200 Best Sights in USA

A unique concentration of creatures is embedded in the natural limestone outcrop at Fossil Butte National Monument, indicating clearly that this area was a freshwater lake more than 50 million years ago. Many of the fossils—which include fish, insects, and plants—are remarkably clear and detailed. Pronghorn, coyotes, prairie dogs, and other mammals find shelter within the 8,198-acre park, along with numerous birds, such as eagles and falcons. You can hike two trails and unwind at the picnic area. A visitor center here houses an information desk and fossil exhibits, including a 13-foot crocodilian, long since extinct but related to the modern crocodile.

An abrupt and jagged wall of rock juts above the road and is visible for about 10 miles as it follows Logan Creek from just past Avalanche Creek Campground to Logan Pass.

President Coolidge proclaimed this to be the "nation's Christmas tree," and, 30 years later, President Eisenhower designated it as a living shrine to all Americans who have died in wars. Bigger at its base than the General Sherman Tree, it tapers more quickly. It's estimated to be the world's third-largest sequoia by volume. A spur trail winds behind the tree, where scars from a long-ago fire remain visible.

A short walk leads you past the park's largest log, known as Old Faithful. It's considered the largest because of its diameter (9 feet 9 inches), as well as how tall it once was.

Near the tip of Bailey Island, a short side road takes you to a parking area and access to a mostly flat, graveled path along the ocean's edge to an intriguing cut in the rocky shoreline. The southern terminus of the trail leads across some rocky ledges. There is additional parking at that end. Known as an intrusive volcanic dike, the vertical rift looks like a staircase built for giants. The views are as compelling as the geology.

With ridges cresting at 640 feet above sea level, the dunes in this complex are some of the park's tallest. They're also readily explorable via the Glenwood Dunes Trail, which has 13 trail junctions, so a map (available at the trailhead or visitor center) is a must. The loops range from 1 to 15 miles in length and are easy to moderate in difficulty, with routes for horseback riding (or, in winter, cross-country skiing) as well as hiking. Dunewood Trace connects the trails with Dunewood Campground.

Groves of beeches, tulip trees, and oaks flourish at this 183-acre park, part of the Rock Creek system, which begins just west of Georgetown and ends, nearly 2½ miles later, near Van Ness Street. Along the way, you'll experience a tree-shaded valley stream and possible bird sightings. And chances are, you'll have the trail mostly to yourself.

Dominating the Grotto picnic area near Zion Lodge, this massive Navajo sandstone peak juts 2,000 feet above the valley floor. The popular formation lies about 3 miles north of Canyon Junction.

You can pick up food to go at nearby Zion Lodge or pack your own meal and take a short walk to this sheltered retreat shaded by tall oak trees. Amenities include drinking water, picnic tables, and restrooms, but there are no fire grates. You can access the Emerald Pools Trail from here.

This is the site of one of the largest elk herds in the United States, plus around 350 other species, including bald eagles, bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, cougars, beavers, otters, and rattlesnakes. The peregrine falcon has also been reintroduced here. Part of the area was designated as Hells Canyon Wilderness, in parts of Oregon and Idaho, with the establishment of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in 1975. Additional acres were added as part of the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984, and the recreation area currently extends across more than 652,000 wild and rugged acres. Nine hundred miles of trails wind through the wilderness area, closed to all mechanized travel. If you want to visit the wilderness, it must be on foot, mountain bike, or horseback. Three of its rivers (the Snake, Imnaha, and Rapid) have been designated as Wild and Scenic. Environmental groups have proposed the creation of Hells Canyon National Park to better manage the area's critical habitat. You can access the canyon from several points—see the website for an overview map.

The high-alpine region east of the valley—a land of alpenglow and top-of-the-world vistas—is often missed by crowds who come to gawk at the more publicized splendors. Summer wildflowers, which pop up mid-July through August, carpet the meadows and mountainsides with pink, purple, blue, red, yellow, and orange. Hiking is the only way to get here. For information on trails and backcountry permits, check with the visitor center.

