The heat of the day has retreated and the sun hangs low as you arrive at the trailhead for Doe Mountain, a mere nine miles outside of Sedona. A well-worn trail snakes gradually up 500 feet of elevation in less than two miles to a flat-topped mesa covered with twisted manzanita and prickly pear cactus. Leisurely explore the crisscrossing network of trails, and stroll around the rim for a complete panoramic view of the nearby red-rock formations. As the sun sets, gaze out at the nearby glowing mountains, while the clear whistles of olive warblers or the stirrings of a whiptail lizard bring the only interruption to the serene silence. Thirty minutes after sunset, there's still ample natural light for your descent, but you brought a flashlight knowing the mesmerizing views might cause you to linger.

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The ground is blindingly white as far as you can see in all directions. The sun reflects off Salar de Uyuni and causes a sort of blindness that makes it difficult to tell what is real and what is a mirage. There is no horizon, no clear line where the earth ends and the sky begins. Driving in some arbitrary direction an island appears from the whiteness. From afar it looks like a fish, as you get closer you notice it is inhabited solely by giant cacti. In a few hours you'll see a red lake, thousands of flamingos, and several smoke spewing volcanoes.

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Maple Canyon is by far one of the most unique places to sport climb in the US. The rock is made up of hundreds of thousands of cobbles – small rounded rocks from the size of marbles to basketballs that were all layered and smooshed together quite a few moons ago. Maple has routes for every climber from chill, well-protected 5.8-5.10 routes in the Maple Corridor to crazy overhanging 5.13s in the Pipe Dream. Check out a free topo of the area at Dr. Topo's and score a reservation for one of the 12 cush campsites located in the canyon.

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At only 12 inches wide in its narrowest part, Spooky Canyon, located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, will surely challenge even those that don’t normally mind tight spaces. Not a great hike for those of extra large proportions or those with claustrophobic tendenciesthe narrowest part of the canyon necessitates a sideways shuffle or you literally may get wedged in the sandstone. Wind, twist, climb, and crawl through the contours and formations carved by flash floods racing through the canyon. Look up to see only a slit of sky from the depths of the canyon and get spooked by eyeing the debris left from the flash floods that carved this amazing work of art.

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Even on a cool, cloudy day, the amazing sidewalk designed by Burle Marx , which stretches for miles along Ipanema and Copacabana beaches , furnishes an eyeball workout you'll never forget. Situated right next to the most stupendous urban beaches imaginable, tens of thousands of Cariocas flock to the black and white, wavy gravy, tiled pathway every day. Pushing the envelope of visual sensory overload, taking a walk here will make an addict out of you, and the miles go by like in a dream. Refreshments are available all along the way, and the Brazilian style will make a permanent impression on your daydreaming mind. In the summer the sheer number of stellar specimens is difficult to both comprehend and describe. This has to be first person, and repeated as often as possible.

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Tourists and serious rock hounds alight to recharge childhood treasure-hunting fantasies in Jade Cove, and maybe even bring home a rock or several. Approximately 30 miles south of Big Sur Inn, there are no restrictions to who is allowed to collect jade—aside from the unspoken “Thou shalt be able to climb up and down yon rope hanging from a spike leading into Jade Cove," but there are definitely rules governing the manner in which it is collected. Do your homework on that, and educate yourself on how to recognize jade apart from other rock material in the area. It is also advisable to obtain a detailed map describing how to get there, as you wouldn’t want to end up in say, Gorda, with diminished fuel as well as sunlight. Don’t forget waterproof clothing (it’s wet!), climbing shoes, and snacks. And some say it’s better to go after a storm.

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Armed with fold-out chairs and a couple of beers, start trekking through the scorching hot sand and tundra shrubbery in search of that perfect spot away from the crowds. Set up shop by Medano Creek at the base of the Great Sand Dunes, just east of the visitor center (if it's not one of the dry seasons), and let the cool water run across your feet as you dig your toes deep into the wet sand. Take a seat, pop open a beer, and bask in the heat as the 750-foot-tall national monuments in front of you shapeshift with each passing wind.

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Sitting at the edge of Tongrass National Forest you can't help but think about water as the most pervasive of all the elements. Its ability to transform itself becomes clear as you scan the lake from side to side. A thick fog envelops the mountains, stalking the countryside like a silent ghost. A jagged ice block protrudes from its liquid counterparts - melting slowly, steadily, just like the giant glacier to which it once belonged. A small waterfall pours out of the mountainside, disrupting the calm, chilly waters. When the clouds lift, Mendenhall glacier lies directly in front of you, centered perfectly between the mountains on either side. Revel in its magnitude, knowing that the section visible from the shore is only a miniscule part of the vast expanse that lies beyond. There's a sense of solidarity and quiet desperation. The glacier is receding faster than ever before and the ice will continue to melt until nothing remains of its striking blue underbelly.

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A lush gorge with houses vertiginously dangling on its edge, Pazinska Jama inspired Jules Verne to write the harrowing escape scene in Mathias Sandorf—not Journey to the Center of the Earth, as some believe. But as you are hopping in between mossy boulders at the bottom of the gorge, swatting the mosquitoes, and following the flow of the river, which disappears in a yawning abyss, you could almost hear the roar of the dinosaurs from the film versions of the latter book. If that doesn't scare you, sign up to explore the underground lake that the river forms beyond the cave's entrance. Pazin embraces its sci-fi cred with a festival every August.

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