Southwest (part 5 of 5)

Autumn Escapes

Southwest

Desert rock hopping

The Southwest boasts autumnal colors every day when the sun sets and bathes the landscape in hues of golden and crimson. Arizona's dramatic Sonoran Desert offers exhilarating single-track mountain biking for intermediates who want to test their strength, skill, and endurance. Theodore Roosevelt called the Grand Canyon "the one great sight which every American should see," and why not see this natural wonder in the fall, the way it was meant to be seen, by foot. As the legendary Rio Grande winds its way through the soaring peaks of Chisos Mountains in Texas, it waters America's premier desert park—Big Bend National Park. Fall temperatures in Big Bend are ideal to enjoy the desert bursting into bloom with a colorful patchwork of exquisite flowering ocotilla, prickly pear and strawberry cacti.

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Last Updated: 15 Sep 2010
Published: 29 Apr 2002
The details, dates, and prices mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication.