Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Imagine a massive mountain range inverted into the earth and you have the Grand Canyon, a surprisingly multi-colored crater that spans 277 miles, plummets a mile deep, and is snaked by the raging Colorado River. Descending into it is akin to stepping back in time by thousands of years, when Native Americans first inhabited the canyon.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Sharp spires and pinnacles rise above a bizarre maze of striated buttes and canyons at 244,000-acre Badlands National Park, first called “mako sica” or “land bad” by the Lakota people for its exposed terrain and lack of water. But it wasn’t always that way; Badlands is home to one of the greatest fossil beds of the Oligocene Epoch, and remains found here include saber-toothed cats and three-toed horses.

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho

If you’re looking to witness the dynamic magic of mother nature, you can do no better than Yellowstone, a 3,500-square-mile wilderness set on a super volcano and loaded with waterfalls and 10,000-plus geothermal features, including the Old Faithful geyser. America’s first national park is also home to incredible wildlife that includes gray wolves, a top predator reintroduced at Yellowstone 25 years ago.

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

An invitation into a seemingly endless desert landscape, Capitol Reef beckons adventurers into an expansive and gloriously simple display of earth and sky. Venture through its towering slot canyons, hike amid its serene red rocks, and find yourself surprised by the breathtaking viewpoints to be had by car on the winding, 25-mile Capitol Reef Scenic Drive.

Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska

If there was only one reason to get to Denali, it would be to see the Great One: 20,320-foot Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America. Good thing there are dozens more reasons to explore this Alaskan wilderness — everything from massive glaciers to dinosaur fossils to Denali’s big five of bears, wolves, caribou, dall sheep and moose.

Arches National Park, Utah

You’ve seen the famed Delicate Arch, but you’ll want to know the story behind the more than 2,000 sandstone arches at Arches National Park, home to the largest concentration of this geological formation found anywhere in the world. Geologists credit the abundance to a perfect combination of sandstone bedrock, eroded fracture systems, entrenched river systems and semiarid conditions.

Yosemite National Park, California

The first thing to take your breath away is the bigness of it all — the sweeping view as you drive in, ancient giant sequoia groves, and spectacular granite cliff walls of Half Dome and El Capitan, where you may spot only the most intrepid rock climbers. But wait for Yosemite’s spectacular waterfalls, glowing to a fiery red in winter and catapulting into a thunderous roar by spring.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Just 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton is defined by the peaks rising from the 40-mile-long Teton Range, including its tallest mountain, 13,775-foot Grand Teton. The park’s alpine lakes and rivers, lush valleys, and flora and fauna complete a pristine ecosystem, with wildlife running the gamut from grizzlies and moose to rare pronghorn and Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout.

Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

At 601,839 acres, Alaska’s smallest park packs a punch with its glacial scenery and wild comingling of land and sea. The mile-thick, 700-square-mile Harding Icefield unfolds down Kenai’s mountains into dozens of glaciers, which tumble toward the coastline to carve valleys and form a stunning fjord system — a finale nearly upstaged by sea animals that include humpback whales, Stellar sea lions and puffins.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Blue skies over red-orange rock formations called “hoodoos” — including the giant Thor’s hammer — will have you feeling like you’ve stepped into a multi-colored fantasy land. Stands of pine trees break at the rim and peer over the canyon like goblins, hiking loops wind through slot canyons rich in Navajo history, and star gazing straight to the Milky Way is unparalleled; more reasons not to doubt the magic and mystery of Bryce Canyon.