UTAH (ABC4) – Utah was recently recognized for its beautiful landscapes and features, specifically for the adventurous outdoor lifestyles the state offers to help make “life elevated.”

National Geographic recently published its 25 breathtaking destinations for a 2023 getaway. The list takes the best in the world in community, culture, nature, family, and adventure and includes global destinations such as Peru, Switzerland, and South Korea.

The state of Utah was recognized at the top of the adventure category, alongside Choquequirao in Peru, the Austrian Alps, Revillagigedo National Park in Mexico, and the oceanic country of New Zealand.

National Geographic calls Utah “an adventurer’s dream destination,” pointing to the Beehive state’s five national parks and eight national monuments, but says that outdoor lovers miss out on much of what Utah has to offer by only visiting a “small and iconic group” of destinations. Zions National Park, for example, is a hotspot destination in southern Utah, which NatGeo says is known for its dramatic narrow canyons and towering sandstone cliffs.

Utah is filled from top to bottom with locations that can satisfy an adventurer’s heart, no matter the time of the season.

“Outdoor recreation is a cash cow for Utah. It contributes more than $6.4 billion to the economy, employs more than 83,000 people, and generates $737 million in state and local tax revenues,” said Stephanie Pearson, author of National Geographic’s “100 Great American Parks.”

Some “off the beaten path” locations in Utah that National Geographic points to include a bike path in the heart of the Provo River gorge that includes breathtaking waterfalls or an observation tower at the Tracy Aviary’s Jordan River Nature Center.

Utahns are also familiar with the adrenaline-pumping activities in southern Utah, home of the world-famous red rock landscapes, or the rugged and green mountains along the Wasatch Front in the northern part of the state. Winter snowbirds flock from around the world to visit Utah’s mountains in the winter and to ride the powder that has come to be known as “the greatest snow on Earth.”

From hikes and slopes to paddleboarding and rafting, or vast salt flats to get a need for speed, Utah has no shortage of breathtaking adventures.