63 Best Sights in USA

Taking its own name from the many peaks named after famous universities, the 168,000-acre Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area includes eight mountains that tower more than 14,000 feet high. Forty miles of the Continental Divide snake through the area as well. The most compelling reason to visit Buena Vista is for the almost unequaled variety of hikes, climbs, biking trails, and fishing streams here. (Keep an eye out for hot springs, too.) Two ranger offices, one in Leadville and one in Salida, handle inquiries about this region.

At more than 360,000 acres, this is the largest wilderness area in Oregon, encompassing most of the Wallowa range with 535 miles of trails for hardcore backpackers and horseback riders. Most of the popular trailheads are along Eagle Cap's northern edge, accessible from Enterprise or Joseph, but you also can find several trailheads 20 to 30 miles southeast of La Grande along Route 203. Some areas of the wilderness are accessible year-round, while the high-elevation areas are accessible only for a few months in summer. To hike into the wilderness, you also need to obtain a free permit that will alert rangers of your plans.

On a ridge between the southern ends of Cayuga and Seneca lakes, 9 miles north of Watkins Glen, the national forest offers more than 30 mi of easy-to-moderate hiking trails through a variety of terrain. The land was patched together when the federal government purchased about 100 farms between 1938 and 1941. The forest encompasses 16,032 acres, so you might feel like you have the place to yourself—regardless of whether you're camping, cross-country skiing, fishing, or hunting. The forest's altitude is higher than most surrounding points, so great vistas are yours for the hiking. Trail maps are available at some trailheads and at the visitor center.

Just minutes from Interstate 64 and White Sulphur Springs, this state forest spans an area of 5,130 acres, with 13 miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails; hunting, camping, and picnicking are also popular. There's an archery range, a horseshoe pitch, a volleyball court, and a heated outdoor swimming pool. If you want to stay the night, but prefer not to camp, you can rent a one- or two-bedroom cabin, complete with kitchen and bathroom, from April through October.

South of Forks, an 18-mile spur road links Highway 101 with this unique temperate rain forest, where spruce and hemlock trees soar to heights of more than 200 feet. Alders and big-leaf maples are so densely covered with mosses they look more like shaggy prehistoric animals than trees, and elk browse in shaded glens. Be prepared for precipitation: the region receives 140 inches or more each year.

The highest spot in Oregon and the fourth-highest peak in the Cascades, "the Mountain" is a focal point of the 1.1-million-acre forest and all-season playground. Beginning 20 miles southeast of Portland, it extends south from the Columbia River Gorge for more than 60 miles and includes more than 315,000 acres of designated wilderness. These woods are perfect for hikers, horseback riders, mountain climbers, and cyclists. Within the forest are dozens of campgrounds as well as lakes stocked with brown, rainbow, cutthroat, brook, and steelhead trout. The Sandy, Salmon, Clackamas, and other rivers are known for their fishing, rafting, canoeing, and swimming. Both forest and mountain are crossed by an extensive trail system for hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders. The Pacific Crest Trail, which begins in British Columbia and ends in Mexico, crosses at the 4,155-foot-high Barlow Pass. As with most other mountain destinations within Oregon, weather can be temperamental, and snow and ice may affect driving conditions as early as September and as late as June. Bring tire chains and warm clothes as a precaution.

Since this forest is close to Portland, campgrounds and trails can get crowded in summer and on weekends. If you're planning to camp, get info and permits from the Mount Hood National Forest Headquarters. Campgrounds are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and a few private concessionaires, and standouts include a string of neighboring campgrounds on the south side of Mt. Hood: Trillium Lake, Still Creek, Timothy Lake, Little Crater Lake, Clackamas Lake, Summit Lake, Clear Lake, and Frog Lake. The mountain overflows with day-use areas. From mid-November through April, all designated Winter Recreation Areas require a Sno-Park permit ($4 daily, $9 for three days), available from the U.S. Forest Service and many local resorts and sporting goods stores.

