A lone hiker is dwarfed by the walls of Buckskin Gulch near Kanab, Utah. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Buckskin Gulch is a gnarly rip in the desert that cuts a ragged path along the ...

Editor’s Note: “My Happy Place,” a CNN Original Series following celebrities on deeply personal journeys, airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. CNN also tapped correspondents to share their happy places.

In theory, backcountry camping should be heavenly. You’re far from the madding crowds, surviving only by your wits and what you can carry. The air is crisp and clean, and the night skies contain no ...

(CNN) — At first glance, the desert landscape of Southern Utah seems like a sweeping, sun-baked canvas — wide open and endless. But tucked deep within its sandstone folds are narrow slivers of magic: ...