5 great trips to take this summer in the southwest

Want an unforgettable getaway? Visit the sensational sandstone formations of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. On the border of Utah and Arizona, the otherworldly red-rock buttes, towers 

and arches stand up to 1,000 feet tall and have been the backdrop for countless Hollywood films. Snap close-ups from the 17-mile unpaved road through the valley, stopping to hike the scenic

four-mile Wildcat Trail loop if you’re game, or see it with a Native American guide (Navajo Spirit Tours) who can explain the sacred significance of the formations. Monument Valley Safari

also hosts visits to a traditional Navajo home (hogan). You can stay at the View, the only hotel in the park, or at one of the inexpensive hotels just outside it. CINNAMON SHORE, TEXAS The

decade-old planned community of Cinnamon Shore on the Gulf Coast of Texas — about 40 minutes east of Corpus Christi — evokes idyllic small-town America, with cute pastel houses, a Great Lawn

for gatherings, outdoor movies and the toasting of s’mores over a fire pit, plus a dune-fronted beach. With lots of short-term home rentals, it’s an ideal spot for a multigenerational

getaway: Visitors rent bikes, lap up locally beloved lobster-curry-coconut Mermaid Soup at Lisabella’s Bistro and Bar, take yoga classes on Cinnamon Shore Beach, or kayak. The grandkids can

get lessons in sculpting sandcastles on the beach. TAOS, N.M. Art and history buffs, pack your bags. Taos, about 70 miles northeast of Santa Fe (you'd fly into Albuquerque), is home to

the must-see Taos Pueblo, where multistoried Native American adobe homes have been continuously inhabited for 1,000 years. Outdoors lovers head about 30 miles north to Wild Rivers Recreation

Area, with its 800-foot Río Grande gorge, hiking trails and scenic overlooks. In downtown Taos, visit the Harwood Museum of Art and galleries on the plaza, and tour the house where frontier

legend Kit Carson lived. Stay in one of Taos’ many inviting B&Bs with Southwest flavor, and don’t miss biting into tamales, enchiladas and chiles rellenos with red or green sauce. Suds

lovers, don’t leave town without trying Taos Green Chile Beer at Eske’s Brew Pub. MORE GETAWAYS BY REGION