Exploring 25 Desert Landscapes in America That Look Like Another Planet

The deserts of the United States hold some of the most unusual and breathtaking scenery in the world. From swirling sandstone formations to vast stretches of salt flats, these landscapes often feel more like they belong on Mars than on Earth. Travelers seeking adventure and unique photography opportunities will find endless inspiration in these remote, rugged places. Whether you’re road tripping across the Southwest or planning a dedicated expedition, here are 25 desert landscapes in America that look like another planet.

White Sands National Park, New Mexico

The rolling dunes of White Sands National Park shimmer like waves of snow, but they are made entirely of gypsum crystals. This brilliant white expanse stretches across 275 square miles, creating a stark, alien environment that seems to glow under the desert sun. Hikers and photographers are drawn here for its surreal beauty, especially during sunrise and sunset when the dunes shift from cool blues to fiery oranges. It feels like walking on another world, yet it’s one of the most accessible desert wonders in the United States.

The Wave, Arizona

Deep within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument lies The Wave, a sandstone formation famous for its swirling lines and fluid curves. This geological marvel, sculpted over millions of years by wind and water, looks more like a painted landscape than a natural formation. Access is limited by permit to protect its fragile beauty, making it a dream destination for those who win the lottery. Standing within The Wave feels like stepping into a psychedelic, extraterrestrial realm hidden in the Arizona desert.

Badwater Basin, Death Valley, California

The lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin sits 282 feet below sea level and stretches out as a vast salt flat. Its polygon-shaped salt crystals create a cracked, otherworldly surface that seems endless against the backdrop of jagged mountains. During hot summer days, shimmering mirages make it even more surreal. This is one of the most Martian-looking landscapes in America, and yet it’s a key highlight for anyone exploring Death Valley National Park.

Goblin Valley State Park, Utah

True to its name, Goblin Valley is filled with bizarre, mushroom-shaped rock formations called hoodoos. These whimsical shapes resemble goblins, aliens, or otherworldly figures depending on your imagination. The park’s maze-like terrain is a playground for explorers who want to wander among the sandstone creatures. It’s easy to see why this Utah desert park has been compared to scenes from science fiction movies—it’s unlike anything else in the United States.

Painted Desert, Arizona

The Painted Desert is a kaleidoscope of color, with layers of red, purple, pink, and gray stretching across the horizon. The vibrant hues come from minerals and sediment deposits laid down over millions of years. Driving through or hiking within the Painted Desert feels like traveling across a distant planet where the ground itself seems alive with shifting tones. Its otherworldly charm makes it one of the most visually stunning places to visit in the American Southwest.

Mono Lake, California

Mono Lake sits on the edge of the Eastern Sierra and is famous for its eerie tufa towers rising from the salty water. These limestone formations look like alien spires, especially when the water is calm and reflects them perfectly. The stark contrast of the desert setting and the lake’s unusual chemistry makes it feel like a different planet altogether. It’s a favorite stop for photographers and a testament to the unique landscapes that US travel can reveal.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon is a maze of thousands of hoodoos, tall spires of rock carved by erosion over millennia. The amphitheater-like setting of these formations gives the impression of an alien cityscape rising from the desert floor. As sunlight moves across the canyon, the hoodoos glow in shades of orange, pink, and red, creating a surreal display. Many visitors describe it as standing in a cathedral sculpted on another world.

Trona Pinnacles, California

Located in the Mojave Desert, the Trona Pinnacles are clusters of towering tufa spires formed thousands of years ago in ancient lakebeds. Their barren, stark presence has made them a filming location for countless science fiction movies, including scenes set on Mars. The isolation of the area only adds to the sense of being far from Earth. Travelers exploring the Mojave often consider this a highlight for its cinematic, extraterrestrial feel.

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Antelope Canyon is one of the most photographed slot canyons in the world, with narrow passageways illuminated by beams of light from above. The walls twist and curve in fluid shapes, glowing in shades of orange, purple, and gold. Walking through feels like entering an alien cathedral, sculpted not by human hands but by centuries of rushing water. It’s a must-see destination for anyone fascinated by the surreal landscapes of the American desert.

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, California

At Zabriskie Point, eroded badlands stretch out in a maze of ridges and valleys painted in golds and browns. The view is so strange and dramatic that it feels like looking out across a different planet’s surface. Sunrise and sunset amplify the dreamlike quality, as shadows bring the desert’s texture to life. This spot has inspired countless artists, musicians, and filmmakers, solidifying its place as one of Death Valley’s most iconic destinations.

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

With its blazing red sandstone formations, Valley of Fire lives up to its name. The desert landscape here is filled with arches, petrified logs, and ancient petroglyphs, making it both visually stunning and historically rich. The rocks glow like embers during sunrise and sunset, giving the impression of a world on fire. It’s an essential stop for travelers exploring Nevada’s desert regions and looking for a landscape that feels straight out of science fiction.

