Hold onto your cowboy hats and watch out for roadrunners, because we’ve got our top picks for the best places to see in the Southwest! We are always ready for a visit to the American Southwest, and these iconic sights are some of our favorites. If you haven’t gotten the chance to explore Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and California, we’ve got some fantastic suggestions for seeing some of the most beautiful canyons and desert landscapes in the region. Pick a few and plan a visit or see them all on a three week road trip, either way you’ll love it.
I know that somebody is going to read this or listen to our podcast episode about the best places to visit in the Southwest and get in a huff that we didn’t include one of their favorites, so if that’s you, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share from others!
Best of the Southwest USA Podcast Episode
In this episode we have our friend and frequent podcast guest Colleen Miniuk sharing her favorite places in the American Southwest for the best desert experiences. As a professional landscape photographer and group tour leader, Colleen has deep experience in the wild canyons and mountains of the SW. Listen along as she shares her picks for:
- amazing Grand Canyon National Park sites
- Glen Canyon and Lake Powell
- what makes Death Valley so interesting and beautiful
- superblooms in the desert (including cactuses blooming!)
- and much, much more!
YOUTUBE PODCASTS — IHEARTRADIO
Map of the American Southwest
As you listen to our podcast episode or are working on planning your epic road trip through the American Southwest, you might need to get oriented with where exactly we’re talking about. The Southwest is often defined differently by different people or even government organizations. Here’s what we consider to be the American Southwest:
- Arizona
- Utah
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- California (and it’s also considered its own region)
- Texas (also its own region)
As we dig into the best sights in the Southwest and the top things to do, we’re keeping it to what most people call the quintessential Southwest: AZ, UT, NM, NV and CA.
Southwest Sights Not to Miss
The best places to visit in the Southwest are not all National Parks, but there are a lot of them. Also, you’ll find as you explore here or anywhere else that there are a lot of Public Lands that you may want to access that fall within the Interagency Pass, aka the National Parks Pass. We always keep an active parks pass and recover the cost within a month or two, including using it at our local NPS site, the Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine.
With that, let’s dig into the best places to see and explore in the Southwest! And if you do want to cover all of these in one grand road trip, we’ve got a basic itinerary for you at the end.
The Grand Canyon – the Most Epic Sight in the Southwest
We’re starting with the Grand Canyon because it really is one of the most spectacular sights in the world, and truly the most overwhelming canyon in the USA. One of the best sights in the Southwest, visiting Arizona or doing any sort of road trip in the region need to include visiting at least a part of this beautiful National Park.
South Rim of the Grand Canyon
There are three (or maybe four) parts of the Grand Canyon: the South and North Rims, Lee’s Ferry (the east) and Grand Canyon West. Most people who come here go to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and in any season, this is a great place to visit. Open year-round, the South Rim is home to some of the most iconic views you’ll recognize in the Southwest.
Our picks for the best stops to make on the South Rim include:
- Desert View Watchtower area is one of the best places, including the beautiful watchtower and art, and then the views across the Grand Canyon is beautiful
- Maricopa Point is another astounding point for both sunrise and sunset; you’re far out into the canyon giving an amazing perspective
Of course there are lots more stops you can make, but if you’re pressed for time or are just swinging by Grand Canyon National Park on the way to another amazing place, these are two of the best viewpoints for taking in the gradeur.
North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Giving a different view and very different experience than the South Rim, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is at a much higher elevation and is heavily forested as you approach the rim. Because it’s so much higher, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed in winter and gets a significant amount of snow. Here’s why we love the North Rim:
- Closer to some of the rock formations so you have an accurate sense of scale
- Fewer people even though the sights are equally amazing
- Very different from the standard Grand Canyon National Park experience most people enjoy.
The other thing that makes visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon unique is how far it is from everything else. It’s about three hours additional driving to visit the North Rim as there aren’t any bridges spanning the expansive canyon. If you want to see this amazing Southwest view, you need to plan a full day for it.
