To maximize the area covered, consider flying into Las Vegas, renting a car, and driving up into Utah (stop in Vegas for a quick lunch, perhaps at the delicious La Comida located off the strip). Utah has five glorious national parks, each with their own distinct characteristics, so it is best to plan ahead to figure out which ones are within your means for time and distance.

“We’ve been expecting you!” the receptionist says as we buzz for entry through Amangiri’s locked gate. Finally reaching the resort itself, my partner and I are greeted by a team of friendly staff who immediately whisk our bags away as a host escorts us up the paved stairs. It is nighttime when we arrive, and the building is lined with glowing lanterns that light our path.

Inside, the lobby flows into the dining room and open kitchen, which in turn leads to an inner courtyard. Past the dazzling pool and hot tub, we are guided to our room, where check-in is as simple as signing our names.

Heading

Amangiri offers free guided hikes right from the property that explore the surrounding terrain, but it is also only a few hours’ drive from Zion National Park. Along the way, watch the rock formations change, perhaps stopping at the Grand-Staircase Escalante for a short detour to see some toadstools. That is the beauty of this land: even small journeys on the side of the highway turn into momentous adventures.

If visiting Zion in the off-season, you can take your car right through the park, stopping as many or as few times as desired (if there during peak season, shuttles are used to take explorers to the different viewpoints). The rock patterns on these red mountains seem to swirl and swish like ice cream cones, and a short hike down along the Lower Emerald Pool Trail makes me feel as though I’ve encountered a rugged stony jungle.

Driving out of Nevada, through parts of Arizona, and into Utah is nothing short of awe-inspiring, with the scenery morphing from yellow to red to beige. Reaching Amangiri feels like approaching a secluded fortress, with a private winding road that snakes through the mountainous rocks.

Heading

I was, of course, going to find out what was there. But at the very least I knew that if HBO’s Westworld, which is filmed in the state, was anything close to how the landscapes looked in real life, I was in for a few days of magic.

To maximize the area covered, consider flying into Las Vegas, renting a car, and driving up into Utah (stop in Vegas for a quick lunch, perhaps at the delicious La Comida located off the strip). Utah has five glorious national parks, each with their own distinct characteristics, so it is best to plan ahead to figure out which ones are within your means for time and distance.

Driving out of Nevada, through parts of Arizona, and into Utah is nothing short of awe-inspiring, with the scenery morphing from yellow to red to beige. Reaching Amangiri feels like approaching a secluded fortress, with a private winding road that snakes through the mountainous rocks.

“We’ve been expecting you!” the receptionist says as we buzz for ent