Shiprock, New Mexico

Rising nearly 1,600 feet above the surrounding desert plain, Shiprock is an isolated volcanic formation that dominates the horizon. To the Navajo Nation, it holds deep cultural and spiritual significance, but to visitors, it often looks like a colossal alien fortress. The sharp peaks and rugged ridges make it one of the most striking desert landmarks in the United States. Its otherworldly presence has made it a favorite subject for photographers and travelers alike.

Devils Tower, Wyoming

Though technically not a desert, Devils Tower stands isolated in a dry, arid landscape that feels almost extraterrestrial. Its vertical rock columns rise dramatically, unlike anything else in the region. Famously featured in science fiction films, the tower has long inspired both awe and mystery. For US travel enthusiasts seeking unusual landscapes, this formation is one of the most iconic.

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico

This remote wilderness is filled with bizarre rock formations, petrified wood, and hoodoos that resemble something out of a dream. The Bisti Badlands feel untouched and otherworldly, with landscapes that can shift from eerie silence to vibrant sunsets. Many describe it as walking across a lunar or Martian surface. For adventurous travelers, this is one of the most alien-looking desert destinations in the US.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Joshua Tree’s namesake yucca plants twist into strange, spiky shapes across a desert filled with massive granite boulders. The surreal mix of plant life and rock formations has made the park feel like a scene from another galaxy. At night, its dark skies reveal a dazzling display of stars, amplifying the sense of being on another world. It’s one of the most iconic desert destinations in America for travelers seeking unusual beauty.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Canyonlands is a vast expanse of mesas, canyons, and arches that looks like it could be part of Mars. The Island in the Sky district offers sweeping views of endless desert stretching to the horizon. Its dramatic rock formations and isolated landscapes provide an almost cosmic sense of scale. This park epitomizes the raw, alien beauty of the American Southwest.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Towering up to 750 feet, the dunes in this Colorado park are the tallest in North America. Their smooth, windswept curves create a desert within a mountainous landscape, a strange and beautiful contrast. Hiking across the dunes feels like trekking through another planet, especially under the vast blue sky. This national park is a hidden gem for travelers seeking desert adventure in unexpected places.

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

This park is filled with ancient trees turned to stone, their colorful crystals scattered across the desert floor. The landscape blends the surreal petrified wood with the vibrant Painted Desert, making it both alien and awe-inspiring. Walking among fossilized logs that are millions of years old gives the impression of traveling back in time—or to another planet. It’s one of the most unique desert experiences in the United States.

Craters of the Moon, Idaho

Though technically a volcanic field rather than a desert, Craters of the Moon offers barren, lunar-like terrain that feels lightyears away from civilization. Jagged lava flows, cinder cones, and vast expanses of black rock stretch for miles. Its eerie stillness and stark beauty make it one of the most otherworldly landscapes in the country. Many astronauts have even trained here for missions, adding to its cosmic reputation.

Alvord Desert, Oregon

The Alvord Desert is a massive, dry lakebed that stretches flat and featureless for miles. Its cracked surface reflects the sunlight in a way that feels almost surreal. The sense of isolation here is profound, with nothing but sky and desert in every direction. It’s a destination that makes visitors feel like they’ve landed on another planet entirely.

Sedona Red Rocks, Arizona

The towering red sandstone cliffs and buttes around Sedona are both mystical and otherworldly. The rocks glow brilliantly at sunrise and sunset, casting the entire valley in warm, Martian tones. Many visitors come not only for the scenery but also for the area’s reputation as a spiritual vortex. Whether mystical or geological, Sedona feels like an alien realm hidden in the heart of Arizona.

Cappadocia-like Toadstools, Utah

Near Kanab, Utah, lies an area of unusual rock formations known as the Toadstools. These strange hoodoos have wide, flat tops balanced precariously on thin columns, resembling mushrooms or alien towers. The walk to reach them is relatively short, but the payoff is immense for photographers and explorers. They feel like something lifted straight out of a distant galaxy and dropped in the Utah desert.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

This lesser-visited park features towering organ pipe cacti, a species rarely found in the US. Their tall, many-armed forms dominate the desert landscape, looking more like alien vegetation than Earthly plants. Combined with rugged mountains and vivid sunsets, the area feels strange and enchanting. It’s a reminder that America’s deserts can surprise you with truly unique and otherworldly sights.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

Spanning nearly 2 million acres, this monument is a labyrinth of slot canyons, arches, and sandstone cliffs. Its scale and remoteness create the impression of a vast alien wilderness waiting to be discovered. Hiking here reveals landscapes that constantly shift in shape and color, keeping explorers mesmerized. It’s one of the last great unspoiled regions of the American desert, perfect for travelers who crave otherworldly adventures.

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

The Bonneville Salt Flats stretch endlessly, their blinding white surface resembling an icy alien world. The perfectly flat expanse creates a surreal mirror effect after rain, reflecting the sky in a way that makes the horizon disappear. It’s both stark and beautiful, with a silence that feels unearthly. For travelers in Utah, this desert destination is as close as it gets to stepping onto another planet.