Fodor's Essential Southwest: The Best of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah

by Fodor's Travel Publications

Overview

Whether you want to take in the views from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, explore Salt Lake City, or buy something at an art gallery in Santa Fe, the local Fodor’s travel experts in the Southwest are here to help! Fodor’s Essential Southwest guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time.

This brand new title has been designed with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos.

Fodor’s “Essential” guides have been named by Booklist as the Best Travel Guide Series of 2020!

Fodor’s Essential Southwest travel guide includes:

• AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do
• MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time
• MORE THAN 25 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently
• COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust!
• HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, side-trips, and more
• PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “The Best Hikes in Arizona,” “The Best Outdoor Adventures in Colorado,” “Best Art Experiences in Santa Fe,” “Utah's Best Ski Resorts and Lodges,” and more
• TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money
• HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, art, architecture, cuisine, music, geography and more
• SPECIAL FEATURES on “Aurora Borealis 101,” “What to Watch and Read Before You Visit,” and “What to Eat and Drink”
• LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems
• UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE ON: Favorite destinations in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah

Planning on visiting other places in the western U.S.? Check out Fodor’s California and Fodor's National Parks of the West.

*Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition.

ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640974555
Publisher:	Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Series:	Fodor's Travel Guides Series
Pages:	640
Sales rank:	72,434
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel advice for every stage of a traveler's trip. We hire local writers who know their destinations better than anyone else, allowing us to provide the best travel recommendations for all tastes and budget in over 7,500 worldwide destinations. Our books make it possible for every trip to be a trip of a lifetime.

