The Petrified Forest
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The Petrified Forest |
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(National Park Service Photograph) |
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Seven Wonders Scenic ToursCustom "Taylored" Tours Throughout Northern Arizona and Southern Utah |
          
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Each of the destinations listed below is more than 50 miles (80 km) from Flagstaff, Arizona, and is of special interest in the northern Arizona/southern Utah area. Remember that, as much as possible, we tailor our tours to your interests and needs; therefore, we will take you, if you wish and if it is feasible, to other locations as well as to any combination of sites that follow. The destinations talked about on this page are presented alphabetically and are as follows: Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Glen Canyon, the Grand Canyon, the Homolovi Ruins, Hopi Land, the Hubbell Trading Post, Lake Powell, Lees Ferry, Monument Valley, Navajo Land, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, Rainbow Bridge, the Rock Art Ranch, the Vermilion Cliffs and Zion Canyon. (As soon as we have completed upgrading the photographic content of our website, we will provide pictures of all of our destinations. However, there are numerous photos of our destinations in our links.)
Antelope Canyon Navajo Tribal Park This site – where pronghorn antelope once lived – consists of an upper and a lower portion, both water-carved from sandstone and both draining into Lake Powell to the north. The convoluted rock formations and the play of light through the narrow “slot” canyons make for a colorful, visually transcendental experience. Located about 136 miles (219 km) north of Flagstaff in the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation, Antelope Canyon is open throughout the year.
Originally the home of Paiute Indians, Bryce Canyon National Park, sculpted from the side of the 9,000-foot (2,743 m)-high Paunsaugunt Plateau, offers a panorama of fascinating colors and rock formations, including miles of rock pinnacles, called “hoodoos”. Breathtaking hiking trails abound. Bryce Canyon is situated 281 miles (452 km) northwest of Flagstaff, and its visitor center is closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
(National Park Service Photographs) (Please click on each image to enlarge it.)
Canyon de Chelly National Monument With its towering canyon walls, great variety of colors, and Native American artifacts – including cliff dwellings and petroglyphs – dating back two millennia, Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “shay”) is well worth a visit. Located within the Navajo Nation, it is 212 miles (341 km) northeast of Flagstaff. The visitor center is open year-round with the exception of Christmas.
(National Park Service Photographs) (Please click on each image to enlarge it.)
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Please see the section which follows concerning Lake Powell.
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the 277-mile (446 km)-long, on average 10-mile (16 km)-wide, approximately mile (1.6 km)-deep Grand Canyon, eroded by the Colorado River, is astonishing for its size as well as its spectacular colors and formations. Nearly 5 million people visit it annually, the majority going to the South Rim, which is open throughout the year and is 80 miles (129 km) north of Flagstaff. The more remote North Rim is, therefore, much less frequented than the South Rim; its visitor facilities are closed from mid-October to mid-May because of its more severe and prolonged winter conditions, related to the fact that the North Rim’s average height above sea level is approximately 8000 feet (2438 m) compared with the South Rim’s average elevation of about 6900 feet (2103 m). Tours of the North Rim – 208 miles (335 km) north of Flagstaff – are one of our specialties.
(National Park Service Photographs) (Please click on each image to enlarge it.)
The Anasazi Indians, ancestors of today’s Hopi, inhabited this Little Colorado River site until about 1400 A.D. (“Homol’ ovi” is Hopi for “place of the little hills”.) Three of the four main groups of ruins are open to the public, and there are guided tours, a visitor center, a gift shop and campsites. The park is 59 miles (95 km) east of Flagstaff and, except for Christmas, is open year-round.
(Photograph Copyright Arizona State Parks) (Please click on the image to enlarge it.)
A visit to First, Second and Third Mesas, upon which the Hopi live in square stone communal abodes – called pueblos – comprising numerous independent villages, is a journey not only through space but time since the Hopi’s lifestyle and the design of many of their dwellings are strongly rooted in tradition. The villages of Walpi and Old Oraibi have been continuously inhabited for about one thousand years – possibly longer than any other community in North America. Mr. Taylor’s familiarity with many Hopi individuals, including artists and craftsmen, will make a trip here very enlightening and rewarding for you. This area is situated about 70 miles (113 km) northeast of Flagstaff, and you will pass through a segment of the Painted Desert along the way.
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site Opened in 1876 by John Lorenzo Hubbell (1853-1930), merchant as well as philanthropist to the Navajo, this is the oldest, continuously-operating trading post in the Navajo Nation. (He and his two sons, together or independently, ultimately owned 30 trading posts in the Southwest.) This site, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Ganado and 135 miles (217 km) northeast of Flagstaff, consists of the Hubbell home and other historic structures in addition to the trading post, which functions today essentially as it originally did, as well as a visitor center and bookstore. You may purchase Native American items in the trading post and witness artisans crafting them in the visitor center. This national historic site is closed only on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
(National Park Service Photographs) (Please click on each image to enlarge it.)
