Places Joe Wants to Go

The unusual patterns in this rock formation result from two distinct modes of weathering.

The hike through a narrow river flanked by the 2,000-foot-tall walls of Zion Canyon is one of the best in the world.

This quiet park's strange sedimentary spires were named after Kodak's color film.

A striking, menacing sandstone peak towering above a landscape that's equal parts Mordor and the Moon.

A small oasis not far from downtown Moab.

This interpretive path lets you get up close and personal with dinosaur bones.

A Mars simulation in the southern Utah desert.

A tunnel with windows, so you don't miss out on the impressive views.

Sandstone rock formations that look like they belong on the cover of a progressive rock album.

This ghost town was once a cult-like religious utopian settlement.

One of the world’s largest collections of petroglyphs records 2,000 years of human activity.

The fifth-longest natural arch in the world, and the longest outside China.

Few things look more out of place than the electric blue ponds in the reddish-brown desert of Utah.

This rugged area of red rocks and arches is often considered one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Giant, natural amphitheaters made of delicate geological formations called "hoodoos."

Largest collection of mounted dinosaur specimens in the world.

This lava formation earned its whimsical name from the log-like formation of it stones.

This gallery of prehistoric red ochre art lines the wall of a scenic segment in Utah's San Rafael Swell.

A ghost town that held steady longer than most, but finally gave up the ghost.

Thousands of years ago, Indigenous people painted images onto these canyon walls that are still on display today, provocative, mysterious, and enduring reminders of the people who lived here long ago.

The superstar of Cold War nuclear bunkers has been featured in countless films but is now barely operational.

This New Orleans boutique and nursery specializes in rare flora, with a focus on carnivorous plants.

After decades of neglect, a brutalist icon is getting new life as an eco-friendly hotel.

This historic former textile mill now houses a brewery, hotel, and what's believed to be the longest bar in the United Kingdom.