Lee’s Ferry – Rafting the Grand Canyon
The eastern portion of the Grand Canyon is where the epic weeklong rafting adventures begin. Here you’re at the level of the Colorado River and it’s the inverse view/experience of visiting one of the rims. Being in the bottom of the Grand Canyon you can touch the rocks, you can’t see the top or around the next bend, so you’re always in the present moment. It’s very isolated with fewer people (even on the water) and zero cell phone reception.
Colleen (the guest in the podcast episode above) has rafted the Grand Canyon eight times and leads group trips through with Hatch River Expeditions every year, both for photographers and non-photographers. What an experience, and truly one of the most epically Southwest adventures you can plan!
Note: there are several operators that raft the Grand Canyon, so if you cannot book the one you specifically want, you can find another, but be sure to read the reviews and have an actually call/conversation with them before you embark on the Colorado River.
Glen Canyon and Page Arizona
Page, Arizona is actually home to several of the best sights in the Southwest. When you arrive in Page it doesn’t strike you as an epic destination… and then you realize that this is where Glen Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon and many more famous places are. Lake Powel is an incredible sight to see with so many things to do, and Page is the place to start that adventure.
Here are just a few reasons to add Page, Arizona to your bucket list of places to go in the Southwest:
- Much of the region is a part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Lake Powell, behind the Glen Canyon stretches into more canyons than you can imagine, most accessible by water or hiking only
- Glen Canyon Dam Overlook is wonderful for short hiking and amazing views
- Horseshoe Bend is much better than Instagram and influencers make it out to be, and it’s worth the admission cost
- Hikes and sights From Horseshoe Bend to Lee’s Ferry are all amazing
- Lower Antelope Canyon is another incredible place with even more slot canyons up out of Page, AZ
You could spend several days in Page and still have more hiking and paddling to do. This is one of the best places for kayaking in Arizona.
Lake Havasu on the Colorado River
Heading westward, the next top pick for amazing places to visit in the Southwest is Lake Havasu on the Colorado River. You’ll notice that we keep suggesting places on the Colorado River, as it really is the life-blood of the Southwest. Its reservoirs supply the cities and towns with water, its dams with electricity. Lake Havasu is one of those reservoir/dam combinations.
For visiting Lake Havasu, keep in mind that this is a popular place for spring break, so you’ll want to skip it during that time unless that’s your only chance to see it. Spring is when some of the best birdwatching is here. A part of the Pacific Flyway, there are over 300 species of birds that migrate through. it’s one of the best birding destinations in the Southwest.
One of the most unusual things about Lake Havasu is that it actually has 28 replica lighthouses on its shore, and they ARE functioning as actual lighthouses would. They are both decorative and serve as navigational beacons on this enormous lake. I love just being on the water (maybe I was a lighthouse in a past life), so the more water-based fun the better. Renting a houseboat and pontoon boating are both very popular activities or vacation plan to visit Lake Havasu.
Death Valley National Park in California
You can visit Death Valley National Park on a day trip from Las Vegas, or it can be your main destination. A truly surreal place, Death Valley is one of the coolest places to visit in the Southwest. How do you choose what to do or even how to visit? You do need to be smart about it, as in the summer it can be out-of-this-world hot. The hottest time of year at Death Valley is August. It’s painfully hot in the 120s F, where everything becomes too hot to touch.
Here are our top tips for visiting Death Valley for an iconic Southwest experience:
- Most unique sights in Death Valley National Park include Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Dante’s Flat, the Salt Flats, and Badwater Basin
- Best time of year to visit is either in February and March when there is the best chance of wildflower blooms and the temperatures are more bearable
- If there is a monsoon, Lake Manley appears, filling with knee-deep water deep in Death Valley, so it’s worth trying to make it to the park if that happens.
Death Valley is one of the coolest places to visit in the Southwest, so carve out a day or two, or add it as a stop on a California National Parks road trip!
Sonoran and Mojave Desert for Superblooms
We’ve gotten to enjoy a superbloom in Joshua Tree National Park, but with the right weather you can find them all across the Southwest. Two of the best places to see superblooms are both in southern Arizona: Organ Pipe National Monument or Saguaro National Park. Getting to see the desert alive with flowers is awesome and one of the best sights to look for in the Southwest.
