National Monuments

National monuments tend to fly under the radar and that is exactly what makes them worth seeking out. Less traffic, fewer crowds, and none of the fame that comes with the bigger name parks, but every bit as stunning and historically significant. These are the monuments I have visited, each one a reminder that the most rewarding places are often the ones most people drive right past.

Agua Fria National Monument

Sitting in the high desert of central Arizona, Agua Fria National Monument is one of those places that rewards the truly curious traveler. Over 2,000 years of human history are written across its 71,000 acres in petroglyphs, pueblo ruins, and river crossings that most people drive right past without ever knowing they are there. The canyon country and high desert plateau keep surprising you the further in you go, and the wildlife and solitude make it even better. Come take a look at what is hiding just off the beaten path.

Casa Grande Ruins

The Arizona desert has a way of keeping secrets, and Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is one of the better ones. Long before anyone was mapping this part of the Southwest, the Hohokam people were engineering canals, building cities, and constructing one of the most ambitious structures in prehistoric North America. Then around 1450 AD, they vanished, and nobody has ever figured out exactly why. Come take a look at what has been waiting out there in the desert.

Monument Rocks

Rising from the flat plains of western Kansas like something out of another world, Monument Rocks was the first natural landmark designated a National Natural Landmark in the United States. These towering chalk formations have been sculpted by millions of years of wind and water into shapes that stop you in your tracks. Getting there requires a drive down dirt roads through ranch land with no services in sight, but that is part of what makes it worth it. Come take a look at what is standing out there in the middle of nowhere.