Here’s the thing: America is huge, which means there is a lot to see out there, and a lot of what there is to see is simply mother nature being her stunning self. With the weather getting nicer and the days getting longer, we can’t wait to hit the open road and see some of the natural wonders we’re talking about today. Let’s get started!
Grand Teton National Park
(image via: visit the usa)
Just south of Yellowstone, Wyoming, 10 miles to be exact, sits the Grand Tetons rising up over a mile over a lake-filled valley. Guests can hike, snap breath-taking photos, or even enjoy a sunrise breakfast.
Redwoods, California
(image via: olema house)
Visit Northern California to see the tallest trees on the planet growing in coastal forests. And while we’re on the topic of forests, did you know that forests actually move? Sometimes way slow and sometimes seemingly fast, but if the conditions are right, the forest will start to spread to new areas.
Mt. Rainer National Park
(image via: npca)
This dormant glacier-covered volcano is so massive that the conditions have to be just right for folks to see it through the clouds. It’s not unusual for this area to receive a ton of snow, setting a number of record snowfalls, but the beauty in that lies in the rich vegetation below getting all that melted snow, creating a beautiful show of wildflowers in the spring and summertime.
The Mighty Mississippi River
(image via: istock)
This is the fourth largest river in the world, draining over thirty states. You can imagine that catching any glimpse of this river is incredible. In fact, the widest point of this river is over eleven miles across. A few random facts about the Mississippi River: only two people have swam the entire length of the river, waterskiing was invented on this river, and it’s home to roughly 25% of all North American fish species.
Crater Lake, Oregon
(image via: bicycled adventures)
What was once a collapsed volcano is now a deep blue lake in southern Oregon. An interesting fact about weather here, Crater Lake is one of the snowiest places in the United States with an annual average of 43 feet. If you pay Crater Lake a visit, just know there is plenty of opportunity for a photo op with more than thirty scenic pullouts.
Mammoth Cave National Park
(image via: cruise america)
Lying under a portion of west-central Kentucky is Mammoth Cave, along with a number of connected caves, this makes for the largest cave system in the world. There are a number of little critters in the caves including cave crickets, eyeless fish, and eyeless crayfish. If you get the opportunity to tour the cave, you’ll get to experience the cave in total darkness and silence, just as the first explorers saw the cave a good while ago.