571 Best Sights in USA

This 2.7-mile trek loops past the beautiful Stella and Teresa lakes from the trailhead near Wheeler Peak Campground. You’ll rise and fall 440 feet in elevation as you pass through subalpine and alpine forest. The views of Wheeler Peak, amid wildflowers (in summer), white fir, shimmering aspens, and towering ponderosa pines, make this memorable. The trailhead is at nearly 10,000 feet, so make sure you’re adjusted to the altitude and are prepared for changing weather, with plenty of snacks and water. Allow up to three hours. Moderate.

Anaktuvuk Pass lies on a divide between the Anaktuvuk and John Rivers in the central Brooks Range. A small Nunamuit Iñupiat village of the same name sits atop this 2,000-foot pass. The economy and traditions here center on the caribou herds that supply residents with most of their meat. Surrounded by mountains, rivers, and lakes, this is one of the North Slope's most scenic spots. Daily flights from Fairbanks travel to the village, and you can walk from there into the national park. You can also do backpacking trips that start or end at the pass. As elsewhere in Gates of the Arctic, some of the terrain here is on private or Native corporation land, so inquire at the ranger station about where it's best to hike and camp—and whether or not you need permission to do so.

If you're looking for a great view without the effort, try the ¾-mile Animas Overlook Trail. It takes you past signs explaining local geology, flora, and fauna before bringing you to a precipice with an unparalleled view of the valley and the surrounding Needle Mountains. It's the only wheelchair-accessible trail in the area. From town, it's a 45-minute drive up Junction Creek Road.

This moderately challenging 1.7-mile hike loops through a deep stream-cut canyon, providing views of the narrow cleft scarred by volcanic activity. This is a good area to look for flowers and deer. Moderate.

Passing through the Hoosac River Valley, the paved 12.7-mile Ashuwillticook (pronounced Ash-oo-will-ti-cook) trail links Adams with Pittsfield. The trail follows an old railroad, passing through rugged woodland and alongside Cheshire Reservoir. Walkers, joggers, cyclists, in-line skaters, and cross-country skiers all enjoy this route.

There are walking trails, a self-guided tour, a pond, and eight distinct areas to explore on this 50-acre preserve located off Palmetto Bay Road. Native plant life is tagged and identified in the pristine forest, and many species of birds can also be found here.

The well-maintained pathways of the Riverwalk (between 5th and 10th Streets) curve along the Savannah River and are the perfect place for a leisurely stroll. The upper brick portion connects downtown attractions like St. Paul's Church and the Morris Museum of Art. There are a few shops and restaurants along the way, but not as many as you might expect. On Saturday mornings, look out for the Augusta Market at the 8th Street Plaza. The lower paths offer a close-up view of wildlife and a peek at the graceful homes of North Augusta, South Carolina.

From Avalanche Creek Campground, take this 3-mile trail leading to mountain-ringed Avalanche Lake. The walk is only moderately difficult (it ascends 730 feet), making this one of the park's most accessible backcountry lakes. Crowds fill the parking area and trail during July and August and on sunny weekends in May and June. Moderate.

The highlight of the 1½-mile round-trip hike is the chance to see Ancestral Puebloan granaries. The view into Taylor Canyon is also nice. Moderate.

You can hike these two easy loops, which both leave from the Norris Ranger Station, in under two hours. The 1½-mile Back Basin loop passes Emerald Spring, Steamboat Geyser, Cistern Spring, and Echinus Geyser. The latter was long known as Norris's most dependable big geyser, but its schedule has become much more erratic. The ¾-mile Porcelain Basin loop leads past whitish geyserite stone and extremely active Whirligig and other small geysers. Easy.

On the park's eastern side, these two preserved homesteads are in the heart of the 331-acre Ben Bacon Ranch Historic District, which the park acquired in 2006. A walk along the former road through this section illustrates what subsistence farming in the area looked like from 1865 to 1941, before large-scale agriculture and ranching became the norm. You reach the area by way of the gravel road that starts just east of the Pinnacles Visitor Center; it then continues north about 1.3 miles by the old homesteads.

This full-day, 12-mile hike can easily be made into a two-day backpacking trip. You'll gain a total of 2,620 feet in elevation on the way to Baker Lake, a jewel-like alpine lake with a backdrop of impressive cliffs. Difficult.

You'll want to stop at Balanced Rock for photo ops, so you may as well walk the easy, partially paved trail around the famous landmark. This is one of the most accessible trails in the park and is suitable even for small children. The 15-minute stroll is only about ⅓ mile round-trip. Easy.

Visitors to the 1,873-acre Bald Mountain Public Land can hike, hunt, fish, boat, snowmobile, and/or snowshoe. The popular 1-mile trail up Bald Mountain gets tougher near the summit, but hikers are richly rewarded with panoramic views that sweep across Mooselookmeguntic, Rangeley, and Cupsuptic lakes and extend to Height of Land, Saddleback, and Elephant mountains, and New Hampshire's Mt. Washington. For a longer hike, start at the trailhead near Haines Landing boat launch at the edge of Oquossoc village. You'll pass remnants of an old ski area before linking with the main trail below the summit on the 2.3-mile trail network.  Maine's undeveloped Public Lands (aka Public Reserved Lands) offer rugged outdoor recreation; they aren't staffed like state parks, and any facilities are primitive.

