Southwest Travel Report
HOUSTON INSTITUTE FOR CULTURE TRAVEL INFORMATION
The Four Corners Region
Visit the Regions | Pacific | Gulf Coast | Go to the Map
Expediciones Fotograficas de las Barrancas y los Rios
In this travel report, you will find lists of recommended places to visit on your next trip to the region. There are also links to park websites and valuable information to help you determine a destination in the region and plan an itinerary.
The report covers a relatively broad region, so we have included links to stories about specific places we hope you will consider visiting.
The places we recommend are worthwhile destinations, with amazing scenery, hiking opportunities and educational exhibits. Many are culturally and historically significant. When you visit, we hope you will consider independent local businesses for dining or lodging, to help support the local economy and maintain the distinctive character of the area.
We will continue to add to the information provided here and improve the organization of the material. Additionally, you will find updated links to more specific information as it becomes available.
Once you are preparing to travel, see the packing list, warnings and photography tips.
Adventures
Recent Travel, Greatest Adventures
Recommendations
Great Day Hikes, Best Overlooked Sites, Best Archeological Sites
Best Landscapes to Photograph, Best Volcanic Areas, Best Scenic Routes
Places to Visit
Historic Sites, Museums, Historic Hotels
Tourist Towns, Campgrounds, Native American Powwows
Armchair Tourism
Recommended Reading, Recommended Viewing
Movies Filmed in the Southwest, Adventure Books
Preparations
Links, Motel Towns, Motels, Restaurants
Travel Plans, Photo Equipment, Good Guides
Adventures | Recommendations | Places to Visit | Armchair Tourism | Preparations
ADVENTURES
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Recent Travel
- Report on Southeastern Arizona
- Upcoming Report on the Camino Real
- Pancho Villa State Park, NM
- Paquime Ruins at Casas Grandes, Chih., Mexico
- Cave Creek Canyon
- Chiricahua Mountains
- Chiricahua National Monument
- Cochise Stronghold
- Amerind Foundation
- Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park, AZ
- Kinishba Ruins, AZ
- Mogollon Rim, AZ
- Salt River Canyon, AZ
- White River Apache Nation, AZ
- Casa Malpais Archaeological Park, AZ
- Escudilla Wilderness, AZ
- Gila Mountains, NM
- Plains of San Augustin, NM
- Bosque del Apache, NM
- Valley of Fires, NM
- Lincoln State Monument, NM
- Fort Concho, TX
Upcoming Travel
- See Itinerary
- Oak Creek Canyon
- Sunset Crater, Wupatki
- Water Holes Canyon See Images
- Glen Canyon, Escalante-Grand Staircase
- Zion
- Bryce Canyon
- Capitol Reef
- Petrified Forest
- Homol'ovi See Images
Greatest Adventures
Adventures | Recommendations | Places to Visit | Armchair Tourism | Preparations
RECOMMENDATIONS
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Great Day Hikes
- Heart of Rocks, Chiricahua National Monument
- Queens Garden/Navajo Loop, Bryce Canyon National Park
- Alto Mesa, Chaco Culture National Historic Park
- White House Ruins, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
- Catwalk/White Water Canyon, Gila National Forest
- Stone Lions/Upper Frijoles Canyon, Bandelier National Monument
- Delicate Arch, Arches National Park
- Fiery Furnace, Arches National Park
- Fairyland Loop, Bryce National Park
- Bear Creek National Recreation Trail, San Juan National Forest near Ouray, CO
- Calf Creek, Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument
- Lava Flow Nature Trail, Sunset Crater National Monument
- Tejas Trail/Bowl Trail/Hunter Peak/Bear Canyon Trail, Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Wall Street, Arches National Park
- Devils Garden to Landscape Arch, Arches National Park
- La Venta Ridge, El Malpais National Monument
- Guadalupe Peak, Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Best Overlooked Sites
Best Archeological Sites
Archaeological Links
Best Landscapes to Photograph
Best Volcanic Areas
Best Scenic Routes
- UT 12 from its origin near Panguitch and the Sevier River to Torrey, then UT 24 to Hanksville
- Southwest Colorado Loop: CO 145 Cortez to Placerville (cross Lizard Head Pass 10,222'), CO 62 to Ridgeway, US 550 to Durango (cross Red Mountain Pass 11,008' and Molas Divide 10,910'), US 160 to Cortez
- Texas 160, River Road from Big Bend to Presidio, through Big Bend Ranch State Park
- US 191, Coronado Trail from Morenci to St. Johns, through the Apache National Forest, then US 180 to Petrified Forest National Park
- New Mexico 14 from Cedar Crest to Sante Fe, through Madrid and Cerrillos
- NM 12 from Junction with US 180 in the San Fancisco and Tularosa Mountains, then US 60 to Socorro, NM, through the Plains of San Agustin
- New Mexico 55 North of Carrizozo through the Manzano Mountains, then NM 337 to Albuquerque
