Arizona

The Grand Canyon embodies the scale and splendor of the American West, captured in dramatic vistas, dusty trails, and stories of exploration, preservation and exploitation.

When Monument Valley rises into sight from the desert floor, you realize you've always known it. Its brick-red spindles, sheer-walled mesas and grand buttes, stars of countless films, TV commercials and magazine ads, are part of the modern consciousness. And Monument Valley's epic beauty is only heightened by the barren landscape surrounding it: one minute you're in the middle of sand, rocks and infinite sky, then suddenly you're transported to a fantasyland of crimson towers, thrusting up to 1200ft skyward.

Long before the land became part of the Navajo Reservation, the valley was home to Ancestral Puebloans, who migrated from the site some 700 years ago. When the Navajo arrived a few centuries ago, they called it 'Valley Between the Rocks.' Today, Monument Valley straddles the Arizona–Utah border and is traversed by Hwy 163.

Nestled amid striking red sandstone formations, Sedona's truly spectacular landscape has long attracted spiritual seekers, artists and healers. Many people believe that this area has a number of vortexes that radiate the earth's energy, and you'll find all sorts of alternative medicines and practices here, from rejuvenating bodywork to past-life workshops. But outdoorsy adventurers – and even die-hard skeptics and city slickers – have begun to see the light as well: there are some inimitable thrills to be had hiking, mountain biking and climbing amid these desert spires.

The town itself bustles with art galleries and expensive gourmet restaurants. In summer the traffic and crowds can be intense. But don't despair: somewhere out there is a vortex that's waiting just for you.

A college town with a long history, Tucson (too-sawn) is attractive, fun-loving and one of the most culturally invigorating places in the Southwest. Set in a flat valley hemmed in by snaggletoothed mountains and swaths of saguaro, Arizona's second-largest city smoothly blends American Indian, Spanish, Mexican and Anglo traditions. Distinct neighborhoods and 19th-century buildings give a rich sense of community and history not found in more modern, sprawling Phoenix. The eclectic shops toting vintage garb, scores of funky restaurants and dive bars don't let you forget Tucson is a college town at heart, home turf to the 45,000-strong University of Arizona (UA).

Although colorful historic buildings, great bars and restaurants, and quirky shops are half of Tucson's charm, the other half lies outside of town. With the beautiful Saguaro National Park, the rugged Santa Catalina Mountains and the world-class Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, you won't regret exploring beyond the city limits.

Phoenix is Arizona's indubitable cultural and economic powerhouse, a thriving desert metropolis boasting some of the best Southwestern and Mexican food you'll find anywhere. And with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, exploring the 'Valley of the Sun' is an agreeable proposition (except in the sapping heat from June to August).

Culturally, it offers an opera, a symphony, several theaters and three of the state's finest museums – the Heard, Phoenix Art and Musical Instrument Museums – while the Desert Botanical Garden is a stunning introduction to the region's flora and fauna. Active types, meanwhile, have plenty of options to get out and hike, mountain bike and climb in the regional parks, all easily accessible.

Southeast of Phoenix proper, student-flavored Tempe (tem-pee) is a lively district with a good bar scene, while suburban Mesa has a couple of interesting museums. To the northeast lies the ritzy enclave of Scottsdale.

Sandwiched between the Santa Rita Mountains and the Patagonia Mountains, just north of the Mexican border, this region is one of the shiniest gems in Arizona. In a valley by the small town of Patagonia are long vistas of lush, windswept upland grassland; dark, knobby forest mountains; and a crinkle of slow streams. The valleys occupy a special microclimate that is amenable to wine grapes. They also harbor hard-bitten cowboys, artistic refugees and an amazing array of migratory birds.

Patagonia, smaller Sonoita and tiny Elgin – together known as the Mountain Empire – sit at almost 5000ft above sea level and are cool and breezy. Patagonia and Sonoita were once important railway stops, but since the line closed in 1962, tourism and the arts have been their bread and butter. The beauty of these montane grasslands was not lost on film scouts – Oklahoma! and John Wayne's Red River were both filmed here.

Beautiful and spiritual, the remote and variegated Canyon de Chelly feels far removed from time and space. Pronounced 'd-shay' (the name is a corruption of the Navajo word tsegi, or 'rock canyon'), it's been inhabited for 5000 years, and shelters prehistoric petroglyphs alongside the 1000-year-old cliff dwellings of Ancestral Puebloans.

Navajos arrived here in the 1700s, using it for farming and as a stronghold and retreat for their raids on other tribes and Spanish settlers; today it's administered for the tribe by the NPS. But if these cliffs could talk, they'd also tell stories of great violence and tragedy. In 1805, Spanish soldiers killed scores of Navajo hiding in what's now called Massacre Cave. In 1864, thousands of Navajos took refuge from the US Army here. Starved out, the survivors were forced to march 300 miles – the Long Walk – to Fort Sumner in New Mexico. Four years later, they returned.

A wonderfully rugged yet whimsical wonderland, Chiricahua National Monument is one of Arizona's most unique and evocative landscapes. Rain, thunder and wind have chiseled volcanic rocks into fluted pinnacles, natural bridges, gravity-defying balancing boulders and soaring spires reaching skyward like totem poles carved in stone. The remoteness made Chiricahua (cheery-cow-wha) a favorite hiding place of Apache warrior Cochise and his men. Today, the same quality attracts birds and wildlife, including bobcats, bears, deer, coatis and javelinas.

Past the entrance, the paved Bonita Canyon Scenic Drive climbs 8 miles to Massai Point at 6870ft, passing several scenic pullouts and trailheads along the way. RVs longer than 29ft are not allowed beyond the visitor center, about 2 miles along the road.