Exploring the Southwest and Unraveling Centuries of History

The phrases "takes your breath away" and "leaves you speechless" were quite possibly coined somewhere in the spellbinding Grand Circle region of the American Southwest, which encompasses most of southern Utah and northern Arizona, along with the southwestern corner of Colorado and the northwestern corner of New Mexico. Its wow-evoking landscapes are situated largely on the Colorado Plateau, a place unique in all the world for its ruggedly exposed and exotically eroded geological record. Alternating periods of ancient shallow seas and shifting sand dunes resulted in today's intriguing rock strata. The oldest layers are revealed in the Grand Canyon, one of more than two dozen national park units that preserve some of the most outstanding acreage in the Grand Circle.

Across 1,400 miles, high-desert land-forms in astonishing varieties, precipitous gorges and sprawling canyons, and monumental waterways, plus the highest concentration of prehistoric ruins and rock art in the country, create an overwhelming travel experience. We vacation-deprived Americans, however, usually see the Grand Circle in slices over several trips.