Over 270 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep, the Grand Canyon is known throughout the world for its overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Located in northern Arizona, the majestic vista is geologically important because the layers of ancient rocks so beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon reveal a timeline of Earth’s history.
Grand Canyon National Park
395 State Route 64
Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023
Phone: (928) 638-7888
The Anasazi Heritage Center is a museum of the Ancestral Puebloan (or Anasazi) culture and other Native cultures in the Four Corners region. It is also the starting point for visits to Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. The museum displays the history and methods modern archaeologists use to reveal the past and preserve artifacts and records from excavations in the Four Corners area, one of the richest archaeological regions in the United States. Many of the exhibits are hands-on and interactive. You can weave on a loom, grind corn meal on a metate, examine the past through microscopes, handle real artifacts, or feel the finger indentations on corrugated pottery.
Anasazi Heritage Center
27501 Highway 184
Dolores, Colorado 81323
Phone: (970) 882-5600
Designated an Archaeological Area and National Historic Site in 1970, Chimney Rock lies on 4,100 acres of San Juan National Forest land surrounded by the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. The site was home to the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians 1,000 years ago and is of great spiritual significance to these tribes. Their ancestors built over 200 homes and ceremonial buildings high above the valley floor, probably to be near the sacred twin rock pinnacles.
Chimney Rock Archaeological Area
Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147
Phone: (970) 883-5359
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad winds through spectacular & breathtaking canyons in the remote wilderness of the two million acre San Juan National Forest for an unforgettable year-round adventure. Experience the adventure of traveling by a coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive on the same tracks miners, cowboys and settlers of the Old West took over a century ago. Relive history with the sights and sounds of yesteryear for a truly spectacular journey on board the D&SNGR!
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
479 Main Avenue
Durango, Colorado 81301
Phone: 1 (877) 872-4607
Hovenweep National Monument preserves and protects six primitive, Puebloan-era villages that are spread out over 20 miles along the Utah-Colorado border. These multi-storied towers are on the edge of canyon rims and precariously balanced on large rocks. Dates back to over 10,000 years when nomadic Paleo-Indian roamed the area to hunt. Noted for its solitude and undeveloped, natural character.
Hovenweep National Monument
McElmo Route
Cortez, Colorado 81321
Phone: (970) 562-4282
Mesa Verde National Park (Spanish for green table) was established to preserve archaeological sites built by the Ancestral Puebloans who inhabited Mesa Verde for more than 700 years (550 A.D. to 1300 A.D.). Currently Mesa Verde has over 4,700 archaeological sites including 600 cliff dwellings and the mesa top sites of pithouses, pueblos, masonry towers, and farming structures, with many more yet to be revealed. These sites are some of the most notable and best-preserved dwellings in the United States. Mesa Verde National Park offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans, a group of people living in the Four Corners region who chose Mesa Verde for their home. For more than 700 years they and their descendants lived and flourished in this region, eventually building elaborate stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. The cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde are some of the most notable and best-preserved ruins in the North American continent.
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde, Colorado 81330
Phone: (970) 529-4465
The 75-mile stretch of scenic highway known as Million Dollar Highway is a breathtaking journey through the majestic mountain passes of western Colorado. This journey takes you winding and weaving through the mountains, clinging to tight curves with breath-taking views. It climbs up three very steep high mountain passes: Red Mountain Pass (at a stunning elevation of over 11,000 feet), Molas Pass and Coal Bank Pass.
Million Dollar Highway
US Highway 550 – Million Dollar Highway
Durango – Ouray, Colorado
It is the only place in the US where you can be in four different states at the same time: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. The monument is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation, providing a small visitor center, Navajo arts and crafts booths, picnic tables and portable toilets. Located about 1 hour from Mesa Verde National Park. Provides unique photo opportunities.
Four Corners National Monument
Four Corners Area
New Mexico
Phone: (928) 206-2540
Visit Arches, a red rock wonderland, and discover a landscape of contrasting colors, landforms and textures unlike any other in the world. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks. This red rock wonderland will amaze you with its formations, refresh you with its trails, and inspire you with its sunsets. Arches National Park boasts some of the most complex natural arches on the planet, many dating back millions of years. Forces of nature have created over 2,000 natural sandstone arches in the park, including the famous Delicate Arch.
Arches National Park
Moab, Utah
Phone: (435) 719-2299
The Canyonlands has some of the most breathtaking views in the area and is simply immense. Deep canyons were formed by the Colorado and Green Rivers, creating sheer cliffs, unique rock formations and amazing colors. Canyonlands is divided into four districts by the massive canyons of the Green and Colorado rivers. From broad overlooks at Island in the Sky or rambling trails in The Needles, to deep remoteness of The Maze or even floating the rivers themselves: whatever you choose, Canyonlands offers a lifetime of exploration possibilities.
Canyonlands National Park
Moab, Utah
Phone: (435) 719-2313
