The United States is home to many must-see travel spots due to its unique geography from coast-to-coast. This list should be a good starting point. After these 20, you are on your own:
- Mendenhall Glacier Caves, Alaska
- A 12-mile long glacier that is home to beautiful ice caves.
- Antelope Canyon, Arizona
- The unique structure and natural colors make this canyon a must-see travel spectacle.
- Oneonta Gorge, Oregon
- The Gorge has basalt walls which are home to a wide variety of plants found only in the Columbia River Gorge.
- Skagit Valley Tulip Fields, Washington
- The Tulip Fields are home to the must-see Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, held annually during the month of April.
- Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado
- Two of the top 50 tallest mountains in Colorado. These mountains stand side-by-side and serve as the most photographed scene in the state and another must-see travel spot.
- Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
- Abundant sea life, tropical bird breeding grounds, and tales of shipwrecks and sunken treasure make this a must-see.
- Zion National Park, Utah
- The unique geography and life-zone variety allow for unusual plant and animal cohabitation.
- Watkins Glen State Park, New York
- Finally a must-see travel spot in the northeast! Most noted for its 400-foot-deep gorge cut by Glen Creek and left from melting glaciers.
- Yosemite Valley, California
- Recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity.
- Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming
- The largest hot spring in the United States, and third in the world. Its colors are must-see, matching a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.
- Haiku Stairs of Oahu, Hawaii
- Known as the “Stairway to Heaven”, the trail began as a wooden ladder spiked to the cliff, but the stairs are currently not open to the public.
- Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
- The Caverns include a large cave chamber of natural limestone which is about 4000 feet long, 625 feet wide and 255 feet high!
- Whitaker Point, Arkansas
- A jutting rock from a cliff that allows for a great view of Buffalo River country makes this a unique, must-see travel stop in the southeast.
- Hamilton Pool, Texas
- Created when the dome of an underground river collapsed has a 50-foot waterfall draining into it.
- Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
- A segment of the Colorado River that makes a complete turn-around around a 1000 foot cliff.
- Northern Lights, Alaska
- Also known as the Aurora Borealis. This natural light show is caused by the collision of solar wind and magnetically charged particles.
- Bryce Canyon, Utah
- Not technically a canyon but a collection of giant amphitheaters. The amphitheaters are formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed.
- Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada
- Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States at 1,645 feet. It is also the sixth largest lake by volume behind the five Great Lakes.
- Smoky Mountains, North Carolina/Tennessee
- The “Smokies” get their name from the natural fog that looms over them from vegetation exhaling volatile organic compounds.
- Niagara Falls, New York
- Serving as a drain from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls has the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world.