88 Best Sights in USA

Medicine Lake hosts one of the largest concentrations of American white pelicans in the nation, a colony of thousands of birds that has occupied Big Island and Bridgeman Point for almost 100 years. There are few facilities available, but that’s the point. The refuge has a relatively high visitation from hard-core birders who view migrating waterbirds in the spring and hunters who pursue upland game birds and waterfowl in the fall. Other than those seasons, you’ll have the refuge to yourself. Bring good boots and long pants and hike into remote ponds and prairie potholes that hold an unbelievable amount of wildlife. Winding through the central unit of the refuge is the Auto Tour Route, an excellent way to get a peek at the animals that call this pristine park home. Most of the route is open only during daylight hours. Birders often congregate in the Grouse Observation Blind, 2¼ miles east of the refuge headquarters, to watch sharp-tailed grouse do their mating dance. The covered area is also good for watching other wildlife, including white-tailed deer and pronghorn antelope.

On the mainland east of the Alburgh Peninsula, the refuge consists of 6,729 acres of federally protected wetlands, meadows, and woods. It's a beautiful area for bird-watching, canoeing, and walking nature trails.

Just west of the Alamosa wildlife refuge is its sister sanctuary, the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, a 15,000-acre park that's a stopping point for more than 20,000 migrating cranes in the spring and fall. It hosts an annual Crane Festival, held one weekend in mid-March in the nearby town of Monte Vista, and a children's Crane Festival in mid-October at the park with kid-friendly activities. You can see the sanctuary by foot, bike, or car via the 4-mile Wildlife Drive.

The local variety is known as the Rocky Mountain bighorn, but you can learn about all kinds of bighorn sheep at this nonprofit conservation center and wildlife museum about an hour east of Grand Teton National Park. Expect dioramas with full-scale taxidermy mounts that re-create bighorn habitat, as well as interactive exhibits about wildlife management and special adaptations of wild sheep. Call ahead to book private winter wildlife-viewing tours ($100 per person, two-person minimum) to Whiskey Mountain.

Wildlife abounds on this 25,000-acre refuge. From late November to March, more than 5,000 elk, many with enormous antler racks, winter here. Elk can be observed from various pull-outs along U.S. 191 or by slowly driving your car on the refuge's winding, unpaved roads. Other animals that make their home here include buffalo, bighorn sheep, and coyotes, as well as trumpeter swans and other waterfowl. In summer, the refuge is light on big game, but you can tour a historic homestead from June to September. From mid-December to early April, sleigh rides operated by Double H Bar ( nersleighrides.com) depart twice-daily from the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center.

This 84,824-acre refuge was established in 1957 to protect the dwindling population of the Key deer, one of more than 22 animals and plants federally classified as endangered or threatened. The Key deer, which stands about 30 inches at the shoulders and is a subspecies of the Virginia white-tailed deer, once roamed throughout the Lower and Middle Keys, but hunting, destruction of their habitat, and a growing human population caused their numbers to decline to 27 by the middle of the last century. The deer have made a comeback, increasing their numbers to approximately 750. The best place to see them in the refuge is at the end of Key Deer Boulevard and on No Name Key, a sparsely populated island just east of Big Pine Key. Mornings and evenings are the best time to spot them. Deer may turn up along the road at any time of day, so drive slowly. They wander into nearby yards to nibble tender grass and bougainvillea blossoms, but locals do not appreciate tourists driving into their neighborhoods after them. Feeding them is against the law and puts them in danger.

A quarry left over from railroad days, Blue Hole is the largest body of fresh water in the Keys. From the observation platform and nearby walking trail, you might see the resident alligators, turtles, and other wildlife. There are two well-marked trails, recently revamped: the Jack Watson Nature Trail (0.6 miles), named after an environmentalist and the refuge's first warden, and the Fred C. Mannillo Wildlife Trail (0.2 miles), one of the most wheelchair-accessible places to see an unspoiled pine-rockland forest and wetlands. The visitor center has exhibits on Keys biology and ecology. The refuge also provides information on Key West National Wildlife Refuge and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge. Accessible only by water, both are popular with kayak outfitters.

Sprawling Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge is the place for bird-watchers. This 2,000-acre wetland complex in the shadow of the Mission Mountains is home to everything from marsh hawks to kestrels to red-winged blackbirds. Flanking both sides of U.S. 93 are rookeries for double-crested cormorants and great blue herons, and bald eagles fish here in the winter. Roads (including U.S. 93, where stopping is prohibited within the boundaries) through the center of the refuge are closed March through mid-July during nesting season, but you can drive along the periphery throughout the year. Maps are available from the nearby CSKT Bison Range, which manages Ninepipe.

Spring brings opportunities to view the male American woodcock's mating ritual at this 858-acre refuge, but bird-watchers flock here year-round to commune with nature among 4 miles of hiking trails and diverse upland and wetland habitats, including grasslands, shrublands, wooded swamps, and freshwater ponds. There's an abandoned naval air station on Ninigret Pond, the state's largest coastal salt pond, and a fine place to watch the sunset. Wear blaze orange while hiking between November and January, when permitted hunters are allowed to cull white-tailed deer. Explore an impressive collection of wildlife and natural history displays at the Kettle Pond Visitor Center on the southbound side of U.S. 1 at 50 Bend Road.

