Zion National Park, UT

Catch your breath. Look up. Zion National Park is Utah at its finest. Flaming rocks dashed with crimson and salmon tower to the cloudless skies. Prickly pear cacti jut from the dust. Bighorn sheep hop over the rock faces. Lofting above the Virgin River is Zion Canyon and its surrounding reserve, marking the point where the Great Basin, the Mojave, and the Colorado Plateau meet in one heck of a display of geology and geography. Gorge walking is the star, but you might also want to think about hopping in the saddle to evoke the real Wild West.