When thinking about travel destinations, the deserts of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah are probably not at the top of your list. After all, they’re hot, dry, and there’s not as much to see or do. However, they are also highly underrated and often overlooked.

My husband, kids, and I recently took a trip through some of these deserts. We flew into Nevada, then rented a car and drove to Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, through Monument Valley, and all the way to Four Corners before turning around to head back to Las Vegas on some of historic Route 66. Here are the highlights for three of the destinations of our week-long family vacation. Feel free to click on any of my photos for a better view.

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam is actually quite impressive. You can pay for tours of the dam, but we chose not to do them. Walking along the dam was enough for us. In addition to the dam, you can see a number of other structures such as Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, Monument Plaza, Winged Figures, four intake towers, and the powerhouses which generate hydroelectricity from the Colorado River. There are also restrooms and drinking fountains, which are a must when traveling with kids. The visitor center has information, food, and souvenirs. My photos (as well as my lack of information–sorry!) really don’t do the whole thing justice, so visit this link for more details about the dam’s history, usage, and tours: https://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/service/

Grand Canyon

Next up: Grand Canyon National Park. The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and one of the largest canyons on Earth. Although I had been there before back in 2001, it’s still really difficult to come up with the right words to describe the sheer magnitude of it. Vast, peaceful, rough, and wild are what come to mind. An incredible canyon that has been here for millions of years and we’re blessed to see it. At times, it was crowded with people like us: trying to take in all of the views and get the perfect photos and videos. Many tourists from the US and all over the world were marveling at the immenseness of the canyon. My children thought it was “pretty cool,” so that was a win for us.

Some places along the trails of the south rim were practically empty, so you could stand in relative silence and solitude. That was quite nice! Warm, spirit-like breezes drifting up from the canyon, rustling through the few trees and shrubs there, gently fluttering my hair around, and providing an updraft for birds of prey on which to soar. Peaceful moments with God and nature and me.

Helpful tips: The free shuttles around Grand Canyon Village to the different vistas, campgrounds, historic buildings, and lodges really come in handy. Keep in mind, though, that the shuttles can get crowded. If you get too hot and/or tired, the Grand Canyon Visitor Center has a quiet and air-conditioned theater room where you can escape the heat (if it’s summer) and sit for a little bit while you watch a short film about the Grand Canyon. That’s where I learned that the Colorado River is making the canyon deeper by the thickness of a piece of paper each year.

Monument Valley

Located about three hours away from Flagstaff, Arizona, you’ll discover Monument Valley. It’s found in Navajo Nation, along the borders of both Arizona and Utah. During the late afternoon hours to nearing sunset, Monument Valley is absolutely majestic. Yes, majestic is the best word to describe the place. It helped that there had been a brief thunderstorm earlier in the day when we visited, refreshing some of the sparse greenery and saturating the soil to make the oranges, reds, and browns a bit more vivid. At the visitor center, we had such incredible views of the rock formations! Peaceful and ethereal Native American flute music playing over the speakers really added to the overall feelings of calm and wonder.

Here’s something that fellow film nerds might appreciate. In the photos above where you see me jogging down the middle of the road, I was being silly, recreating a scene from Forrest Gump. At that section of road, the scene where he stops running and decides to go back home was filmed. There are signs along the road so you know where to pull your car off to the shoulder. There were a handful of other people there, doing the same thing, all of us watching out for cars and taking our turn acting out the scene. It was fun! Here’s a video clip of the film’s scene: https://youtu.be/pKKmzmeU5-0?si=AU1LBgr2Nq6CvUR-

One last travel tip: If you ever find yourself in Williams, Arizona, check it out! The town is quite small, but has a fun, retro vibe. Be sure to try the food at Frontier Barbeque and Beer Garden. It is SO dang yummy and so much of it, too! Also, if you like roller coasters, I highly recommend going for a ride at Canyon Coaster Adventure Park. Super fun!

Have you been to any of these awesome destinations? Or maybe other desert places which ought to be mentioned, visited, and explored? Please let us know in the comments below.

As always, thanks for stopping by. ❤