The Grand Canyon
Perhaps the most spectacular of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. A half-hour’s drive from Cameron, plan at least a day for a leisurely explore of the South Rim. Where to go and what to see in the Grand Canyon area? Catch the sunset at the Hermit’s Rest view point, stop at Moran point, and Grandview. It doesn’t matter where you end up! The Grand Canyon is beautiful from any aspect! Be sure to see the El Tovar hotel and the Hopi House gift shop. For the adventuresome, a trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon may be in order. Guided journeys are available on foot or by pack-mule. If you are planning the hike, please prepare carefully and read the park’s guide! While the South Rim is open year round, weather permitting; the less frequently visited North Rim is open only seasonally from May to October. Please visit our links page for a link to the Grand Canyon National Park.
Lake Powell & Glen Canyon
For a great excursion during your Southwest vacation to the Grand Canyon, Navajo and Hopi lands, and surrounding area, Lake Powell is a worthy stop! Lake Powell, formed by the Glen Canyon Dam, offers water sports, fishing, house boating, and camping against a breathtaking Southwestern landscape only 89 miles from the Cameron Trading Post!. Its ninety-six major side canyons beg to be explored. Five marinas on the lake offer all of the modern facilities necessary to begin upon a grand adventure! Please read and follow the safety and conduct manuals available all along the lake. Keep it clean and beautiful for all generations to enjoy!
Hopi Mesas
Step back in time when you explore the three Hopi mesas that have been the home of the Hopi for over 800 years. If you are on vacation near the Grand Canyon or Lake Powell, a visit to the Hopi Mesas is a rewarding adventure! Visit The Hopi Cultural Center to learn more about these remarkable people. Perhaps best known for their beautifully carved Kachina dolls, these people are also renowned for their beautiful basketry, pottery, and silver overlay jewelry. The Hopi Mesas welcome visitors, but are sometimes closed or restricted during sacred religious ceremonies throughout the year. Photography is also restricted in regard to some areas and events. The Hopi mesas begin less than 70 miles from the Cameron Trading Post! Please respect local guidelines and restrictions. See our links page for a link to the Hopi Cultural Center.
Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monument
On vacation near the Grand Canyon and Navajo & Hopi lands in the Southwest? Visit the haunting ruins mysteriously abandoned 700 years ago by the people the Puebloans call their ancestors. Famine, drought, war, conquest? Where these people went and why are questions that remain unanswered even today. Were they forced to the cliffs for defense, their dwellings still remaining in nearby Walnut Canyon? Walk along the trails that snake these ruins. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of the past. The trail provides its users with a self-guided informative tour. The park offers hiking trails for its visitors to explore the geology of Sunset Crater Volcano, the pueblos of Wupatki, and the scenic Painted Desert landscape. Less than an hour from Cameron Trading Post!
Navajo National Monument
High above the rugged and beautiful Tsegi Canyon upon the Shonto Plateau sets three cliff dwelling ruins, the most pristine known to exist. Self-guided tours meander the mesa top and Ranger-guided tours are available to the cliff dwellings from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The park is about 70 miles from the Cameron Trading Post and has a visitor’s center and museum, a small campground, and picnic facilities available. If you plan to spend some time, bring water!
Monument Valley
When you think of the Native Southwest, images of these lonely monoliths do not linger far behind. A geological marvel and a tribute to the patient hand of time. The first monuments are less than 2 hours away from the Cameron Trading Post. Most people drive along through the valley, stopping often to take photographs or simply marvel at the beauty, but there are hiking trails also to be explored. This is an experience unique to the Southwest that is not to be missed!
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Here in this canyon lies a multi-cultural history that spans almost two thousand years. From the early “Basketmaker” cultures of 350 AD to its present day inhabitants its mysteries ring like a silent echo along the high canyon walls. All can view the majesty of the dwellings perched high in the cliffs, accessible to the ancients only by carved footholds and rudimentary ladders. Canyon De Chelly is about 5 1/2 hours from the Cameron Trading Post. There are two routes; one which takes you through Navajo land and another which takes you through the Hopi Mesas and Ganado. Access to the roads in the canyon floor is limited. There are hiking trails, tours, exhibits, and horseback riding available. The visitor’s center is open year-round.
Petrified Forest
A stone oasis in the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest is littered with the stone relics of the forest that once stood here 225 million years ago! The excellent Rainbow Forest Museum is the place to begin. Learn about the history the forest, the amazing dinosaurs and early flora and fauna that once roamed this vast area. Then set off on an adventure hike of your own. The Petrified Forest is about 3 hours from the Cameron Trading Post.
Canyonlands National Park
In Southeastern Utah, Canyonlands National Park spans over 500 square miles of fantastic canyons, buttes and spires. Begin your adventure at Zion National Monument, a little over 4 hours from the Cameron Trading Post. Take in the magnificent canyons, then back track a little and continue on another hour to Bryce Canyon. The alien landscape filled with fantastic stone spires are worth the drive!
Flagstaff
Thomas F. McMillan from Tennessee was one of the first settlers in the area. In the summer of 1876, McMillan led a group of Eastern pilgrims here. The legend goes that he cut a pine tree to use as a staff for the American Flag for a Fourth of July celebration and left it standing thereafter. The staff became a trail marker and when, in 1881, a post office and a tiny tent camp were erected, the settlers agreed to name the area “Flag Staff.” The name stuck. Now, over a hundred years later, the city has much to offer. Flagstaff is about 45 minutes South of Cameron Trading Post. Visit Flagstaff’s arboretum, Lowell observatory, or the Museum of Northern Arizona. Ski birds visiting during the winter can enjoy the Snowbowl Ski Area.
Sedona
Drive the switchbacks down into breathtaking Oak Creek Canyon and stop at Slide Rock about 8 miles north of Sedona! This is a great place to play and hike. Slide down the natural rockslide and splash and swim in many of the natural swimming holes. Sedona is about a 2 hour drive from Cameron Trading Post. Nearby Sedona are the beautiful Red Rocks State Park, Montezuma Castle National Monument cliff dwellings, and the almost ghost and mining town of Jerome.
