Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Canyon de Chelly NM offers the opportunity to learn about Southwestern Indian history from the earliest Anaszai to the Navajo Indians who live and farm here today. Its primary attractions are ruins of Indian villages built between 350 and 1300 AD at the base of sheer red cliffs and in canyon wall caves.

 

Glen Canyon Dam
Held behind the Bureau of Reclamation's Glen Canyon Dam, waters of the Colorado River and tributaries are backed up almost 186 miles, forming Lake Powell. The dam was completed in 1963. Take a look at this tremendous feat of engineering - the Glen Canyon Dam.

 

Lees Ferry
Due to the shale deposits which slope gently to the river here, Lees Ferry was the only place to cross the Colorado River for 260 miles until the Navajo Bridge was built across Marble Canyon in 1927. Join DesertUSA as we explore this historic site.

 

Oatman & the Wild Burros
Oatman is a fun place to visit -- an authentic old western town with burros roaming the streets and gunfights staged on weekends. The burros are tame and can be hand fed. Enjoy an exploration!

 

Rainbow Bridge National Monument
DesertUSA takes you to Rainbow Bridge, the world's largest natural bridge. It is considered sacred by the Navajo Indians, for whom personified rainbows have stood as guardians of the universe. The bridge's predominant color is salmon-pink, with dark stains called desert varnish, caused by iron oxide (hematite). Afternoon sunlight makes the coloration especially brilliant.

Arizona - 2008 Wildflower Summary
In 2008, Arizona got just enough rain to have a good wildflower season. It started at the Organ Pipe National Monument, moved to the Tucson area, and into the Phoenix area, with poppy displays at Bartlett Lake and the Superstition Mountains.

 
Quicktime VRs

Quicktime VR images let you spin around, look up and down and zoom in as if you were standing right there! You need to have Apple's QuickTime (For PC or Mac - free download.)

Oatman - QTVR
This panoramic view of Oatman starts looking east across old U.S. Route 66 at the makeshift vendors bazaar. Turning left (south) reveals the historic Old Store, then the trading post. Finally we view north up Route 66, the main street of Oatman.

 

Grand Canyon NP - QTVR
Our panoramic view of the Grand Canyon is taken from the South Rim at Yaki Point, just a mile east of the Visitor Center. From an elevation of 7,262 feet, we look northeast up the canyon, then turning left (north, then west) our view passes over South Kaibab Trail, the western portion of the canyon , then Yavapia Point and Park headquarters.

 

Grand Canyon NP - The Watchtower - QTVR
The Watchtower as it appears looking west from South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Turning right (northward) we view the Canyon itself. Continuing to the right we move from across the Canyon (North Rim), then east and south viewing the Kaibab Plateau.

 

Saguaro NP - Visitor Center QTVR
This view of the Saguaro National Park Visitor Center pans to show its beautiful desert garden, and the surrounding saguaros. It captures the desert light very well, and even includes some coyote song.

 

Sunset Crater QTVR
Looking southeast from the Cinder Hills Overlook at 8,274 feet provides a view of the vegetation growing amidst the ancient lava flows of the San Francisco volcanic field. Viscous molten rock whose surface cooled faster than the lava beneath produced the rough-textured Bonito Flow.

 

Wupatki National Monument QTVR
A view of the largest ruin inside the park, the Wupatki Pueblo, near the northern Visitor Center. These prehistoric Sinaguan and Anasazi dwellings were long-abandoned by the time the first Euro-American documented their existence in 1851.