Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. If you’ve ever wanted to roam through the forest barefoot, without the risk of stepping on a cactus or bug, Flagstaff has you covered. Up in Northern Arizona among the ponderosa pines, crisp mountain air and much cooler temperatures, you can engage the senses on the barefoot trail. […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. The best beer gardens aren’t really about beer. Sure, the pints matter. Afterall, this is Colorado, where craft brewing has become something of a state pastime. But after spending an afternoon in the patio of a beer garden, it won’t take long before you feel something else behind […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. The Southwest is nothing if not wildly diverse. Take, for example, New Mexico, where near White Sands National Park, you’ll find rolling dunes, desert brush and blistering heat shimmering off the highway. But drive about an hour northeast, and you’ll find yourself in the United States’ southernmost ski-resort […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Colorado loves to hog all the mountain charm. So much so that while places like Telluride, Breckenridge and steal the spotlight, but there are plenty of postcard-worthy mountain towns you may have never heard of. Scattered throughout the Rockies, these smaller communities offer the same dramatic peaks, historic downtowns and outdoor adventures—just with fewer […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Come hungry to this Southwest, because restaurant week season is officially on the menu. From August through October, destinations across the Southwest are serving up special prix-fixe menus with chef creations for a chance to try somewhere new and delicious. Whether you’re tasting your way through Los Angeles, […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. For much of the year, water is a bit of a rarity in the desert Southwest. Then comes the season locals love most (well, many of them): monsoon season. Come usually July through September, the monsoons bring a seasonal shift in winds and moisture that fuels summer thunderstorms […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. August is a month for celebrating culture across the Southwest, and this month’s festival calendar shows just how many forms that can take. From Indigenous art and Japanese traditions to Western heritage, regional food, live music and community arts, festivals across the region are putting local culture front […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Towering coastal bluffs, steep sandstone cliffs and ravines, a sprawling bird-rich lagoon, and more than 4 miles of undeveloped sandy beach make Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (SNR) one of the wildest stretches of coastline in Southern California. Located within San Diego just north of tony La Jolla, […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. For years, friends and social media followers begged Tucson, Arizona, chef Mateo Otero to open a restaurant. At the time, Otero ran a catering business and routinely shared his creations on Facebook—including a trio of rolled tacos topped with queso or his own enchilada sauce-like rojo broth. × […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Desert wellness comes in many forms. From a Japanese-inspired spa to an experiential luxury retreat to a family-friendly resort that caters to kids and adults, these three properties exemplify the diversity of wellness experiences in the Southwest. × Expand CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa CIVANA Wellness Spa Experiential […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Las Vegas may be famous for dazzling lights, but one of Nevada’s greatest shows happens far from the Strip. Each August, the skies above Great Basin National Park come alive as the annual Perseid meteor shower streaks overhead, offering a front-row views to the annual spectacular celestial event. […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Before it could call itself a state, Utah had an amusement park. Celebrating its 140th anniversary in 2026, the Farmington attraction has been entertaining generations since 1886, making it one of the oldest family-owned amusement parks in the United States — and the 15th oldest amusement park in […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. August might be the Southwest’s most surprising month for festivals. One weekend, you can watch world-class surfers carve waves in Huntington Beach. The next, you’re stomping grapes in Arizona wine country, cheering on rodeo champions in Payson or celebrating Palisade’s famous peaches in Colorado. From Japanese cultural traditions […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. You won’t find charcoal on the grills of these Arizona restaurants. Here in the Southwest, nature already supplied the perfect fuel: Mesquite. What is Mesquite? Native to the deserts of Arizona and the greater Southwest, mesquite trees have long been part of life here. Their dense hardwood burns […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. In northeastern Oregon, wide open landscapes stretch toward the horizon. Ranching families have worked this land for generations, while the ancestral homelands of Tribes including the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla have shaped its cultural identity for far longer. It’s also a place filled with remarkable craftsmanship. Expand […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. If you’re in Utah late July, you might be wondering if it’s still the Fourth of July. Here, the fireworks are still popping, the parades are still rolling, and the rodeos are still selling out. But they’re celebrating another holiday, Pioneer Day, and the state goes big. Every […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. With its perfect temperatures and dramatic coastlines, Southern California’s summer is best explained in one word: big. Bigger crowds, bigger concert lineups, bigger Ferris wheels and, yes, even bigger servings of fried food. Whether you’re craving live music by the ocean, carnival rides, cultural celebrations or an excuse […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Across the Southwest, July is packed with reasons to hit the road, whether you’re chasing shooting stars on an Arizona mountaintop, searching for glowing scorpions after dark in Texas, celebrating centuries-old traditions in New Mexico or joining thousands of fellow fans in San Diego for Comic-Con week. From […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. If Mars and the Wild West had a baby, it probably would look a lot like Cathedral Gorge State Park. Located in southeastern Nevada, this is 1,800 acres of otherworldly landscape and one of Nevada’s original parks, although the site itself is much older than the state, by […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Like much of America, I enjoy a great cup of coffee. But I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a snob. Anytime I walk into a shop with letter boards for a menu, exposed duct work, poured concrete and reclaimed wood, I think, “Oh no, I’m about to get […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. There’s no denying the magic of Antelope Canyon. Its iconic waves of glowing sandstone walls and famous light beams earned the canyon a spot bucket lists for a reason. But seeing Antelope Canyon requires a lottery permit system, meaning there’s a limit per-day of people who can visit, and also meaning planning takes weeks—even months—ahead. If you’re looking for a more spontaneous […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Las Vegas has always understood spectacle. What it has quietly mastered, however, is reinvention. For decades, the city’s identity revolved around gaming floors and neon excess. But over 72 hours, I set out to explore a different version of Las Vegas, one where I would not step near […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. They say Zion National Park and its surrounding desert feels otherworldly. And this Outpost decided to take it to another level—or should we say Galaxy—by creating a full-scale Star Wars glamping experience. About an hour’s drive outside Zion National Park in Utah’s wide-open desert, Outpost X leans all […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. “I didn’t realize how vast and open this valley is.” That’s the most common surprise people experience when driving through this scenic byway in northern New Mexico, according to City of Angel Fire Tourism Director Greg Ralph. Stretching across the Moreno Valley with the Sangre de Cristo mountains […]