Twenty-five miles east of the flat, juniper-dotted countryside around Prineville, the landscape changes to forested ridges covered with tall ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. Sheltered by the diminutive Ochoco Mountains and with only about a foot of rain each year, the national forest, established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, manages to lay a blanket of green across the dry, high desert of central Oregon. This arid landscape—marked by deep canyons, towering volcanic plugs, and sharp ridges—goes largely unnoticed except for the annual influx of hunters during the fall. The Ochoco, part of the old Blue Mountain Forest Reserve, is a great place for camping, hiking, biking, and fishing in relative solitude. In its three wilderness areas—Mill Creek, Bridge Creek, and Black Canyon—it's possible to see elk, wild horses, eagles, and even cougars.

The forest, starting just 2 miles from Corvallis and extending to the coast, includes the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and the Cape Perpetua Interpretive Center. Within the park is the highest point in the Coast Range, Mary's Peak (4,097 feet), offering panoramic views of the Cascades, the Willamette Valley, and the rest of the Coast Range. On a clear day you can see as far as the Pacific Ocean. There are several picnicking areas, more than 10 miles of hiking trails, and a small campground, as well as stands of noble fir and alpine meadows. You can access Mary's Peak from Highway 34 between Corvallis and Newport and the central coast. Several other major highways (Highways 26, 6, 18, 26, and 126) also run through the forest between the Willamette Valley and the coast, providing access to recreation areas.

Stretching 110 miles along the western slopes of the Cascade Range, this forest boasts boundless recreation opportunities, including waterfall exploration, camping, hiking, boating, ATV riding, and winter sports. It extends from the Mt. Jefferson area east of Salem to the Calapooya Mountains northeast of Roseburg, encompassing 1,675,407 acres.

Take a treetop tour through the old-growth forests north of Nashville. There are nine steel cable ziplines on this course, and each one lets you safely soar above the wooded ravines and blossoming valleys along the Harpeth River. The longest line is about 700 feet long, the highest is about 85 feet high, and the whole journey takes about 90 minutes to complete.

"Rain forest" may not immediately spring to mind when you picture Southeast Alaska, but as you walk amid the giant cedars, hemlocks, and spruces at the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary, the term will come into vivid focus, encompassing not just the trees but the interconnected web of plants and animals that live with them. The only way to experience the sanctuary is via a short, easy hike led by a naturalist guide; while on the trail, you'll keep an eye out for wildflowers, berries, bears, eagles, deer, and Herring Creek salmon. Located 8 miles outside Ketchikan, the tour is offered in all weather; sturdy shoes and a waterproof jacket are highly recommended.

In this recreation area you'll find a campground, as well as a stream for swimming, canoeing, and kayaking. At a constant temperature of 72 degrees, the clear waters are popular for fishing, too.

Overlapping three ranger districts of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, the 159,000-acre Anaconda-Pintler wilderness area extends more than 30 miles along the Continental Divide to the southwest of Anaconda. Elevations range from 5,400 feet near the Bitterroot River to 10,793 feet at the summit of West Goat Peak. Glaciation formed many spectacular cirques, U-shape valleys, and glacial moraines in the foothills. The habitat supports mountain lions, deer, elk, moose, bears, and many smaller animals and birds. About 280 miles of Forest Service trails cross the area. If you hike or ride horseback along the Continental Divide, at times you can view the Mission Mountains to the northwest and the mountains marking the Idaho-Montana border to the southwest. If you want to explore the wilderness, you must obtain a detailed map and register your plans with a Forest Service office. Stock forage is scarce, so if you're riding a horse, bring concentrated feed pellets. Note that no motorized travel is permitted in the wilderness area. There are more than 20 access points to the area, including popular ones at Moose Lake, Georgetown Lake, and the East Fork of the Bitterroot River.

About an hour's drive from Independence or Bishop you can view some of the oldest living trees on Earth, a few of which date back more than 40 centuries. The world's largest bristlecone pine can be found in Patriarch Grove, while the world's oldest known living tree—over 4,800 years old—is along Methusula Trail in Schulman Grove. Getting to Patriarch Grove is slow going along the narrow dirt road, especially for vehicles with low clearance, but once there you'll find picnic tables, restrooms, and interpretive trails.