Offering one of Acadia National Park’s more unique experiences, Bar Island is only accessible by foot during a three-hour window when low tide exposes a ½-mile bar of sand, gravel, and rock connecting Bar Island to downtown Bar Harbor. If you forget to check the tide charts during the busy season, a stream of folks heading down Bridge Street from the West Street Historic District will let you know it's time to head over. But always make sure to check the tide charts before setting out, because once covered by rising tidal waters it’ll be another nine hours before the land bridge is again exposed. The entire Bar Island trail offers an easy 1.9-mile round-trip hike; on the island you can enjoy views of Bar Harbor and Frenchman Bay and check out ruins of old homes. Easy.

For a nice family hike, try the 1.3-mile path from the Sun Point parking area. It leads to a spruce and Douglas fir woods; cross a log bridge over Baring Creek and you arrive at the base of gushing Baring Falls. Easy.

This rock garden beside the Housatonic River (the Native American name means "river beyond the mountains") is a National Natural Landmark, with 5 miles of hiking trails passing through fields of wildflowers. The 277-acre site has a visitor center and a museum, as well as the state's largest cottonwood trees.

The longest of the Bartlett Cove trails is an offshoot of the Bartlett River Trail. Look for the trailhead about a mile down the river trail on your right. After climbing a moraine, you weave through the woods for approximately 4 miles before reaching the lake. The serenity and the views make the total 12-mile journey—a seven- to eight-hour, out-and-back endeavor—worth the effort. Moderate–Difficult.

This 5-mile, round-trip route borders an intertidal lagoon, runs alongside an old glacial moraine, zigzags through the woods, and spits you out in a designated wilderness area at the Bartlett River estuary. From the trailhead, located a short walk from Glacier Bay Lodge, it's about 2 miles to the river, and although this portion can be muddy and slippery, the park service does maintain it. The stretch that continues along the riverbank for a couple more miles isn't maintained, and segments of it can be difficult to navigate, depending on the tide or recent rainfall. Bear sightings are common here, especially when the salmon are running. Moderate–Difficult.

From U.S. 601 in the east section of the park, this 19th-century road—once the route to a ferry across the river—offers the easiest access to the Congaree River in the park. A few sections of the 1.1-mile path can be soggy, but it's manageable any time of year. In the summer, low water levels often reveal a wide sandbar along the riverbank that's perfect for a picnic. The General Greene Tree—Congaree's largest bald cypress tree at 30 feet in circumference—is along this trail. Easy.

The virtually flat nature trail around Bear Lake is an easy, 0.6-mile loop that's wheelchair and stroller accessible. Sharing the route with you will likely be plenty of other hikers as well as songbirds and chipmunks. Easy.

This 2½-hour, 5-mile loop starts at Liberty Cap in the busy Lower Terrace of Mammoth Hot Springs. Within minutes you'll find yourself amid the park's dense backcountry as you climb 400 feet through spruce and fir, passing several ponds and dams, as well as a glacier-carved moraine, before emerging on a windswept plain overlooking the Montana–Wyoming border. Look up to see Mount Everts' peak to the east, Bunsen Peak to the south, and Sepulcher Mountain to the west. Your final descent into Mammoth Springs has great views of Mammoth Springs. Moderate.

A unique payoff awaits on this 1.2-mile round-trip hike: a fire lookout tower where you can enjoy views of Somes Sound, Echo Lake, Acadia Mountain, and beyond from its platform. The forested and rocky trail is popular with sunset seekers, who are reminded to carry appropriate clothing and headlamps for the descent. Moderate.

One of Acadia National Park's renowned iron rung and ladder trails, this popular, super challenging 1.4-mile loop ascends a 450-foot cliff. Hikers celebrate at the summit 250 feet above sea level with views of Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and the Gulf of Maine beyond the Ocean Drive section of Park Loop Road. To get there, they hike up steep granite staircases, scramble rocks, and grasp iron rungs and ladders. There's even a section where you step on iron bars, not solid ground. Yes, it's much easier going down—no more rungs, ladders, or bars. If you have a fear of heights, fear not: from Sand Beach you can watch those who don't on the Beehive.   Wear sturdy footwear; the trail is dangerous when wet. Difficult.

This 300-acre patch of remaining wetland environment is indicative of the salt marsh landscape that covered Boston when early settlers arrived and which today has been filled in. As you walk or run Belle Isle's gravel paths, listen to the sound of the marsh's diverse bird community, which includes the American kestrel, belted kingfisher, great blue heron, northern harrier, and salt marsh sparrow. Boardwalks venture into the marsh for great viewing and photo ops.

Set on 26 acres of forest and freshwater and tidal wetlands, the barn-shaped center showcases the coastal enviroment via outdoor and indoor activities. Saturday-morning kids' programs are free, but children must be with an adult.

At the edge of the village, these wooded trails are part of the Inland Woods + Trails network. Used for mountain biking, walking, and running and come winter, fat-tire bicycling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, the trails can be accessed outside the Bethel Resort & Suites golf course pro shop. In the winter, the shop rents cross-country skis and fat-tire bikes.

This hike climbs 600 feet and 2.2 miles up to the 8,209-foot summit of Big Baldy. Your reward is the view of Redwood Canyon. Round-trip, the hike is 4.4 miles. Moderate.

This a designated mountain-biking and hiking trail divided into two loops joined by a connector. The Big Hollow Trail North Loop runs 5.3 miles, with a 0.1-mile shortcut, along moderately easy ascents through rolling woodlands. The Big Hollow Trail South Loop, including the connector, runs 3.7 miles through more jumbled rocky terrain, partly along the blufftop over Green River. Horses are not permitted on this trail. Total 9.1 mi. Moderate. Note: There is no parking along Green River Ferry Road North or the Maple Springs Loop Road.

A ¼-mile alpine loop, most of it wheelchair accessible, leads through wildflower meadows overlooking numerous vistas of the interior Olympic peaks to the south and a panorama of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north. Easy.