Stroll through the woods or hike to the top of Hanging Rock for a spectacular view at this 325-acre sanctuary for diverse wildlife including more than 300 species of birds. The sanctuary has about 7 miles of trails traversing ridges, forests, thickets, fields, ponds, streams, salt marsh, and sandy beach. The raucous dawn chorus of birdsong in the spring is one of the great wildlife experiences in Rhode Island.

If you're looking for a bookend to your trip to Area 51 that, well, is just more down-to-earth, drop by these spring-fed wetlands, which serve as a stopover for thousands of birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway. The 5,380-acre Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge is a chain of lakes, marshes, and meadows that provides a convenient stop on the Flyway for ducks, herons, egrets, eagles, and other species. The Upper Lake is the most accessible, with campsites, picnic tables, and observation points. For a bird list, stop at the refuge headquarters located 4 miles south of Alamo, at milepost 32 off U.S. 93, which also features interactive exhibits, a 15-minute movie, and short nature trails. The best times to see more than 260 species of birds are early morning and late evening during the spring and fall migrations.

Founded in 1903 by then-president Theodore Roosevelt as the country's first national wildlife refuge, the park encompasses the historic Pelican Island rookery itself—a small island in the Indian River lagoon and important nesting place for 16 species of birds such as endangered wood storks and, of course, brown pelicans—and the land surrounding it overlooking Sebastian. The rookery is a closed wilderness area, so there's no roaming alongside animal kingdom friends; however, there is an 18-foot observation tower across from it with direct views and more than 6 miles of nature trails in the refuge. Another way to explore is via guided kayak tours from the Florida Outdoor Center. Make sure to bring a camera—it's a photographer's dream.

The refuge's 2,178-acre Petit Manan Point Division is a sanctuary of fields, forests, and rocky shorefront at the tip of Pigeon Hill Peninsula. In August, it's a popular spot for handpicking wild blueberries. Whatever the time of year, you can explore here—keeping an eye out for wildlife—on two trails. Mostly a loop, the 1.8-mile Hollingsworth Trail has a gorgeous shore stretch on Pigeon Hill Bay where it's easy to head off-path to clamber on the large granite ledges. Petit Manan Lighthouse—Maine’s second tallest, on one of five lighthouse islands belonging to the refuge—towers in the distance beyond a wide cove. Birch Point Trail (4.2 miles round-trip) crosses a blueberry field, then leads to salt marshes and mudflats on Dyer Bay, with side trails to a cove and rocky beach. Along the trail's logging roads, families and groups can walk together.

A large colony of elephant seals (at last count 25,000) gathers every year at this rookery on the beaches near Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. The huge males with their pendulous, trunklike noses typically start appearing on shore in late November, and the females begin to arrive in December to give birth—most babies are born in the last two weeks of January. The newborn pups spend about four weeks nursing before their mothers head out to sea, leaving them on their own; the "weaners" leave the rookery when they are about 3½ months old. The seals return in the spring and summer months to molt or rest, but not en masse as in winter. You can watch them from a boardwalk along the bluffs just a few feet above the beach; do not attempt to approach them as they are wild animals. The nonprofit Friends of the Elephant Seal runs a small visitor center and gift shop ( 250 San Simeon Ave.) in San Simeon.

Birders adore Point Blue Conservation Science, which maintains the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, located in the southernmost part of Point Reyes National Seashore. The surrounding woods harbor nearly 500 bird species—a truly remarkable figure. As you hike the quiet nature trail from the Palomarin Field Station, you're likely to walk by biologists observing the birds in this special habitat, and then later see them at the lab banding birds to aid in the study of their life cycles.

At the headquarters of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, which has 11 divisions from Kittery to Cape Elizabeth, is the Carson Trail, a 1-mile loop. The trail traverses a salt marsh and a white-pine forest where migrating birds and waterfowl of many varieties are regularly spotted, and it borders Branch Brook and the Merriland River.

In the undeveloped and remote Centennial Valley, this almost-50,000-acre refuge shelters moose, deer, and antelope, but is primarily a sanctuary for 230 species of birds, including trumpeter swans. Once threatened with extinction, these elegant birds have survived thanks to refuge protection; today they build their nests and winter here among the 16,500 acres of lakes and marshes.

When pelicans and other birds become entangled in fishing lines, locals sometimes carry them to this nonprofit sanctuary dedicated to the rescue, repair, recuperation, and release of sick and injured birds. Formerly the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, this beachfront spot played a big role after the Gulf oil disaster in 2010. At times there are hundreds of land and sea birds in residence, including egrets, herons, gulls, terns, sandhill cranes, hawks, owls, and cormorants.

Prairie and peregrine falcons, Canada geese, and various species of hawks and owls inhabit this refuge, which stretches more than 25,000 acres. Trumpeter swans also occasionally use the area. Within or near the refuge there are homestead and ranch sites, Oregon Trail crossings, and ferries that cross the Green River, as well as the spot where Jim Bridger and Henry Fraeb built a trading post in 1839. Visitor information and restrooms are available during daylight hours.

