Kiowa National Grassland encompasses two discrete units in northeast New Mexico, the eastern one bordering Texas and Oklahoma’s Rita Blanca National Grassland. This patchwork of public and private lands is administered together with the larger Cibola National Forest and Black Kettle National Grassland. Elevations range from 4,500 up to 6,300 feet in the western unit where La Frontera del Llano Scenic Byway (NM 39) runs north to south. Shortgrass prairie is the dominant cover type, with sand sagebrush and pinyon-juniper woodland mostly found in the west. Ponderosa pines are dispersed on wetter hill faces and riparian areas support Fremont cottonwoods and willows.
Highlights
Mills Canyon, Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Must-Do Activity
Melvin Mills (an attorney, territorial legislator, and entrepreneur) established the Mills Orchard and Ranch along the Canadian River in 1881. Flash flooding devastated the orchard in 1904, leading to the ranch’s abandonment a decade later. In 2005, the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service collaborated to restore three ranch buildings, and for their efforts they won the Windows on the Past Award for historic preservation. There are also interpretive signs and a free campground at the bottom of Mills Canyon, located nine miles down unpaved Mills Canyon Road.
Best Trail
A three-mile stretch of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail’s Cimarron Route is marked by rock posts 17 miles north of Clayton, and it is open for walking and horseback riding. There are interpretive signs along the route and wagon ruts remain visible.
Watchable Wildlife
An introduced herd of Barbary sheep are thriving in the Mills Canyon area. The Canadian River supports largemouth bass and channel catfish. Nomadic Naturalists blog reported seeing swift foxes, spiny softshell turtles, black-chinned sparrows, and pinyon jays on their visit.
Photographic Opportunity
Mills Canyon was cut by the Canadian River through sedimentary rocks ranging in age from 200-million to 90-million years old.
Peak Season
Summer
Fees
None
Road Conditions
Past Mills Canyon Rim Campground, the unpaved Mills Canyon Road #600 is not recommended for trailers or passenger vehicles as it switchbacks down into Mills Canyon. A high-clearance vehicle is also recommended for the two-track paralleling the Santa Fe National Historic Trail’s Cimarron Route.
Camping
Both the Mills Canyon Rim Campground (6 campsites) and Mills Canyon Campground (12 sites) are free with vault toilets, but no water. Dispersed camping is allowed in the eastern unit around the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.
Scott exploring Mills CanyonTiff exploring the Canadian RiverHeading out of Mills Canyon
Explore More – As an attorney, Melvin Mills’ work often involved outlaws, American Indians, and politicians; who saved his life when he was nearly hanged by an angry mob?
Last year we published our guidebook 50 States of Great: Road Trip Guide to America, so we decided to start a new type of blog post where we create a travel itinerary for all 50 states, in addition to our usual National Forest and National Park entries. After starting with Kansas, Georgia, Idaho, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Hawai‘i we decided to do a state in the southwest. Arizona probably needs two separate itineraries, with the southern deserts being a great destination in the winter and the high-elevation northern part of the state better in the summer (see Day 8+). We made an ambitious seven-day plan starting in the south, with plenty of options to extend the trip. Scott grew up in Arizona, so he could have easily made this a four-week itinerary and still left out many good options.
On the Mexican border sits 330,689 acres of undeveloped Sonoran Desert recognized as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1976. Its namesake cactus is more common further south and shares this landscape with 27 other species of cacti, including the famous saguaro. The park’s jagged Ajo Mountains are mostly volcanic rhyolite and to see them at their best, we recommend driving the 21-mile dirt road loop in the evening before turning in for the night at the excellent Twin Peaks Campground, run by the National Park Service (NPS).
Arizona has 19 National Monuments (more than any other state), so if you flew into Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix start with the one located right off Interstate 10.
Desert bighorn sheep can be seen in this remote part of southwest Arizona south of Quartzsite. Cibola and Imperial National Wildlife Refuges along the Colorado River are good spots for birding.
Southwest of Tucson, Arizona in a nondescript stretch of desert are the remains of an underground Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silo built in 1963, during the height of the Cold War. The nuclear warhead and rocket fuel was long ago removed from the site, but otherwise everything has been preserved. A tour guide takes you below ground in the original elevator to explain the steps required to unleash this devastating weapon.
