Joshua Tree National Park, Salton Sea, us-50 from Sacramento to Big Basin National park. Death Valley. Grand Canyon. Monument Valley. Canyonlands. St George, Utah. Vegas. Mount Charelston. Red Rock Canyon.
All of that is drivable, maybe not in that order. Check out Fresno and Bakersfield, because why not. Check put California City.
If you want to hop a plane, Texas and New Mexico.
El Paso, White Sands. Cloudcroft. Carelsbad Canyon. Marfa. Big Bend National Park. Drive Texas FM-170.
Skip Hawaii
Also, this being January- remember Snow in the mountains can be unpredictable.