This isn't the park's highest dune, but it's high enough to provide a view of all the dunes from its summit. It's on the first ridge of dunes you see from the main parking area.

Created millions of years ago by volcanic activity, Hole-in-the-Wall formed when gases were trapped between layers of deposited ash, rock, and lava, and the gas bubbles left holes in the solidified material. You will encounter one of California's most distinctive hiking experiences here. Proceeding from the blue sign across from the Hole-in-the-Wall Information Center, you walk gently down and around a craggy hill, past cacti and fading petroglyphs to Banshee Canyon, whose pockmarked walls resemble Swiss cheese. From there you head back out of the canyon, supporting yourself with widely spaced iron rings (some of which wiggle precariously from their rock moorings) as you ascend a 50-foot incline that deposits you back near the information center. The one-hour adventure can be challenging but wholly entertaining.  There are no services (gas or food) nearby; be sure to fill your tank and pack some snacks as well as water before heading out here.

Forged by an ancient volcanic eruption, the geological site is a landscape of boiling hot springs, fumaroles, and occasional geysers. Swimming is prohibited—the water can go from warm to boiling in a short time—but you can look down from the parking area into the canyon to view the steaming volcanic features, a very cool sight indeed. You can also hike the foot path along the creek shores. Fly-fishing for trout is popular upstream from the springs.

An elevator takes you down 156 feet to reach these caverns. The 80-minute guided tours lead you along paved walkways and include a ¼-mi boat ride on an underground lake. The temperature down under hovers just above 50°F all year, so dress appropriately. On Friday and Saturday evenings visitors (13 and older) can opt for a lantern-lighted tour; call ahead for a reservation. The grounds include a restaurant and a motel.

The inlet to Johns Hopkins cuts deep into the Fairweather Range, making it another of the lucky few glaciers that have remained stable in recent years. Although it is tidewater, it isn't visited as often as Margerie Glacier because it takes longer to travel down the inlet to it. Further, this inlet is closed to motorized traffic for the first half of the summer as it's a critical habitat for pupping harbor seals.

From far away, this spot looks like a sea of coconut trees. Closer up, you can see that the tall stately palms are planted in long rows leading down to the sea. This is a remnant of one of the last surviving royal groves planted for Prince Lot, who ruled Hawaii as King Kamehameha V from 1863 until his death in 1872. The grove is planted on private property, so stay outside of the perimeter fence.

The Kenai Fjords explode with glaciers, temperate rain forests, and wildlife. The marine mammals you'll likely see on a cruise or kayak trip through the fjords include Dall's porpoises, sea lions, otters, seals, dolphins, and whales (orca, humpback, gray, minke, sei, and fin). In the air, on the water, and populating the many islands and outcroppings along the way are almost 200 species of birds that call this region home, including falcons, eagles, and puffins.

The second-largest active sand dune field in the world, these otherworldly mountains and valleys of sand stretch for more than 100 miles. Pay attention to signage: some areas are friendly to off-roading, while others are federally protected and do not allow motorized vehicles. The ADA-accessible Killpecker Sand Dunes Open Play Area Campground is located 32 miles north of Rock Springs and has a vault toilet and fire rings.

South of the Kobuk River, the Great Kobuk (the largest active, high-altitude dune field on Earth), Little Kobuk, and Hunt River Sand Dunes—stabilized by small trees, shrubs, and the lichen that's typical of the tundra—cover much of the southern Kobuk Valley. They formed when glaciers slowly pulverized mountain rock into sand that washed into the valley during the last ice age. Of note, a flowering herb called the Kobuk locoweed is only found on the slopes of the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes. Most outfitters and air taxis that operate in the Arctic will take visitors to the sand dunes.

Hikers enjoy over 40 miles of trails spread over 7,000 acres of canyon to coastal territory. Trails open daily at 7 am and stay open until sunset, weather permitting. No dogs are allowed in the park.

