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Showing posts from December, 2013

Free Things to Do in the Four Corners: NE Arizona and NW New Mexico

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For more free things to do, check out the blog posts for Colorado and Utah. Hoodoos, petrified logs, bizarre geologic formations. Spend a day exploring Bisti Wilderness, New Mexico. Three of the Four Corners belong mostly to the Navajo Nation: Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Both Arizona and New Mexico have sites that are known for the presence of Ancestral Puebloan ruins: Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "shay") in Arizona and Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Canyon de Chelly is located on Navajo land and Navajo people still live and farm in the Canyon. A tour of the Canyon floor, led by Navajo guides, will cost money, but the road which loops around the Canyon offers spectacular views of cliff-dweller ruins and beautiful rock formations. There are overlooks from both the north and the south rims. The history of the Navajos in Canyon de Chelly is both fascinating and sad. When Kit Carson was charged with "rounding up" all Navajos and leading them on the Long Wa

Free Things to Do in the Four Corners: Southeast Utah

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For more free things to do in the Four Corners, see the prior post about southwest Colorado and the upcoming post about Arizona and New Mexico. Monument Valley is hard to beat for beautiful landscapes and rock formations. However, just a short drive from there is totally free Valley of the Gods, an 18 mile drive (high clearance vehicle!) that weaves through incredible massive rocks. You can freely hike and climb on these rocks, in contrast to Monument Valley. For those less adventurous, just bring your camera because the sights from your car are worth the drive. While in southeast Utah, stop at Sand Island Recreation Area, just west of Bluff and take a look at a long wall of petroglyphs--ancient rock art. As you approach the panel, you will begin to discern the faded remnants of the oldest carvings beneath the more recent ones, including the notorious Kokopelli. This is a long panel and much more complex than the more famous Newspaper Rock in Canyonlands National Park. Sand Isla