If you look at a map of the western United States that shows major highways, you'll see that I-15 cuts across the northwest corner of Arizona. That stretch of I-15 is maybe 27 miles long and its northeastern half traverses the canyon cut by the Virgin River as it drops 700 feet between St. George UT and Mesquite, NV.
The canyon twists and turns, cutting down through the many layers of sandstone. In several places it is less than twice the width of the highway.
I won't call the terrain so exposed "beautiful" but it is definitely awe-inspiring and more dramatic than anything this side of Zion NP. It definitely has the ability to make you feel quite tiny.
Winters in NV we drive it both ways at least twice a month, sometimes more often. Some days I marvel at the immensity of the terrain, other times I marvel at the civil engineering required to push a superhighway through a winding, narrow canyon with walls that go up several hundred feet. I-15 is four lane divided/limited access through the entire canyon.
Both the engineering and the scenery are worth your time to see. I recommend listening to Ennio Morricone's score for the Clint Eastwood "Dollars" movies as you make the transit.
I find the canyon a tourist attraction but I have neighbors who fear driving it. One thing to know, the traffic moves fast on the winding road and accidents are not unknown.
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Two peculiar aspects of AZ ... First, if you insist on driving on paved roads, the only way to access this part of AZ from the rest of the state is by detouring through either UT or NV.
Second, while AZ is in the Mountain Time Zone, most of AZ doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time. It spends the entire year on Mountain Standard Time. In the summer AZ time agrees with Los Angeles, in winter, AZ clocks agree with those in Denver and SLC.
The exception is the large Navajo Nation, basically the generous northeast corner of the state which observes DST and agrees with Denver all year long.
