The World's Most Beautiful Places
“The Needles” are a rock formation of the 18-mile long Mojave Mountain Range that straddles the Arizona and California border and is bisected by the Colorado River, Topock Gorge and Lake Havasu. Lake Havasu is a popular tourist destination for water sports that lies on the edge of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. To the west lie the Chemehuevi Mountains.
Montezuma Castle near Camp Verde, Arizona, is one of many cliff dwellings, and pueblos constructed by the Sinagua, a group of Native Americans that inhabited the Verde River Valley and areas around Sedona between approximately 500-1400 A.D. The largest of the pueblos had over 100 rooms. Montezuma Castle may have been home to as many as 50 people, and contains 20 rooms spread over 5 floors.
There is evidence to suggest that Arizona’s Verde Valley, through which the Verde River passes, was occupied for over 12,000 years (120 centuries) before the arrival of the first Spanish explorer Antonio de Espejo, in 1583. Over that time, numerous Native American peoples have left their mark on the region in addition to the Sinagua, including the Hohokam, Yavapai, Apache and the Hopi. The Hopi in particular, who now live largely in northwest Arizona, link their origin myth to Montezuma Well, a limestone sinkhole 11 miles northeast of Montezuma castle.
Sunrise reflection on Squaw Lake with palm trees, an offshoot of the Colorado River south of the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, and north of Yuma, Arizona, near the border of California. This view is from the T.K. Jones Campground, a popular destination for fisherman and kayakers.