Travel Blog - American South West
Travel Blog - South West USA
I have travelled quite extensively across the desert South Western states of the US and patients of mine frequently ask me about recommendations for places to go and things to see. As this was becoming quite a regular occurrence, I though that I would write a travel blog post with all the info in one place for people to refer to!
As I am in danger of making this post far too long, I am going to stick with the area that I am most familiar with, the area known as ‘The Four Corners’ - this is where the four states of northern Arizona (AZ), southern Utah (UT) , northern New Mexico (NM) and southern Colorado (CO) meet in a cross. The land here and around is home and sacred to First Nations Americans including the Navajo (Diné), Hopi and Peublo. Whilst I can recommend places to stay, restaurants, stores etc the main reason to visit is the land itself (and it is the reason I keep returning). Thinking back on it, most of my trips have coincided with challenging or transitional times in my life. Once the desert is in your heart it is difficult to leave it for long! I have found it gives me space and time to reflect as well as igniting my soul with inspiration.
A lot of my travel has involved staying with family and friends or camping on organised trips. My Aunt lives in Albuquerque NM and I have also been lucky to stay in New Harmony UT and Page AZ with cowboy friends that I made whilst doing several horse back/camping treks across the Navajo reservation. If you can get a permit to camp in any of these places I would highly recommend it, sleeping on the ground is a great way to connect to it! I have also studied landscape photography up at Ghost Ranch, Abiqui NM (home of the artist Georgia O’Keeffe) and most recently, this year travelled solo to Sedona for a week with no other agenda other than to just BE with the red rocks.
People often ask me if I can recommend healers in this part of the world. I don’t know of anybody specific to recommend to you BUT… (for me at least) the biggest healer is the land it’s self. Try not to rush through it, ticking off sights along the way, take your time, sit in stillness and really absorb the beauty and power of this country. Some of the best, yet most simple Shamanic training that i’ve had was simply about connecting ones senses to the elements of the environment around you. No other tools needed. If you travel solo and connect deeply to the land you are never truly alone. (perhaps fodder for another post!)
To get to this part of the States from the UK, you can either fly direct to Pheonix Sky Harbour AZ, Las Vegas NV or Denver CO. For NM, Albuquerque is a good city to fly into but there are no direct flights. You will need to fly via one of the hubs - Chicago O’Hare, Denver or Pheonix. Unless you are going on an organised trip, I really would recommend hiring a car. This will give you the most freedom to explore. I find driving in the states much less stressful than in the UK!
I have listed and linked a few places I can recommend you visiting. Everything underlined is linked so that you can explore things further yourself.
Arizona
If you fly into Pheonix Sky Harbour Airport and are heading north (Sedona/Grand Canyon etc) you could spend the night in Scottsdale. Scottsdale - is an artsy town (just 15mins from Sky Harbour) which is very pleasant to walk around. Lots of jewellery (Navajo, Hopi) shops and a great Museum - Western Spirit fantastic Native American photograph downstairs and cowboys upstairs!. (when I was there anyway)
Images - Scottsdale AZ,
The architect Frank Lloyd Wrights summer house Taliasin West is about 20 mins outside of town and you can book to do a self guided audio tour around the house and grounds.
Images: Taliasin West, AZ
Sedona - 2hrs north Pheonix
Sedona is a beautiful town nestled in the heart of red rock country. It is home to spiritual seekers and outdoor enthusiasts. Lots of special places to hike to and connect to the land. There are several energy ‘vortex’s’ which you can hike to but to be honest, in my opinion, you can connect to the rocks at may places and still feel something. I’d recommend getting the All Trails App to help you navigate the hikes, there is a charge but you can also use it in the UK to and its really helpful to have GPS especially if you are hiking alone. There are tonnes of trails, caves and vortex’s to visit so do some research before you go and pick a few. You could be in Sedona a few months, hike every day and probably still not do all the trails.
Sedona from Munds Wagon Trail
Some of my favourite places Sedona include:
Amitabha Stupa & Peace Park - Medicine Wheel, buddist stupa and chimney rock trial
Boynton Canyon ‘secret’ Subway Cave hike
Indian Gardens Cafe great breakfast/lunch/snack food and a pretty spot to sit outside / Garlands Jewellery shop is next door
Local Jucery - Delicious juices, smoothes and vegan sweet treats
Tamaliza - Small, family run Mexican with great tasting tamales and horchetas
Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village
Airport Mesa Lookout - great for sunset views but also a good circular hike and a vortex - Skyranch Lodge hotel I have enjoyed staying here and there is a restaurant - Mesa Grill
Maii amo spa at Enchantment Resort - If you want to really indulge this is the place! Great treatments, beautiful spa - they have their own kiva/meditation space (there are some meditations held from it on You Tube) and the food at The Hummingbird Cafe is divine.
Chapel of The Holy Cross - Chapel in the rocks. Can get busy but is still worth going to see
Not very exciting but….Whole Foods in Sedona is a good option for an easy dinner or packed lunch they have a good pizza, salad and sushi bar for take out.
Not an actual recommendation but fun fact to look out for… the MacDonalds in Sedona is they only branch in the world not to have a golden ‘M’. Residents thought the yellow what clash with the red rock so its turquoise instead!
The Grand Canyon South Rim is about 2hr15 drive north of Sedona it is possible visit it in a day (there and back from Sedona) although you might like to stay close by so that you can experience a sunrise/sunset and stay for longer. If you are driving back to Sedona make sure you drive along the canyon rim road (where the view points are) drive back out via HWY64 towards Cameron then HWY 89 to Sedona- some stunning mountain/canyon scenery.
Grand Canyon South Rim
HWY 89 Cameron - Sedona
Canyon de Chelly 3hr40 from Sedona, 3hr40 form Albuquerque, 2hr40 from Page.
Important, sacred site for the Navajo. Canyon de Chelly Incudes Spider Rock (home of Spider Woman, a deity who weaved the web of the universe) and White House ruins and beautiful sandy canyons. This was also where Kit Carson and troops were sent to round up (and kill) Navajo people, seise their sheep and destroy their homes and crops.
Spider Woman by Susan Seddon Boulet
Page
Close to the AZ/UT boarder. You can fly there from pheonix, with Great Lakes Airline in a tiny plane! - Get a window seat, the views flying into Page of the red rock is spectacular. Its also drivable from Las Vegas, SW Utah and Albuquerque NM.
Page is on the Colorado River that runs through The Grand Cayon and is home to the Glenn Cayon Dam, Horse Shoe Bend and Antelope Canyon. Thanks to Instagram these places have become very crowed in recent years so something to consider when visiting. Its a good place to base yourself if you’d like to explore Staircase- Escalante NM, Vermillion Cliffs NM or if you are travelling to Monument Valley.
Pictures of some of these places around Page below! (yes these were taken along time ago…)
Images: In and around Page
Arizona/Utah Baorder
If you drive out west from Page on the I89 you will reach Kanab, UT and then beautiful Zion NP. Southern Utah is full of stunning National Parks, to list them all in detail would be another post! But if you are in this area you could include Bryce Canyon, Dixie National Forest and Arches into your itinerary. Southern Utah is drivable (about 3hrs) from Las Vegas. The town of St George UT is a good option to break your journey if you are driving from Las Vegas to Zion.
If you have money to burn you could stay at the fabulous desert oasis that is the Amangiri hotel which is about 30mins drive north, east of Page. I haven’t stayed here personally but my parents and aunts did and it was one of the things my Dad talked about the week he died, he loved it so much so I don’t think there’s a higher recommendation!! Its on my list… one day…….
North east from page are Navajo Mountain and Rainbow bridge. These are not easily accessible and you may need a Navajo guide as these are sacred sights but look into it. (I was on horseback with a guide)
East from Page on the AZ/UT Boarder is Monument Valley - Sacred Navajo land with stunning scenery made famous by John Ford’s western films. I have only ever ridden and camped through here but there are a few hotels and you can drive through it. The Mittens, buttes and arches are all worth visiting. If you drive north on the HWY163 from Kayenta you will be on the Iconic ‘Forrest Gump road’ as you drive into Monument Valley.
images: Monument Valley, Rainbow Bridge & Navajo Mountain
New Mexico
From Kyenta UT (south MV) diving East in the !^) (more stunning scenery you will drive past Teec Nos Pos Navajo reservation on the left then Shiprock (sacred rock, part of Navajo folklore) further along ion the Right as you drive into New Mexico.
