205 Best Sights in USA

The centerpiece "skyscraper" of the University of Texas campus is a living piece of Austin history. Still functioning as a university administration office, the 27-floor tower, which shines with bright-white and burnt-orange lights on special occasions and game days, houses rich regional and national experience from the 1930s on. Self-guided tours—complete with 360-degree views of the campus and city from the tower's observation deck—are currently paused due to a historic renovation and restoration initiative scheduled to complete in late 2026.

This point on the Walhalla Plateau offers views of the upper drainage of Nankoweap Creek, a rock pinnacle known as Brady Peak, and the Painted Desert to the east. This is an enchanting place for a picnic lunch.

Past mile marker 18, enjoy some time at the concrete arches of the beautiful Waikani Stream Bridge before heading to the parking lot of this overlook near mile marker 20. From this perch, you can see Wailua Canyon in one direction and, in the other, Wailua Village, where 94% of the residents have at least partial Hawaiian blood. As you look down, note the village's landmark 1860 church, which was allegedly constructed of coral that washed ashore during a storm. Wailua asks that you respect the privacy of its residents by not entering the village. Note, too, that although you'll want to take photos of the scenery from the overlook, doing so using a drone flown over the populated area is strongly discouraged.

One of the lowest elevations on the North Rim, this overlook has views of the Unkar Delta, a fertile region used by Ancestral Pueblo as farmland. These ancient people also gathered food and hunted game on the North Rim. A flat path leads to the remains of the Walhalla Glades Pueblo, which was inhabited from 1050 to 1150 AD.

Crowned with a large outcrop of Arkansas novaculite, the summit of West Mountain provides views of Hot Springs, the national park, and the surrounding peaks, including Music Mountain, the park's tallest peak at 1,329 feet. This overlook is the last stop along the West Mountain Scenic Drive before heading back down the mountain. It's a nice place to stretch your legs, with access to Sunset Trail.

The cliffs fall away on three sides at the end of this level, 1.8-mile out-and-back hike until you get a dramatic view of the White Rim and Monument Basin. There are restrooms but limited parking at the trailhead.

You'll often see moose grazing in this marshy area, in part because of its flourishing willow bushes, where moose both eat and hide. Elk also graze here, and you'll occasionally see grizzly bears and wolves pursue their calves at the start of summer. This is also a good place to see birds and waterfowl, and the short Lunch Tree Hill Trail heads from the overlook parking area past beaver ponds to some vibrant bird-watching terrain.

Kids will enjoy looking for the tiny window in the rock that looks like a wooden shoe with a turned-up toe. If you can't find it on your own, there's a marker to help you.

Take the Kaibab Rim shuttle here (no private vehicles are allowed) for an exceptional view of Wotans Throne, a flat-top butte named by François Matthes, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist who developed the first topographical map of the Grand Canyon. The overlook juts out over the canyon, providing unobstructed views of inner-canyon rock formations, South Rim cliffs, and Clear Creek Canyon. It's one of the best places on the South Rim to watch the sunrise or sunset. About a mile south is the trailhead for the South Kaibab Trail.

A boardwalk 2 miles from town leads up the 540-foot Yellow Hill. Distinctive yellow sandstone rocks and panoramic vistas make this a worthwhile detour on clear days.

Contrasting sharply with the whites, grays, and browns of the Badlands' pinnacles, the mounds viewed from here greet you with soft yet vivid yellows, reds, and purples.

Although only about 710 feet in elevation, this is one of the park's most scenic spots, overlooking a striking panorama of wrinkled, multicolor hills. It's a great place to watch the sunrise, but it can be bustling any time of day. From the parking lot, there's a short walk up a paved trail. Pair your Zabriskie Point visit with a drive out to magnificent Dantes View.

The view is the best part of this picnic spot opposite Balanced Rock parking area. There's no water, but there are tables. If you sit just right you might find some shade under a small juniper; otherwise, this is an exposed site. Pit toilets are nearby.

California's oldest state park is the best place to see old-growth redwoods without going north of San Francisco, and it's far less crowded than Muir Woods. The parkland ranges from sea level up to 2,000 feet in elevation, which means the landscape changes often, from dark redwood groves to oak pastures that are deep green in winter and bleached nearly white in summer. The countless waterfalls are the most visible during the winter and spring rains. To get a feel for the redwoods, take the Redwood Loop Trail, an easy half-mile path, great for kids, that takes in some of the tallest trees here, including the Mother of the Forest and the Father of the Forest. Pick up the trail from the parking lot across from the visitor center, inland at park headquarters in Boulder Creek. A brochure you can pick up here points out significant trees along the way.

