Death Valley, a place of extremes, is home to the hottest, driest, and lowest national park in the U.S. But this wonder of the Mojave Desert is far from lifeless.

Step into a world where the tallest trees on Earth stand guard, creating a landscape that is both remote and deeply humbling.

Kings Canyon, a wilderness gem often overshadowed by its more famous cousin, Yosemite, is a treasure trove of massive granite cliffs, plunging canyons, and remote wilderness.

Step into Sequoia National Park and you'll be awestruck by the giants that live here, ancient trees so wide you can drive a car through their trunks and so tall they vanish into the sky.

Capitol Reef National Park, a hidden gem in Utah, is a unique blend of red rock cliffs, white domes, and hidden orchards. It stretches across the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile wrinkle in the Earth's crust. Unlike its more popular Mighty Five siblings, this park near Torrey, Utah, offers a peaceful and intimate experience for explorers who appreciate dramatic landscapes without the crowds, allowing you to relax and connect with nature.

Zion stuns you immediately: massive sandstone cliffs rise like cathedrals, painted in streaks of red, cream, and pink. The Virgin River snakes through the canyon floor, where cottonwoods glow green against the desert stone.

Canyonlands is where Utah's desert goes cinematic: towering mesas, rivers carving labyrinthine canyons, and red cliffs stretching to the horizon.

Drive into Arches National Park and it feels like you've entered a natural sculpture garden on a colossal scale. Towering red rock fins, balanced stones the size of houses, and more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches dot the desert landscape.