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Show Spar cely -Settled Four Corners Offering Great Tours The states ot Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah touch borders just abut 350 miles north of Mexico. It's gorgeous country, within its borders are more than 420,000 square miles of mountains, deserts, lakes and rivers, comprising one sixth of the total land area of the 48 contiguous states. And while the wide open spaces offer such remarkable scenic attractions as Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce National Parks, only 2.8 percent of the U.S. population lives in these four states. Result: cosmopolitan population popu-lation enclaves (Denver, Phoenix, Phoe-nix, Salt Lake, Albuquerque) that tend to generate industrial industri-al dollars, while outside the cities, tourism is one of the few dollor-generating activities these states can count on. With the energy crunch of the early 70s, these four states, heavily dependent on automobile tourism, decided that together they would look to the development of package tours. Under the direction of the federal government's Four Corners Regional Commission, Commis-sion, the four states, calling themselves "The Four Most West," set about designing package tours with broad interest. The first tours are now being offered. "It became apparent in the very beginning that the variety of these four states would be the biggest asset we would have to reckon with," says Brad P. Smith, director of the Four Corners Regional Tourism Tour-ism Organization, the marketing market-ing arm of the program. Mr. Smith has a point. Together these 4 states have ' 10 national parks, 37 national monuments, 32 national forests, for-ests, 1,500 state parks, campsites, camp-sites, state and national historical sites and recreation areas, 2 grasslands. 20 wilderness wilder-ness and primitive areas. The four states are uniquely rich in scenic, historical and recreational activity sites. A quick look at your map tells the story. In Arizona, spectacular Grand Canyon heads the list. In Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park. In Utah, magnificent lake Powell reflects the red Lake Powell reflects the red Mexico, it's the influence of 17th century Spain at Santa Fe. The Four Corners Regional Tourism Organization knew that variety would be a promotable plus. Offering the first tours in the 1976 program began one year earlier when Four Corners Regional Tourism Tour-ism Organization began struc turing its tours with an eye toward interest segments. The result is 13 different tour categories, each of them --j specifically directed to a segment of tourism market.' "Cultures of Contrast," a tour series offered by southwestern anthropologist, Dr. B. Alan Kite, takes visitors among the Indians to see portions of these cultures most people never get close to. College credit is offered on these tours. The emphasis from Dr. Kite is on the cultural aspects of the Southwest and how they have blended into a truly unique culture. Another tour, "Outlaws, "Out-laws, Railroads and Mining Camps," provides a fascinat-;, ing trip for the Western history buff or the person interested in railroading. This trip takes the vacationer from the silver mines of the high Rockies to the arid country of Lost Dutchman fame. Other tours provide unique and interesting means of seeing the highlights of the Four Most West, including the national parks and monuments and the Indian tribes and pueblos. Another tour package offers a variety of ski vacations. Yet another tour provides the visitor with option packages on river running the mighty Colorado, the Green River. A special golf tour in essence provides you with a choice of golf courses from the - spectacular alpine beauty of Tamarron in Colorado to fareways in Arizona where giant cacti stand sentry. For those who can't quite break away from the bright lights, there is a tour that takes in the capital cities of all four states and in the process, the spectacular scenic and historic sights near each of them. Special fishing, boating and camping packages are offered on Lake Powell, whose 1800 miles of shoreline exceeds that of the Pacific shoreline of California. One of the tours being offered as part of the Four Most West package is called the Dominguez-Escalante tour. It follows the route taken by 2 Spanish priests who ' explored the Four Most West in 1776 as they sought routes to the missions of California. While the 13 original colonies were .fighting for independ-r ence, Spanish priests were exploring the West. One special tour, Great Southwest Adventure '76, is designed with comfort and luxury and is directed to senior citizens. This trip takes in the highlights of all four states. Guest ranches? There are more than 200 of them in the Four Most West. These include tennis ranches. One of the most unique tours of the four states is provided by a pilot based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His name is Bruce Adams, a displaced easterner, who flies his own special aircraft and your party across the four states to points of scenic and cultural interests off the beaten track. Adams high-winged, high-winged, specially-designed monoplane may be seen setting in at a trading post in a distant, remote corner of the huge Navajo Indian reservation. reserva-tion. Those who fly with Adams will sleep under the wing and dine on steaks cooked over an open fire at night; then enjoy the next night at a fine hotel in Denver or Salt Lake. Visitors get a special treat when they view the many national parks and monuments from Adams' bird's-eye loca- N tion. In a three hour flight with Adams, one may cover portions por-tions of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado. You'll see incredible Canyonlands National Park where the Green and Colorado Rivers come together; next in view are the tall, green Rocky Mountains. There is fishing in a thousand lakes and rivers. You can hunt big game, upland birds, or waterfowl. Golf fifty different courses as part of one package. Cook dinner and spend the night in an outlaw cave. Watch Indian ceremonial dances. Visit the inside of a Navajo hogan. Climb to the ruins of Anasazi cliff dwelling built about 1100 AD. Spend days exploring the mae of canyons around Lake Powell, either houseboat or a small but comfortable launch. Tour Bryce, Bry-ce, Grand Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands, and Rocky Mountain National Pards, ski cross country or downhill; dine on Navajo fry bread or succulent filet mignon. So, as Smith says, "Where does one begin?" |
