Desert Drives in the American Southwest

The American Southwest is road trip country the way nowhere else is, and the problem is that the distances are enormous, the services are sparse, and the desert punishes mistakes with a seriousness the coasts never do. It is also, mile for mile, the most stunning driving in the country, and the rewards are worth the preparation, provided you respect what the landscape is asking of you.The drives are the destination, and Monument Valley’s loop, the road through Valley of Fire, and the lonely highways across the Navajo Nation all deliver scenery that needs no park entrance, just a full tank and daylight. The light is the real event, with dawn and dusk turning the red rock into something molten, which is why the best desert driving happens early and late, with the harsh middle of the day reserved for the air conditioning.The preparation is not