At this designated Wildlife Viewing Area you might glimpse elk, deer, moose, waterfowl, and birds of prey. The area is wheelchair-accessible, and offers paved walking trails, a fishing dock, picnic tables, a rentable pavilion, horseshoe pits, and drinking water.

Named after pop star and area congressman Sonny Bono, the 37,900-acre wildlife refuge on the Pacific Flyway is a wonderful spot for viewing migratory birds. There are observation towers, photography blinds, and platforms, as well as numerous trails through desert scrub and wetlands along which you might view eared grebes, burrowing owls, great blue herons, ospreys, yellow-footed gulls, or any of the 400 species that have been documented on and around California's largest lake.  Though the scenery is beautiful, the waters here give off an unpleasant odor, and the New River, which empties into the sea, is quite toxic.

You may not be able to find monkeys in the wild in the Tampa Bay area (at least not naturally), but you can catch them bouncing around in their cages at this low-key facility. The alleged final home of Cheetah, the chimp who played Tarzan's sidekick for a couple of years in the 1930s, the sanctuary houses a whole slew of primates. One of the first you'll meet is Pongo, a massive Bornean orangutan; if he's in the right mood, he will greet you when you walk up.

The sanctuary also hosts baboons, lemurs, spider monkeys, macaques—you name it—many of them former pets or onetime laboratory test subjects that aren't deemed able to make it in the wild. There are also a few reptiles (you can get a picture of yourself holding a baby alligator) and a colorful array of birds. You may find the colorful plastic toys in the primate enclosures odd, but they actually serve to enhance the animals' senses.

A refreshing stop for wildlife viewing, this 1,300-acre wildlife conservation property is intended to inspire, educate, and demonstrate conservation in action. Situated along 3 miles of the Bitterroot River, about 8 miles north of Hamilton, the refuge is home to otters, beavers, spotted frogs, and salamanders, as well as pileated woodpeckers, birds of prey, waterfowl, whitetail deer, and many native plants. Although most of the refuge is off-limits to the public (except by appointment), any visitors can take a stroll on the 1½-mile walking trail along the Bitterroot River. An education center conducts numerous conservation programs for the public. To get here, take Route 269 (Eastside Highway) to Quast Lane and follow the signs.

A surreal landscape by any measure, the Ten Thousand Islands are a 35,000-acre chain of islands and smaller mangrove islets south of Marco Island. The Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a magnet for kayakers, naturalists, birdwatchers, and photographers thanks to the refuge's proliferation of fish, birds, and other wildlife. Finding your way through the islands can be confusing, so the National Park Service recommends that visitors consult NOAA Charts #11430 and #11432. While the northern islands lie in the national refuge, the lower islands lie within Everglades National Park and are best accessed by boat tours leaving from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. If you're driving from Naples, you can also park at the Marsh Trail, the best spot for accessing trails. Kayaking and hiking are popular activities for day visitors, who may spot endangered species such as Florida manatees, peregrine falcons, and Atlantic loggerheads.

Each year, more than 100 injured creatures are admitted to the world's first state-certified veterinary hospital for sea turtles. Guided 90-minute tours take you into recovery and surgical areas. In the "hospital bed" tanks, you can see recovering patients and others that are permanent residents due to their injuries. After the tour, you can feed some of the residents. Call ahead—space is limited and tours are sometimes canceled due to medical emergencies. The turtle ambulance out front makes for a memorable souvenir photo.

A refuge within a refuge, the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge consists of more than 20,000 acres of wilderness entirely within the boundaries of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Its primary mission at the moment is to rescue one of the nation's most endangered animals: the black-footed ferret. The ferrets depend on the high concentration of prairie dog towns for food. There are also plenty of grouse and burrowing owls, who use abandoned prairie dog tunnels for homes.

See eye to eye with mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, and bison at this nonprofit center sheltering injured animals that cannot be released in the wild. A summer camp for children and daily educational programs can be booked online.

At 20 million acres, this is the nation's second-largest wildlife refuge, only a little smaller than the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Nearly one-third of the refuge is made up of water in the form of lakes, sloughs, bogs, creeks, and rivers, including both forks of the Andreafsky River, one of Alaska's specially designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. Rainbow trout, arctic char, and grayling flourish in upland rivers and creeks; pike, sheefish, and burbot thrive in the lowland streams. These abundant waters are also spawning grounds for five species of Pacific salmon. Other animal inhabitants include black and grizzly bears, moose, beavers, mink, and Arctic foxes. Occasionally, wolves venture into the delta's flats from neighboring uplands. Given the abundance of fish and wildlife, it's not surprising that the delta holds special importance to surrounding residents. The Yup'ik and Cup'ik have made the area their homelands for millennia and continue to hunt, gather food, and live their way of life and traditions here. Athabaskan people have also inhabited these lands. Visitor facilities are minimal in the refuge, and access is only by boat or aircraft. Refuge staff can provide tips on recreational opportunities and recommend guides and outfitters who operate in the refuge.