Kirby Posted May 13, 2019 Share #1 Posted May 13, 2019 USA Today has a list of 27 beautiful, natural sites in the US (and they're all on one page, you don't have to click through). They're not ranked, but the first is Mendenhall Ice Caves in Alaska, and the last is Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park. I can't fault any of their choices, really, but the list is clearly not exclusive. If I could add something to the list from NY, I'd pick either Watkins Glen or something from the Adirondacks (maybe Mirror Lake). What would you add to the list? https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/destinations/2019/05/13/beautiful-u-s-attractions-grand-canyon-route-66-big-sur-crater-lake/1189564001/ 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickinMD ★ Posted May 13, 2019 Share #2 Posted May 13, 2019 I've been limited in USA travel, but from the list I've been to the Mendenhall Glacier (though not the caves); Devil's Tower; Assateague Island here on Maryland's Atlantic Coast (and its wild ponies); New River Gorge Bridge, West Virginia; Indiana Dunes; and the Badlands in SD. There are other sites that have taken my breath away by their beauty and uniqueness more than most on the list and include the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, Niagara Falls, and the Luray Caverns in Virginia. It was at Mendenhall Glacier that I saw my first Bald Eagles. Before our Alaska Cruise in 2002 I had contacted a distant Alaskan relative I had met on the Internet and who took us on a personal tour of Juneau when we arrived. At the Mendenhall Glacier glacier, she said nonchalantly, "When we were in high school, on the days we hooked school we used to hang out over there by the tree where those bald eagles are." To her, the bald eagles were an everyday occurrence, so she was surprised by our reaction. To us, seeing bald eagles was almost as spectacular as the glacier itself. Later on, since the salmon were running, we saw a couple stretches where the trees had nearly turned white with the hundreds of bald eagles in them - a sight we Mid-Atlantic folks will never forget. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted May 13, 2019 Share #3 Posted May 13, 2019 Yep - it's a wondrous and beautiful country we have, and my wife and I are chipping away at it very slowly. Not even half visited (*) and a couple (~) "almost" where we, like Mick, went to the Mendenhall glacier but we didn't hit the caves. Heck, I didn't know there WERE caves! The challenge too is that my wife grew up out west taking road trips, so she's seen some of the stuff (like Yosemite) enough times that she doesn't prioritize it for me And, in my opinion, almost all of the Nat Parks (and quite a few state or regional parks) could EASILY have a place on this list. Seriously, Olympic NP???? Sequoia NP? Acadia? Everglades? Joshua Tree? Hawaii's VOLCANOES!!!! St John USVI? MESA VERDE!!! So many. ~ 1. Mendenhall Ice Caves, Alaska. 2. El Capitan, California 3. Devils Tower, Wyoming * 4. Great Sand Dunes, Colorado 5. Horseshoe Bend, Arizona * 6. Delicate Arch, Utah ~ 7. The Palouse, Idaho and Washington * 8. Assateague Island, Maryland 9. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada 10. Crater Lake, Oregon 11. The Angel Oak, South Carolina 12. Ruby Falls, Tennessee * 13. The Narrows, Utah 14. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin * 15. Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming * 16. Big Sur, California * 17. Route 66 18. Red Rock Canyon, Nevada 19. New River Gorge Bridge, West Virginia * 20. Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, Utah * 21. Kenai Fjords, Alaska 22. Indiana Dunes, Indiana 23. Badlands, South Dakota 24. Hill Country, Texas * 25. The Grand Canyon, Arizona * 26. Maroon Bells, Colorado 27. Swiftcurrent Lake, Montana. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted May 13, 2019 Share #4 Posted May 13, 2019 I would add the Blue Ridge Parkway and somewhere in the Cascades, like maybe Mt. Baker or Rainier. Jackson Hole also looks pretty nice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisL Posted May 13, 2019 Share #5 Posted May 13, 2019 I have been to four of the places and agree. I’d actually note Yosemite Valley and not just El Capitan. Big Sur is one of my favorite places ever. The Grand Canyon is spectacular but after 1/2 a day we were over it. Same with Red Rocks... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinneR ★ Posted May 13, 2019 Share #6 Posted May 13, 2019 I like this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted May 13, 2019 Share #7 Posted May 13, 2019 Watkins glenn s indeed beautiful. We have lots of different kinds of beauty in the US sitting on the dock at Tangier Island with no real cars and a setting sun. Stark and beautiful view of the ocean. Lovely Amish kids walking to school early in the morning with cows in a nearby field in eastern Ohio is nice many hidden places in the Chesapeake Bay that I could take you to but the. Might have to kill you because you knew about them. A crosscountry ski course in the North County. Pour country is quite beautiful when people aren’t messing it up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted May 13, 2019 Share #8 Posted May 13, 2019 1 minute ago, Airehead said: We have lots of different kinds of beauty in the US ...this is by far the most beautiful entry point along the southern border. You do end up in Texas, but it's in a nice part of Texas. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted May 13, 2019 Share #9 Posted May 13, 2019 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted May 13, 2019 Share #10 Posted May 13, 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted May 13, 2019 Share #11 Posted May 13, 2019 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingstar Posted May 14, 2019 Share #12 Posted May 14, 2019 50 minutes ago, wilbur said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingstar Posted May 14, 2019 Share #13 Posted May 14, 2019 looks like Lake Moraine, Valley of Ten Peaks.... in Canada. What do I know... too wedded to my home country. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR46 Posted May 14, 2019 Share #14 Posted May 14, 2019 Wo46 and I did some paddle boarding around part of the Apostle Islands last year and are planning on trying to paddle some of the caves this summer. We wanted to go to the islands this winter but the ice was not stable enough for the hike to the caves. The caves are just amazing in the winter. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2019 Share #15 Posted May 14, 2019 5 hours ago, Kirby said: USA Today has a list of 27 beautiful, natural sites in the US (and they're all on one page, you don't have to click through). They're not ranked, but the first is Mendenhall Ice Caves in Alaska, and the last is Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park. I can't fault any of their choices, really, but the list is clearly not exclusive. If I could add something to the list from NY, I'd pick either Watkins Glen or something from the Adirondacks (maybe Mirror Lake). What would you add to the list? https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/destinations/2019/05/13/beautiful-u-s-attractions-grand-canyon-route-66-big-sur-crater-lake/1189564001/ Mirror lake is too developed. I know some remote Adirondack ponds that’ll take your breath away. You’ll have to work a bit to get to them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted May 14, 2019 Share #16 Posted May 14, 2019 35 minutes ago, shootingstar said: looks like Lake Moraine, Valley of Ten Peaks.... in Canada. What do I know... too wedded to my home country. Shhhh! I am teasing the "mericans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2019 Share #17 Posted May 14, 2019 5 minutes ago, wilbur said: Shhhh! I am teasing the "mericans! We’ll trash your country as soon as we’re done here. Wait your turn. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheep_herder ★ Posted May 14, 2019 Share #18 Posted May 14, 2019 Delicate arch is nice, but way too many people on my one trip to the area. I assume that may be the case for some of the other venues mentioned. The one photo workshop that I took to the Arches in Utah was one of the less enjoyable ones that I have taken over the years, mainly due to the crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted May 14, 2019 Share #19 Posted May 14, 2019 I don’t know how Kauai’s Nā Pali Coast isn’t on this list. And Waimea Canyon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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