by Moe Zilla

Created on: August 16, 2010   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Arizona is one of the most beautiful states in America. In fact, Hollywood directors often leave California to film movies and TV shows in the state's vast, scenic deserts. Arizona offers strange and magical rock formations, unlike any you'll see anywhere else. For a romantic vacation getaway, Arizona offers a chance to share a very, special adventure.

In fact, one of the most beautiful views in the world is located in the northern part of the state: Grand Canyon National Park. It's considered one of the

seven greatest natural wonders on the planet, and its always an exhilarating experience to stare down its mile-deep cliffs. Carved by ancient rivers through eons of erosion, the canyon is also surrounded by strangely-shaped peaks. Because of unique mineral deposits, much of the vista has a brilliant orange-red color.

And there's another way to make it even more romantic: flying up in the air over the canyon! Several services offer special airplane rides that let you see this amazing view in its entirety. (The canyon officially stretches 277 miles, offering much more to see than what's glimpsed from the platforms at the visitor's center.) It's an unforgettable memory, flying high in the sky together over the canyon's mammoth walls and its sparkling Colorado river. And to make your sky-ride even more relaxing, you could try viewing the canyon through another form of travel: a hot-air balloon.

But the magic of Arizona isn't confined to a single canyon. The geological miracles that created its splendor also helped created the Petrified Forest, a nearby national monument with some equally amazing sites. Prehistoric volcanoes and a rivers awash with minerals preserved ancient trees as brightly-colored rocks. You don't have to be a geologist to marvel at the rich red colors and the stripes of strata in the surrounding hills. And while exploring its mysteries, you're also silently communing with the people who lived there 10,000 years ago.

Another eerie landscape stretches through both Arizona and Utah. Centuries of strong desert winds wore down the sandstone mountains of Monument Valley, leaving behind stark, towering pillars. Now the endless blue skies and Arizona sunshine look down on the isolated but majestic shapes. There's an almost mystical feeling to the unusual buttes and plateaus that seem to be popping straight out of the flat desert floor. It's also possible to tour the area in a hot-air balloon, and, like much of Arizona, there's a calming and peaceful feeling, almost as though you're leaving the worries of civilization behind.

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