HE SOUTHWESTsometimes gets abad rap. When I tellothers where I’mfrom, they oftensay, disdain evident

in their voice, “Oh, you’re from thedesert.” The desert — what’s even outthere? Dry land, tumbleweeds and a fewdonkeys? The region gets those mas-sive, enveloping dust storms (haboobs,as we locals call them). It’s hot, dry andbarren. Who would like the desert? I’ll let you in on a secret. The South-

west is rich in Native American andSpanish colonial culture, spicy cuisine(yes, green chiles can go on everything)and fascinating scenery. Mesas, hoodoosand buttes surge up from the desertfloor while canyons carve their waydown, creating a landscape like noother. Sprinkled throughout are vibrantcities with world-class arts, restaurantsand other amenities.

Of course, there are parts that are sim-ply dry patches covered in tumbleweedsand cactuses, but these flat lands opento wide skies that produce the mostbeautiful sunsets I’ve ever witnessed.From spas and spectacular scenery toblackjack tables and big names in enter-tainment, the American Southwestoffers something for everyone.Navigating its vast national parks and

historic capitals can be overwhelming,but with the help of an escorted tour,hitting the local highlights is easy. Thispopular form of travel packages accom-modations, guided sightseeing and otherperks while following a well-plannedroute manned by vacation experts. Thefollowing are eight destinations oftenfeatured on Southwestern journeys; pickyour favorites, then contact VacationsTo Go’s escorted tour specialists,(800) 680-2858 or www.TourVacationsToGo.com/US, todelve into the Southwest.

July/August 2016 5958 VacationsMagazine.com SEDONA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & TOURISM BUREAU, VISIT PHOENIX (INSET)

TREASURES OF THE

SouthwestDiscover scenic gems in Arizona and Utah

with the help of an escorted vacationBY KATHRYN E. WORRALL

Hike the McDowell Sonoran Preserve — a desert habitat about 30 miles northeast of Phoenix — or simply baskin the glorious glow of the red rocks surrounding Sedona.

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PhoenixTake in the Arizona capital’s wide blueskies, palm tree-lined streets and Ari-zona Diamondbacks baseball fanatics.Phoenix is a cultural mecca: The critical-ly acclaimed Heard Museum embracesthe region’s rich Native American past,while ballet, theater and symphony per-formances fill the events calendar. TourTaliesin West, the winter home of FrankLloyd Wright, and sample the shops,studios and eateries of the RooseveltRow Arts District, which hosts guidedtours and other special events on thefirst and third Fridays of every month.

Pack hiking boots for a trip to Camel-back Mountain or golf cleats to test morethan 200 area courses. Nearby, Old TownScottsdale offers turquoise jewelry andother souvenirs with Southwestern flairas well as historic sites, including anearly 1900s schoolhouse, saloon andadobe mission.

SedonaHigh in the Arizona desert, Sedona isa red-rock spiritual haven surroundedby nearly 2 million acres of national forest. Many visitors are beckoned bythe outdoors, but others head here forits famed New Age scene. With maps toenergy vortexes, winding labyrinths forself-reflection and studios offering aura

photography, the town attracts truehippies and Hollywood celebrities alike,all searching for some positive vibes.If your stay in Sedona is short, stroll

the artists colony’s streets full of galleries and boutiques. Tourists withtime on their hands can embrace theholistic side of town at a spa and relax-ation center, sip their way through thevalley’s wine trail or traverse bumpy roadson a Jeep tour of the rock formations.

Grand Canyon National ParkRunning a mile deep and nearly 280miles long in northwestern Arizona, thegrandeur of the Grand Canyon canseem like a mirage in person, but just

ask the nesting California condors — it is indeed real. President Theodore Roosevelt once called it “the one greatsight which every American shouldsee.” It seems others agree with hisstatement: Nearly 5 million visitors ayear are drawn to the expanse, which is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Many tours visit the more accessible

South Rim and capture either a stunningsunrise or sunset over the canyon.Descend into the chasm for a day hike,get a bird’s-eye view on a helicopter touror simply dine at a local lodge withprime views.

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The Mitten Buttes, shown atleft and center, along withMerrick Butte comprise oneof the most recognizablevistas in Monument ValleyNavajo Tribal Park.

With its broad vistasand condor nesting site,Hopi Point is a popularoverlook on the GrandCanyon’s South Rim.

Find escorted tours to nationalparks at www.TourVacationsToGo.com/US.

Monument ValleyIts Navajo name— Tse Bii Ndzisgaii, or “valley of the rocks” — is a bit of anunderstatement. Some of MonumentValley’s sandstone buttes and towersstretch as tall as 1,000 feet and are a recognizable sight for movie buffs. This inspiring landscape at the Ari-

zona-Utah border is featured in someiconic American Westerns, includingthe 1939 classic “Stagecoach” starringJohn Wayne. But Monument Valleyscenery has spread across film genres:Tom Hank’s “Forrest Gump” ended hiscross-country jog here, Tom Cruisescaled rocky cliffs in “Mission Impossi-ble II” and the outlaws of “Thelma andLouise” whizzed through in a blueThunderbird convertible. Explore this film set for yourself with

local guides offering hiking, Jeep orhorseback tours of Monument ValleyNavajo Tribal Park. Keep your camera atthe ready for shots of the hand-shapedEast and West Mitten Buttes, the trunk-like edge of Elephant Butte and RainGod Mesa, the center of the park and aspiritual marker for the Navajo.

Lake PowellCreated in 1963 after the constructionof Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell makes

for stunning photos, its sandstone wallstowering over gentle waters, amber huesin stark contrast with a stretch of blue.It took 17 years for the Colorado River tofill this man-made reservoir that spillsinto both Arizona and Utah, but today,waste no time wading into its recre-ational offerings. Cast a line for fish,

rent a kayak or explore on foot — somehiking trails lead through shallow water. Many escorted tours cap off a stop

here with an evening dinner cruise,while others include a hike to RainbowBridge National Monument near Page,AZ. Known as one of the world’s largestnatural spans, it’s considered sacred tosome Native American tribes and evenfeatures a preserved dinosaur footprint.

Bryce Canyon National ParkReddish, oddly shaped pinnacles —hoodoos, as they’re known here — reachfor the sky above Utah’s Bryce CanyonNational Park. These eroding wondersrange from 5 to 150 feet tall and havetaken on some unusual shapes, from theregal Queen Victoria to the balancing actknown as Thor’s Hammer, seeminglyready to topple at any moment. Visitorsoften aim for Inspiration Point, aptlynamed for its views of the naturalamphitheaters formed by sloping rock.The park provides several ways to

explore the landscape, including ranger-led walks and geology talks or late-nighthikes to view the hoodoos under a fullmoon. Bryce Canyon celebrates itsstrange spires with an annual geologyfestival and also honors a rare species,the Utah prairie dog, with its own event.

Sunset Point showsoff the vibrant huesof the tightly packedlimestone pinnaclesin Bryce Canyon.

Houseboats anchored in quiet covesare common sights along the nearly2,000-mile shoreline of Lake Powell.

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Zion National ParkAnother red-rock Utah jewel, ZionNational Park, also has earned its placeas one of the nation’s favorite preserves;it welcomed 3 million visitors in 2015.Pictographs, petroglyphs and archaeo-logical sites reveal that the area’s humanhistory dates back almost 12,000 years,but today it mainly draws adrenalinejunkies.

The park is a playground for rockclimbers and bighorn sheep clamberingover cliff edges and bikers and hikers

testing the trails. The Virgin River pulsesthrough the canyon, setting a wild coursefor kayaking and whitewater rafting. Onepopular yet challenging hiking path, TheNarrows, follows the riverbed, and anattempt to complete it means splashingthrough icy water, so plan ahead whenpacking your boots and gear. Much ofUtah’s native flora and fauna are foundwithin Zion, so scan the sky for baldeagles, the ground for rock squirrels andwild turkey and the greenery for hanginggardens and desert shrubs.

Las VegasExperience an extreme change ofscenery in Sin City when you swapdesert spires and watery ravines for

glitz and glamour. Most escorted toursleave you to your own devices while inLas Vegas, with plenty of leisure time to take advantage of boundless enter-tainment options. Pick your soundtrack— the clinking of poker chips, the oohsand ahs of a Cirque du Soleil audienceor silence in a hotel sauna. After thor-oughly exploring the Southwest’s out-door spectacles, relish the over-the-topopulence of this neon city and its 24-hour entertainment.

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THE STYLISH SOUTHWESTInsight Vacations’ seven-day “Enchanting Canyonlands” includes suggested stopslike Sedona, Monument Valley and Bryce Canyon National Park as well as anexcursion to the Glen Canyon Dam, a cruise of Lake Powell and shopping for NativeAmerican crafts at Cameron Trading Post, which turns 100 years old in 2016. Pricesstart at $2,325, and departures are available through March 2017.“America’s Canyonlands,” eight days with Tauck, offers stays at two Four Seasons

resorts, among other luxury lodgings. This tour, developed in part with documentarianKen Burns, also includes a flightseeing adventure over Lake Powell, a Colorado River float trip and a private boat cruise to explore slot canyons on Navajo lands.Prices start at $3,790, and more than 30 departures are offered between April andOctober 2017.More extensive itineraries can last two to three weeks and reach as far as San

Francisco or New York. Cosmos’ 14-day “National Parks & Canyon Country” venturesto Denver, Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota and Wyoming’s Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, with prices from $1,899. For information on these and other escorted tours of the Southwest, contact

Vacations To Go, (800) 680-2858 or www.TourVacationsToGo.com/US.

Zion’s hikes range from gentle walksalong the Virgin River to challengingtreks up the sandstone monoliths.Below: Las Vegas and its man-madedazzle bookend many national parkstours in the Southwest.

Find escorted tours to nationalparks at www.TourVacationsToGo.com/US.