I-15 runs from San Diego to Montana, carving off the westernmost quarter of the country from the rest. The best stretch to drive, though, is the chunk between Utah to Nevada. Choose the leisurely route from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, passing by the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Zion National Park, Antelope Canyon, and Arizona’s Painted Desert, which more than lives up to its name. Give yourself at least four days (better yet, a week). The contrast between the man-made neon of the Las Vegas Strip and the pinks, purples, and dusty reds of the deserts in Arizona and Utah is starkly beautiful.

Where to stop: Make Springdale, Utah, outside Zion your first base camp and take a half-day private tour of the national park before a spa day at the ultra-luxe Amangiriresort. Save time for a boat tour of Lake Powell, and for photo ops of the otherworldly Antelope Canyon.

Where to eat: There’s a surprising energy in Flagstaff, originally founded as a pitstop on the wagon road, thanks to the Northern Arizona University campus there. Downtown has a pleasant roster of cafes, bars, and craft breweries—follow the trail here—as well as an outstanding Southwest-Tex Mex scene; try the tacos at Salsa Brava.

Where to stay: Channel your inner Easy Rider in downtown Flagstaff with a night at the Motel du Beau where both John Ford and John Wayne once stayed; the 1929-built hotel has a gloriously retro charm. You can also stay at Amangiri, of course, or the chalet-like El Tovar, which hugs the edge of the southern rim of the Grand Canyon.