The Arapaho/Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National Grassland, an enormous area that encompasses 1.5 million acres, has fishing, sailing, canoeing, and waterskiing, as well as hiking, mountain biking, birding, and camping. Contained within the Arapaho National Forest is the Arapaho National Recreation Area (ANRA), a 35,000-acre expanse adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park that contains Lake Granby, Shadow Mountain Lake, Monarch Lake, and Willow Creek and Meadow Creek reservoirs. Toss in neighboring Grand Lake and you have what's known as Colorado's Great Lakes.

Before its wood showed signs of severe rot, cars drove right on top of this giant fallen sequoia. Now it's a great place to pose for pictures or shoot a video.

To the left of the White Oak Trail in the east of the park's backcountry lies something very uncommon—a small area of forest that has never once been cut for timber. This is The Big Woods, one of only two areas of true Old Growth forest remaining in Kentucky. White Oak Trail is not connected to the rest of the backcountry trail network, but the trip along Ugly Creek Road may be worth a chance to see forest that has never seen a saw or an axe since the world began.

Big Horn is an access point to the 1.1-million-acre area, which has lush grasslands, alpine meadows, rugged mountaintops, canyons, and deserts. There are numerous hiking trails and camping spots for use in the summer, and it's a popular snowmobiling area in the winter.

This 3.4-million-acre forest has something for everyone: history, hiking, camping, and wildlife. It encompasses the Teton Wilderness east of Grand Teton National Park and south of Yellowstone National Park, the Gros Ventre Wilderness southeast of Jackson, and the Bridger Wilderness farther south and east. No motor vehicles are allowed in the wilderness areas, but between them are many scenic drives, natural springs where you can swim or soak throughout the year, and cultural sights like abandoned lumber camps in the forest. The peaks reach higher than 13,000 feet, and the area is liberally sprinkled with more than a thousand high-mountain lakes, where fishing is generally excellent.

Sprawling east of Chugach State Park, the Chugach National Forest encompasses nearly 6 million acres. The forest covers most of the Kenai Peninsula and parts of Prince William Sound and is the second-largest national forest in the United States, exceeded in size only by the Tongass in Southeast Alaska. The forest has abundant recreational opportunities: hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, boating, mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting, and flightseeing. Southcentral Alaska is not the best terrain for rock climbing (aside from Denali), as the rock is predominantly composed of hardened ocean sediments that are weak and crumbly. There are, however, some places for great bouldering, and in the wintertime ice climbing is quite popular, as are snowshoeing, skiing, snowmachining, and dog mushing. Hiking trails offer easy access into the heart of the forest. You can spend a day hiking or looking for wildlife, or you can embark on a multi-day backpacking excursion. At all but the most popular trailheads, a five-minute stroll down a wooded trail can introduce you to the sights, smells, and tranquility of backcountry Alaska.

Be prepared to be self-sufficient when entering the Chugach Forest. Trailheads typically offer nothing more than a place to park and perhaps an outhouse. Running water, trail maps, and other amenities are not available. Also, be "bear aware" whenever you travel in bear country—and all of Alaska is bear country.

The name of these expansive federal lands is misleading: it should really be "Custer National Forests." Composed of dozens of discrete tracts dotting the landscape from Red Lodge (60 miles southwest of Billings, near Yellowstone National Park) all the way into South Dakota, Custer National Forest is one of the most ecologically diverse tract of federally managed lands. The units in southeast Montana are called the Ekalaka Hills, and like their nearby neighbors in South Dakota, these pine-covered bluffs and mesas are often referred to as "an island of green in a sea of prairie," for good reason. Visible from miles away, the tiny forested ridges appear like mountains in the middle of the grassy plains. Drive any of the four-wheeler roads off U.S. 212 between Ashland and Broadus and climb to a timbered ridge. Get out and hike to a vista, where you can breathe the scent of sagebrush from what appears to be a great height but is only a couple of hundred feet above the prevailing landscape. Deer, turkey, and elk inhabit the woods, and herds of pronghorn (the fastest land mammal in North America) roam the plains. Many species of raptors are known to nest here, too. The area is undeveloped and offers few services.

This 1½-million-acre forest has 20 peaks higher than 7,000 feet, including three of Oregon's five highest mountains, more than 150 lakes, and 500 miles of streams. While visiting the forest is free, many parking areas, particularly at trailheads, require an annual Northwest Forest Pass or a daily parking pass. 

