Known for its relaxing hot springs and beautiful natural setting, the small town of Jemez Springs, New Mexico, makes for a great day trip destination from nearby Albuquerque. It’s also a pleasant place to spend some extra time.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, located in northwest New Mexico, protects several Ancestral Puebloan great houses populated between 850 and 1250. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Farmington, New Mexico, is the largest city in the Four Corners region. We stayed one night after visiting Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.
Mesa Verde National Park is dedicated to the protection of over 5,000 Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, in southwest Colorado. The area was inhabited for over 700 years from 600 to 1300. The park was established in 1906 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Goosenecks State Park is a small park in southeast Utah, not too far from Mexican Hat and Bluff. It provides views of one of the most incredible river meanders in the world.
Mexican Hat is a tiny village in southeast Utah on the border of Navajo Nation. There’s nothing to see in town, but it makes a great base for visiting places like Monument Valley, Goosenecks State Park, the San Juan River, Valley of the Gods, and other natural places.
Monument Valley is one of the most photographed places on earth. It’s a spectacular natural place located on the Arizona border with Utah and is a tribal park within the territory of Navajo Nation.
Navajo National Monument protects three hidden Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. It’s located in northern Arizona within Navajo Nation and there’s no fee to visit.
Williams is a town on historic Route 66 in Arizona and the gateway to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. We spent a night there en route to the Grand Canyon.