The Catalina Highway ascends from Tucson through multiple life zones from saguaro-dotted desert to ponderosa pine forests at more than 9,000 feet in elevation. The expansive vistas along the drive are worth the many switchbacks, with Windy Point Vista is an especially beautiful wayside in the pinyon-juniper woodland zone. At the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, also within Coronado National Forest, tram rides are available through beautiful Sabino Canyon Recreation Area.
If you didn’t get your fill of cacti the first day, you will at this park with separate sections east and west of Tucson. If you only have time for one, we recommend the eastern Rincon Mountain District.
South of Tucson in Tubac, San Cayetano de Tumacácori is a Spanish mission founded in 1691 by Padre Kino and abandoned in 1848. It became a National Monument in 1908 when it was restored to its ruined state based on photographs dating from 1868.
The highly decorated cave was not discovered until 1974, when its location was kept a tight secret while efforts were made to preserve it for future visitors. There are two guided tours on paved trails offered, and if you space out your reservations far enough you can take a hike on the 2.4-mile Foothills Loop Trail in between.
Bisbee
The copper mining center of Bisbee was once the largest city between El Paso and San Francisco. The well-maintained Victorian architecture and flights of steep staircases give this border town a unique atmosphere.
The park does not actually contain a statue or large memorial to Coronado. It does have a steep three-quarter mile trail to a 600-foot long limestone cave bearing Coronado’s name, which visitors can explore on their own with flashlights.
Tucked away in the southeastern corner of Arizona, millions of years of erosion left behind a spectacular collection of rhyolite rock formations that rise above surrounding evergreen trees. All the trails are good, but we recommend an all-day hike through Echo Canyon to the Heart of Rocks Loop where you will find formations resembling camels, ducks, and anything else you can imagine.
Salt River Canyon
Start driving north and be sure to stop for photos where U.S. Highway 60 drops steeply into this gorgeous canyon between Globe and Show Low.
Optional stop at Wilcox Playa Wildlife Area
In the winter, sandhill cranes stay in large numbers in the wetlands south of Wilcox and Interstate 10.
To visit the NPS visitor center, the literal “must-do activity” is to hike 1.5 miles from the trailhead. You do pass interpretive signs, a cemetery, and ruins along the way.
A paved walkway behind the Rainbow Forest Museum is a great place to start, as NPS rangers give guided tours there throughout the day. It is worth a hike to Agate House and a connection to the Giant Logs Trail to see more petrified wood, but be sure to bring water with you in the summer since there is no shade.
“Standin’ on the corner” statue in Winslow
Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey probably could not have guessed when they penned the 1970s anthem “Take It Easy” that it would inspire a statue in an Arizona town on historic Route 66. Perhaps even more fitting is the mural behind it that shows the reflection of a girl driving a flatbed truck. Located off Interstate 40, Winslow is a great place “to loosen your load.”
Cameron Trading Post
As a kid, Scott’s family would always spend the night at the hotel here before taking friends and family to the Grand Canyon National Park. Try the mutton stew or Indian taco in the restaurant at this historic spot.
Optional stop at Meteor Crater
There is a good museum at this big, round hole in the ground along Interstate 40. It is definitely worth seeing once in your life.
Heading north from Flagstaff, a 36-mile loop drive through Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument to adjacent Wupatki National Monument passes by the red-hued cinder cone through ponderosa pine forests and sunflower-filled meadows on its way to an arid, rocky high desert region that is dotted with Sinagua ruins from around AD 1100. Nearby cliff dwellings were built in Walnut Canyon National Monument around the same time by another group of Sinagua. To get up close with the cliff dwellings inside shallow limestone caves requires a hike down 200 stairs on the one-mile loop Island Trail.
Visit the South Rim of the park from the less busy eastern entrance and stop at the Watchtower and other scenic views along the way. It is worth spending a few nights here and hiking (or riding a mule) to the bottom of the canyon, but that is not for everyone. If you come in the summer, consider a trip to the North Rim or remote Toroweap (online permit required).
