Where a single park road climbs from spruce-taiga to sweeping tundra, Denali towers above braided rivers and blue-white glaciers; ride the shuttle over Polychrome Pass to Eielson Visitor Center and Wonder Lake, scanning slopes for grizzlies, Dall sheep, and caribou while kettle lakes wink in the sun. Chase midnight-sun hikes and autumn auroras, photograph alpenglow on the mountain, and trade cell bars for quiet horizons in this soul-stirring wilderness.

Stand at otherworldly Badwater Basin where salt polygons crackle underfoot, then climb to Dante’s View for panoramic desert light spilling across Zabriskie Point’s golden badlands and the jagged Panamints. Between sunrise wanders on the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, technicolor drives through Artist’s Palette, and star-splashed nights that feel close enough to touch, this vast landscape rewards photographers, hikers, and dreamers with solitude, scale, and unforgettable desert sunsets.

Here, the Waterpocket Fold unfurls a 100-mile wrinkle of candy-striped cliffs and domes, where dawn paints Navajo sandstone gold and slot canyons echo with ravens. Stroll beneath Hickman Bridge, wander heritage orchards in Fruita to pick sun-warmed peaches, and cruise the Scenic Drive to Capitol Gorge or Cathedral Valley’s monoliths for crimson sunsets, star-filled nights, and desert solitude that rewards hikers, photographers, and road-trippers alike.

Congaree National Park Travel Guide npr Your complete Congaree National Park Travel Guide for hiking, camping, lodging, food, family fun, pet services, shops, and local

Descend through the Natural Entrance to the Big Room, a cathedral of stalactites and flowstone where cool 56°F air brushes your skin and drip echoes fill the darkness, then return to witness the Bat Flight Program whirl skyward from the cave mouth. Above ground, stroll Chihuahuan Desert trails lined with prickly pear and yucca, gaze toward the Guadalupe Mountains, and cap the night beneath a jet-black, star-splashed sky—an otherworldly blend of geology, wildlife, and wide-open New Mexico horizons.

Peer into a collapsed volcano where impossibly blue water rings the caldera and pumice slopes drop to Cleetwood Cove; circle the Rim Drive for shifting vistas of Wizard Island, cliffs, and sky mirrored like glass. From sunrise gilding Garfield Peak to boat tours that nose past lava formations and twilight stargazing beneath crystalline skies, this is a place to breathe pine-scented air, chase panoramic viewpoints, and feel very small in a cathedral of stone and water.

Salt-scented crossings from Ventura set you on remote shores where sea caves boom, kelp forests glow emerald, and trails climb to Inspiration Point on Anacapa or wander past island fox tracks above Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz. Kayak beneath Arch Rock, snorkel turquoise coves alive with garibaldi, and watch dolphins braid the bow wake before golden hour lights up volcanic cliffs—an untamed, car-free escape that rewards planners with solitude, starry nights, and discovery.

Follow the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail past canal locks and the glassy Beaver Marsh while the Cuyahoga River murmurs through sycamores and the Scenic Railroad whistle floats across meadows. Stand at Brandywine Falls as mist cools your face, wander the mossy corridors of the Ledges at golden hour, then stop at Boston Mill Visitor Center for tips on photography, paddling, and family routes that weave history with river-valley nature.

Sail across sapphire Gulf waters by ferry or seaplane to Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, where a 19th-century brick citadel rises above coral-rimmed beaches and a calm moat wall glows in the tropical sun. Snorkel reefs and seagrass flats alive with parrotfish and sea turtles, watch sooty terns swirl over seasonally open Bush Key, and savor sunset as the lighthouse and ramparts turn copper—an island escape that marries maritime history, marine life, and castaway serenity far from Key West.