
Canyon de Chelly
Arizona, United States
Why we can't wait to visit again: The tourist trail in northern Arizona usually stops short in Flagstaff, with adventures farther north often limited to the silver screen-famous Monument Valley. To stick to this path is to miss Canyon de Chelly, one of the longest-inhabited landscapes in North America.
This flora-flecked slice of the red-stone Navajo Reservation is home to Spider Rock and the White House Ruin Trail. Note that access to the canyon floor is restricted; you'll need to be accompanied by a park ranger or authorised Navajo guide. Like this? Take the Indian Route 59 to the Betatakin ruins, a housing complex built into the alcove of a cliff by the Anasazi at a time when only mud bricks and hand tools were available.
Where we're staying: Stay off the beaten path in this traditional Navajo hogan.
Before you go: Read the poem Canyon de Chelly by Puebloan writer Simon Ortiz, marvel at Ansel Adams' 1942 photograph from White House Overlook or brush up on Navajo history, traditions and etiquette at Discover Navajo.