Optional stop at Little Colorado River Gorge Navajo Tribal Park
Famous for art galleries and New Age mysticism, the red rock city of Sedona offer plenty of stores and restaurants. Be sure to leave some time to explore some unpaved roads and hiking trails in the surrounding area.
There are numerous trails in the National Forest around Sedona, where sandstone buttes (like Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock) dominate the landscape. The shady West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon is perfect on hot summer days, though in the winter it is also beautiful covered in snow and ice.
Optional stop at Sycamore Canyon Wilderness
This designated Wilderness (55,937 acres) is shared between three National Forests: Coconino, Kaibab, and Prescott. The easiest way in is on the Parsons Trail located outside Clarkdale, west of Sedona. The trailhead is accessed by driving the dirt Forest Road 131 for 10.5 miles from where it splits off near Tuzigoot National Monument.
The Sinagua pueblo at Tuzigoot had about 110 rooms and is estimated to have housed 200 to 300 people. You can walk inside portions of the ruin, including a section with a reconstructed roof.
These cliff ruins east of Phoenix are worth the hike up to, as are many parts of Tonto National Forest, especially the Flat Iron, Hieroglyph Canyon, and Weaver’s Needle.
This is a unique NPS site with livestock (sheep, horses, turkeys) and a hands-on play area for children, as well as the original dusty store which allows visitors to travel back into the late-1800s. There are frequent Navajo rug weaving demonstrations and tours inside the Hubbell Home are available for a fee.
In the heart of the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona lies this picturesque National Monument. Humans have inhabited this area for 4,500 years, leaving behind numerous pictographs and the dramatic ruins of Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.
Visitors can reserve spots on the ranger-led day hike to Betatakin cliff dwelling or the 20-person backpacking trips to Keet Seel that are offered twice per month in the summer. The latter is a strenuous trip covering 17 miles total with numerous stream crossings and all water must be carried in. The hardest part is at the end, when a 1,000 foot climb awaits, but it is worth it to be one of the few who get to see Keet Seel, the 150-room ruin that is second in size only to Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
On the border of Arizona and Utah, entrance into Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park allows you to see the iconic Mitten Buttes in person, which have served as a backdrop for countless films. You can even pitch your tent at The View Campground overlooking the red rock formations.
Havasupai Reservation
It is hard to argue against Mooney Falls and the other waterfalls in Havasu Canyon as being the most outstanding in the state, but it can be difficult (and expensive) to obtain one of the limited reservations available to visit the Havasupai Reservation that borders Grand Canyon National Park.
Retention ponds keep this area green in the hot summer months where ducks paddle and dragonflies buzz through the humid air. When a NPS ranger is present, you can walk around inside Winsor Castle, a Mormon fort that dates back to 1870.
Antelope Canyon
Guided tours are required to access these beautiful slot canyons located on private land on the Navajo Nation
You might want to bring your “selfie stick” to iconic Horseshoe Bend Overlook, a short 0.7-mile one-way hike from the parking area on Highway 89 outside Page.
At Arizona Hot Springs, pools are formed by sandbags in a narrow canyon. It is accessible from Liberty Bell Trailhead by a 6.5-mile out-and-back hike through a beautiful arroyo down to Black Canyon (now the upper reaches of Lake Mohave formed by a dam) on the Colorado River. The trail is closed during the hot summer months, but you can still access it by boat from Willow Beach Marina or just downstream from the Hoover Dam (with a special permit). Further south on Lake Mohave, stop at Emerald Cove for incredible photographs.
After farming along the Salt River (or Rio Salado) for centuries, in the 1300s the Salado people moved to natural caves where they constructed cliff dwellings. Perhaps following catastrophic flooding or drought, the entire Tonto Basin was abandoned by 1450. When construction of Theodore Roosevelt Dam began in 1906, its namesake President protected these ruins using the power of the 1906 Antiquities Act.
