Our Favorite Spots in All 50 States: Part 2-Rocky Mountains and Southwest

A list of our favorite places, plus sites that we want to go to but haven’t seen yet, in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma

It is very hard to narrow down our favorites, so I’m listing as favorites the places we enjoyed the most and we’d go back to in a heartbeat.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATES:

MONTANA:

Took this photo at the wrong time of day—it would have been better in the morning with the sun behind me.

1. Glacier National Park—The scenery is spectacular. The crowds in July are not. I’d like to go back in autumn.

2. Kootenai Falls—Large cascading falls were quite picturesque.

   Other interesting sites we’ve seen include Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area, and Little Bighorn Battlefield Natl. Monument. The main street in downtown Bozeman is definitely worth a stop. We had yummy crepes for lunch at Stuffed Crepes and Waffles.

   Montana is a huge state, and we’ve barely seen any of it. I really want to go back to see Bighorn Canyon and also drive the Beartooth Highway. On the eastern side of the state is Makoshika State Park, also on our list for a future trip out west.

WYOMING:

1. Yellowstone National Park—Yes, it’s crowded and huge, but there’s so much of a variety of things to see: the falls at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Grand Prismatic Spring, all the wildlife, and of course, the geysers.

2. Grand Teton National Park—Gorgeous mountains towering over the valley, plus lots of wildflowers and wild animals!

3. Devils Tower National Monument— We took an easy walk all around the tower to see it up close.

Grand Tetons in June

Curt Gowdy State Park near Cheyenne was a scenic state park that we enjoyed very much, also, although I wouldn’t rank it as high as the other sites we’ve been to.

COLORADO:

marmot off Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mtn. Natl. Park

1. Rocky Mountain National Park—Some of the trails were very crowded when we went in June, but the view of lakes with a mountain backdrop are just so pretty. When we drove Trail Ridge Road, we saw marmots quite close to the walking paths, right off some of the viewpoint parking lots.

2. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park—Uncrowded. Cool views of the narrow, deep canyon, especially at sunset.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

3. Paint Mines Interpretive Park—County park that I had never heard of until I researched places to go on our trip. Very cool pink and yellow rocks that we could walk all around.

4. Garden of the Gods—Free! Cool red rock formations. Our experience was that it was much more crowded in the afternoon than first thing in the morning.

5. Colorado National Monument—Uncrowded. More cool rock formations. Obviously, we like rocks!

6. Maroon Bells—I would love to see this in autumn when the aspens have turned golden.

Sites that were also worth our time, though not at the top of our favorites list, were Mesa Verde National Park and Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Maroon Bells

SOUTHWEST STATES:

ARIZONA:

SO MUCH to see and do in this amazing state!

1. White Pocket and South Coyote Buttes—White Pocket is like being on another planet. It’s one of my absolute favorite places of all. We booked a tour (twice) with Dreamland Safari, because to get there, you have to drive through deep sand, and often, people who try to drive it themselves get stuck. Uncrowded—our small group was practically the only one there.

2. Grand Canyon National Park—North and South rims on separate trips—North rim temps are cooler and it’s less crowded, but both rims have spectacular views.

It’s easier to get a permit to South Coyote Buttes than The Wave, and the scenery is still awesome.

Upper Antelope Canyon

3. Antelope Canyon—both Upper and Lower Canyons. Upper is more famous because of the light rays that shine down into the canyon at certain times of day and year, but that also means it’s more crowded. So, we booked the photography tour so that other tourists were herded out of the way long enough for us to get a good photo. I preferred the Lower Canyon.

4. Chiricahua Natl. Monument—good hike among cool rock formations

5. Canyon de Chelly—Since it’s on Native American land, the only way you’re allowed to drive in the bottom of the canyon is through a tour. We booked a tour with a Navajo guide who actually grew up in the canyon. He played his flute for us, and it echoed in the canyon; such a special moment. Beautiful spot.

6. Petrified Forest Natl. Park—Beautiful colors of the Painted Desert were in the northern portion of the park right off I-40, and the big petrified logs were in the southern portion. We really enjoyed this park.

7. Monument Valley—famous rock formations seen in many movies.

Other interesting sites we’ve been to include Horseshoe Bend, Montezuma Castle Natl. Monument, Meteor Crater, and Sedona. The best Navajo taco (made with fry bread) that we’ve ever had was at Amigo Cafe in Kayenta.

It would be nice to return during the cooler months to see sites in the Phoenix area, and Saguaro Natl. Park in the Tucson area. Also, we have not yet been able to score a permit to The Wave. That would be amazing!

This old photo was taken with an early-model cheap digital camera, so it’s not a good quality, but I had a “Yikes!" moment when I saw those people standing on the edge.

NEW MEXICO:

We chose to walk down into the cavern through the Natural Entrance, but we took the elevator back up rather than climb the equivalent of 79 stories!

1. Carlsbad Caverns National Park-fascinating, big, and otherworldly

2. El Morro National Monument—great trail to the top of the headland, and pioneer signatures carved in the rock at the bottom

3. El Malpais Natl. Monument-great view of the lava field from the bluffs, and not far from El Morro

El Morro

El Malpais

4. City of Rocks State Park—We loved this park! So fun to walk around all the cool rock formations. Some people dry camped right among the rocks.

We also liked White Sands Natl. Park, Santa Fe, Cimarron Canyon State Park, and Bosque del Apache Natl. Wildlife Refuge, where we saw hundreds of ducks, sandhill cranes, and other migratory birds.

If it ever reopens, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks Natl. Monument would be interesting to visit. It is on tribal land and has been closed since Covid started. The Bisti Badlands look really cool—they are hard to get to though.

City of Rocks

TEXAS:

view from Davis Mountains State Park

1. Big Bend National Park—huge, uncrowded park

2. Hueco Tanks State Park—Great campsite near the rocks; In order to protect the pictographs, a guided tour was required in order to view many of them which were hidden among the rocks.

3. Davis Mountains State Park—very nice park with a beautiful lodge, and close to Fort Davis Natl. Historic Site, and McDonald Observatory

4. bluebonnet fields in spring

   We also enjoyed the cute town of Fredericksburg, escaping the cold winter at South Padre Island, camping at Mother Neff State Park, and the San Antonio River Walk.

   Sometime in the future, I’d like to go to the panhandle to see Palo Duro Canyon.

Hueco Tanks State Park

bluebonnet field in April near Ennis

OKLAHOMA:

We lived less than 2 hours from Tulsa for many years, and would go there once in awhile, but other than that, we never really explored the state. We mostly just drove through it to get to Dallas! So, I really can’t comment on many favorite places. I don’t have any photos to post, either.

1. Oklahoma City—a small city worth a stay. The Oklahoma City Natl. Memorial is sobering but is a must-see when in town.

2. Honor Heights Park—pretty park in Muskogee when the azaleas are blooming

   Gloss Mountain State Park looks like a pretty place to visit.