Based on what’s going on on this planet, are you dreaming of space travel? I totally understand.

But there are actually some places right here in the United States that come close — gravity and temperature notwithstanding — to replicating some planets.

Do you want to travel to Venus? Head to Colorado and the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, and you’ll see 30 square miles of sand dunes. Some are as high as 750 feet. It’s also a dark sky park, and so it’s great for real star and planet gazing.

The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area in Arizona does a great job of resembling a Martian landscape. It has swirling red, orange, and grey sandstone.

And, if you really want to feel like you’re on Mars, stop by the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah and if you time it right, you may get to see scientists simulating what it would be like to actually live on Mars — spacesuits and all.