12 Jaw-Dropping Views in the U.S. You Have To See To Believe

In a country as large and as ecologically diverse as the U.S., there are a lot of amazing things to see. No one can ever see them all, but here are some we think everyone should see. Some require a bit of effort, but others are just drive-ups!

Aurora Borealis, Alaska

There are a lot of places in the U.S. where you can see the Northern Lights, and they’ve actually been seen as far south as Texas on extremely rare occasions. However, Alaska is by far the most reliable setting, and Fairbanks, though not actually in the Arctic, is in a zone that, for whatever reasons, is prime for seeing this solar display.

Mount Denali and Wonder Lake, Alaska

Denali is the highest peak in Alaska and also in North America. It’s also the world’s tallest land-based mountain from summit to base. The mountain is often obscured by clouds, but when it’s “out,” it’s about the most amazing thing you’ll ever see!

Lava into the Pacific, Hawaii

In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, you can hike out to a spot where molten lava pours from an opening in a cliff directly into the Pacific Ocean. The best time for this is right before sunset when you can see everything well but the light is low enough for you to appreciate how the lave really glows.

Mt. Rainier, Washington

Mt. Rainer is the most heavily glaciated peak in the Lower 48 and one of its highest. On clear days, you can see it from as far away as downtown Seattle, but the best places to see it by just driving up are at Sunrise and Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park.

Crater Lake, Oregon

The deepest lake in the United States occupies the crater of a volcano in Crater Lake National Park, and its water is a stunning blue you have to see to believe. A road circumnavigates the lake, allowing you to see many different perspectives of it. Sunrise is the best time because it’s often still enough for the lake to reflect its surroundings.

Mt. Whitney Summit, California

Mount Whitney is the highest peak in Sequoia National Park, California, and the entire Lower 48. The standard hike to the top is 12 miles one way and gains about 6000’ of elevation, and you have to snag a permit for it, but the effort is worth it. From the top, you look up and down the crest of the High Sierra, with the interior of the park to the west and desert mountains to the east.

Badwater Basin, California

Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, at 282’ below sea level, is the lowest point in the Northern Hemisphere, and the hottest in the world. On calm mornings, a saline pool there reflects Telescope Peak, which lies across the valley with a vast salt pan separating Badwater and Telescope. The elevation of Telescope Peak is 11,049’, and this is one of the most incredible differences in vertical relief you can find in the world (though Denali offers more).

Telescope Peak Summit, California

Telescope Peak’s summit requires a lot more effort to get to than Badwater does, but you’ll be glad you took on the 7 miles and 3000’ of elevation gain to hike to it. From the top, you can look across the huge Death Valley Salt Pan to Badwater Basin and peaks behind it. To the west are Mt. Whitney and the crest of the Sierra Nevada. Shortly before the summit, you hike through a grove of gnarled ancient bristlecone pines, the longest-living organisms in the world.

Logan Pass, Montana

Spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park crests at Logan Pass on the Continental Divide, where you’re surrounded by rugged mountain peaks. For more and better views, get out and hike a boardwalk and trail through alpine tundra to Hidden Lake Overlook. In the parking lot and along the way, you’re likely to see mountain goats and bighorn sheep.

Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is a large hot spring at Midway Geyser Basin. The ever-present steam makes it hard to fully appreciate this wildly colorful spring from up close. However, a nearby trail climbs to an overlook of it, which is where many of the incredible pictures you may have seen have been taken from.

Outer Banks from Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, North Carolina

The beautiful and storied Outer Banks are the treasure of the Carolina coast. Visiting the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and climbing its steps allows for panoramic views up and down the coast, east across the rough surf around the cape, and west to an ocean of green rising up past the barrier island and the sound on its other side.

Sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, Maine

From October 7 through March 6, Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park is the first place on the U.S. mainland to receive the rays of the rising sun. This can make it a bit crowded at those times, but the experience of feeling the first light of day can feel magical as you take in the park from its highest point and gaze across the Atlantic Ocean.

 

The 30 Most Beautiful Places in the World That Everyone Must See

 

There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.

The following are some of the places that people mention over and over again, not in any particular order.

30 Breathtaking Places You Must See Before You Die

The Two Best Scenic Wonders in Each of the Mountain States

The Mountain States– Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico– have some of the wildest and most rugged landscapes in the United States. Because they’re so big, it can take a lot of time to visit them, so it helps to be able to plan for some specific destinations.

Following are our choices for the top two must-see outdoor locations in each of these seven states.

The Two Best Scenic Wonders in Each of the Mountain States