Just once a month, and only from November through March, the park offers up to 50 participants the chance to visit Lake Lucero, in the southwest corner of the park. This generally dry lake bed is fascinating because of what it shows us about how the park formed—a story that rangers tell during these tours, which cost $8 per person and must be booked in advance (up to two months ahead). The lake bed is filled with selenite crystals, which over time erode and break, forming ever smaller fragments and eventually forming the bright white dunes for which the park is famous. Tours begin at the White Sands Missile Range "Small Missile" Gate at mile marker 174 on U.S. 70, about 25 miles southwest of the park entrance.

The third-largest glacial impoundment in Washington anchors the coastal strip of Olympic National Park at its north end. The small town of Ozette, home to a coastal tribe, is the trailhead for two of the park's better one-day hikes. Both 3-mile trails lead over boardwalks through swampy wetland and coastal old-growth forest to the ocean shore and uncrowded beaches.

Tucked far away in the rugged backcountry, Lexington Arch is six stories high, looming over Lexington Creek. While most arches are made of sandstone, this arch is limestone, more often associated with caves. That leads some to believe it was once a passage in a cave system. The 5.4-mile (round-trip) hike to the arch is challenging, with little to no shade. Hiking boots, sunscreen, water, and snacks are essential. It’s the one and only trail in the park where pets are allowed (on a 6-foot leash). The arch is actually located south of Snake Creek, outside of the small town of Garrison, Utah. Only high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended on the dirt road leading to it.  Traveling to the arch can be dangerous, as the road becomes rougher the closer you get to the trailhead. Make sure to stop driving before you get in trouble and walk the rest of the way, which could be up to a mile.

The focal points of this rugged 513-acre tract of deciduous forest in West Chesterfield are the stone chimney, grand staircase, and foundation of a chateau-style summer house owned by Parisian-born socialite and theatrical costume designer Madame Antoinette Sherri (the house burned down in 1963, and she died shortly after). A short woodland path from the parking area accesses the ruins, which are still fascinating despite a partial collapse of the staircase following heavy rains in 2021. Two fairly easy but hilly trails offer longer hikes through the surrounding forest, including the 3-mile round-trip trek up Wantastiquet Mountain, which offers clear views up and down the Connecticut River and across to Vermont. Trails also lead into the adjacent Wantastiquet State Forest, and there's more great hiking nearby in Pisgah State Park.

Wrangell–St. Elias's coastal mountains are frequently wreathed in snow-filled clouds, their massive height making a giant wall that contains the great storms brewed in the Gulf of Alaska. As a consequence, they bear some of the continent's largest ice fields, with more than 100 glaciers radiating from them. One of these, Malaspina Glacier, includes 1,500 square miles—larger than the state of Rhode Island. This tidewater glacier has an incredible pattern of black-and-white stripes made by the other glaciers that coalesced to form it. If you fly between Juneau and Anchorage, look for Malaspina Glacier on the coast north of Yakutat.

Here you might glimpse Florida's most famous, yet often hard to spot, marine mammal. When Gulf waters drop to 68°F or below—usually from November to March—the sea cows congregate in these waters, which are warmed by the outflow of a towering nearby power plant. Pause at any of the three observation decks (the first nearest the outflow and last at the lagoon usually yield the most sightings, as does the fishing pier) and watch for bubbles. Hydrophones on the last deck allow you to eavesdrop on their songs. Periodically, one of these gentle giants—mature adults weigh an average of 1,000 pounds—will surface. Calusa Blueway Outfitters runs the visitor center/gift shop and offers kayak and canoe rentals, as well as clinics and tours to paddle the canals and get a closer look.

The final destination for most tour vessels and cruise ships, charismatic Margerie frequently calves large chunks of ice off its 350-foot face. Unlike most of the world's glaciers, Margerie has maintained a relatively stable position over the past several years thanks to high precipitation levels in the Fairweather Mountains where it originates.