We're sharing some of our favorite red, white, and blue places to make this your best Fourth of July celebration yet.

Legend has it that young George Washington told his father the truth after chopping down his favorite cherry tree. Even if the tale's made-up, we cannot tell a lie-- we're glad he fessed up. Hacking down trees gets a pretty stern finger-wagging from Mother Earth. But one with stems full of those delicious red rubies of fruit? Straight to the timeout corner for Lil' George.

The U.S. holds plenty connection with the color red and our natural world. We're celebrating this Fourth of July by giving you five stunning red-rock venues to visit around the country. The best part? No chopping required. Just check 'em out.

1. Arches National Park, Utah:

Peer through one of the 2,000 natural stone arches, and you're seeing traces of the same desert snapshots as those seen by hunter/gatherers who migrated to the area nearly 10,000 years ago. Its most well-known formation, the Delicate Arch, is the same one featured on Utah state license plates. Located five miles north of Moab, the park covers over 75,000 acres in a "high desert" environment. Bring your water, but also bring an extra jacket; the temperatures here can swing nearly 50 degrees in one day.

2. Red Rock Canyon State Park, California

What do you you get when the Sierra Nevadas collide with the El Paso Range? You get 27,000 acres of some of the most brilliantly-layered hues of red in the country. An 1890s gold rush in the region wasn't the only instance of those hoping to strike it rich, as the park's proximity to Los Angeles made it an increasingly popular backdrop for Hollywood films. Two natural preserves give hikers plenty of room to explore without boxing them in with trails.

3. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

At 56.2 square miles, Bryce Canyon is pint-sized compared to other national parks--all the more reason to visit this biodiversity mecca, which is home to three different climatic zones and over a thousand different species of plants. So big is its legacy, in fact, that an American naval combat ship took its name during the Korean War. Who do you name such a park after? Morman Pioneer Ebenezer Bryce. No, not Who Do. Hoodoos. They're the amorphous rock pillars you'll find scattered throughout the park. Erosion aside, chances are you won't be forgetting these formations anytime soon. 

4. Red Rocks Park and Ampitheatre, Colorado

I'm like many people in that I sing outdoors with the basically-delusional inverse hope that no one can hear me. I'm not about to start at the only naturally-occuring ampitheatre in the world (unless I put myself on par with past-featured artists like the Beatles and U2). Two 300-foot monoliths wrap around this perfect acoustic environment at nearly 6,500 feet above sea level.The theatre can seat upwards of 9,400 spectators. When you're not listening to your favorite band howl at the moon (or when you're not howling along with them), take in the 640-acre park's Colorado scenery. It's a beauty worth singing about. Just cover your ears when it's my turn.

5. Red Rock State Park, Arizona

This park's unique location along the winding banks of Oak Creek creates a riparian habitat ideal for wildlife study and environmental education. Those into some light reading, for example, can check out a 20-page document soley devoted to its plants. Sharp eyes might catch rare animals like the Sonora Mud Turtle, which is identified by the U.S. Forest Service as a "sensitive species." If you fall in love here, you're in luck: Wedding packages are offered year round. You won't need rice to throw here. Birdseed will do just fine. 

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Davis Jones is an editorial intern at Sierra. His love for the outdoors began when he stepped on a fish hook as a 12-year-old and cried, in a burst of epiphanic clarity, "I'm too young to die." He attends the University of San Diego and enjoys camping, hiking, backpacking, and other activities that more or less benefit the mosquito population.

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