The second largest man-made lake in the United States (smaller than only Lake Mead), Lake Powell – which lies within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and which was named for John Wesley Powell (1834-1902), the respected anthropologist, ethnologist, and explorer of the American Southwest – is formed by the Glen Canyon Dam, which was completed in 1966 and towers 587 feet (179 m) above the Colorado River. The lake is 186 miles (299 km) long, has a shoreline of 1,960 miles (3,154 km) and is as much as 568 feet (173 m) deep. The water is blue, and Lake Powell is surrounded by cliffs and rock formations of awe-inspiring beauty. In this locality is Rainbow Bridge National Monument, the largest natural structure of its kind known; consisting of red sandstone, the bridge is 290 feet (88 m) high, 33 feet (10 m) wide on top, and spans 275 feet (84 m). Boating, swimming, water skiing and fishing are all very popular (Lees Ferry, formed by the waters of Lake Powell, is one of the world’s outstanding trout fisheries.); there is a four-star 18-hole golf course overlooking the lake and Glen Canyon Dam, and hiking opportunities abound in the enchanting areas adjacent to the lake. Lake Powell is approximately 136 miles (219 km) north of Flagstaff and lies primarily in Utah, although Glen Canyon Dam is in Arizona, near the city of Page.
(National Park Service Photographs) (Please click on each image to enlarge it.)
Please refer to Lake Powell, immediately above.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park With its canyons, buttes, mesas and spires Monument Valley’s singular, surreal beauty is unforgettable. This location, which covers 91,696 acres (917 ha), has served as the backdrop for numerous Hollywood films, perhaps the earliest being John Ford’s Stagecoach in 1938 and continuing up to our own time; many television productions have also been made here. The park is located 171 miles (275 km) northeast of Flagstaff and is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Please see Antelope Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Hubbell Trading Post, Lake Powell and Monument Valley, all of which are talked about on this page.
The Painted Desert is mentioned in the portions of this narrative concerning Hopi Land, the Petrified Forest and Rock Art Ranch.
Petrified Forest National Park Situated 116 miles (187 km) east of Flagstaff, the Petrified Forest features fossilized trees and animals – including early dinosaurs – which lived about 225 million years ago during the late Triassic Period. (Please note that it is strictly prohibited to take any amount of petrified wood from the park.) Here you will also find petroglyphs and other artifacts of early Native American civilizations – such as the Puerco Pueblo. Finally, a trip to the Petrified Forest affords you with spectacular views of the Painted Desert. Only on Christmas is this location not open.
(National Park Service Photographs) (Please click on each image to enlarge it.)
Rainbow Bridge National Monument Rainbow Bridge is discussed in the remarks devoted to Lake Powell.
Located about 75 miles (121 km) east southeast of Flagstaff, Rock Art Ranch, which is an active cattle ranch, is the site of one of the most significant examples of Anasazi petroglyphs, or rock carvings; they are excellently preserved and are primarily located in beautiful Chevelon Canyon, which is formed by Chevelon Creek. At Rock Art Ranch you may also see Native American ruins, an informative museum dedicated to Anasazi and pioneer – including cowboy – artifacts, and a completely restored bunkhouse – the only one remaining – of the Hashknife Cattle Company, one of the most important organizations of its kind in Arizona during the nineteenth century. From the Rock Art Ranch you may also obtain impressive views of the Painted Desert and volcanic buttes. This site is open daily with the exception of Sunday, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument The colorful and geologically-varied, 3,000-foot (914 m)-high Vermilion Cliffs, which include the Coyote Buttes as well as a slot canyon which is 2,500 feet (762 m) deep, are the home to several California condors (a type of vulture with a wing span of about 9½ feet (2.9 m)), which are an endangered species re-introduced into the wild in this area beginning in 1996. Approximately 110 miles (177 km) north of Flagstaff, the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is open year-round.
Utah’s oldest national park, Zion – which name originated with early Mormon settlers (“Zion” is a Hebraic word meaning, figuratively, a sanctuary on a hill.) – is 242 miles (389 km) northwest of Flagstaff. An area of striking contrasts, it features not only lofty red and white sandstone monoliths and cliffs – some of which are 3,000 feet (914 m) high – but narrow slot canyons, waterfalls, rivers, swamps, forests of pine trees and magnificent arches (including the world’s largest natural arch in Kolob Canyon). In this park, which is open throughout the year, you also will find Native American ruins and a wide variety of plants and animals.
(National Park Service Photographs) (Please click on each image to enlarge it.) |
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