The Most Amazing Natural Wonders Of The United States

The United States is a country full of awe-inspiring natural wonders. Offering travelers an incredible variety of diverse and inspiring landscapes, breathtaking locations, and powerful panoramas, America truly is the land of dreams.

A land offering “a thousand shades of something new”, it’s true beauty lies beyond the famed city skyscrapers, landmarks, and monuments, and outside of the city limits. America’s true beauty lies in it’s abundance of National Parks, preserves and protected wildlife sanctuaries.

Here are the top natural wonders in this extraordinarily beautiful country. Add them to your bucket list to truly Discover America.

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Photo by Grand Canyon National Park.

The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s most powerful and inspiring landscapes. It’s immense size is overwhelming, and the opportunity to stand on the rim of this vast canyon is without a doubt one of the most phenomenal encounters with nature.

Formed over 16 million years, the Grand Canyon is on average 4,000 feet deep across 277 miles. At it’s deepest point it is 6,000 feet deep, and 15 miles at it’s widest.

For accommodation near the Grand Canyon, we recommend staying in Flagstaff – find hotels & airbnbs on this map:

Arches National Park, Utah

Arches National Park

Pictured above, Delicate Arch (Arches National Park) is 52 feet tall. But rather than the height, it is the absolute improbability of the structure which is most impressive. Formed over many, many periods of time, the arch is sculpted from distinctive red sandstone which covers the five national parks across Southern Utah.

Collectively these parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef) are made up of thousands of natural arches, immense and impressive canyons, and “towering buttes and rock faces that have become a nation’s sacred natural treasures.”

Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia National Park, Maine. Photo by Rachel Campbell of Treepot Travels.

Heading to New York? Rent a car and drive to the rugged coast of Maine. Acadia National Park is one with awe-inspiring natural beauty, and absolutely stunning scenery.

Visitors can hike granite peaks, bike along the craggy coastline, and marvel at the expansive views from the top of Cadillac Mountain – the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard, and the first place to view sunrise in the United States from early October through until early March.

Death Valley, Nevada

Death Valley. Photo by Tom Babich

Both the lowest and hottest location in North America, this spectacular basin, 282 feet below sea level, is a combination of the hottest, driest, and lowest points in the country.

Considered to be one of the hottest places on earth, Death Valley is a harsh, but incredibly beautiful landscape, and one where the scorching desert appears endless. The highest recorded temperature here has been 134 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is an easy detour during a road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

The Everglades, Florida

The Florida Everglades

Often referred to as the “amazon of North America”, the Florida Everglades are a natural region of tropical wetlands in South Florida, and provide an important habitat for a number of rare and endangered species like the manatee, Florida panther and Florida Black Bear.  It is the only place on earth where alligators and crocodiles co-exist, and the only place on earth which boasts more that 40 different species of rare orchid flowers.

The Everglades are completely wild and unpopulated.  Dominated by grassland and swamp, dotted with tree islands, forests and rivers, the whole area has a very wild beauty about it, and is a perfect example of what “old Florida” used to look like before development began.

You will never find a more unique location which boast a more unique range of wildlife anywhere else in the world.

Redwood Forest, California

California’s redwood forest is home to the tallest trees on Earth. And while the redwoods rule the forest, also protected by the National Parks Service are the vast prairies, oak woodlands, wild rivers, and nearly 40 miles of wild, rugged Pacific Ocean coastline.

The redwoods have been known to reach heights of over 370 feet (113 m), and average a lifespan of 500 to 700 years. The location of the tallest, a 379-foot Hyperion, is a secret very few are privy to in an attempt to keep tourists away.

Yosemite Valley, California

Yosemite Valley. Photo by Edward Stojakovic

With glaciers reaching back over 30 million years, ten waterfalls over 500 feet, yellow pine and oak forests and open meadows on the valley floor, Yosemite Valley is one of the most beautiful, and most photographed, places on earth.

Enchanting and majestic, this magnificent panorama includes El Capitan, “the world’s largest monolith of exposed granite; the distinctive Half Dome granite formation; and Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America, measuring 2,425 feet from top to bottom.”

Denali, Alaska

Denali, Alaska. Photo by Kevin and Kelli Redington

“Denali is six million acres of wild land in the heart of central Alaska, bisected by one ribbon of road that takes visitors into the Denali National Park and Preserve.

Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America’s tallest peak, 20,320 foot-high Mount McKinley. Wild animals large and small roam unfenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility and wilderness abound.” (Source: National Park Service)

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Photo by Steve Tulk

America’s first, and most spectacular national park, Yellowstone is home to a giant super volcano which still simmers to this day. Most of the world’s geysers are located here, with an unrivalled concentration of geysers, mudpots, fumaroles and hot springs.

Also home to an abundance of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, and herds of bison and elk, Yellowstone is famous not only for its natural beauty, but also for its presence of wildlife.

Visitors are met with a range of recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and exploration. Paved pathways lead to the major attractions, as well as a number of lakes and waterfalls.

Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. Photo by Colleen McNeil

Hawaii’s volcanic landscape is still very prevalent to this day.  Visitors to Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park who have the opportunity to explore the crater-filled landscape feel like they are walking on the moon.

Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls. Photo by Flickr User Prayitno

One of the world’s most recognizable and famous natural wonders, Niagara is America’s largest waterfall. Sharing the border with Canada, six million cubic feet of water cascades over the crest every minute: the largest water flow in the world.

Niagara is made up of three separate falls, and plays host to 22.5 million visitors annually. This postcard perfect spectacle is truly one not to be missed.

 About Megan Claire

Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging around the world for the last 7 years to inspire others to embark on their own worldwide adventure!  Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Follow their journey on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

This is a sponsored post but opinions are my own.