Mini Southwest US Road Trip | Meganotravels
Author: http://www.facebook.com/meganotravels1
Description: Eager to take a road trip to the American Southwest? Here's an itinerary for a few-day road trip through Arizona and Utah!
Date: 2015-02-02T14:00:25+00:00

Search for:
Skip to content

#### UNITED STATES

# Mini Southwest US Road Trip

The day after Thanksgiving, I hopped a flight to Phoenix to see family and to meet up with my friend and fellow travel blogger, Danial Shah, to go on a mini road trip to see a bit of the Southwest US.

In a week’s time, it felt like we’d spent perhaps a bit too much time in the car, but we got to see some amazing sites: Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Monument Valley.

# Grand Canyon

I’d been to Sedona and Flagstaff a couple of times before but had never made it far enough north to check out the Grand Canyon. To be honest though, when I saw it, I was sort of nonplussed. And I feel like that’s probably a horrible thing to say because, yes, it is magnificent. But I just wasn’t as moved by it as I’d hoped/expected to be. (Maybe my issue is that I had some expectations?) It wasn’t until the second day when I saw it under a blanket of fog that I was truly impressed by it.

Tip: Leave about two days to see Grand Canyon (South Rim) before moving on and split the Desert View Drive into two. There is a shuttle that will take you around when you are in the park, but in the off-season, it runs infrequently and is actually easier to just drive your own car.

# Horseshoe Bend

The place that impressed me the most was probably Horseshoe Bend. I think that’s the place everyone should visit. It’s still a bit touristy, but not quite as bad as Grand Canyon (and certainly not as developed and highly “Disney-fied” as Grand Canyon). If there was any place where I stood in complete awe of what nature had created, it was Horseshoe Bend (you know, after I slowly inched my way to the edge with jello-knees).

Tip: Wear shoes that you can walk in sand and rock. The small hike up and back is only about a mile to a mile-and-a-half, but there are parts when it’s straight up or down in loose sand or craggy rock. It’s not a difficult hike, but just be aware. Also, there are no barriers between you and the bottom and it’s about a 300-meter drop. If you’re scared of heights (as I am), you can still get good views from a bit further back and there are places where you can sit and sort of scooch out.

#

# Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon was the place I was most looking forward to photographing, and while it was a ton of fun and so beautiful, my photos didn’t even come close to capturing the real beauty of it. You can find so many little shapes in the rock and the shadows create awesome imagery.

Tip: Be sure to look online to see what time tours run. You can’t get to Lower Antelope Canyon without taking a tour. Also, be aware that summer is a very popular time to visit and our tour guide said that their tour company alone does about 500 people a day. When I went in early December, there were about 20 people total in the entire canyon (which is not very big) and they cleared out pretty quickly leaving us to have the run of the place for a bit.

#

# Monument Valley

Situated on a 17-mile stretch of Navajo land over Arizona and Utah, Monument Valley is home to about 15 sandstone buttes in shapes that resemble animals, people, and objects. If you’ve never seen anything like it, it’s kind of otherworldly. Even now as I look back at photos, if I hadn’t actually seen it with my own eyes, I’m not sure I’d believe it was real.

Tip: The whole self-drive tour takes about three hours and that gives you enough time to see and photograph the buttes. There are alternate activities available: hiking, horse riding, and camping, but I opted just to do the self-drive (and felt that was enough).

### Author: Megan

Megan is an ordinary girl who outgrew her small town and decided to try the world on for size. She's on a mission to travel, photograph, and write about the world.

### Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment *

Name *

Email *

Website

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Sign me up for the newsletter

- Isn’t it amazing what God creates? What a master artist He is!

  Reply

- Monument Valley looks so incredible. And while I do kinda get what you mean about the Grand Canyon not living up to expectation (I was reading a post about how hiking down into it is much more impressive than the vista by two-fortheroad yesterday!), I’d recommend visiting the North Rim if you get a chance to go back. It’s a National Park, so there’s less of a Disney feel and fewer visitors overall.
  Polly recently posted..Québec’s Haute-Ville

  Reply

  - Thanks for the tip, Polly! I would’ve liked to have visited, but it was closed by the time we got there, sadly. Next time I’ll have to plan a summer trip and check out the North Rim too! (And the Wave and Antelope Canyon again!)