Table of Contents

1 Experience the Southwest 9

25 Ultimate Experiences 10

What's Where 18

Best Natural Wonders 20

Best Historic Sights 22

Best Outdoor Activities 24

What to Eat and Drink in the Southwest 26

The Southwest with Kids 28

What to Watch and Read 29

2 Travel Smart 31

Know Before You Go 32

Getting Here and Around 34

Essentials 36

Contacts 39

Great Itineraries 40

On the Calendar 49

3 Las Vegas and Vicinity 51

Welcome to Las Vegas and Vicinity 52

Planning 55

Las Vegas 57

Hoover Dam 75

Lake Mead 78

Valley of Fire 78

Area 51 79

4 Great Basin National Park 81

Welcome to Great Basin National Park 82

Planning 85

Lehman Caves 87

Wheeler Peak 90

Snake Creek Canyon 91

Activities 92

What's Nearby 93

5 Salt Lake City 97

Welcome to Salt Lake City 98

Planning 101

Temple Square 103

Downtown and Central City 107

Capitol Hill and the Avenues 111

East Side and Sugar House 114

Great Salt Lake and West Side 116

Midvalley and South Valley 118

Little Cottonwood Canyon 119

6 Park City and Vicinity 123

Welcome to Park City and Vicinity 124

Planning 126

Park City 128

Heber Valley 143

Sundance Resort 147

7 Southwestern Utah 151

Welcome to Southwestern Utah 152

Planning 154

Cedar City 156

St. George 159

Springdale 164

Zion National Park 167

Kanab 175

Bryce Canyon National Park 180

Escalante 190

Torrey 193

Capitol Reef National Park 196

8 Moab and Southeastern Utah 203

Welcome to Moab and Southeastern Utah 204

Planning 206

Moab 207

Arches National Park 217

Canyonlands National Park 225

Green River 232

Blanding 234

Bluff 236

Natural Bridges National Monument 238

9 Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe 239

Welcome to Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe 240

Planning 242

Phoenix 244

Scottsdale 258

Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler 265

Side Trips Near Phoenix 268

10 Tucson and Southern Arizona 275

Welcome to Tucson and Southern Arizona 276

Planning 279

Tucson 280

Saguaro National Park 296

Side Trips Near Tucson 300

Tombstone 304

Bisbee 308

Chiricahua National Monument 311

Texas Canyon 313

Kartchner Caverns State Park 313

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge 315

Kitt Peak National Observatory 317

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument 317

Yuma 318

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge 320

11 Northern Arizona 321

Welcome to Northern Arizona 322

Planning 324

Flagstaff 325

East of Flagstaff 331

Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon 333

Grand Canyon National Park 340

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell 354

Monument Valley 359

The Hopi Mesas 362

Petrified Forest National Park 366

Canyon de Chelly 369

12 Santa FE, Tags, and Albuquerque 373

Welcome to Santa Fe, Taos, and Albuquerque 374

Planning 377

Santa Fe 379

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument 394

Bandelier National Monument 394

Taos 395

Albuquerque 405

13 Southeastern New Mexico 415

Welcome to Southeastern New Mexico 416

Planning 419

Roswell 420

Santa Rosa 422

Lincoln 423

Ruidoso 425

Cloudcroft 429

Carlsbad 431

Carlsbad Caverns National Park 433

14 Southwestern New Mexico 441

Welcome to Southwestern New Mexico 442

Planning 445

U.S. 60 Corridor 446

Hatch 448

Alamogordo 449

White Sands National Park 450

Las Cruces 455

Old Mesilla 461

Silver City 463

Gila National Forest 468

15 Denver and North-Central Colorado 471

Welcome to Denver and North-Central Colorado 472

Planning 474

Denver 477

Greater Denver 492

Golden 493

Georgetown 495

Estes Park 496

Rocky Mountain National Park 500

16 Colorado Springs and Vicinity 513

Welcome to Colorado Springs and Vicinity 514

Planning 516

Colorado Springs 518

Cripple Creek 529

Florissant Fossil Beds 530

Royal Gorge Region and Cañon City 530

Salida 533

Trinidad 535

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve 536

Alamosa 540

San Luis and Fort Garland Loop 541

17 The Rocky Mountain Ski Resorts 543

Welcome to the Rocky Mountain Ski Resorts 544

Planning 546

Aspen 548

Snowmass 558

Vail 562

Frisco 570

Dillon 571

Keystone 573

Breckenridge 576

Steamboat Springs 580

18 Western Colorado 589

Welcome to Western Colorado 590

Planning 593

Grand Junction 594

Dinosaur National Monument 598

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 599

Telluride 605

Durango 612

Mesa Verde National Park 617

Index 628

About Our Writers 640

Maps

Las Vegas Strip 60-61

Downtown Las Vegas 71

Las Vegas Suburbs 74

Salt Lake City 104-105

Park City 130-131

Lower Wasatch 143

Zion National Park 168-169

Bryce Canyon National Park 182

Capitol Reef National Park 198

Moab 210

Arches National Park 218

Canyonlands National Park 226

Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler 246-247

Scottsdale 260

Side Trips near Phoenix 269

Tucson 282-283

Saguaro National Park West 297

Saguaro National Park East 299

Southeast Arizona 305

Southwestern Arizona 315

Flagstaff and Vicinity 327

Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon 334

Grand Canyon National Park 343

The Hopi Mesas 363

Santa Fe 380-381

Taos 398

Central Albuquerque 408-409

Carlsbad Caverns National Park 436

Las Cruces 456

Denver 480-481

Rocky Mountain National Park 504

Colorado Springs 520-521

Aspen 550

Vail 563

Mesa Verde National Park 620

Editorial Reviews

Fodor’s is pitched a few notches higher…aimed at a fairly discerning traveler with an appetite for background and the occasional surprise.” – New York Times

“The Fodor’s guides are notable for their ratings of sights, restaurants, shops, accommodations and attractions.” – Chicago Tribune

“In terms of comprehensiveness of coverage, the very accessible format, and the enthusiastic tone, this series remains one of the best on the market.” – Booklist

“Fodor’s super-informative guidebooks are known for accuracy and attention to detail.” – Sacramento Bee

“Fodor’s can help you plan the perfect adventure.” – Arizona Republic

From the Publisher