If you have a little more time, consider taking the Sequoia and Skyline to the Sea trails for a 4-mile loop that takes you past a pioneer family cabin to a platform overlooking Sempervirens Falls, up the slope of Slippery Rock, and then along stretches of Opal Creek (where you meet up with Skyline to the Sea).

Hikers looking for a challenge might consider the strenuous but scenic 9.5-mile trek from Rancho del Oso valley (accessed on the western portion of the park, east of Highway 1) uphill to Chalk Mountain, which meanders along a ridge with sweeping views of the park and coast before steeply descending by way of the Whitehouse Ridge Trail. Look for the Clark Connection, up Canyon Road, as your starting point.

A short walk from the highway on the Marsh Trail leads to the Rancho Del Oso Nature Center (www.ranchodeloso.org). Open on weekends from noon to 4, the center has natural-history exhibits and is the starting point for several self-guided nature walks.

At 923 feet tall, craggy Hawk Hill is the best place on the West Coast to watch the migration of eagles, hawks, and falcons as they fly south for winter. The main migration period is from September through October, and the modest Hawk Hill viewing deck is about 2 miles up Conzelman Road from U.S. 101; look for a Hawk Hill sign and parking right before the road becomes one way. In September and October, on rain- and fog-free weekends, docents from the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory give free lectures on Hawk Hill; call ahead of time for details.

Runners, joggers, and power walkers charge along the 3.4-mile path that encircles this 155-acre heart-shaped natural saltwater lake. Crew teams glide across the water and boatmen guide snuggling couples in authentic Venetian gondolas (fares start at $60 per couple for 30 mins; 510/663–6603, gondolaservizio.com), while yogis, jugglers, and picnickers look on from the shore. Lakeside Park, which surrounds the north side of Lake Merritt, has several outdoor attractions, including the small children's park, Children's Fairyland (699 Bellevue Ave.), and the Lake Merritt Wildlife Sanctuary, a water and air fowl haven that was also North America's first wildlife refuge. Don't miss the nearby Grand Lake neighborhood, centering on the parallel strips of Lakeshore Avenue and Grand Avenue, for good browsing and even better eating.

Built in 1914 to compete with the Kolbs' photographic studio, the building was designed by architect Mary Jane Colter. The combination lookout point, museum, and gift shop has a collection of fossils and geologic samples from around the world. An upstairs loft provides another excellent overlook into the gorge below.

This site merits a stop not only for the arresting scenery, which includes the Colorado River below, but also for its view of a defunct mine operation. On your left, as you face the canyon, are the Orphan Mine, a mine shaft, and cable lines leading up to the rim. The mine, which started operations in 1893, was worked first for copper and then for uranium until the venture came to a halt in 1969. Little remains of the mine infrastructure today, but some displays along the Rim Trail discuss its history. The Battleship, the red butte directly ahead of you in the canyon, was named during the Spanish-American War, when warships were in the news.

Some of the canyon's most magnificent stone spires and buttes visible from this lesser-known overlook include the Tower of Set; the Tower of Ra; and Isis, Osiris, and Horus temples. From here you can view the 5,401-foot Cheops Pyramid, a grayish rock formation behind Dana Butte, plus some of the strongest rapids on the Colorado River.

A possible site of the first Spanish view into the canyon in 1540, this overlook is also at the highest natural elevation (7,461 feet) on the South Rim.

The most convenient picnic spot in the Needles District is a sunny location on the way to Big Spring Canyon Overlook. There are picnic tables, but no other amenities.

With its laid-back restaurants (including Half Moon Bay Brewing Company) and waters full of fishing boats and sea lions, the harbor is a nice place to wander, and you can pick up shoreline trails at nearby Pillar Point.

Enjoy a bird's-eye view of Tonto Platform and Tonto Trail, which winds its way through the canyon for more than 70 miles. Also to the west, two dark, cone-shaped mountains—Mount Trumbull and Mount Logan—are visible on the North Rim on clear days. They rise in stark contrast to the surrounding flat-top mesas and buttes.

The original Point Montara fog signal station was established in 1875. The lighthouse, which originally stood on Cape Cod from 1881 to 1922, was added in 1928, and it still has its original lightkeeper's quarters from the late 1800s; it's the only known lighthouse to have served on both coasts. Gray whales pass this point during their migration from November through April, so bring your binoculars. Visiting hours (9 am to sunset) coincide with morning and afternoon check-in and checkout times at the adjoining youth hostel. Parking is free, but a one-hour time limit is enforced.