Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.

~ Drake

Zion National Park, Utah:

A bajillion years ago, ancient iterations of the Virgin River started wreaking havoc on southwestern Utah. Now there’s a faint “You’re welcome” echoing through the canyons of Zion National Park.

Zion National Park is like the set of a movie that’s so grand you know it’s fake, but you don’t care because it’s delicious to look at; the kind of flick where the art director was given carte blanche and didn’t worry about believability. The Utah.com crew put together a guide full of Zion tips for all ages and abilities, from mild meanderings along Pa-rus Trail to wildly spectacular views from Angels Landing (which now requires a hiking permit, BTW). And, of course, a “hidden gem” where you can escape the crowds is included.

Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah:

Hidden within the mountains above Cedar City is the brilliant geology and vibrant environment of Cedar Breaks National Monument. The geologic amphitheater and surrounding environs are home to cool hiking trails, ancient trees, high elevation camping, and over-the-top views along the “Circle of Painted Cliffs.”

Cedar Breaks’ majestic amphitheater is a three-mile-long cirque made up of eroding limestone, shale, and sandstone. Situated on the western edge of the Markagunt Plateau, the raised area of earth located in Southern Utah between Interstate 15 and Highway 89, the monument sits entirely above 10,000 feet. The Amphitheater is like a naturally formed coliseum that plunges 2,000 feet below taking your eyes for a colorful ride through arches, towers, hoodoos, and canyons.

Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Moab, Utah:

Moab, Utah, home to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, is surrounded by some of the most stunning red rock landscapes on Earth. Moab’s unique combination of small resort town hospitality, beautiful scenery and the cool waters of the Colorado River has made it one of the most sought after destinations in the American Southwest.

Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado:

The Park is a unique biological melting pot where the grasslands of the Great Plains meet the pinyon-juniper woodlands characteristic of the American Southwest and merge with the mountain forest of the 14,115-foot Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain.
Five different ecosystems converge at the Garden of the Gods: Cottonwood-willow, prairie-grassland, mountain shrub, pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah: Red Rocks, Pink Cliffs, and Endless Vistas:

Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, but here is the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the park’s high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description.

Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah:

If ever a state park was made to be photographed, it is Kodachrome Basin State Park. The park covers 2,240 acres of canyon country and is surrounded by Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on three sides. With its close proximity to other popular destinations down Cottonwood Road, it makes for a spectacular base-camp or a stop on an event-filled day in the desert with friends.

Mesa Verde: A Sacred Place, Colorado:

For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth.