{"id":1131,"date":"2018-09-06T09:27:09","date_gmt":"2018-09-06T09:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/com.sx-magazine-wp.sixt.io\/magazine\/?p=1131"},"modified":"2024-11-29T08:51:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T08:51:02","slug":"western-usa-travel-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Destination America: 5 Places to visit in the Western USA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you ready to discover an America you never knew existed? Let’s face it, there are so many stunning destinations to discover in the western half of the country, that trying to narrow down what to see during a road trip to the Western USA can be daunting. Luckily, for those with a Sixt sense of adventure, w<\/span><\/span>e’ve rounded up five places to visit when your travels take you to Arizona<\/a>, Nevada<\/a>, California<\/a> or Utah. No matter which ones you choose to see while driving through the wild west, you won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Havasu Falls, Arizona<\/h2>\n

\"Havasu<\/p>\n

A view from atop Havasu Falls. Photo courtesy of Instagram user @_amarisss<\/strong><\/p>\n

We’ve previously discussed exploring the Grand Canyon<\/a> by car, but here’s a hidden gem you’re sure to enjoy. The Havasu Falls<\/strong> are located just outside the borders of the Grand Canyon National Park<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in northwestern Arizona<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0This destination is often featured in videos online of people plunging into the blue-green water below the waterfalls. Access to the falls is controlled and you will need an entry ticket. The restrictions are partly for conservation\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and, also,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0because the Havasu Falls are located on land that belongs to the Havasupai Tribe<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Planning several months or a year ahead<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is crucial, especially if you want to stay at the campground there due to limited spots. You’ll also need to do a moderate hike of about 10 miles (16 kilometers) each way\u00a0<\/span><\/span>from a parking lot at the trailhead.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0But at the end of that hike is an experience like no other!<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Seven Magic Mountains, Nevada<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Seven<\/p>\n

The Seven Magic Mountains art installation outside Las Vegas<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Valley<\/p>\n

The striking colors of the landscape give the park its name<\/strong><\/p>\n

The name Valley of Fire State Park<\/strong> sounds intimidating, but never fear \u2013 it refers to the colorful sandstone structures. Here, you’ll see bright red sandstone and distinctive gray and white striped limestone. The park also holds ancient petrified trees and petroglyphs. With a lot of hiking options and two campgrounds, this is a good place for a stopover on a drive to Las Vegas, Nevada. The park is only about an hour outside of the city. If you go when the light is just right, you’ll be in awe of the stone formations. Be sure to look out for the \u201celephant\u201d among the red rocks!<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Yosemite National Park, California<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Yosemite<\/span><\/p>\n

A view of some of the granite formations at Yosemite National Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

When asked\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to name national parks in the US,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>people will\u00a0<\/span><\/span>almost always<\/span><\/span>\u00a0mention Yosemite<\/span><\/span>. One of the oldest acts of land preservation in the country, Yosemite became part of the national park system in 1864.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Now the area in Northern California that includes the Sierra Nevada<\/strong> mountains is a magnet for adventure seekers and outdoor enthusiasts. Whatever activity or type of nature you want to experience is\u00a0<\/span><\/span>likely to be found\u00a0<\/span><\/span>within<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the park\u2019s boundaries.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The famous waterfall, Bridalveil<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong>Fall<\/strong>, the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ancient\u00a0<\/span><\/span>sequoia trees, the scenic point known as Tunnel View<\/strong>, and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>rock-climbing<\/span><\/span>\u00a0meccas El Capitan<\/strong> and Half Dome<\/strong> can all be found here. The hard part will be deciding what to see and do.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5. Monument Valley, Utah and Arizona<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Monument<\/p>\n

