Southwestern US: A Land of Deserts and Canyons

The Southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado) is defined by arid deserts and dramatic canyons:

• Deserts: Sonoran (saguaro cacti), Mojave (Joshua trees, Death Valley), Great Basin (sagebrush, high elevation).
• Canyons: Grand Canyon (AZ), Bryce Canyon (UT), Zion Canyon (UT), Canyonlands (UT), Antelope Canyon (AZ).

The region's hot, dry climate and tectonic uplift created these iconic landscapes, now protected in numerous national parks and monuments.