Tip: if you’re not heading all the way to southern AZ, Joshua Tree National Park does have amazing blooms each year, and it’s an easy day trip from Los Angeles or San Diego.
For visiting Organ Pipe National Monument or Saguaro National Park, you’ll need to be ready with snacks and lots of water, even after the rains because the sun and heat following the rains is what makes the superblooms happen. Watch for poppies, cactus and more, and if you’re around in July and August monsoon blooms are also amazing.
Both parks are ideal for seeing these unusual cactus varieties, blooming or not. In Saguaro National Park for overnight hiking and backcountry sights, the Rincon (east side) is great, but day trips are very easy for hiking and sights on the Red Hills (west side) of Saguaro National Park. Also, Saguaro National Park is also THE PLACE to see roadrunners and coyotes! Organ Pipe is much more remote, but you’ll be amazed by the hiking and cactus you’ll see all around the park. Both are spectacular places to visit in the Southwest.
Northwest New Mexico
For many people, New Mexico seems like a drive-through state, but it actually has some of the most colorful sights in the Southwest, and some unique, art-centric towns. Abiquiu, NM is Georgia O’Keeffe country, including Ghostranch for art and landscapes. Gallup is incredible for the Red Rocks, hot air ballooning and shopping for artisan jewelry of turquoise and lapis.
Taos and Santa Fe are remarkable for a peaceful desert experience, and the high elevation actually makes for winter ski season. That’s right! Skiing is actually a thing in the Southwest! There is both an arts AND ski culture in this region, so add that to your list of reasons to visit New Mexico!
Best Southern Utah Sights
I can’t count the number of times we’ve been to Utah, and southern Utah is full of beautiful spots. Some of the best places to visit in the Southwest for rock formations and sandstone anomalies are in Southern Utah. There are several National Park Service sites in this part of Utah, including Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP and Cedar Breaks National Monument. But there’s more to the area than these popular spots.
Bluff, UT in Southeastern Utah on the San Juan River is beautiful. Here you’ll find Goosenecks State Park, and the palisades around Bluff are amazing. Bluff and the Goosenecks are together an International Dark Sky Space which is unmatched for stargazing. To add some history to your visit, Hovenweep National Monument for ruins and cliff dwellings is a must. This box canyon has my favorite ruins of any that I’ve been to, making it one of the best sights to see in the Southwest.
Tip: we love a good Utah National Parks road trip, but if you’re looking to avoid crowds during the busier travel times, Utah State Parks and BLM sites are just as good with amazing views and hikes. Some of the best places to visit in the Southwest are actually state parks.
Tips for Southwest Travel
Touring the Southwestern USA isn’t like visiting the mountains or the California Coast. Here you need to always be prepared both with supplies and plans. The Southwest is beautiful, but it’s not extensively developed in all areas. You’ll need to always be ready to be self-contained in case you are driving for hours without coming across a restaurant or gas station. Be smart about traveling in the Southwest!
Our best tips for having a successful and memorable time seeing all the cool places in the Southwest include:
- Carry more water than you need and stay hydrated
- A little planning goes a long way because there are some very remote areas. Plan gasstops, food stores, restaurants and secure overnight accommodations in advance
- Pre-trip Safety Precautions can be very useful, especially if you’re going off the beaten path: AAA or roadside assistance; Garmin In-Reach (remote communication device)…
- Always let others know your plan and a way to reach you
You’ll love exploring the Southwest, and you’ll no doubt find more places to visit and iconic sights too. Feel free to share them with us by leaving a comment or sending us a note!
For more Southwest travel ideas:
- Wonderful Things to do Near Las Vegas
- Beautiful Hiking in Palm Springs
- Superbloom in Joshua Tree National Park
- 10 Unique Utah Road Trip Stops
To hear more from Colleen give a listen to these other great podcast episodes:
- The Life of Being a Professional Landscape Photographer
- Overlooked Acadia National Park from the Artist in Residency
- Best of the Southwest – Can’t Miss Canyons and Desert Landscapes
