200 Best Sights in USA

More than 350 years ago, an avalanche from the Chaos Crags lava domes scattered hundreds of thousands of rocks—many from 2 to 3 feet in diameter—over a couple of square miles.

It's well worth stopping at the pull-out 1 mile west of Zion's East Entrance to observe the distinctive waffle patterns on this huge white mound of sandstone. The stunning crosshatch effect visible today is the result of eons of freeze-and-thaw cycles that caused vertical fractures, combined with erosion that produced horizontal bedding planes.

Even in a landscape of spires, cliffs, and knobs, this deep-red landform, 3 miles west of the visitor center, is unmistakable.

In addition to fishing, clam digging is popular at Clam Gulch, 24 miles south of Soldotna on the Sterling Highway. This is a favorite of local children, who love any excuse to dig in the muddy, sloppy goo. Ask locals on the beach how to find the giant razor clams (recognized by their dimples in the sand). Ask also for advice on how to clean the clams—cleaning is pretty labor-intensive, and it's easy to get into a clam-digging frenzy when the conditions are favorable, only to regret your efforts when cleaning time arrives. The clam digging is best when tides are minus 4 or 5 feet. A sportfishing license, available at grocery stores, sporting-goods shops, and drugstores, is required for clam diggers 16 years old and older.

The 48-million-year-old fossil beds in this small section have yielded the oldest remains in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The drive to the beds traverses forests of ponderosa pines and sparsely populated valleys along the John Day River before traveling through a landscape filled with spires and outcroppings that attest to the region's volcanic past. A short trail that runs between the two parking lots contains fossilized evidence of an ancient subtropical forest. Another trail climbs ½ mile from the second parking lot to the base of the Palisades, a series of abrupt, irregular cliffs created by ancient volcanic mud flows.

Each year, this clinic cares for and rehabilitates more than 5,000 wildlife patients, from bald eagles to loggerhead sea turtles. The center offers a look inside the world of wildlife medicine through exhibits, videos, interactive displays, touch screens, and critter cams that feed live footage from four different animal spaces. Wildlife walks give a behind-the-scenes look and can be reserved for $25 per person. This is an excellent facility, but the displays may be too graphic for young visitors.

A visit to Columbia Glacier, which flows from the surrounding Chugach Mountains, should definitely be on your Valdez agenda. Its deep aquamarine face is 5 miles across, and it calves icebergs with resounding cannonades. This glacier is one of the largest and most readily accessible of Alaska's coastal glaciers. The state ferry travels past its face, and scheduled tours of the glaciers and the rest of the sound are available by boat and aircraft from Valdez, Cordova, and Whittier.

Water cascades through this rest area's namesake canyon on the outskirts of the Rangeley area. On hot days, folks cool off in the swimming holes and soak up the sun on the smooth, striated rocks. There are picnic tables, bathrooms, paths, and a bridge. The geological formation is along the Swift River, a popular gold panning destination. Across the road from the rest area, seasonal Coos Canyon Rock and Gift ( www.cooscanyonrockandgift.com) sells and rents gold panning equipment and provides free prospecting demonstrations. The shop also sells ice cream, snacks, gifts, and souvenirs. Visitors often combine a stop at Coos Canyon with one at Height of Land overlook 11½ miles north of here and also right aside Route 17.  

This trio of peaks bears the names of, from left to right, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Mt. Moroni is the reddish peak on the far right that partially blocks the view of Jacob. Hike the trail that leaves from The Court of the Patriarchs viewpoint, 1½ miles north of Canyon Junction, to get a much better view of the sandstone prophets.

Toward sunset, when this monolith is free of shadow, the red sandstone seems to catch on fire. From the highway, Courthouse Butte sits in back of Bell Rock as you travel from I--17 toward Sedona on AZ 179 and can be viewed without any additional hiking or driving.

One of the most popular places for San Franciscans to get fresh air is this stretch of restored marshland along the sand of the bay, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Kids on bikes, folks walking dogs, and joggers share the paved path along the shore, often winding up at the Warming Hut, a combination café and fun gift store at its end, for a hot chocolate in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. Midway along the Golden Gate Promenade that winds along the shore is the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center, where kids can get a close-up view of small sea creatures and learn about the rich ecosystem offshore. Alongside the main green of Crissy Field, several renovated airplane hangars and warehouses are now home to the likes of rock-climbing gyms, an air trampoline park, and a craft brewery (the latter is not open to the public). The Quartermaster Reach Marsh by Crissy Field was reclaimed as wetland ecosystem in 2020 and is an excellent area to see some of the local bird population.

The fragments of petrified wood strewn here once held clear quartz and amethyst crystals.

A 3,058-acre conservation area and historic ranch site is laced with more than 25 miles of multipurpose trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. The 2.4-mile Boulder Loop affords sweeping views of Escondido, and the 2.5-mile Ranch House Loop passes two small ponds, the 1928 Daley family ranch house, and the site of the original log cabin. Private cars are prohibited on the ranch, but there's free parking just outside the entrance. From the main trailhead, you can access Dixon Lake, a popular fishing and camping spot. Free naturalist-guided hikes are offered on a regular basis; call for schedule. Leashed dogs permitted.

