
Hunting for a Teepee
During our trip planning and while reading about the Route 66 experience, staying in a teepee was highlighted in several places as an essential part of the journey. This sparked our interest in trying out this unique accommodation at some point during our trip.
In Arizona, we found such an opportunity at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook. As we drove from New Mexico into Arizona one evening, we booked a teepee at this motel and eagerly anticipated this different kind of stay, especially since the photos made them look really nice.
Upon reaching our destination, we discovered that we had mistakenly booked accommodation at the same chain’s San Bernardino location in California. Unfortunately, it was not reachable for that evening, but luckily we were able to cancel the booking without any charges. It was our own mistake—sometimes when you’re tired you don’t notice all the “small” details 😀
Unfortunately, there were no teepees available at the Holbrook location, so that experience had to be postponed. Fortunately, the motel also had traditional rooms available, so we didn’t have to search far for accommodation in the evening twilight. The room was old and outdated, so finding another place to stay would have been a good idea; we definitely wouldn’t stay there again.
The motel’s courtyard was nice; the teepees looked great from the outside, and there were many old cars as decorations around the property, creating a certain vibe. Holbrook itself was quite unique, with large dinosaur statues scattered around town.

Fossilized Trees in Petrified Forest
Arizona is well-known for its numerous natural attractions, and we had several on our list.
Our first stop was the Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook. The Petrified Forest is famous for its fossilized trees.
Many American national parks are quite different from what a Finn might be used to; you can practically drive through them and stop at viewpoints. Of course, there are hiking trails to explore, but generally, they are designed to be toured by car.
The Petrified Forest also has a scenic drive with major attractions along the route. The petrified trees in the park are truly remarkable and unique. These trees were buried in volcanic ash and over time, their structure turned into stone. They look like real trees but are made of solid rock.
Read more about the Petrified Forest National Park in its dedicated post ➛
Due to the previous night’s unsuccessful accommodation choice, we played it safe and booked a room at the Best Western for the next night. We stayed at the Best Western Canyon De Chelly Inn, conveniently located near our next destination. The reliable Best Western did not disappoint this time either.


Canyon de Chelly
Today, we planned to visit the Canyon de Chelly National Monument. We chose our accommodation based on this and were at the “playing field” early in the morning without much of a commute. We stopped by the Visitor Center first to get tips on exploring the area.
Canyon de Chelly is a truly beautiful canyon, and we first drove towards the famous Spider Rock viewpoint located at the southern rim of the monument. This is the most famous and perhaps the most beautiful spot in the monument. The drive here was breathtaking with frequent stops to admire the scenery and take pictures.

Depending on the available time, it’s best to prioritize the southern rim and its viewpoints; if time permits, also visit the northern rim.
Although Canyon de Chelly may be overshadowed by Arizona’s more famous attractions like the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon, it should definitely not be missed. It’s truly stunning and impressive, especially considering its size. Here, you can better grasp the landscape compared to, say, the Grand Canyon, which is so vast that its scale is challenging to comprehend.
The place is also relatively peaceful, and during our visit, there weren’t many people around.
Read more about Canyon de Chelly National Monument in its dedicated post ➛


Evening Entertainment: Rodeo
In the late afternoon, as we were driving along, we noticed a large event in the middle of a field, considering the rural surroundings. We decided to see what was happening, so we parked our car among the long rows of vehicles. It turned out to be a local rodeo competition, quite a significant event. It wasn’t a huge crowd, but overall, there were probably a few hundred people watching the competition.
We didn’t have Stetsons or boots, and maybe we stood out from the crowd, and it was clear that others noticed too 😀 There was no mistaking the quiet murmurs of wonder about what we were doing there. It probably wasn’t very common for tourists to stumble upon these festivities. Nevertheless, we stayed to watch the competition, and it was quite entertaining and a very local experience.
Participants included children riding sheep instead of bulls. The adult competitions were intense, and it takes skill to stay on those animals.

Monument Valley
Next on our agenda was Monument Valley, located near the border of Utah and Arizona. We were in for landscapes straight out of legendary Western movies!
The drive from Canyon de Chelly to Monument Valley is only about 1,5 hours, so it wasn’t bad, and visiting both locations in a single day is doable. Throughout this trip, we often found ourselves looking at the map and thinking that the distance wasn’t so bad, but when we calculated the route, the journey was usually much longer than initially imagined.
Monument Valley truly exudes the atmosphere of old Western movies. The red, sheer cliffs in the desert inevitably evoke the spirit of a cowboy (even though neither of us has ever ridden a horse), imagining the dust rising behind from the steady clip-clop of hooves.
You can drive through Monument Valley on a 27-kilometer loop road, which offers stunning views between the rock formations and across the desert. Despite its popularity, there was plenty of space, and there was no overcrowding anywhere.
This place is incredibly nostalgic, and the landscapes are breathtaking.
Read more about Monument Valley in its dedicated post ➛
From Monument Valley, we headed west towards the town of Page, where several interesting sites awaited us. We’ll continue from there in the next post.



Related posts:
- Route 66 Road Trip – Part 10: Arizona, USA (Part 2)
- Route 66 Road Trip – Part 12: California, USA
- Route 66 Road Trip – Part 11: Nevada, USA
- Monument Valley – Arizona/Utah, USA
- Route 66 Road Trip – Part 4: Missouri
- Route 66 Road Trip – Part 2: Chicago Attractions and the Beginning of the Journey
- Route 66 Road Trip – Part 3: Illinois
- Route 66 Road Trip – Part 6: Oklahoma
- Route 66 Road Trip – Part 7: Texas
- Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona, USA