Shiprock Nr Farmington NM
New Mexico
So, like Utah, I could probably write a separate post here but I will try and keep the list short to a few main things! New Mexico is known as ‘The Land of Enchantment’ but in our family we call it ‘The Land of Entrapment’ because once you visit you’ll never want to leave. It happened to my aunt, she went out to work for the Santa Fe opera in her 20s, she’s 75 now and still hasn’t come back!! The food here is fantastic. NM has its own style of Mexican food usually with either green or red chilli sauce. Try both as each are good but different.
Northern New Mexico was home to the artist Georgia O’Keeffe. If you don’t know her work i’d highly recommend that you look her up. Her work was very modern for the time and perfectly illustrates connection to the landscape. She based herself up in a place called Abiquiu, (about 1hr north of Santa Fe) an an area of land known as Ghost Ranch. Many of her most famous paintings were inspired by the landscape here. You can stay up at Ghost Ranch, just use it as accommodation or do one of their workshops. I did a photography workshop here in 2016 and they hold all kinds of art and spiritual/religious retreats and trainings.
The hiking here is beautiful. If you are in the area make sure that you visit Plaza Blanca (the White Place) about 30 mins from Ghost Ranch. The white rock has a powerful, atmospheric feel, like being on another planet. *** I have just looked into this and it seems like you might not be able to access this area currently… please do research this if you are thinking of going.***
Images: Ghost Ranch & Plaza Blanca
Santa Fe - (1hr north ABQ) Pretty, artsy city. Great shops, galleries, restaurants, hotels and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Check out the Native American jewellery which is sold directly by the artists underneath the walk way of The Palace of The Governor’s off Santa Fe Plaza.
Ojo Caliente Hot Springs - (1hr north Santa Fe, 30mins north Abiqiui) I visited here with friends in 2001 and we had a great time in the mud! There looks as if they have another site now in Santa Fe, this is the original one though.
Albuquerque (ABQ) - The state capital of NM, nestled in the Sandia Mountain range. This is where my aunt lives (also the home of the meth cooking, blockbuster series Breaking Bad! She lives near to that car wash..) It has a lovely Old Town, shops, restaurants and a nice museum. If you are here in October you are in time for the annual Ballon Fiesta!
Madrid - (in-between Santa Fe and ABQ) a small colourful town along the scenic ‘Turquoise Trail’ byway. Jewellery shops, restaurants, cafes and fun photo ops!
White Sands National Park - (3h30 south east of ABQ) Stunning expanse of white power sand dunes
Taos - Town up in the mountains - art community, historical churches, close to the Rio Grande River
To dive in to Arizona towards the Grand Canyon head ABQ west on I40 via Grants/ Gallup and Zuni reservation back into Az to Flagsatff and Sedona.
i hope that was helpful! I’m sure i will add to it as time goes on…..
Recommended Reading
(realting to the desert, Native American culture and healing practises)
‘Talking To The Ground’ by Douglas Preston - The authors journey across the Navajo reservation on horse back with his family that weaves in the Dine story of creation. The route he embarks on and describes in the book is similar to one I have ridden. It was one of the most special weeks of my life, absolutely stunning powerful landscape that cant be anything but life changing.
‘Healing Quest’ by Marie Herbert - a story of a mothers healing journey with Native American healers in the South West after the death of her daughter.
Jamie Sams & David Carson’s medicine cards and book of animal totems
Red Passion and Patience in the Desert Terry Tempest Williams
‘My body, My Earth’ - The Practisce of Somatic Archaeology By Ruby Gibson. For healers interested in Somatics, the medicine wheel, native American healing and ancesteral trauma
‘The Wisdom Wheel’ by Alberto Villoldo - Healing use of The Medicine Wheel
