Wolters World

Honest Travel Advice

Menu
  • Destinations
  • Don’ts of Traveling
  • Travel Tips
  • Shop
  • About
  • Work with Us
Menu

Five Things Travelers Love & Hate about Visiting the Southwest USA

Posted on October 21, 2019October 19, 2019 by Mark Wolters

Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we visit the American Southwest! The Southwest states include Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. It’s a beautiful region of the United States that is well worth coming to. As you know, here at Wolters World, we like to prepare travelers with the good, and the bad, of visiting a new travel destination. So these are the five things you’ll love, and the five things you’ll hate when you visit the Southwest USA.

Hate #1: Sand Everywhere

Even though not all of the Southwest is desert, you will end up with sand and dust everywhere. In your car, your suitcase and on your clothes. This is not the trip to bring your brand new white tennis shoes, or they may end up dyed red from the dirt in the Southwest.

Love #1: Southwest Weather

The weather in the Southwest is pretty perfect, especially in winter when the rest of the country is cold and snowy. You’ll have sunny, warm days and crisp, cool nights. There’s a reason so many people retire to the Southwest. Even in the summertime, there are areas of the southwest at higher elevations that are not too hot to visit.

Hate #2: Extreme Temperatures

Although the weather in the southwest is generally great, there are huge temperature shifts every day, from hot to cold. You end up having to pack more clothing because you need warm weather clothes for the daytime and a few extra layers for nighttime. A typical day will see about a 30-degree temperature swing, whether it’s from 50 to 80-degrees, or from 80-degrees to 110-degrees, depending on when you visit.

Love #2: Southwest Landscapes

The landscapes of the Southwest states are incredibly unique and breathtaking. There are so many neat places to visit in the American Southwest. National Parks like Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Canyon, Saguaro National Park, and more! Then there are state parks and unique destinations like Sedona, Arizona. Monument Valley is another iconic Southwest destination. The Southwest attracts a lot of outdoor adventure travelers because of all the amazing opportunities to get outside and enjoy nature.

Hate #3: The Snowbirds

Many retirees spend their summers up north and then converge on the southwest for the winter. The joke in Arizona is that you know it’s autumn when the license plates start to change colors. Most of the cities aren’t built as seasonal tourist destinations, so restaurants, grocery stores, and other places can get overwhelmed during the snowbird season. Finding accommodation can also be a challenge, especially if you want an apartment rental or long-term stay.

Love #3: Native American Culture

Native Americans lived in the Southwest long before the Europeans arrived and started to move west. The Native American culture remains strong in the Southwest, and there are so many interesting places where you can learn more. There are many spots to visit the historic settlements at places like Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon. You can sample Native American food in several places, and experience the culture through pow-wows that are open to the public. There are also some really great museums in the southwest that are dedicated to preserving Native American culture and history.

Hate #4: Long Drives

Yes, there’s something fun about the open road, but the distances between attractions of the Southwest states are huge. Many travelers tend to over-plan their itineraries to include too many Southwest destinations and end up spending most of their vacation behind the wheel of a car. Given the long stretches of desolate roads, it’s always a good idea to fill up your gas tank when you are leaving a town because you don’t know where the next gas station will be. It’s also a good idea to have an actual map with you, as you may frequently be out of cell phone range.

Top Ten Road Trip Essentials

Love #4: Southwest Food

The food in the southwest is amazing and diverse. Native American foods include fry bread (with sweet or savory toppings) and lamb stew. New Mexico is known for tamales, green chiles and hatch chiles, while Arizona has some of the best Sonoran Mexican food you can find. Make sure you try a Sonoran hot dog if you visit Tucson!

Hate #5: Leaving the Southwest

One of the worst parts of visiting the Southwest is having to leave and go back home, especially in the winter! As you can see, we really had to stretch to find five things to hate about these Southwest vacation destinations!

What to Know Before Visiting Las Vegas

Love #5: Desert Views

This is one of the least populated areas of the United States, which means there are still wide open vistas with nothing to see but scenery. From canyons, forests, rivers and unique plants like the saguaro cactus, the Southwest is a very diverse environment. And the night skies are some of the best in the world. You won’t believe how many stars you can see!

Overall, the Southwest is a really fantastic place to visit, with iconic scenery, great culture, history, and food. The “hates” are really just things to have a heads up on rather than a reason to avoid Southwest USA travel. Want more tips for planning a US vacation? Check out these other blog posts:

  • Ten Things That Will Shock You in the USA
  • 17 Don’ts of Visiting the USA
  • US Hotels Explained for Tourists
Tweets by @woltersworld

Hey There Fellow Travelers

If you want HONEST Travel Advice from travelers who have been there, this is the Travel site for you. We focus on giving you the best & the worst parts of traveling, the cultural differences, the do's and don'ts and so much more. Please join us on our journey to help other travelers. Happy Travels!

Wolters World is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that is set up to help us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

©2025 Wolters World
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT