USA Guide
The Southwest
The four sparsely populated Southwestern desert states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada are extraordinary and unforgettable. They stretch from Texas to California across an elemental landscape ranging from towering monoliths of red sandstone to snowcapped mountains, on a high desert plateau that repeatedly splits open to reveal yawning canyons. This overwhelming scenery is complemented by the emphatic presence of numerous Native American cultures, and the palpable legacy of America's Wild West frontier.
New Mexico bears the most obvious traces of long-term settlement, the Native American pueblos of the north coexisting alongside former Spanish colonial towns like Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Taos. In Arizona, the history of the Wild West is more conspicuous, in towns such as Tombstone, site of the OK Corral. Over a third of the state belongs to Native American tribes, including the Apache, Hopi, and Navajo; most live in the red-rock lands of the northeast, notably amid the splendor typified by the Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley.
The canyon country of northern Arizona – even the immense Grand Canyon – won't prepare you for the uninhabited but compelling landscape of southern Utah, where Zion and Bryce canyons are the best known of a string of national parks and monuments. Moab, poised in the east between majestic Canyonlands and the surreal Arches, is the top destination for youthful outdoors enthusiasts. Nevada, on the other hand, is nothing short of desolate; gamblers are lured in the millions by the bright lights of Las Vegas, but away from the casinos there's little to see.
You can count on warm sunshine anywhere in the Southwest for nine months of the year, with incredible sunsets most evenings. Although "snowbirds" flock to southern Arizona in winter, elsewhere summer is the peak tourist season, for no good reason – air temperatures topping 100°F can make the outdoors unbearable, while in late summer awesome thunderstorms sweep in without warning. By October, perhaps the best time to come, the crowds are gone and in the mountains and canyons the leaves turn red and gold. Winter brings snow to higher elevations while spring sees wild flowers bloom in otherwise barren desert.
Highlights
1 Santa Fe, NM Great museums, fascinating history, atmospheric hotels – New Mexico's capital is a must on any Southwest itinerary.
2 The Havasupai Reservation, AZ Glorying in its turquoise waterfalls, this little-known offshoot of the Grand Canyon remains home to its original Native American inhabitants.
3 Monument Valley, AZ Though the eerie sandstone monoliths of Monument Valley are familiar the world over, they still take every visitor's breath away.
4 Canyon de Chelly, AZ Ancestral Puebloan "cliff dwellings" pepper every twist and turn of this stupendous sheer-walled canyon.
5 Scenic Hwy-12, UT Crossing the heart of Utah's red-rock wilderness, Hwy-12 is perhaps the most exhilarating drive in the US.
6 Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas, NV With several exuberant, dazzling shows, the postmodern Canadian troupe has redefined Las Vegas spectacle for the century.
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