itforit - itineraries for independent travel

114 pages with 145+ photographs (2 MB PDF)

A circular tour, starting and finishing at Phoenix, Arizona
2,970 miles average

A fascinating itinerary around two States, with a wealth of diverse interests, including Ancient Indian cultures of 1,000 years ago. There is a real insight into the Hispanic influence of the area, and visits up to 4 National Parks.
The effect of the pioneers can be seen in ghost towns, and forts built to provide protection from the Indians. It also includes the OK Corral at Tombstone, aircraft history, extinct volcanic activity and other geological phenomena, scientific establishments, the massive Saguaro cacti, and 'alien' territory around Roswell.

There are opportunities within the itinerary to reduce the length to fit into 2 weeks.

Visit up to 4 National Parks:

Petrified Forest	has the largest concentration of petrified wood in the world
Chaco Culture	possibly once the largest ancient city in North America, housing up to 5,000 people
Carlsbad Caverns	the deepest, largest and most ornate caverns ever found. There are also amazing 'bat shows'
Saguaro	the most famous of all cacti, being featured in many Westerns

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Visit up to 20 National Monuments, Historical Sites, Landmarks and Parks (in the USA, Monuments are like small National Parks), including:

Sunset Crater and El Malpais	show off the effects of the energy of volcanoes
Fort Union	was the largest 1800s military facility in the USA Southwest, protecting Santa Fe Trail travellers
Tombstone	famous for the OK Corral, Bird Cage Theater and historic streets
Tumacácori	the remains of a massive adobe mission
Titan Missile Museum	the one remaining missile
8 sites of ancient Indian cultures	each deals with differing aspects and interests of life 1,000 years ago

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Visit up to 11 State Monuments and Parks, including:

Slide Rock	a lush canyon, with a natural 30-foot-long water slide
Fort Sumner	site of the incarceration of Navajo Indians at the Bosque Redondo Reservation, after their infamous 'Long Walk' of 300 miles. Also the site of Billy the Kid's killing by Pat Garrett
Boyce Thompson Arboretum	oldest botanical garden in Arizona, world-wide collection of desert plants, set amongst slopes and canyon walls

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Visit fascinating towns, cities and pueblos, including:

Santa Fe	the oldest State capital in the USA, at the end of the Santa Fe Trail, with its traditional adobe architecture, and wonderful atmosphere
Roswell	site of the so-called UFO 'Roswell Incident'
Tucson	has a historic downtown area, with museums and many other interests in the surrounding area, including the Davis-Monthan 'Boneyard'
Phoenix	capital of Arizona, in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, has 300 days of sunshine each year. There are many excellent museums
Acoma Pueblo and Taos Pueblo	these are still inhabited, and welcome visitors

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Visit scientific establishments, museums and other interesting places, including:

Meteor Crater	largest and best preserved meteor crater known in the world
National Solar Observatory	an insight into the world of the Sun
Pima Air & Space Museum	over 200 vintage and unusual aircraft
Biosphere 2	site of a 2-year experiment, where 8 scientists were sealed into this miniature reproduction of Earth's ecosystems
El Rancho de las Golondrinas	a living history museum of a Spanish colonial village in the 1600s and 1700s
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum	a botanical garden with over 1,300 plants, and home to over 300 animals
Old Tucson Studios	original film-sets, shootouts, and all the fun of the Wild West - over 300 films have been shot here

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Suggested walking/hiking:

In addition to visiting the many interesting places on this itinerary, separate walks are also described, where appropriate

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Arizona & New Mexico, USA 18 day itinerary / self-guided tour

Arizona & New Mexico, USA
18 day itinerary / self-guided tour