The "Auto" mode on a camera is smart, but it's designed for general-purpose snapshots—a birthday party, a photo of your dog, a quick shot of your friends. Its goal is just to get a usable photo of something.
For landscapes, your goal is different. You want a photo of everything in the scene, from the interesting rock at your feet to the distant mountains, to be sharp and clear. Auto mode often fails at this; it might focus on the wrong thing or choose settings that leave the background soft and blurry.
The good news is you only need to learn one semi-automatic mode to take full control.
Your New Best Friend: Aperture Priority Mode