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...

When I planning my 2008 trip, I was going to leave Monument Valley and go North to Natural Bridges National Monument via Utah-261. On every map the road took this tiny little squiggle, like a knot in a string. I actually had a detour ready in case the road was too... shoddy.

It turned out to be a fantastic road. I did some research on it when I got back, and it turns out it actually had a name and some history...

Natural Bridges National Monument is actually an impressive place, but it's another park that you have to want to go to, since it's not on the way to anything else. (That's not exactly true, but it's close enough.)

The monument preserves three natural stone bridges, which still exist mostly because there's little rain or other severe erosive forces here.

Dinosaur National Monument is really two parks, the original Dinosaur Quarry, and the 1938 addition of the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers.

The original Quarry is fascinating. If you ever wanted to see where Dinosaur fossil skeletons come from, this place will show you. There is also access to the Green River, showing some interesting bits of twisted and bent layers of rock...