Monument Valley is known for its stunning isolated red buttes surrounded by sandy desert. It has been depicted as the essence of the American West, mostly because Monument Valley has been featured in numerous films, commercials, and advertising.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
A gateway to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is Page, Arizona. Its where the Glen Canyon dam is located. Page was founded in 1957 as a housing community for the workers during the construction of the dam.
Grand Canyon
From Black Canyon City, Arizona, at about 2000 feet elevation, we went to the Grand Canyon National Park, which is at 7000 feet elevation. The drive was a 3 hour uphill climb. The area is at a high elevation because of the uplifting of the Colorado Plateau. Approximately 5 million years ago the entire Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau were uplifted 4,000 to 6,000 feet.
Black Canyon City, Arizona
Black Canyon City, Arizona is north of Phoenix. Before heading to the Grand Canyon, we wanted a week of warmer temperatures, be near a Costco to stock up, and order stuff on Amazon.
Sedona, Arizona
Sedona, Arizona is stunningly beautiful because of the red sandstone formations and pine trees. Its an extremely popular location because of the red rocks, spiritual pursuits, hiking, and mountain biking. We visited during spring break, so the area was especially popular.
Winslow, Arizona
Winslow, Arizona was a U.S. Route 66 town. I-40 eventually replaced U.S. Route 66, which is a busy trucking highway. We wanted to stay near Winslow so that we could visit Meteor Crater and the Homolovi ruins.
