LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
GRAND CANYON
The most popular local attraction is, of course, The Grand Canyon. The main Internet site for the Grand Canyon is http://www.nps.gov/archive/grca/grandcanyon/. This site provides all of the planning and cost information you will need about visiting this location. Notice that advance reservations are necessary for some activities. Be sure and read all of the instructions and warnings before finalizing your plans. The Grand Canyon area has a very unique climate, and hiking requires a great deal of caution and preparation.
CHACO CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENT& CHACO CULTURE
Chaco Canyon National Monument & Chaco Culture National Historic Park is a short drive from the area. The majority of the park and cultural sites are self-guided year-round. Six major sites are located along the 9-mile long Canyon Loop Drive. These sites include: Una Vida, Hungo Pavi, Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl, Pueblo del Arroyo, and Casa Rinconada. You may purchase self-guided trail guides at the visitor center bookstore or at the trailheads for these sites. For more detailed information, see http://www.nps.gov/chcu/.
PAINTED DESERT
The Painted Desert covers an area of 93,533 acres that stretches southeast from the Grand Canyon to the Petrified Forest National Park . The desert derives its name from the multi-hued badlands of the Chinle Formation rocks that cover the park. This scenic desert is covered by a very soft layer of earth consisting mainly of mud, sandstone and volcanic ash. Various combinations of minerals and decayed plant and animal matter contribute to the various colors seen through the park. As the Painted Desert erodes from mineralized water flows and mineral deposits, the fossilized artifacts have become exposed, most notably the remains of an ancient conifer forest. Today the park is still continually changing as water and wind erode the area and shift the sediment causing lower layers of fossil and petrified wood to surface. For more information, see http://www.arizona-leisure.com/painted-desert.html.
PETRIFIED FOREST
The Petrified Forest was set aside as a national monument in 1906 to preserve and protect the petrified wood for its scientific value. It is recognized today for having so much more, including a broad representation of the Late Triassic paleo-ecosystem, significant human history, clear night skies, fragile grasslands ecosystem, and unspoiled scenic vistas. Scientific studies are on-going at the park. Paleontologists find new fossils, including new species of plants and animals each year. Biologists study living plants and animals, including vegetation surveys and reptile, amphibian, and mammal projects. Archeological site monitoring is on-going. Air quality, weather, and seismic monitoring stations constantly generate new data. For more information, see http://www.nps.gov/pefo/.
THE ICE CAVE AND BANDERA VOLCANO
The Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano is located near Grants, New Mexico. For a real experience in contrast, visit the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano, "The Land of Fire and Ice." Situated on the Continental Divide you walk through the twisted, old-growth Juniper, Fir and Ponderosa Pine trees, over the ancient lava trail to the Ice Cave. Here the natural layers of ice glisten blue-green in the reflected rays of sunlight. Another trail winds around the side of the Bandera Volcano to view one of the best examples of a volcanic eruption in the country. Located in the heart of El Malpais, the historic Ice Cave Trading Post displays ancient artifacts as well as contemporary Indian artwork. For more information about these attractions, go to http://www.icecaves.com/.
MOUNT TAYLOR
Mount Taylor. Located near Grants, New Mexico, the 11,301-foot mountain perches over the Mount Taylor Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest. An oasis amid dusty tablelands, it is the tallest of the mostly rolling San Mateo Mountains. The Spanish called the mountain "Cebolleta" -- "tender onion"; the Navajo, for whom the peak was one of four main sacred mountains, called it "Dzil Dotlizi," or "Turquoise Mountain." Anglo settlers christened it Mount Taylor after Gen. Zachary Taylor. It's a beautiful mountain, the cinder cone of an extinct volcano; though not above treeline, most of its upper reaches are clad in grass and bare of all but tiny clumps of trees. For information about hiking this mountain, see http://www.altrec.com/published/camp/southwest/hikeupmounttaylorforacommandingview/.
SANDIA PEAK TRAMWAY
A trip on the world's longest aerial tramway transports you above deep canyons and breathtaking terrain a distance of 2.7 miles. See some of nature's more dramatic beauty unfold before you. At sunset the desert skies produce a spectacular array of color, and your vantage point from the observation deck atop 10,378 foot Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest affords an 11,000 square-mile panoramic view of the Rio Grande Valley and the Land of Enchantment. Located on the eastern edge of Albuquerque in the Sandia Foothills at the end of Tramway Road. The world's longest aerial tramway transports you above deep canyons and breathtaking terrain. See nature's dramatic beauty unfold before you. At sunset the desert skies produce a spectacular array of color form the observation deck atop 10,378 foot Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest an 11,000 square-mile panoramic view of the “Land of Enchantment”. For More information, see http://www.sandiapeak.com/ .
CANYON DE CHELLY
Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, the cultural resources of Canyon de Chelly include distinctive architecture, artifacts, and rock imagery while exhibiting remarkable preservation integrity that provides outstanding opportunities for study and contemplation. Canyon de Chelly also sustains a living community of Navajo people, who are connected to a landscape of great historical and spiritual significance. Canyon de Chelly is unique among National Park service units, as it is comprised entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land that remains home to the canyon community. NPS works in partnership with the Navajo Nation to manage park resources and sustain the living Navajo community. For more information see http://www.nps.gov/cach/ or http://www.arizona-leisure.com/canyon-de-chelly.html.
MESA VERDE
Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. For more information, see http://www.nps.gov/meve/.
MONUMENT VALLEY
Monument Valley provides perhaps the most enduring and definitive images of the American West. The isolated red mesas and buttes surrounded by empty, sandy desert have been filmed and photographed countless times over the years for movies, adverts and holiday brochures. Because of this, the area may seem quite familiar, even on a first visit, but it is soon evident that the natural colours really are as bright and deep as those in all the pictures. The valley is not a valley in the conventional sense, but rather a wide flat, sometimes desolate landscape, interrupted by the crumbling formations rising hundreds of feet into the air, the last remnants of the sandstone layers that once covered the entire region. For more information, see http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/monument_valley/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Valley.
FOUR CORNERS
The Four Corners is the only place in the United States where four states come together at one place. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet at the Four Corners. Here a person can put each of their hands and feet in four states at the same time. The unique landmark is on Navajo Nation land and is open for visits from the public. For more information, see http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/four_corners.htm or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Corners_Monument or http://www.mesaverde.com/fcmonument.htm.
