Page 9 - AAA Central Penn – AAA Now! – September/October 2016

TRAVEL AGENCY
AAA
TM
Wonders of the American West
Connecting the Four Corners States
Edited with additional content by Craig Haberle, CTC
Unique in the United States is the one location where four states have a common border. This geographic anomaly is renowned as the Four Corners, where each of these Western states – Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona – has one extreme point of its border profile that touches the other three states at the same place. This location is also where Navajo and Ute tribal lands form a border. Only here can visitors position themselves to straddle not only four states, but two Native American tribal lands as well.
Just a short jaunt west of the Four Corners is Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. The buttes, arches and mesas of this fantastic expanse were frequent movie stars when filmed as background landscapes in Hollywood’s Westerns. At night, this remote location’s lack of civilization’s light reveals a remarkably luminous display of celestial stars. Stay overnight and join up with a Navajo guide to drive you to the park’s restricted tribal areas where a tasty cookout awaits you.
Not far to the west in Utah is Lake Powell, a popular part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the country’s second largest reservoir. Nearly two thousand miles of shoreline mark a sharp contrast against prominent red rock formations, vivid desert scenery and bluntly cut canyons. Lake Powell is heaven for houseboats; take a scenic day cruise to glide through the narrow sandstone turns of Antelope Canyon.
Travel father west and then south across the border into Arizona for the Grand Canyon. Even the most spectacular photos cannot do justice
to this seemingly endless panorama of geologic grandeur. Unquestionably one of the world’s seven natural wonders, this masterpiece of erosion has been crafted for the better part of two billion years, about half of Earth’s total life span. You can catch distant glimpses of the mighty Colorado River as it continues to carve its 277-mile path along the base of the canyon.
Head north from the Grand Canyon and cross the border back into Utah for Zion National Park. The towering white-and-red cliffs of Zion Canyon produce one of Utah’s most vibrant natural landscapes, which beckon you to go for some serious hiking or more relaxed walking along well-marked paths. As Zion’s elevations range from 3,666 ft. to 8,726 ft., the park features a diversity of eco-zones where lush vegetation thrives and the majestic rock formations are set beside meadows of mesa-top wildflowers and hanging gardens.
Next, travel east to Bryce Canyon National Park for photogenic views down into a broad natural amphitheater populated by pillars and projections of rock eroded into whimsically shaped formations known as Hoodoos. As you continue east, be certain to drive along State Route 12. This designated All-American Road leads you on "A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway" via the stunning Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument area to Capitol Reef National Park, where you can wonder at its Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long
warp in the earth’s crust.
Two National Parks are nearby the eastern
Utah town of Moab. Just a 40- to 50-minute
drive west is Canyonlands National Park and
its centerpiece Island in the Sky mesa, offering 360-degree vistas from its top at 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Only 5 miles north of Moab is Arches National Park, protecting “the greatest concentration of natural arches in the world.” The park’s red rocks and cliffs overlook the Colorado River flowing by on its way to a deep-cut course through the distant Grand Canyon.
Select a southbound route from Moab to travel back to near the Four Corners site, this time on the Colorado side, for access to Mesa Verde National Park. On the way, preface your Mesa Verde visit with a tour of the Anasazi Heritage Center, an informative archaeological site and museum of the Native American pueblo dwellers and regional hunter gatherers, including the Ancient Pueblo Peoples (Anasazi), who built and resided at Mesa Verde for over 700 years prior to 1300 AD. Many of Mesa Verde National Park’s ancient cliff dwellings, mesa-top surface dwellings, kiva ceremonial
sites, and petroglyphs, along with a visitor center and a museum with well-preserved artifacts, are connected either by walking trails or driveable loop roads. National Park Service Rangers gladly share their wealth of knowledge of the sites and the Anasazi during regularly scheduled programs.
Rich with National Parks and nature’s treasures, the friendly folks of the Four Corners region look forward to welcoming you to share the wonders of the American West.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
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Now!