Wind shapes desert landscapes by moving sand and forming features like dunes. Studying how wind behaves in remote areas like the Grand Canyon and Colorado Plateau is difficult because the terrain is rugged and weather stations are few and far between. These places are important because they hold clues about how landscapes change over time and how wind shapes the surfaces of Earth and other planets. To fill in the data gaps, we used a global climate dataset called ERA5-Land, which estimates wind every hour across the globe. Since these estimates are taken higher above the ground than most weather stations, we adjusted the data so we could compare it to real wind measurements from long-term stations located in canyons and on plateaus. We found that ERA5-Land captures seasonal wind patterns but often underestimates wind speeds at the bottom of deep canyons and doesn’t always reflect local wind directions. This shows how much topography can affect surface winds, and why it’s hard to model wind in complex landscapes. Our findings can help improve wind modeling in remote areas and support research on dune movement and environmental change across both Earth and planetary landscapes.