Amy C Balfour - Lonely Planet Southwest USAs Best Trips 4 (Road Trips Guide)

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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