This is the first of a series of travel guides over the course of 21-year-old Tobi Thompson’s 48-state Road Trip. Read about her motivations behind the budget-friendly endeavor here.
Though L.A.’s population is overwhelming and frustrating, driving northeast to Arizona is a very bland, hot drive. Boiling in the car as the wind tunnels wedged between mountains steers your car sideways is the first step toward our adventure of a 48-state road trip.
Between camping at the Grand Canyon for a night and a visit to the Four Corners, there are a lot of opportunities to get lost. The hidden beauty tucked in the Antelope Canyon of Page, Arizona, is one thing we overlooked, out of patience as we twisted around and studied maps. Instead we looked forward as we headed toward the Four Corners Monument—only to find it closed by 5 p.m. But these setbacks don’t overshadow the sights that we did catch. Don’t miss these at the Grand Canyon, Four Corners, Santa Fe, and an overnight in Roswell, New Mexico.
Grand Canyon
In the wintertime, only the South Rim of the canyon is available for sightseeing and hiking, but since the Grand Canyon’s lowest elevation point is still higher than sea level at approximately 2,000 feet high, dress warm. The weather, though, effects little about America’s biggest and best natural imprint.
To get the real experience, camp at the grounds in the park—even if it’s the middle of February. It’s only $15 (plus the original Canyon entry fee of $25 per vehicle), and you can easily split that between your friends. The sight of the stars is well worth the clouds of your breath and the sounds of coyotes howling in the safe-enough-away distance in the middle of the night. Every twinkle is visible and each constellation is unquestionable.
Watch the sun peek over the cliffs of the canyon and be sure to visit the free Yavapai Geology Museum. The building rests along one of the Canyon’s edges with panoramic windows panning across an incandescent view. Along the Rim’s trails and sightseeing points lie several other studios and visitor centers employed by friendly greeters that direct you for your personal needs. Let them show you the way to the free shuttle system: Hermit Road is among the most scenic drives and is only available to all vehicles during January and February. During busy season, it closes for shuttle buses only.
And when you’re driving through at any point, don’t forget to stop.
With much to see (or not—know your maps) around Page (like Antelope Canyon, The Wave, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell), the reds and oranges that blend through land and several canyons make any drive from the Grand Canyon’s South Rim on Route 64 East well worth any frustrations you might endeavor trying to find those hidden sweet spots. Stop and take pictures—though snapshots of each of the Grand Canyon’s crevices and shadows, with a trailing river flowing through the bottom, will do nature’s enormousness no justice.
Four Corners Monument
Eventually, you’ll land yourself at the Four Corners Monument. A short time spent in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, AND New Mexico is still memorable with its vendors lined in a square formation outside the middle point itself. Most vendors, of Navajo descent, sell their hand-crafted designs, pottery, jewelry, and more for fair prices. Admission to the Monument is $5. And after you’ve considered yourself lucky enough to be in four states at once, you might catch some horses casually hoofing around on your drive out.
