Which of these western U.S. destinations are worth the stop?

Highlighting the landmarks worth visiting and the ones worth skipping

Many people have an American road trip somewhere on their travel bucket list. Some of the more popular natural landmarks that people often list can be found out west. After taking a ten-day road trip to some of those famous national parks & landmarks, some I'd recommend and others I'd say can be easily skipped. Read below to find out which western United States road trip destinations are worth the stop.

Four Corners Monument

One of the lesser well-known destinations on the list, the Four Corners Monument, is a unique experience not everyone can say they've had. Here you'll find the only place in America where you can be in four states at once. The states you can be standing in at the same time are Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. You can stand in line for the photo opportunity shown above. After, you can walk around the surrounding square structure to shop different vendors selling handcrafted native artwork. You can also enjoy a selection from the few food trucks around the monument. The park is owned and operated by the Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation, and the visitor center onsite offers different demonstrations and displays on the native cultures from that region.

Stop or Skip: Skip.

Even though it's fun to say you've been in four states at the same time, the landmark site itself really has little to offer in terms of things to do. You stand in line for the photo, maybe shop around a little and get a snack, but other than that there isn't really anything else to do. The monument is also quite remote, so you are kind of far away from any town or other attraction worth visiting. I've been here twice now, and if you're planning your next road trip, I would suggest you skip this stop as it's only main selling point is that you can brag you've been in 4 states at the same time.

Grand Canyon National Park

Even movies disagree with each other on whether to stop at this next location. Located in northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is a sight to see, for some. The park has two public areas to visit and see the canyon from, The North Rim and the South Rim. The most popular and established area is the South Rim as it has easier access and more options for visitors to stop and check out the canyon. Regardless of which one you decide to visit, make sure your navigation has the correct one as the two are not close to each other. Visitors have two main options for what they want their visit to look like at the park. See it from above by driving or walking around the rim of the canyon, or venture into the canyon and take advantage of the various hiking, rafting, camping or even mule riding options. Be sure to check out any permit requirements or tour options if you choose the latter option. We visited the South Rim and chose to stay at the top and drive/walk around the canyon rim.

Stop or Skip: Stop

While some movies portray a visit to the Grand Canyon as simply standing outside your car, looking at the canyon, taking a deep breath, then getting bored and leaving immediately after, I would say that our experience was different from that. Without doing any hiking, camping, or rafting, we still thoroughly enjoyed our time. And the canyon itself is truly a breathtaking sight to see. Not only is it an amazing photo opportunity, but it's also a rather calming and peaceful setting with different seating options in which you can come and just stay and soak in the views. I would say younger children may not last too long at the sight before getting bored, but overall, I definitely think it's worth visiting the Grand Canyon on your road trip.

Yellowstone National Park

A destination I plan to write a more thorough blog on, the Yellowstone National Park was probably the highlight of the road trip for me. Stretching across two different states (Montana and Wyoming, but mostly in Wyoming), this national park is one that I could see going back to over and over again. Whether you're captivated by the awe-inspiring photos captured by many photographers at this park, or you just finished binging the popular show Yellowstone, this site has something for everyone to enjoy. With many natural wonders to see like geysers, beautiful rainbow-looking hot springs, amazing wildlife, and much more, this park is at least a full day's visit, if not longer. You can hike, camp, drive around, and even stay at a hotel inside the park (though be sure to reserve well in advance during the busy seasons). It's really a nature lover's or even nature appreciator's dream.

Stop or Skip: Stop. And then stop again.

Out of all the sites we went to on our road trip, Yellowstone is the one I can say without a doubt I plan to return to over and over again. We spent the whole day there and still didn't see even half of the park. We saw so much wildlife, but I know each visit would bring so much more. Would I make some changes to how I visited, yes. I think staying inside the park, be that in an RV, camping, or at one of their hotels would be a blast. We mostly drove around during our visit, but next time I would hike more, take binoculars, pack a lunch, and prepare myself to spend at least a couple days exploring the park. Even if Yellowstone was your only destination for your next road trip, you wouldn't be disappointed, it's well worth the drive.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Our final stop on the road trip was Mount Rushmore. This was actually the main goal of the trip as my grandmother, who was born in Mexico and became a US citizen about 7 years ago, had a wish to go see this national site for herself. I travelled to Mount Rushmore once before with my family when I was younger but couldn't remember much about my trip. I do remember feeling somewhat uninterested and kind of bored visiting this site, so I wouldn't necessarily consider this a must-do for children. However, my visit this time was truly an amazing experience. We went on a rather foggy day and were disappointed when we arrived and could only see the faces for a short time before the clouds covered them up. We chose to walk on the short hiking trail around the park, and when we finished, thankfully, the clouds had lifted, and we got to really take in and appreciate the awe that comes with this site. They have some nice offerings for gift shops, a food court, and some ice cream shops as well.

Stop or Skip: It depends.

I truly did enjoy my experience at Mount Rushmore this go around, but I don't know if it was so much because I enjoyed the site and looking at it, or if the wonder and joy in my grandma's eyes as she finally saw this site is what truly captured my heart. One thing I do remember enjoying when I was younger visiting Mount Rushmore was the attractions surrounding the memorial. There's a nearby little town that has cute shops to walk around, and has different food, ice cream, and candy shops. I remember nearby there was also a site to go and learn about gold mining and an interaction to pan for gold. So, I would recommend Mount Rushmore, but more so only if you have time to enjoy the surrounding area. The memorial site itself is neat to see, but once you've seen it, there's not much else to do at the site.

The western United States is rather popular and known as a road trip must do. With so many other sites and landmarks to visit, it's truly a wonder out west. On our road trip we visited some of the more popular ones, and though I wouldn't necessarily change the stops from our trip, I do think those stops are not for everyone. Research and consider which places are worth driving to and making the time to stop for when planning your next road trip.

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