Blanding is a small town of 4,000. It is home to a small state park featuring ancient Indian artifacts, but serves mostly as a stopping off point for travelers in the area.

Bluff is a tiny community that serves mostly as a base for those running the San Juan River and traveling in the region.

Monument Valley is an area of exceptional free standing red rock monoliths that rise up to 1,000 above the desert floor. The landscape they create is truly majestic, a fact documented by the numerous Westerns that have used it as a backdrop.

Natural Bridges National Monument is a pleasant small park featuring three large sandstone bridges at the bottom of adjacent canyons. It has a good scenic drive overlooking the bridges and excellent trails down into the canyons to the bridges.

San Juan River winds easily through beautiful remote canyons before emptying into Lake Powell. It has mild white water, Indian pictographs and Anasazi ruins, and some good hiking opportunities into side canyons.