Desert getaway trips? (USA)

As the title states, me and wife (both around 28-32 years old) are looking for a recommendation for a trip to take on our anniversary.

Ideally we'd like to spend 2 days in a remote place (airbnb or the likes) with plenty of nature/hiking and beauty to see, followed by 2 days in a city or small town nearby.

We want the red rock / desert type of trip so places like Utah, Arizona, Nevada fit the bill. We are also open to anything else if it sounds like what we are wanting! Our budget is "average" as we know this is only our first year anniversary and we need to save some fun for the more "important" ones.

If this makes more sense, we initially wanted to fly to Vegas, then go see "The Wave" and stay somewhere nearby and then drive to Salt Lake City. We found out in different ways that this particular trip wouldn't really work out lol.

We are totally open to renting a car and driving, and that will probably be necessary with what we have in mind! Let me know what y'all think!

Author: monnerat_gg