Destinations

Pearl's maiden voyage. 2 nights of dispersed camping near Volcano Peak with the Silver Island Mountains, completely off-grid. The salt flats at golden hour don't look real.

Thousands of mushroom-shaped sandstone formations called hoodoos spread across the valley floor. It looks like another planet. One of the stranger places on earth.

Lowest point in North America. Salt flats, dunes, and an alien landscape. Best in winter — it's lethal in summer.

Half Dome, El Capitan, Merced River. One of the most iconic landscapes in the country. Crowded — plan well in advance.

A mile deep, 277 miles long, and still somehow hard to comprehend in person. One of the few places that actually exceeds the photos.

Less crowded than Zion or Arches but just as striking. The Waterpocket Fold is unlike anything else in Utah.

Going-to-the-Sun Road. Bears. Lakes that look fake. The kind of place that justifies having a trailer at all.

Alpine tundra, elk everywhere, Trail Ridge Road topping out over 12,000 feet. Close enough for a long weekend.

Ancient Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. Unlike anything else on this list — history carved into the canyon walls.

One of the least visited national parks in the country. Ancient bristlecone pines, Lehman Caves, and some of the darkest skies in the lower 48.

The Tetons just appear out of nowhere above the valley floor. No foothills, no warmup — just a wall of mountains. One of the most dramatic views in the country.

Geysers, hot springs, bison jams on the road, and the constant reminder that you're camping on top of a supervolcano. Worth every mile.