January is one of the peak times in the year for people considering holiday options for the coming summer. The majority of us will be look for something along the lines of sun, sea and sand, but for a select group of people these staples of modern day holidays are off the cards and something with a little more adventure is in order. So with the American South West in mind, you can wipe any thoughts of Californian beaches from your mind as we concentrate on some of the best places to visit in the states that make up the American South West.
I’ll admit to being a little bit bias when writing about the South West of America, I have spent a lot of time in Arizona and Utah in the past and these regions are particularly close to my heart. When it comes to looking for places to visit in these states you are not limited in any way as there is so much on offer, the only real limitation is distance as the countryside is so vast. To start off with I’m going with the big guns; the Grand Canyon is an obvious choice when recommending places to visit in Arizona, but I feel it is a just option for is size and beauty. The Grand Canyon is huge and it would take a week to see the main sights and a lifetime to explore the whole national park. Heading to the Grand Canyon Village located on the South Rim should be your first port of call. From here the Bright Angel Trail is easily accessible and is the most popular trail in the canyon. The Bright Angel Trail offers rest stops at 1.5 miles and 3 miles where water is available, but only during the summer months. Further on down the trail you reach an oasis in the desert that is Indian Gardens. If you do decide to venture down into the canyon it’s important to remember that hiking into the canyon is optional but hiking out is mandatory, so don’t start your hike ill prepared. The South Kaibab Trail offers better views of the canyon when hiking down and can be found to the East of the Grand Canyon Village. By far the best views of the canyon can be found from the aptly names Grand View Trail. The trail head is located roughly 12 miles to the East of the Grand Canyon Village but is well worth the trip for its staggering views across much of the canyon.
Also located in Northern Arizona is the town of Flagstaff. Known at the ‘gate way to the Grand Canyon’, Flagstaff boasts an impressive selection of hiking trails around the town and up on to nearby Mount Elden. A short drive to the North of Flagstaff is Humphreys Peak, the highest point in the state of Arizona topping out at 12,633 feet. The peak can be accessed by the Humphreys Trail and the final mile crosses the only area of tundra in Arizona. Flagstaff is a laidback town with a variety of family owned shops, businesses and a number of coffee houses making up the majority of the downtown area.
Utah offers some of the most alien landscapes in the world and to experience the best of this your first stop should be Moab in Eastern Utah. Moab has a reputation as being an excellent destination for mountain bikers and the quantity of mountain bike trails surrounding the town is testament to this. Within easy reach of Moab are Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Both of these national parks boast some of the most unique and gravity defying sandstone landscapes the world has to offer. Created from many years or water and wind erosions the arches of Arches National Park can all be seen in a day and provide some staggering photographic opportunities. Canyonlands is a vast park covering over 500 square miles and deserves a little more time than Arches to fully appreciate its scale. There are 4 main districts to visit in the park and they are Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and the Rivers. Utah’s South Western corner offers more impressive scenery with Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon being the pick of the bunch.
In complete contrast to the wildernesses and National Parks already mentioned, no article on the American South West would be complete without the mention of Las Vegas. Rising from the sands of the Nevada desert, Las Vegas is a veritable playground of luxury in what would otherwise be a hostile environment. Vegas has had a mixed past having undergone Mafia interest throughout much of the 50’s and 70’s and a tenure under the eccentric billionaire called Howard Hughes. The Flamingo was the first casino to be built on the strip with mob money and remains today as a legacy and reminder of Las Vegas’ past. Mega casinos now dominate The Strip with Mandalay Bay, the Bellagio and the MGM Grand being some of the biggest hotel and casino complexes in the world.
Alex is an Internet Marketer working for a company specialising in tailor made holidays.
