These are the most important views in America
There is no one in the American landscape. If you’re looking for a breath-taking view, we have you covered, even if there’s no crowd with more famous landmarks. The nation has countless natural wonders that often fly under the radar, allowing you to roam stunning landscapes, rich history and space.
This is part of a new USA Today network project that presents breathtaking and perhaps underrated views across the United States. These are some of the most beautiful landmarks, scenic views and hidden gems.
Here are our favorites:
Alaska Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park in southeastern Alaska is a jaw-dropping wilderness, with giant tidal glaciers dipped in icy waters, and the whales at The Humpback are breathtaking bounty. The park is primarily accessible by boat or airplane. Most visitors arrive via cruise ships or guided excursions from Juneau, which can be reached into the air from Seattle. Once you reach the park, expect a surreal landscape of snowy mountains, deep fjords and glacial ice in the shades of aquamarine. – USA TODAY Staff
Arizona Horseshoe Bend
Horseshoe Bend, one of Arizona’s most photo-picked and one of Instagrammed sites, is located near the state line in Arizona, where the Colorado River flows. It is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and is adjacent to the Navajo tribe. The name of the horseshoe bend comes from the wavy faucets around the sandstone layer.
It has many things in common with the Grand Canyon. Horseshoe Bend has been carved on the Colorado River for millions of years and is one of Arizona’s most visited natural landmarks. It costs $10 to park your car, or $5 to park your bike on a horseshoe bend. The nearest town is the page about five miles north. Details:horsshoebend.co. – Michael Salerno, Republic of Arizona
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Discovered in southern Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park is home to the tallest sand dunes in North America. The dunes are incredible sights during the day, but the park is also an international dark sky park at night, offering the opportunity to see some of the best starry sky in the country. With thousands of breathtaking views, the combination of daytime and nighttime sightseeing is unparalleled in Great Sand Dunes National Park. – David Dishman, Colorado tribe
Gordon Pond Trail, Delaware
What makes Gordon Pond Trail so special? These trails have a coastal atmosphere that remains in the summer and autumn. They are known for their coastal scenery and bird watching. These trails are primarily flat. The surface of the Gordon Pond trail is a great option for pedestrians and wheeled people, as it is a mix of crushed stones and promenades.
There are plenty of other types of shared birds, including great blue herons, green herons, great white rets, snowy huglets, dunlins, thunderlings, and more, and take great photos. – Delaware News Journal
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia
A short hike through the swamps and undulating dunes of Scrubby leads to one of Georgia’s most breathtaking places. It is a sculpture garden that has been handcrafted with wind, salt and water for centuries. Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island is the final resting place for Live Oaks and other trees, with golden age families with names like Vanderbilt and Rockefellers among families named “beyond” at the exclusive Jekyll Island Club.
After being connected to the highlands, the erosion and storms of the beach release them from their sentinels and throw them on the mountains that gnarled along the northern edge of the island. – Savannah Morning News
Hawaii Judge Goodhouse
Raising 10,023 feet above sea level, Haleakala is a dormant volcano that is often on top of clouds. Especially at sunrise, the sky erupts in colour, revealing Maui below. Most visitors drive from Kahului (around 2 hour trip) and book many bookings for the booking dates a few months in advance. But beyond the iconic sunrise, Haleakala offers hiking trails with surreal volcanic landscapes, rare native species and other classifications of other types anywhere else in Hawaii. – USA TODAY Staff
Idaho Sotuto Mountains
Sawtooth Mountains was a favourite of author Ernest Hemingway, a stunning mountain range in Central Idaho. The Sawtooth National Recreation area features over 700 miles of trails, 300 mountain lakes and 40 major peaks. Stay for hiking, fishing, boating, rafting and cycling opportunities with scenic views.
Flint Hills, Kansas
Imagine a tall grass prairie over 14,500 square miles that mostly analyzes Kansas from north to south. The wind-blowed grass of Flint Hills burns gold depending on the time of the bright green to gold. Much of the land still resembles what it looked like when the settlers first crossed over 200 years ago. Every year, the burning season lights the evening and night sky, burns snakes across the land, burns old and dead grasses, and renews them in spring. – Time Hrenchir, Topeka Capital-Journal
Annapolis Rock, Maryland
Annapolis Rock, a popular hiking destination along the Appalachian Trail in southern Washington County, offers spectacular views. Views near the Eastern County Line are featured in Maryland Stamps from the Appalachian Trail Collection at the US Post Office. “It’s an iconic view. It’s a very popular destination for tourists and locals. I think it’s amazing to put it on a national stamp,” he says to Hagerstown, president of the Washington County Tourism Office. – Hagerstown Herald Mail Staff
Shiplock, New Mexico
Towering above the northern New Mexico landscape, Shiprock (Tsé Bit’aí) stands at over 7,000 feet of the Navajo tribe. A national natural landmark, Formation is one of the state’s most famous views and has been featured in films, photos and postcards for decades. Before becoming a media beloved, Shiplock’s formation was prominent in Navajo history and culture. – Staff at Las Cruces Sun-News
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
For some reason, Oregon only has one national park. But if we are forced to choose only one place, an explosive volcano filled with some of the purest waters in the world on the deepest lakes in the United States makes a logical choice.
Crater Lake National Park is only open for summer activities for a relatively short period of time, due to the fact that it is snowing so much. So if you want to drive a rim road, take a boat tour, hike the peaks, swim in the lake’s bones cold waters and concentrate on your trip between July and September. – Zach Urness, Salem Statesman Journal
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Both the unforgettable vastness of the fictional planet Arakis in the “Dune” film and the jagged landscape of the real planet Mars, Badlands National Park is indeed transcendent. Visitors are threatened by the chaotic, 244,000-acre crater-like views, but the national park is extremely family-friendly and a spectacular memory for everyone.
A must-see Badlands Loop State Scenic Highway is a lovely, slow, two-hour tour of the earth that appears to be glamorously frozen millions of years ago. The rusty orange layers of ancient rocks and soil look as hot as they touch. For more information, please visit www.travelsouthdakota.com. – Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader