san diego to sante fe mid may

[banning]

greetings all... i will be driving leisurely from san diego to sante fe mid may for 3 days (never been to these parts before) .. can i get suggestions for serious photo ops? so far.. salton sea, 29 plams, joshua tree, south rim GC.. need more off the beaten path ... thnx so much for any recommendations...tim

[armand]

Petrified Forest/ Painted Desert. Not sure how much time off beaten path you will have with only 3 days of driving.

[degrub]

Chaco canyon, Mesa Verde,
http://publiclands.org/Get-Books-and-Maps.php?plicstate=NM
tent rocks national trail (conical hoodoos)
Valles Caldera

See the link above for state lands.

If you are in Flagstaff overnight, see if the observatory is open for public viewing

[DonNac7zg]

Oatman and over Sitgreaves Pass
Take highway 66 from Kingman to Seligman on the way to the S Rim
At Flagstaff - Wupatki and Sunset Crater (early or late in the day)
Already mentioned is Petrified Forest - at Holbrook, take the road to the South Entrance and Drive to the North entrance. Be certain to stop at Blue Mesa.
At Chambers take the Road to Ganado - stop at Hubbell Trading post (see the old trading post, not the visitor center across the parking lot).
Continue north to Canyon De Chelley
Continue to Bluff. Stay overnight and inquire about Wolfman Panel and Sand Island. (Petroglyph panels)
Go east to Mesa Verde, then drop down to Chaco Canyon (DO NOT DRIVE THE DIRT ROAD IF IT HAS BEEN RAINING, particularly the road south from Chaco to I-40 - its a clay that is slicker than you can believe.)
Head to Santa Fe and/or Albuquerque.
Just how much time do you want to take? Tons of other things to see and photograph along the route....
Don