the seasoned traveler with george bauer

Program 104:

Four Corners: Hikers’ and Drivers’ Dream

From the Southeast to the Southwest. Because many mature travelers are still fit and active, The Seasoned Traveler wanted to lace up its hiking boots and head off into the wilderness. And the Four Corners region (the only place in America where four states actually touch) is an absolute treasure trove of history, heritage, and magnificent vistas. Several national parks and monuments dot this area, tracing the settlements of America’s first inhabitants, the Native peoples of the mesas and canyons.


You will never get tired of views like this...

Today, the history coincides with challenging hiking trails, matched by scenic desert drives through breathtaking highlands and valleys.
I'm walking through a few of these remarkable areas: Hovenweep National Monument, which now safeguards five prehistoric, Pueblo-era villages covering a 20-mile stretch along the Utah–Colorado border. This is a quiet place, known for its undeveloped natural character. Only about 30,000 visitors come to Hovenweep each year, so it’s likely to be uncrowded and uncluttered if you decide to drop by.


You can stand right on the Four Corners....

Monument Valley is along another border of Utah and Arizona. Its soaring sandstone monoliths have become familiar to most of us, splashed across television and movie screens in commercials and feature films. Farther south in the Grand Canyon State, Canyon de Chelly is a special place. At the bottom of sheer red cliffs are ruins of Indian villages dating to A.D. 350—the earliest basketmakers. Today the land remains part of the Navajo Reservation, and tribal members still live and farm here. Be sure to hike down into the canyon to see the White House cliff dwellings. This path is the only one available to visitors.
The Four Corners is a very special place and well worth a visit. And save time for our best-kept secret: Goosenecks State Park in southeastern Utah. It’s magnificent, a lot like Arizona’s Grand Canyon but without the crowds of gawkers.

If you are eager to travel to this region, the four states in the Four Corners can help. For information about Arizona, contact the Arizona Office of Tourism at 866-298-3795 or go to www.arizonaguide.com.

Colorado information is available from Colorado Tourism at 800-265-6723 or www.colorado.com. To learn about New Mexico, go to the state's Department of Tourism. The telephone number is 800-545-2040 and the Internet address is www.newmexico.org.

And for material on Utah, visit the Utah Travel Council, either on the phone, 800-882-4368 or online, www.utah.com.
If you plan to visit one of the many National Parks or Monuments in the region, contact the National Park Service at www.nps.gov. It is a wealth of information.