    Reply

- Whoa baby! These photos are incredible. I shared them with Mike and I think he’s finally getting onboard with the idea of a SW road trip one day. Also – I’ve gotten really lazy lately and haven’t even touched my nice camera. These photos have me wanting to start working on photography again.
  Jill recently posted..Australian Reading List

  Reply

  - Thanks, Jill!

    And yeah, get Mike on board–I’m sure he’d love it when you get there! It’s incredible.

    I hope you took your nice camera to Nicaragua with you and are snapping a ton of beautiful photos right now!

    Reply

- Wow! This is a road trip I definitely want to take sooner rather than later. The closest I’ve really ever been was an hour outside of Vegas. Good for you for braving the fear of heights! The pic is worth it. :)
  Melissa | Suitcase and Heels recently posted..My Minimalist Travel Makeup

  Reply

  - Thanks, Melissa! And yeah–my experience up to this point was similar. I visited a few areas just outside of Vegas and in Utah. This blew that out of the water!

    Reply

- Oh wow! What fantastic photos. I’ve longed to visit the Grand Canyon for forever (it’s even on my bucket list).

  Part of the reason I’ve put off going is that I worry that (like you first experienced) I’ll be disappointed by it! (And my fear of heights doesn’t help…eek).

  Sometimes when a place is so famous and there are so many photos of it, I build things up in my mind about how fantastic it is. Then find them a bit of a let down once I actually get there. This is exactly what happened when I went to Niagara Falls.

  But it looks like you did a great thing by staying a while and seeing it from different angles. Great post!
  Gemma @ Fleeting Planet recently posted..Things to do Before I Die: The Bucket List

  Reply

  - Exactly, Gemma! I think sometimes the expectation of how amazing things will be jades us and ends up with us feeling bummed. But I still think that those places are worth a visit because there’s obviously some value in seeing them! Though, as several commenters have said, check out the North Rim as apparently it’s better (it was closed when I was there).

    Reply

- Beautiful photos! İ love the canyon with the blanket of fog–incredible! İ especially love the photos of Antelope Canyon. İ have never been there but am adding it to my list now.

  Reply

  - Yeah, the foggy Grand Canyon was amazing, Ela! And definitely add Antelope Canyon to your list–it was beautiful.

    Reply

- I sooooo need to get back to this part of the US! Monument Valley is probably my favorite place in this part of the country – though I stupidly skipped Horseshoe Bend last time, so I can’t compare that.

  Next time, I would suggest going to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon – I liked it so much better than the South Rim!
  Amanda recently posted..Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando

  Reply

  - Definitely get to Horseshoe Bend next time! It’s fantastic. (I’d also like to go to the Wave next time–just ran out of time!)

    And yeah, I’ve heard a few people say that North Rim is great, but unfortunately it was closed because I was there so late in the year. Next time I’ll be headed back in the summer! :)

    Reply

##### Back to top

### Who is Meganotravels?

Hey, I’m Megan! I’m a full-time consultant and run
a non-profit on the side. And when I’m not doing those
things—I’m traveling! I’m on a mission to travel,
photograph, and write about the world.

Hope you’ll follow along!

### What is “Megano?”

An “Italian” name (rhymes with “Figaro”) given to me
by a friend before I studied abroad in Rome. I had to be
more Italian, you see. It’s stuck ever since.

### Follow on Instagram

### meganotravels

My 2025 wrapped up: lots of learning Dutch, a coup
Four years ago today in Paris. I need a weekend ci
I underestimated how emotional I’d be today when c
Happy Five-Year Anniversary with the city I love.
Ciao, 2024! You’ve had your ups and downs, but I’v
That’s a wrap on my 2024 travels! I’ve already boo
One month of living in my favorite city again. I’m
Guatemala was nothing short of perfection. 🥰
…and just like that, I moved back to Amsterdam ❤️
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I said
I miss open curtains and beautiful canal views and
Mornings in Amsterdam looked a little different th
2023 was undoubtedly the hardest year of my life.
It’s been 10 years since I was last in Morocco and
One of the best parts of being in the states again
Today we said goodbye to dad after his 18-month ba
I’m not sure how to sum up 3 years (and 3 days) of
No matter where I travel or where I’ll ever live a
Sunset in Kuwait.
A New York sunset from the Hudson.
Follow on Instagram