What to see in Arizona, itinerary including the main places of interest, including Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Phoenix, capital with Indian art museum and modern auditorium.
Tourist information
US state, Arizona is located southwest of the nation, the neighboring states are Utah, Nevada, California, Mexico and Colorado.
In Arizona, the climate is mainly arid, due to the presence of mountain ranges in the west and the considerable distance from the Pacific Ocean, factors that determine the almost total absence of rain.
What see
The main cities are Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff, located in the territory are the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Coyote Buttes and Monument Valley, as well as forests, parks and some Indian reserves.
The capital Phoenix is located in the center of the Valley of the Sun, on the banks of the Salt River, dried up after the construction of the large Roosvelt Dam dam, completed in 1912.
Phoenix is home to the Heard Museum, a museum of Indian art, and a beautiful Auditorium in modern art, built by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Monument Valley is located in a rather large isolated area, located on the border between Utah and Arizona and about seventy kilometers away from Kayenta, which is the closest city.
Very famous is Highway 163, the road that must be traveled to reach Monument Valley, worth mentioning the last straight stretch in slight descent, which makes motorists feel the sensation of immersing themselves in the heart of the valley.
The landscape is largely flat, with some isolated hills, called butte, with very inclined sides and a flat top.
The butts, formed of rocks and sand, generally have the shape of towers, with a color tending to red due to the high presence of iron oxide.
The Monument Valley area is inhabited by Navajo Indians, who organize the territory and sell their handicrafts to tourists, through the numerous stalls set up for the purpose.
Recommended readings- California (United States): what to see
- Iowa (United States): what to see in the 29th state
- Arches: what to see in the national park
- Arizona (United States): what to see in the state of the Grand Canyon
- North Carolina: what to see between the city and the Atlantic coast
In this valley there are no hotels and motels, excursions are only possible using your own motor vehicle.
In addition, movie sets are often set up for shooting western films.
At the Monument Valley Visitor Center, Navajo guides are available to visit the valley on horseback, with a ride lasting about four hours or on board an off-road vehicle taking two hours on the journey.
To go into the most characteristic part of the valley it is advisable to use only off-road vehicles, as the road to be traveled is unpaved and sudden flooding is possible in case of torrential rains, events that would put the driver in serious difficulty.
