In the Coyote Buttes of the Colorado Plateau, the Wave is well known to esteemed hikers and photographers. Although fragile, this rock formation is open to those who want to explore its rolling “waves” of colorful sandstone. A permit is required.

Formed by glacial melt in Alaska, the Mendenhall Glacier ice cave is reachable by kayak, after which you must ice climb to the entrance of the partially hollowed-out glacier. Once inside, you’ll find shimmering blue walls – an otherworldly vision, but a testament to our rapidly changing climate.

The Bonneville Salt Flats were once covered by the ancient Lake Bonneville. Although the flats still flood occasionally, the area is marked by miles of white salt and strangely flat terrain known for its reflections of the cloud-studded skies above. The site in Utah is the preferred location for daredevil racers trying to break the world land-speed record.

The sandstone walls of Antelope Canyon were formed by thousands of years of erosion – mostly due to flash flooding. As rainwater rushes down the basin, it picks up sand and debris, entering the various passageways and carving the undulating shapes that are visible today.

The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the US and the third-largest one in the world. But it isn’t the hot spring’s size that is remarkable – it’s the various colors it exhibits that make it a trippy sight to behold. There are also many other reasons to visit Yellowstone National Park, which is where you’ll find this geological wonder.

Carved into the Texan landscape 23mi (37km) outside Austin is the Hamilton Pool Preserve – a natural pool created by a collapsed underground river thousands of years ago. Swim, sunbathe or bask in its natural charm.

Within Canyonlands National Park, find a dramatic desert landscape carved by the Colorado River. The remote canyons of the Maze, the least accessible district of the park, are strikingly beautiful and largely untamed, characterized by miles of winding walls.

The Mojave Desert, stretching across 47,000sqmi (121,729sqkm) of arid lands, is the driest desert in North America. Kelso Dunes, the largest area of aeolian sand deposits in the Mojave, is ideal for sandboarding, off-roading or photoshoots.

Devils Tower, a solitary rock formation rising 1,267ft (386m) into the air, was America’s first national monument. The stump-shaped igneous rock is climbable, but many Native American tribes – including the Lakota – hold this structure as sacred, with ancient legends aplenty surrounding the tower. It has featured in countless Hollywood movies and was once closely associated with cinematic cowboy adventures.