Our second trip to SW USA- Advice please!

[Denece]

you have only begun to sample the delights of the SW ! Id suggest a trip to the library for some travel guides. Just flip through. There are dozens of state and local parks you might want to check out too. We liked Homolovi outside Winslow AZ. And you were right by Hovenweep NP but probably never heard of it

The whole area is dotted with places of beauty and history. It would be interesting to see how many you could visit without backtracking. Which you select will depend on your interests and time/weather
Constraints. We have traveled through there several times and will return as often as possible.

[Jack L]

Originally Posted by Maryellen

So on our last trip we boondocked overnight at the base of Mexican Hat. Oh the stars! Driving away I saw on the map that we were right near Valley of the Gods. Can we just drive around in there pulling the camper? Are there maps so we don't get hopelessly lost?

The road thru Valley of the Gods had some very rough, rocky places and could make towing your trailer difficult. There were some places just inside the area that you could leave a trailer and come back later.

Benchmark Maps (atlas) are my favorite for the southwest. Delorme is another popular one. They show BLM roads and are very accurate, but a heavy rain can destroy a road or change things quickly. A good handheld GPS and a little knowledge about latitude and longitude has kept me from getting lost. Well actually, I have been lost near Monument Valley because the roads (dirt roads) had changed but it wasn't too hard to find my way back to base camp.

[Maryellen]

Thanks. Will check out the Benchmark map/atlas