Is it really a desert? No. The climate here isn't truly arid, but this 40-acre expanse of sand that formed as a glacial deposit during the last ice age is still pretty intriguing. In the 1800s, erosion caused by farming removed the thin layer of topsoil and revealed the dune field, which has been a popular roadside tourist attraction since the 1920s. More than 40 interpretive signs along a mile-long, self-guided walk explain the geology, history, and ecology. You can dig for fossils using the tools and techniques employed by paleontologists. Kids love the gemstone village, with fairy houses and a hobbit house, where they can hunt for (and keep) polished gems hidden throughout a maze. Rounding out the offerings are a miniature golf course, occasional open-air theatrical productions, and camping sites.

The 1915 eruptions cleared this area, a good chunk of the park’s center, of all vegetation, though the forest gradually returned over time. The easy ½-mile interpretive trail loop is wheelchair accessible.

Devil’s Canyon Overlook, a few miles north of the Wyoming border, affords breathtaking views of the point where narrow Devil's Canyon joins sheer-walled Bighorn Canyon. The overlook itself is on a cliff 1,000 feet above the lake. Look for fossils in the colorful rock layers of the canyon walls.

Thousands of miniature salt pinnacles carved into surreal shapes by the desert wind dot this wildly varied landscape. The salt was pushed up to the surface by pressure created as underground salt- and water-bearing gravel crystallized.

A mile from the San Andreas Fault, this natural bowl-shape depression in the earth is framed by 300-foot rock walls. At the bottom is a stream, which you can reach via a moderately strenuous 1-mile hike. You also can detour on a short nature trail; at the top, an interpretive center has displays of native flora and fauna, including live animals such as snakes, lizards, and birds of prey.

The Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall showcases an estimated 1,500 dinosaur bones that date to the late Jurassic Period still embedded in the clay. Open daily, the Exhibit Hall is ranger-guided only in the winter; check the website or call ahead for shuttle hours and access availability. Fossils are visible only from the Utah side of the monument, not the Colorado side. A half mile away is a massive 7,595-square-foot visitor center.

In this park in Rocky Hill, about 9 miles north of downtown Middletown (halfway to Hartford), see 500 tracks left by the dinosaurs that roamed the area some 200 million years ago. The tracks are preserved under a giant geodesic dome—1,500 more are buried for preservation—making this one of the largest dinosaur-track sites in North America. You can even make plaster casts of tracks on a special area of the property.   To make a plaster cast, BYO 1/4 c. cooking oil, 10 lb. of Plaster of Paris, cloth rags/paper towels, and a 5 gal. bucket!

About 5½ miles west of Tuba City, between mileposts 316 and 317 on U.S. 160, is a small sign for the Dinosaur Tracks. It's free to see these tracks that a dilophosaurus—a carnivorous bipedal reptile over 10 feet tall—left in mud that turned to sandstone, but Navajo guides will often greet you as you arrive and insist on taking you around the site. They're very friendly and helpful, but if you take them up on their offer, they expect to be tipped, usually at least $20. Ask them about guiding you to the nearby petroglyphs and freshwater springs.

In the Windows section of the park, 12 miles from the park entrance, Double Arch is the tallest in the park at a towering 112 feet and has appeared in several Hollywood movies, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. From the parking lot you can also take the short and easy Windows Trail to view The North Window, The South Window, and Turret Arch.

Rising 3,593 feet—more than 350 stories—above the valley, El Capitan is the largest exposed-granite monolith in the world. Since 1958, people have been climbing its entire face, including the famous "nose." You can spot adventurers with your binoculars by scanning the smooth and nearly vertical cliff for specks of color.

Off Wabasso Beach Road, the 64 acres here are almost completely surrounded by water. In addition to a 600-foot boardwalk through the mangrove shoreline and a 1-mile canoe trail, there are aquariums filled with Indian River creatures. Boat and kayak trips to see the historic Pelican Island rookery are on offer along with guided nature walks and touch-tank encounters. Call or check the center's website for times.

One of the few accessible valley glaciers in the state, Exit is the only destination in the park accessible by car, although it's becoming harder each year to get a good look at the glacier, as it continues to recede dramatically. Named for being a mountaineering expedition's exit from the first recorded successful crossing of the Harding Icefield in 1968, this glacier is the park's most popular destination. Be sure to read signage, as glacier trails can be closed for repairs due to the rapidly changing ice conditions.

This toppled sequoia's hollow base was used in the second half of the 19th century as a home for settlers, a saloon, and even a U.S. Cavalry stable. As you walk through it (assuming entry is permitted, which is not always the case), notice how little the wood has decayed, and imagine yourself tucked safely inside, sheltered from a storm or protected from the searing heat.

Though it's really not much to look at, visitors enjoy this longtime attraction, perhaps because of the serene boat ride up and down the Wailua River that allows you to see it. The grotto is a yawning lava tube swathed in lush fishtail ferns 3 miles up the river. Though it was significantly damaged after Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and again after heavy rains in 2006, the greenery has completely recovered. The Smith's Kauai tour group is the only legal way to see the grotto. You can access the entrance with a kayak, but if boats are there, you may not be allowed to land.

This hydroland is the place to go for an interactive marine experience and to live the center's mission "to inspire environmental stewardship of Florida's coastal ecosystems through education and research." Petting and feeding stingrays can be done at various times; in the morning, a sea turtle program introduces you to three full-time residents. Make sure to catch the "feeding frenzy," when keepers toss food into the 750,000-gallon lagoon tank and sharks, tarpon, and snook swarm the surface. Join a 1-mile guided walk through the coastal hardwood hammock and mangrove swamp habitats, or explore the trails on your own—you may see a dolphin or manatee swim by.