Description:
Hike out of the Canyon with a few days to spare? There is a lot to see and do on the Colorado Plateau. Sycamore Canyon is between the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff, as is Navajo National Monument - both of which offer unique experiences worth exploring if you have the time. Rainbow Bridge is just over the Utah border, and if you're going that far, you might as well go see the majestic Monument Valley. There is a lot of beauty to see, simply driving around this area.
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Grand Canyon Caverns
Contact:
- 928 422 3223
- visit website
Location:
- 25 miles west of Seligman, AZ
- (On Route 66)
- Peach Springs,AZ86434
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Map
- user rating
Our Local Expert Says:
Tours are available, lasting 45 minutes. I suggest taking these informative and entertaining tours and come away with more cavern-related puns than you’d ever think possible.
Description:
In 1927, a heavy rain widened the natural funnel-shaped opening to the upper level of an unknown system of caverns in western Arizona. Inside the deep cavern, two human skeletons were found and thought to be cavemen. However, it was later discovered that the bodies were two members of the Hualapai tribe who were secretly buried there. During the Great Depression, a wooden staircase was constructed, plunging visitors 15 stories into the cavern. Today, visitors are lowered to the bottom with an elevator. The original natural entrance is a sacred burial ground. Fossils of prehistoric clams, scallops and evidence of sea turtle remains have been found lithified in the limestone walls. Also found were the remains of a giant ground sloth, which went extinct 11,000 to 20,000 years ago. From I-40, take Rt. 66 about 25 miles northwest to the Grand Canyon Caverns exit.
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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
Contact:
- visit website
Location:
- One mile east of US Highway 163
- (On the Arizona-Utah border)
- Monument Valley,UT84536
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Map
Our Local Expert Says:
To gain some context for this place, read Douglas Preston's "Cities of Gold" or "Talking to the Ground." Each tells the story a white man's horseback through Navajo country and each accessibly articulates rich information about place names and history.
Description:
Natural forces of wind and water that erode this rugged valley have spent the last 50 million years cutting into and peeling away at the surface of the plateau, creating these flagships of the American southwest. From the visitor center, you see the world-famous panorama of the Mitten buttes and Merrick Butte. You can also purchase guided tours from Navajo tour operators, who will take you down into the valley in jeeps for a narrated cruise through these mythical formations. There is only one main road through Monument Valley, US 163, which links Kayenta, AZ with US 191 in Utah. The stretch approaching the AZ/UT border from the north gives the most famous image of the valley, and possibly of the whole Southwest.
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Navajo National Monument
Contact:
- (928) 672-2700
- visit website
Location:
- HC 71 Box 3
- Tonalia,AZ86055
Our Local Expert Says:
Take a weekend excursion from the Grand Canyon and hike out to three of the most preserved cliff dwellings of the Anasazi people.
Description:
Overlooking the Tsegi Canyons, Navajo National Monument sits high on the Shonto plateau in the northwest corner of the Navajo Reservation. Located at the ruins are a visitor's center, a museum, two campgrounds, and a picnic area. The campgrounds are primitive, but there is water available. No wood fires. Navajo National Monument is located at the end of the State Highway 564 off of U.S. Highway 160. After 10 miles, look for a sign for the visitors center.
- Destination(s): Grand Canyon National Park, Peach Springs
- Type: Best of...
- 1 DAY
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