ARIZONA MONUMENTS AND NATIONAL PARKS
 

Montezuma Castle,Petrified Forrest/Painted Desert, Walnut Canyon, and Wupatki National Monument. Any of these must sees that I should definitely fit in my Arizona Trip?

You left out Sunset Crater National Monument. It is on the same loop road off of rt. 89 youy would use to visit Wupatki. Walnut Canyon is also close by. Did Walnut Canyon, Wupatki and Sunset in around five hours on the way from Flagstaff to Gr. CAnyon. This is the long way to go but it provides the opportunity to visit the above national monuments.

If you're headed east-west, Petrified Forest Nat Park is probably worth the few hours you would need to drive through the Park.<BR><BR>If you're headed between Tuscon /Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, the drive to Petr Forest would not be worth the extra time.<BR><BR>Depending on your interest in Anasazi ruins, you could see all of these ancient monuments or just one. None of the ones in Arizona are as impressive as Mesa Verde Nat Park, but each give a good sense that Europeans did not bring civilization to the west, as it was there for centuries before they arrived.

......did wapatuki as a day trip from the grand canyon. it was OK.....but i wouldn't go out of my way to see it. as i remember, it was a long drive from the main road and only took about 1/2 an hour to see.

Skip the petrified forest and see the painted desert from Monument Valley. Pet. forest is lame and the drive (on Rte. 66) is forgetable. Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelley are incredible. Stay at Golding's Lodge near Monument Valley and watch the sun rise from your room over the monuments. It's breathtaking.