Utah is a geographically diverse landlocked state at the convergence of three distinct geological regions: the Rocky Mountains, the cordilleran backbone that dominates the western North American continent; the Great Basin, the largest area of contiguous endorheic watershed in North America; and the Colorado Plateau, a thick crustal block home to unique colorful erosional features such as arches, canyons, cliffs, pinnacles and hoodoos. I had the chance to visit southern Utah twice in different seasons: Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and their interstices. Zion is famous for its narrow sheer sandstone walls that make up the Zion Canyon, a striking gorge known as The Narrows that can usually only be hiked during summer months. Despite its name, Bryce is not a canyon but a collection of giant naturally excavated amphitheaters, distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rock. The reddish and orange hues of the rocks provide spectacular views for visitors, that together with autumn tree-color displays and winter snow spectacles, make up an extraordinary experience that pleads to be repeated.