NEW YORK, NY — America packs in an unusually wide range of landscapes, from deep canyons and geyser fields to glacier fronts and desert dunes. This roundup highlights 10 places that have become bucket-list stops for travelers, photographers and film fans alike.
Several of the sites are famous enough to need little introduction, but each offers a different kind of spectacle: erupting geysers in Yellowstone, the scale of the Grand Canyon, the mist at Niagara Falls and the bright gypsum dunes of White Sands.
Grand Canyon and Yellowstone offer two of the country’s most extreme natural displays
The Grand Canyon in Arizona stretches 277 miles, reaches about a mile deep and can be up to 18 miles wide. Carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, it is so large that storms sometimes form inside it. The South Rim is one of the best places to take it in year-round.
Yellowstone, which spans Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, brings a different kind of drama. The park sits above a supervolcano and contains about 10,000 hydrothermal features, including between 500 and 700 geysers. Old Faithful is the best-known, sending water as high as 180 feet roughly 20 times a day.
Niagara Falls and Yosemite Valley remain among the country’s most recognizable scenes
Niagara Falls pours an enormous volume of water over its ledges during peak flow, creating both a heavy spray and a constant roar. The U.S. side includes the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, while Horseshoe Falls sits on the border. Goat Island and the Maid of the Mist are two of the best ways to experience it up close.
Yosemite Valley in California is equally iconic. The seven-mile glacial valley is framed by El Capitan, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America. Tunnel View remains one of the most photographed overlooks in the park.
Alaska’s Denali and Mendenhall Glacier showcase scale on an enormous level
Denali rises 20,310 feet above sea level, making it North America’s highest peak. Clouds often hide the summit, which adds to its mystique, but bus tours inside Denali National Park and Preserve offer some of the clearest views.
Mendenhall Glacier, near Juneau, is another major Alaska landmark that is unusually easy to visit. The glacier extends 13 miles from the Juneau Icefield to a lake dotted with icebergs, and visitors can reach it by road, walk the trails and even kayak among the ice. Nugget Falls adds another visual draw nearby.
Crater Lake, Na Pali Coast, Devils Tower and White Sands round out the list
Crater Lake in Oregon fills a volcanic caldera and plunges to 1,943 feet, making it the deepest lake in the country. Its color, clarity and lone volcanic island, Wizard Island, give it an otherworldly appearance best seen from the rim road or by boat.
In Hawaii, the Na Pali Coast on Kauai features steep green cliffs made famous in Jurassic Park. Wyoming’s Devils Tower rises 867 feet and became the nation’s first national monument in 1906, while White Sands National Park in New Mexico covers 275 square miles of bright gypsum dunes that can be walked barefoot even in strong sun.
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