Buttes rise from the desert floor in Monument Valley<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one is on the list\u00a0<\/span><\/span>because<\/span><\/span>\u00a0of its natural beauty. The area straddles the\u00a0border between Utah and Arizona and is located just\u00a0<\/span><\/span>off\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Highway 163. Monument Valley<\/strong> is known for its red sandstone buttes and is located near several national monuments, recreation areas, and parks. It is also located on land belonging to the Navajo Nation<\/strong>. The desert landscape with the buttes\u00a0<\/span><\/span>rising\u00a0<\/span><\/span>from the earth is a photographer\u2019s paradise, especially during sunrise and sunset. You must buy an entry ticket to Monument Valley. There\u00a0<\/span><\/span>are<\/span><\/span>\u00a0also tours available by Jeep from Navajo guides\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in order to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0learn all about the land\u2019s natural wonders.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So there you have it! These are just a taste of places you can drive to when visiting the western USA. Do you still need more inspiration to visit these five places in the United States? Our\u00a0Facebook video<\/a> gives you a quick look at what’s in store. Sixt offers great deals on long term rentals<\/a> and so you can enjoy the trip in style in a Ford Mustang convertible or Mercedes G-Class.<\/p>\n

Get Inspired<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you ready to discover an America you never knew existed? Let’s face it, there are so many stunning destinations to discover in the western half of the country, that trying to narrow down what to see during a road trip to the Western USA can be daunting. Luckily, for those with a Sixt sense…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":1134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"content-sidebar","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1131","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nDestination America: 5 Places to visit in the Western USA | SIXT rent a car Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ready to discover an America you never knew existed? Welcome to Western USA! Sixt rounds up 5 places to see in Arizona, Nevada, California, and Utah.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Destination America: 5 Places to visit in the Western USA | SIXT rent a car Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ready to discover an America you never knew existed? Welcome to Western USA! Sixt rounds up 5 places to see in Arizona, Nevada, California, and Utah.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SIXT rent a car Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-09-06T09:27:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-29T08:51:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/sites\/6\/2018\/09\/valley-of-fire-nevada-wordpress.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1140\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"614\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Destination America: 5 Places to visit in the Western USA | SIXT rent a car Magazine","description":"Ready to discover an America you never knew existed? Welcome to Western USA! Sixt rounds up 5 places to see in Arizona, Nevada, California, and Utah.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Destination America: 5 Places to visit in the Western USA | SIXT rent a car Magazine","og_description":"Ready to discover an America you never knew existed? Welcome to Western USA! Sixt rounds up 5 places to see in Arizona, Nevada, California, and Utah.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/","og_site_name":"SIXT rent a car Magazine","article_published_time":"2018-09-06T09:27:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-29T08:51:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1140,"height":614,"url":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/sites\/6\/2018\/09\/valley-of-fire-nevada-wordpress.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Destination America: 5 Places to visit in the Western USA","datePublished":"2018-09-06T09:27:09+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-29T08:51:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/"},"wordCount":834,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/sites\/6\/2018\/09\/valley-of-fire-nevada-wordpress.jpg","articleSection":["Travel"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/","name":"Destination America: 5 Places to visit in the Western USA | SIXT rent a car Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/sites\/6\/2018\/09\/valley-of-fire-nevada-wordpress.jpg","datePublished":"2018-09-06T09:27:09+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-29T08:51:02+00:00","description":"Ready to discover an America you never knew existed? Welcome to Western USA! Sixt rounds up 5 places to see in Arizona, Nevada, California, and Utah.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/sites\/6\/2018\/09\/valley-of-fire-nevada-wordpress.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/sites\/6\/2018\/09\/valley-of-fire-nevada-wordpress.jpg","width":1140,"height":614},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/travel\/western-usa-travel-tips\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Destination America: 5 Places to visit in the Western USA"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/","name":"SIXT rent a car Magazine","description":"Travel Tips and News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/#organization","name":"SIXT Rent A Car","url":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/sites\/6\/2025\/10\/SIXT_Logo_Pos_RGB-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/sites\/6\/2025\/10\/SIXT_Logo_Pos_RGB-2.png","width":2000,"height":804,"caption":"SIXT Rent A Car"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":""}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sixt.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

What was meant to be a temporary public art installation in the desert between Las Vegas<\/a> and the California border is trying to become more permanent. The series of stacked, brightly covered rocks from Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone sits in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Mojave Desert<\/strong> about 10 miles south of Las\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Vegas,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0just<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>off\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Interstate 15. They were supposed to be there for only two years, but due to the popularity of the installation, an effort is being made to keep it there long-term. You can take an Instagram-ready photo at the Seven Magic Mountains<\/strong>\u00a0until at least the end of 2018.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n