- US 82 Artesia, NM to Alamogordo, NM (Hope to High Rolls is scenic and is best driven westward)
- NM 4 from White Rock to Jemez Pueblo
- US 84 from Espanola, NM to Chama, CO
- US 87 from Phoenix, AZ to Winslow, AZ, across Mogollon Rim
- CO 149 from South Fork, CO to Gunnison, CO, along the Rio Grande
Adventures | Recommendations | Places to Visit | Armchair Tourism | Preparations
PLACES TO VISIT
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Historic Sites
- Tumacacori National Historical Park and nearby Mission San Xavier del Bac, AZ
- Faraway Ranch, Chiricahua National Monument, AZ
- Hubbell Trading Post, Ganado, AZ
- Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, Tombstone, AZ
- Lincoln State Monument, NM
- Columbus, NM
- Acoma, NM (Sky City)
Museums
- Panguitch Museum, UT
- Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, CO
- Indian Pueblo Culture Center, Albuquerque, NM
- Pioneer Store Museum, Chloride, NM
- Gadsden Museum, Las Cruces, NM
- Chamizal National Memorial, El Paso, TX
- Museum of the Big Bend, Alpine, TX
- John W. Powell Museum, Page, AZ
- The Amerind Foundation, Dragoon, AZ
- Fort Huachuca Historical Museum, Sierra Vista, AZ
Historic Hotels
- Copper Queen, Bisbee, AZ
- La Posada, Winslow, AZ
- Cameron Hotel, Cameron, AZ
- The Gage Hotel, Marathon, TX
- Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas, NM
Tourist Towns
- Silverton, CO
- Tombstone/Bisbee, AZ
- Chimayo, NM
- Acoma, NM (Sky City)
- Sedona, AZ
- Creede, CO
- Cloudcroft, NM
- Lajitas/Terlingua, TX
- Old Town Albuquerque, NM
- Madrid/Cerrillos, NM
- Central City, CO
Campgrounds
- Cave Creek Canyon, Chiricahua National Forest, AZ
- Oak Creek, Dixie National Forest, UT
- Bonita Campground, Chiricahua National Monument, AZ
- Sunset Campground, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
- Squaw Flat, Needles District, Canyonlands National Park, UT
- Devils Garden, Arches National Park, UT
- Cottonwood Campground, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, AZ
- Cottonwood and Pueblo Park, Gila National Forest, NM
- Dog Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX
- Bonito Campground, Coconino National Forest near Sunset Crater, AZ
Native American Powwows
- United Tribes International, Bismarck, ND
First weekend after Labor Day in September
- Navajo Nation Fair, Shiprock, NM
First weekend in October
- Gathering of Nations, Albuquerque, NM
June
Adventures | Recommendations | Places to Visit | Armchair Tourism | Preparations
ARMCHAIR TOURISM
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Recommended Reading
- Some Strange Corners of Our Country, by Charles F. Lummis
- The Rocky Mountain Wonderland, by Enos A. Mills
- Vanished Arizona, by Martha Summerhayes
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown
- I Fought With Geronimo, by Jason Betzinez
Recommended Viewing
- The Spirit of Crazy Horse, PBS Documentary
- Incident at Oglala, directed by Robert Redford
- Surviving Columbus: The Story of the Pueblo People, PBS
- Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation, directed by Godfrey Reggio
- Where the Green Ants Dream, directed by Werner Herzog
Movies Filmed in the Southwest
- Milagro Beanfield War
- Koyaanisqatsi
- Gas Food Lodging
- Lone Star
- The Powwow Highway
- The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
- Fools Rush In
Adventure Books
- The Travels of Marco Polo (the Venitian), by Manuel Komroff
- The Great Taos Bank Robbery, by Tony Hillerman
- Blue Highways, by William Least Heat-Moon
- Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer
- Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer
Adventures | Recommendations | Places to Visit | Armchair Tourism | Preparations
PREPARATIONS
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Links
Motel Towns
- Alamogordo, NM
- Socorro, NM
- Panguitch, UT
- Willcox, AZ
- Holbrook, AZ
- Mexican Hat, UT
- Kanab, UT
- Grants, NM
Motels
- Bashful Bob's Motel, Page, AZ
- Rio Grande Motel, Socorro, NM
- Wild Bill's New Bryce Motel, Hatch, UT
Restuarants
- Harold's Place Restaurant, Bryce Junction, UT
- Uranium Cafe, Grants, NM
- Joe and Aggie's Cafe, Holbrook, AZ
Travel Plans
Photo Equipment
Good Guides
- The Roads of New Mexico, Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, TX
- New Mexico Road and Recreation Atlas, Benchmark Maps
- Road Conditions in New Mexico, 1-800-432-4269
- The Roads of Texas, Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, TX
- Texas State Travel Guide (free), call 1-800-452-9292
- Colorado Atlas and Gazette, DeLorme Mapping, Freeport, ME
- Utah Travel Council Map: Southeastern Utah
- Utah Travel Council Map: Southwestern Utah
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All images Copyright © Mark D. Lacy.
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For more Lost Dutchman adventures and correspondance, send email to: lostdutchman@geocities.com
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