The U.S. has four major deserts– the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin– and there are others, like many parts of the Colorado Plateau, that meet the technical definition. Within those landscapes are some of the most fascinating natural features in the country and the world, and you should see all of them at least once.
Here are some of the very best, and most of them are easy to get to. To be more informative, we’ve left out some of the obvious ones like the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion Canyon.
Eureka Dunes– Death Valley National Park, California
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Among the tallest sand dunes in North America, the Eureka Dunes are in a remote valley only reached by long drives on dirt roads. They’re surrounded by high desert peaks and have great views from the top of the very highest dune. When conditions are just right, the wind makes the sand sound as though it is “singing.”
Zabriskie Point and Golden Canyon– Death Valley National Park, California
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Often compared to a sore thumb sticking out, Manly Beacon towers above colorful badlands at Zabriskie Point. If you can arrange a vehicle shuttle, hike from Zabriskie Point through Golden Canyon to a parking lot at the other end. It’s better this way since it’s almost all downhill.
Badwater Basin– Death Valley National Park, California
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Badwater Basin the lowest place in the Northern Hemisphere and the hottest place on Earth; summer temperatures sometimes exceed 130 degrees Fahrenheit. A briny pool there reflects towering mountains on still mornings, including 11,049’ Telescope Peak. The vertical relief is over 11,300’, making for one of the most incredible contrasts in the world. After checking out Badwater, take a stroll out onto the salt flats of Death Valley.
Red Rock Canyon Scenic Loop, Nevada
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Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is in the backyard of Las Vegas but feels like a world away from all the noise and neon. It’s extremely popular with tourists, but you can get away from crowds if you’re willing to do some hiking. Red Rock is also a world-class rock climbing destination famed for long, moderate routes. On the east side of the loop are the colorful Calico Hills, composed of red, yellow, and white sandstone. On the west side are towering sandstone peaks and narrow canyons filled with creeks, springs, and waterfalls.
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
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About 90 minutes from the Vegas Strip via I-15, this park features a vast array of deep-red sandstone peaks, cliffs, and outcroppings. You can also find ancient Native American rock art, and the spring wildflower bloom after a wet winter is nothing short of dazzling.
Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada
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It’s a longer drive from Vegas to get here, but it’s really far away from all the hustle and bustle. At this small state park, there’s not a whole lot to do, but the wildly eroded badlands here are amazing and totally worth seeing. Back in the days of film cameras, it was easy to go through roll after roll here, especially at dawn and sunset when the colors are intense.
Zion East Side– Zion National Park, Utah
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Zion Canyon justifiably gets hordes of visitors. Many approach or leave it from the eastern side of the park, and so many of them stop not at all or only here and there to snap some pictures. If you like adventure and exploration, the east side of Zion offers slot canyons, obscure peaks, natural arches, frog-filled pools, and much, much more.
Cathedral Valley– Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
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The full loop is about 60 miles of dirt roads, and some parts require high clearance and four-wheel drive. This includes a river crossing you shouldn’t try unless you have the vehicle for it and the water level is low enough. But the reward is a remote valley studded with massive sandstone monoliths, including the epic Temple of the Sun.
San Rafael Swell, Utah
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This is a huge area requiring high clearance and four-wheel drive and/or long hikes, but you can get a taste of this sandstone wilderness simply by driving the 50 miles or so of I-70 west of the town of Green River. Detours and pullouts will take you to amazing desert scenery that includes dinosaur footprints and ancient rock art.
Calf Creek Falls, Utah
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Here, you’ll find one of the best hikes in all of Utah. This trail in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument gently climbs along Calf Creek past beautiful sandstone formations and ancient rock art to a lovely waterfall cascading down a colorful cliff into a clear pool below.
Devils Garden– Arches National Park, Utah
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Delicate Arch is the most famous arch in this popular national park, but the Devils Garden Trail passes several arches, including one of the world’s longest and thinnest. It ends at a rock formation called the Dark Angel. On the return trip, you can branch off on the Primitive Loop for different scenery and more challenge.
Monument Valley, Arizona-Utah
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Director John Ford made the spires and buttes here world-famous by featuring them in his Westerns. You can see plenty of great formations from the U.S. highway passing through here, but the best scenery is in the park administered by the Navajo Nation.
Havasu Canyon, Arizona
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Havasu Canyon is a remote tributary of the Grand Canyon mostly on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. A trail descends into the canyon to a village, and after that is a series of beautiful waterfalls tumbling into travertine pools. You can continue all the way to the Colorado River if you want.
White Sands, New Mexico
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Formerly a national monument and now a national park, White Sands has some of the most stunning sand dunes in America. They’re composed of fine white gypsum that looks a lot like snow. If you want to see more white gypsum dunes, you can find some on the western side of Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas at Salt Basin. It’s about a three-hour drive away, and these dunes get far fewer visitors than White Sands does.
Santa Elena Canyon– Big Bend National Park, Texas
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The Santa Elena Canyon is one of three river canyons along the Rio Grande in this sprawling park. A trail leads into the mouth of the canyon, and the river is often shallow enough to wade in safely. The best way to see the canyon is to float it, and you can do that through outfitters operating tours starting outside the park.
The 30 Most Beautiful Places in the World That Everyone Must See
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There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.
The following are some of the places that people mention over and over again, not in any particular order.
30 Breathtaking Places You Must See Before You Die
The Two Best Scenic Wonders in Each of the Mountain States
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The Mountain States– Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico– have some of the wildest and most rugged landscapes in the United States. Because they’re so big, it can take a lot of time to visit them, so it helps to be able to plan for some specific destinations.
Following are our choices for the top two must-see outdoor locations in each of these seven states.
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