Background

Try to list the types of scenery that you are used to. Rolling hills, rugged alpine terrain, underwater coral forests---none of these are exclusively defined by a single location on the map. The red-colored buttes and canyons of the American Southwest are different: they almost look like they are from another planet.

The area we are talking about here is mostly comprised of the Colorado Plateau and its close surroundings. It covers a number of national parks: Grand Canyon NP and Zion NP to name just a couple. A lot of the interesting features are on Indian reservation grounds, and access is granted under special regulations: you can not climb rocks, or are only allowed in while on a tour with a native guide, etc.

What We Did

The Grand Canyon was first on the list, and not to be missed. We camped at the bottom, near the river, however that required arrangements months in advance (the Grand Canyon is a popular place, and it has a fragile ecosystem so there are restrictions). We spent a couple of nights in the Bright Angel camp. One of the nice things about camping in the Grand Canyon in summer is that you don't have to carry a sleeping bag: the nights are pleasantly warm. The small low-flying bats that come out when the temperature goes down in the evening are rather cute, by the way.

Like we already mentioned, there are several big Indian reservations in the area. The biggest one belongs to the Navajo nation, and on its territory you will find the Antelope slot canyons, Monument Valley, and several sites of Anasazi petroglyphs. Slot canyons are dry river beds that occasionally get flash floods that last for a few minutes. These floods carve the rocks in amazing shapes that you have to see to believe. We visited Upper Antelope Canyon around noon, when the sun is right above and the light reflected by the canyon walls is strongest. We took very good photos at f2.8-4.0 even without a tripod (although a tripod would have made things easier, of course).

Monument Valley is where several John Wayne westerns were filmed, as well as a long list of other movies. In addition to taking photos of the scenery, we visited a Navajo hogan where we saw a woman weaving a rug (as advertised in the brochure). Right next to her we saw a sign soliciting donations. Outside of the hogan we observed an authentic basketball hoop. Our (presumably Native American) guide was lacking even basic knowledge of what he was showing us. You would think that if these guys want to make some money and also really preserve some of their culture, they could offer more tours that include real, unadulterated interaction with that culture. The truth is probably that they don't care that much. In any case the experience, authentic or not, makes one think. We also insisted to be shown the Anasazi petroglyphs. Our guide ensured us that they were "ancient"---left by the Anasazi people around 1300 A.D. Looking at the rock carvings is certainly a spiritual experience, although for someone from Europe or Asia 1300 A.D. feels far from ancient.

We wish we had visited Bryce Canyon NP, The Four Corners, or Mesa Verde. These will certainly be at the top of the list for the next trip.

How We Got There

From Northern California, we used I-15 through Las Vegas, then took the road through Zion NP and then Page, Arizona. Page is located right next to the Glen Canyon Dam (a.k.a. "Lake Powell")---a quite impressive body of water.