Museum, film, Lower Cliff Dwelling, Upper Cliff Dwelling guided tour
Must-Do Activity
Every visitor who is in good enough shape for the 350 foot ascent should make their way up to Lower Cliff Dwelling (with 28 rooms) after watching the film at the National Park Service visitor center. While at the top, talk to the volunteer stationed there for more information about the people who once inhabited the ruins. Only offered from November through April, the 10 a.m. ranger-guided tour (reservations required) to the Upper Cliff Dwelling (with 40 rooms) crosses washes and ascends 600 feet via switchbacks and 60 steps over a three-mile roundtrip.
Best Trail
The paved trail to the Lower Cliff Dwelling gains 350 feet of elevation in a half-mile, providing excellent views of Theodore Roosevelt Lake.
Photographic Opportunity
Hiking to Lower Cliff Dwelling is a good introduction to native plants of the Sonoran Desert, including the iconic saguaro cactus, yucca, sotol, cholla, and barrel cactus.
Highway 188 provides paved access to Tonto National Monument between Payson and Globe, while Arizona Highway 88 (“Apache Trail”) is unpaved past Canyon Lake and until December 2024 that section was closed due to a wash out in 2019. Together they make for a beautiful scenic loop drive suitable for high-clearance vehicles.
Camping
There are campgrounds around Theodore Roosevelt Lake and within Tonto National Forest, which also allows dispersed camping in some areas.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service manage the more than one-million acres of Bears Ears National Monument in partnership with five local Native American tribes. After it was established, in 2017 it was controversially reduced in size to 201,876 acres before being restored four years later. Much of the southern portion of La Sal National Forest, including the Dark Canyon Wilderness, is included inside its boundaries. The entire area protects millions of years of the paleontological record and has more than 100,000 archaeological sites, especially on Cedar Mesa where day-use and overnight permits are required. The BLM has excellent maps and trip-planning resources available on their website.
Butler Wash, Moon House Ruin, Newspaper Rock, Moki Dugway, San Juan River, Elk Ridge Scenic Backway, Dark Canyon Wilderness, Mule Canyon, Seven Kivas, The Citadel Trail
Must-Do Activity
It would be easy to spend more than a week exploring the roads and trails within Bears Ears National Monument. Everyone should try to drive the good 17-mile-long dirt road through Valley of the Gods to see rock formations like Rooster Butte and Woman in the Tub. West of Blanding, paved State Route 95 passes Mule Canyon Interpretive site, Butler Wash Interpretive Trail, and Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite. In La Sal National Forest, the 58-mile-long Elk Ridge Scenic Backway is a well-maintained (though unpaved) route that leads north from Natural Bridges National Monument to Highway 211, which connects to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. There are multiple trails along the way that provide access to the Dark Canyon Wilderness, an area known for old-growth forests, natural arches, and Ancestral Puebloan ruins and pictographs.
Best Trail
There are many trails to choose from, but one of the most popular is off unpaved Texas Flat Road that enters Mule Canyon (parking fee) and accesses House on Fire, a well-preserved granary located one mile in after multiple stream crossings. There is a paved parking lot suitable for RVs at Butler Wash Interpretive Trail, a half-mile one-way walk on to an overlook of a cliff dwelling.
Photographic Opportunity
Along Highway 211 to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, be sure to stop at the paved parking lot for Newspaper Rock. Another nice panel of rock art is found in Sand Island Campground along the San Juan River near Bluff, Utah.
Peak Season
Spring and fall
Fees
A day-use fee of $5 per person applies at several parking areas on Cedar Mesa in southern Bears Ears National Monument, including Mule Canyon access to House on Fire Ruins. There are pay stations at several sites, as well as pre-paid online permits (including for 20 people per day to access Moon House Ruin).
Road Conditions
State Route 95 and Highway 211 are both paved, but other roads like the Moki Dugway, Valley of the Gods Road, and 58-mile-long Elk Ridge Scenic Backway should not be attempted by RVs. A high-clearance vehicle is required to drive many side roads, including six-mile-long Cigarette Springs Road to The Citadel and Seven Kivas Trails. Be aware that flash floods are a danger as many roads traverse canyons.
Camping
There are numerous developed campgrounds spread throughout Bears Ears National Monument. We enjoyed our stay at Hamburger Rock Campground outside the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Dispersed camping is also a good option, especially in scenic Valley of the Gods and along lightly-traveled Elk Ridge Scenic Backway. All backcountry camping on Cedar Mesa requires a permit and no campfires are allowed.
Valley of the GodsWoman in the Tub formationValley of the GodsValley of the GodsValley of the GodsValley of the GodsMexican HatCamping at Hamburger RockTiff on the Moki DugwayDinosaur tracksFlash flood over dinosaur tracksMule CanyonMule CanyonMule CanyonThe “Bears Ears” formationRavens about the park
Explore More – Where are the actual Bears Ears formations that give the National Monument its name?
La Sal National Forest is found in two separate sections of southeastern Utah surrounding the La Sal and Abajo Mountains, topping out on 12,721-foot Mt. Peale. Much of the southern portion of the National Forest, including the Dark Canyon Wilderness, was included in the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument, established in 2016 and then controversially reduced in size before being restored. Since 1949, it has been administratively combined with the northern and separate Manti National Forest, so it can be difficult to find information for La Sal National Forest alone.
Highlights
Bears Ears National Monument, La Sal Mountain Loop Scenic Backway, Warner Lake, Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks, Buckeye Reservoir, Elk Ridge Scenic Backway, Harts Draw Highway, Abajo Loop State Scenic Backway, Mt. Peale, Arch Canyon, Mt. Tukuhnikivatz
Must-Do Activity
Many visitors access the forest south from Moab on the mostly-paved La Sal Mountain Loop Scenic Backway, a steep drive suitable for passenger vehicles that is accessible in the warmer months. The often snow-capped La Sal Mountains are featured as the backdrop in nearly every photo of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. The Sierra La Sal (“Salt Mountains” in Spanish) were a prominent landmark on the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. Be sure to make the dirt Gateway Road (FS 207) detour 5.4 miles to visit Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks, where there is also a commanding view of Fisher Mesa and Bull Canyon. Oowah Lake and Warner Lake are also located on unpaved side roads (3.2 and 5.2 miles respectively) from La Sal Mountain Loop Road.
Best Trail
The 58-mile-long Elk Ridge Scenic Backway is a well-maintained, though unpaved route that leads north from Natural Bridges National Monument to Highway 211, which connects to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. There are multiple trails along the way that provide access to the Dark Canyon Wilderness, an area known for old-growth forests, natural arches, and Ancestral Puebloan ruins and pictographs. A high-clearance vehicle is not required to reach Big Notch Trailhead where a trail steeply drops into Dark Canyon. Erosion has cut red clay walls that make navigation somewhat difficult in places. About four miles in, not far past the large Cicada Arch on the north side, you reach a spring at the meeting with Drift Trail Canyon. Another two miles takes you to Scorup Cabin, a good place to turn around or explore Horse Pasture Canyon.
Watchable Wildlife
Wildlife species are similar to Utah’s Dixie National Forest and Fishlake National Forest, including black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, porcupines, raccoons, skunks, badgers, bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, and pronghorns. Large birds include bald eagles, golden eagles, northern goshawks, turkey vultures, wild turkeys, common ravens, and various species of owls and woodpeckers. Look for short-horned lizards in the Dark Canyon Wilderness. There are many trout and other gamefish found in the streams and small lakes spread across the high-elevations of the La Sal and Abajo Mountains.
Photographic Opportunity
In the summer months, take La Sal Mountain Loop Scenic Backway to Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks to see 200-million-year-old therapod tracks, plus an awesome overlook to the north.
Peak Season
Summer
Fees
None
Road Conditions
La Sal Mountain Loop Road is mostly paved, but side roads to Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks, Oowah Lake, and Warner Lake are not. The 58-mile-long Elk Ridge Scenic Backway is a rocky, unpaved route that leads north from Natural Bridges National Monument to Highway 211; and side roads to some trailheads require a high-clearance vehicle.
Camping
Warner Lake Campground takes reservations, as does Buckeye Reservoir in Colorado and a few others. Dispersed camping is also an option, especially along lightly-traveled Elk Ridge Scenic Backway.
Explore More – Due to an administrative error in 1908, what was the misspelled name of La Sal National Forest (which was quickly corrected)?
Learn more about this and the 154 other National Forests in our new guidebook Out in the Woods
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