Between Hendersonville and Brevard you'll find this 10,400-acre state forest with four major waterfalls, five lakes, and 80 miles of dirt roads to explore. It's ideal for biking, hiking, or horseback riding. Fishing and hunting are permitted in season.

Information on visiting the Bob Marshall Wilderness is available through the Flathead National Forest website or office, which have maps, listings of outfitters and access points, and safety information about travel in bear country.

The Fontanel Mansion is a 33,000-square-foot log cabin in Whites Creek, Tennessee, filled with country music memorabilia, instruments, and stories. It was once home to country music star Barbara Mandrell, and her glitzy taste is unmistakable throughout. (There’s even an indoor shooting range.) Guided tours of the mansion are offered daily, but that’s only the beginning. The Fontanel estate also includes the Natchez Hills Winery Tasting Room; Prichard’s rum and whiskey distillery; Café Fontanella; Adventureworks Old Forest Adventure Park; a boutique hotel; more than 3 miles of wooded trails; and Vintage Creek, a clothing boutique and gift shop.

Pack a picnic and your fishing poles, or hit the hiking, biking, horseback-riding, and motorbike trails in 250,000 acres of swamps, lakes, oaks, and pines. Bring a canoe to explore the peaceful black water of the Wambaw Creek Wilderness Canoe Trail, hike the Swamp Fox Passage of the Palmetto Trail, or pitch a tent at one of the campgrounds within the forest.

The Gila, as it's called, covers 3.3 million acres—that's 65 mi by 100 mi—and was the first land in the nation to be set aside as a protected "wilderness" by the U.S. Forest Service back in 1924. The area is vast and continues to feel like a great, relatively undiscovered treasure. You are unlikely to come across any crowds, even in peak summer months. Whether you're backpacking or doing day hikes, you have 1,500 mi of incredibly diverse trails to explore. Open camping is permitted throughout the forest, although there are 18 developed campgrounds (all with toilets and seven with potable water). The Gila is an outdoors-lover's paradise: with seemingly endless trails to explore on mountain bikes, white-water rafting (the season usually starts in April), and fishing in rivers, lakes (three of them), and streams. Thirty percent of the forest is closed to vehicular traffic entirely, but the rest is open for touring. The Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway (also referred to as the Inner Loop Scenic Drive) snakes through 75 miles of some of the most gorgeous and scenic forest in the wilderness. The roads are paved but the sharp, narrow, and steep turns make it inadvisable for large RVs. From Silver City, take NM 15 north to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. From the monument backtrack on NM 15 to NM 35 heading southeast to NM 152, which leads west back to Silver City.

The crags in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, south of Mt. Rainier, are aptly named. You often see mountain goats here in this vast and unspoiled 108,000-acre wilderness, especially when you hike into the backcountry. Goat Lake is a particularly good spot for viewing these elusive creatures. See the goats without backpacking by taking Forest Road 21 to Forest Road 2140, south from U.S. 12. The goats will be on Stonewall Ridge looming up ahead of you.

The world's largest flat-topped mountain towers nearly 11,000 feet above the surrounding terrain and sprawls an astounding 53 square miles. Grand Mesa National Forest attracts the outdoor enthusiast who craves the simple life: fresh air, biting fish, spectacular sunsets, a roaring campfire under the stars, and a little elbow room to take it all in. The landscape is filled with more than 300 sparkling lakes—a fisherman's paradise in summer. The mesa, as it's referred to by locals, offers excellent hiking and camping (try Island Lake Campground) opportunities. There is also a handful of lodges that rent modern cabins. You can downhill ski at Powderhorn Resort, cross-country ski, snowshoe, snowmobile, or ice fish.

At 46,000 acres, —part of the Allegheny Mountain chain—is the state's second-largest forest, stretching from Pennsylvania nearly to the West Virginia border. A century ago, this land was home to iron, sawmill, and other workers. Remains of their mossy cemeteries and crumbling stone homes can be found among vast stands of hickory and oak trees. A victory for Maryland and Mother Nature, the second-growth forest is a beautiful spot to camp, hike, ride mountain bikes, and fish at a stocked lake.