Lonely Planet Southwest USAs Best Trips

WELCOME TO SOUTHWEST USA

Mother Nature had some fun in the Southwest. Red rock canyons crack across ancient plateaus. Hoodoos cluster like conspirators on remote slopes. Whisper-light sand dunes shimmer on distant horizons. Wildflowers, saguaros and ponderosa pines add the artistic flourish, luring you in for a closer look.

The 32 road trips in this book take you through the best this fabulous land has to offer, from trackless deserts to the majestic Grand Canyon. Well guide you through the sandstone charms of Utah to the artistic sparkle of New Mexico, and from the wildflowers of Texas Hill Country to the ancient cliff towns of Colorado and Nevadas vast open spaces.

But its not just about the scenery. Dinosaur tracks, spectacular caverns, Old West towns, kitschy attractions, BBQ joints and wine-tasting rooms add history, geology and all-round oomph. If youve only got time for one trip, make it one of our seven Classic Trips essential playlists of the Greatest Hits of the Southwest.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
TRAVELLIGHT/SHUTTERSTOCK

SOUTHWEST USA HIGHLIGHTS

Southwest USAs best sights and experiences, and the road trips that will take you there.

Grand Canyon National Park

The sheer immensity of the canyon is what grabs you at first: its a two-billion-year-old rip across the landscape that reveals the Earths geologic secrets with astonishing clarity. But as youll discover on Trip 4: Grand Canyon North Rim & Lake Powell and Trip 5: Fantastic Canyon Voyage its the smaller details sun-dappled ridges, crimson mesas, snowcapped junipers that provide the final captivating flourishes.

TRIPS

Grand Canyon National Park Point Imperial, North Rim
YINYANG / GETTY IMAGES

Sedona

The beauty of Sedonas red rock country startles everyone that comes this way. Yes, the jeep tours, crystal shops and chichi galleries are fun, but its the brick-red buttes and canyons strange yet familiar that are unforgettable. On Trip 8: Highway 89A: Red Rock Country, soak up the beauty of the region by hiking to Airport Mesa, bicycling beneath Bell Rock or sliding through Oak Creek.

TRIPS

Canyonlands National Park Mesa Arch
MARINA POUSHKINA / SHUTTERSTOCK

Zion National Park

The soaring red-and-white cliffs of Zion Canyon are one of Utahs most dramatic natural wonders. But Trip 25: Zion & Bryce National Parks also reveals more delicate beauties: weeping rocks, tiny grottoes, hanging gardens and meadows of mesa-top wildflowers. This lush vegetation, and the low elevation, distinguish Zion from more barren parks to the east.

TRIPS

Zion National Park The Virgin River and the Watchman
PETER KUNASZ / SHUTTERSTOCK

Moab

Bike-thrashing slickrock. Class IV rapids. Hikes to sheer cliffs. Its just another day at the office for outdoor outfitters in this rugged playground. And as Trip 27: Moab & Southeastern National Parks proves, with activities this tough, you gotta have the appropriate support system: a sunrise java joint, a cool indie bookstore and a post-ride brewery that smells of beer and adventure.

TRIPS

BEST SMALL TOWNS

Bisbee This once wild mining town is now a bohemian haven. Trip

Jerome Gallery hopping and wine tasting come with central Arizona views. Trip

Marfa An art scene with heart lures crowds to west Texas. Trip

Springdale Savor a locally sourced meal before canyoneering. Trip

Silver City Billy the Kid and summer monsoons keep things wild. Trips

Mesa Verde National Park

At Mesa Verde, the site of 600 ancient cliff dwellings, you explore the past by scrambling up ladders, scaling sheer rock faces and crawling through knee-worn tunnels. As youll discover on Trip 30: San Juan Skyway & Million Dollar Highway, the park is also a place for contemplation. Ancestral Puebloans vacated it in AD 1300, perhaps displaced by climate change.

TRIPS

Taos

Ruggedly beautiful Taos has drawn a range of admirers over the years. Nineteenth-century mountain man Kit Carson had a home downtown and creative types like Georgia OKeeffe and DH Lawrence also stayed awhile. And Carl Jung and Dennis Hopper? Maybe they came for the quirky individualism, which you can experience on Trip 15: Enchanted Circle & Eastern Sangres in the wonderfully eccentric Adobe Bar and off-the-grid Earthship community.

TRIPS

The Phoenix Earthship
RICARDO DEARATANHA / GETTY IMAGES

BEST SCENIC ROUTES

Highway 89/89A Old West meets the New West. Trips

High Road to Taos Paint your own adventure on a picturesque mountain romp. Trip

Million Dollar Highway Thars gold in them thar views. Trip

Highway 50 In the spring, snowcapped peaks are the backdrop. Trip

Scenic Byway 12 Cruise forested plateaus and red rock canyons. Trip

Montezuma Creek Dancer at a traditional event
IRA BLOCK / GETTY IMAGES

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The elevator drops the length of the Empire State Building then opens onto a subterranean village that holds a snack bar, water fountains, restrooms and the impressive 255ft-high Big Room, where geologic wonders are all around. Explore the inky depths on Trip 16: Las Cruces to Carlsbad Caverns.

TRIP

White Sands National Monument

Frisbee on the dunes, umbrellas in the sand, kids riding wind-blown swells the only thing missing is the water. But you wont mind, not with 275 sq miles of gypsum draping the landscape with a hypnotic whiteness. For full immersion on Trip 16: Las Cruces to Carlsbad Caverns, buy a disc and sled down the slopes.

TRIP

White Sands National Monument Unique sand dunes
GALYNA ANDRUSHKO / SHUTTERSTOCK

American Indian Art

The most compelling works of today, from rugs to jewelry, put a fresh spin on ancient traditions. At Phoenixs Heard Museum on Trip 10: Southwest Indian Nations Sojourn, youll even see Harry Potterthemed pottery. From Hopi kachina dolls to Navajo rugs to Zuni jewelry, art is a window into the heart of native Southwest peoples.

TRIPS

Green Chiles & Texas BBQ