Flagstaff, USA

What's there to see? Google these local sights:
• Lowell Observatory was where Pluto was discovered

• Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments are a short distance out of town.

• The San Francisco Peaks are the most southerly alpine tundra in the continental US and sacred to local Indian tribes. Site of a ski area, whose ski lift is open in the summer with views of the distant Grand Canyon.

• Riordan State Historical Park preserves the home of early Flagstaff timber barons.

• Don't miss the First Friday Art Walk each month in the historic downtown center of Flagstaff.

• Meteor Crater offers a great view of a meteor impact crater. It's located approximately 30 miles east of the city

• The South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is where most of the tourists visit

• Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon offer wonderful views and hiking in the Red Rock country, as well as art galleries

• Montezuma Castle National Monument highlights a cliff dwelling, while Tuzigoot National Monument features a valley Indian dwelling

• Jerome State Historical Park. A former copper mining town became a ghost town and is now an art center

These require a day’s drive:

• Lake Powell and Rainbow Bridge are a bit further afield and are well worth visiting

• Antelope Canyon. A Navajo tribal park open for hiking and photography with a guide. Spectacular photos with lighting changing by the hour

• Canyon de Chelly is a steep-sided and narrow canyon still inhabited by Navajos and open to visitors with a guide.

• Navajo National Monument is a lesser visited park with interesting cliff dwellings and hiking

• Monument Valley is a spectacular Navajo tribal park that was the setting for many of the classic John Ford western movies. Visit with a guide in the early morning hours

• North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is three hundred meters higher than the South Rim, producing a different vegetation and is much less visited

• Las Vegas

• Hopi Villages. Several of the villages still allow non-Indians to visit their traditional ceremonial dances

These require several days but can be joined to make a loop:

• Zion National Park

• Cedar Breaks National Park is a smaller version of Bryce Canyon but with far fewer visitors

• Bryce Canyon National Park. Zion, Cedar Breaks and Bryce can make a great loop trip for several days

• Chaco Canyon National Park has amazing Indian ruins of such size that there were not structures in the US capable of housing so many people until the 1880s. It is one of our favorite areas and it hosts few visitors

• Mesa Verde National Park features classic Indian cliff dwellings

• Canyonlands National Park

• Deadhorse State Park

• Capitol Reef National Park

• Arches National Park

• Natural Bridges National Park, and Capitol Reef National Park could be done in a multi-day loop