The 38 Most Beautiful Places In America

Favorite getaway in California is Point Lobos, Carmel. The hike is breathtaking, the trail comes with most jaw-dropping views and sightings. —margaritas438e85f2a

The Maple Pass Loop hike in the North Cascades of Washington. Not only is the hike easy to do in a day, but every new switchback offers a new intensely beautiful viewpoint and traverses the forest to alpine ecosystems. Talk about a bang for your buck! It culminates at the highest point, when an entire panorama of the many peaks of the North Cascades. On the way down you feel like a mountain goat creeping along an alpine ridge and down the side of a mountain back below to the river valleys. Someday it'll be as popular as other similar hikes, but for now you can still find a quiet rock to perch on and hear the pikas peeping at you.

—bluebirdrock

I distinctly remember one morning when I was walking to Cornell to do some research. I had gotten lost, and I was looking around to see if I could recognize where I had ended up. I turned and there was the most beautiful waterfall directly to my right. Sights like these make you realize that the things we worry about on a daily basis really do not matter at all. —lauryns4ec8b720b

One of THE coolest places I've even been is Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. It isn't as well known as Arches or Zion Canyon, but it is such an otherworldly place. The valley is covered in hundreds of thousands of rock formations, ranging from being as small as your foot, to giant walls, towering walls. It's an incredible place.

—susiemeine

Savannah, Georgia, is one of the most rustic, beautiful, classic cities. The riverfront is just gorgeous with cobbled streets, river boats, and Spanish moss hanging off the trees.

—marys69

It's the sweetest little mountain town right by the Rocky Mountain National Park.

—jewelzrulez

My favorite place is Crater Lake in Oregon. It's a completely pure lake that formed at the top of a dormant volcano. The water is so blue and gorgeous. It's also the deepest like in America. It's the prettiest place I've ever seen in my entire life.

—jennifers43b924f85

I've been going there to visit my grandmother since I was little and it's absolutely gorgeous! From the scenery to the wildlife to places like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, it has everything.

—clairec28

Most people don't think of Minnesota as a place where you'd go to see amazing views, but the North Shore is absolutely gorgeous. About an hour north of Duluth you can see the rock formations that jut up from Lake Superior at Tettegouche State Park, the most famous of which is the Palisade Head. I grew up in Minnesota most of my life without knowing it was there. But my favorite thing is Pebble Beach. You can't see it from the road. You go through the brush and suddenly it opens up to a beautiful beach with a small island in the distance. It was pretty breathtaking the first time I went.

—jennab17

It's a small beach town and it's so beautiful there. There isn't too much to do except go to the beach. The only bad thing is that there isn't an In N Out there.

—aliluvv14

I went tent camping there for three weeks and it was beautiful.

—alanawozniak05

It is a small town at the very tip of Cape Cod. The atmosphere there is so cute and quaint, you can't help but fall in love. The beaches are gorgeous and there are many whales and dolphins. It has a beautiful tower, and although tall, is worth climbing a thousand times over. I host family reunions there every few years, and it is always a highlight of my life. Everyone I know who has gone has fallen in love.

—deltathecat

Most people don't think of Michigan as a beach destination, but its white-sand beaches and clear water are absolutely beautiful. Pentwater is a small town on Lake Michigan that I have visited every year in the summer since I was little and it means so much to me! The charm this town has is amazing.

—anna04

I live two hours from Yosemite. I gladly take the gorgeous drive along the Merced River to gaze at Half Dome and El Capitan and all the waterfalls. Truly is my happy place.

—shirleym4ca99be81

Isla Espiritu Santo is an island of the cost of Baja, California. It is the most beautiful piece of land I've ever stepped foot on. The water is crystal clear and at night, the sky is so full of stars that you can hardly see a black spot in the sky. There is beautiful hiking with hidden small caves along the routes and beautiful flowers and trees everywhere too.

—hadleyj

Such beautiful landscape, amazing, huge saguaros, sunsets and mountains, the kind of quiet only the Southwest has, haboobs and monsoons, everything. Get out of the city, stare up into the stars in the middle of the desert, and listen to all the life around you.

—noodleslinger

I've thought back to this hike countless times since my trip in July 2016. Though the waterfalls on this trail were beautiful, the part that wowed me the most was the path leading up to the waterfalls. A forest fire had clearly affected the area but the damage done by the fire allowed the wildflowers to grow and also gave us a beautiful view of the mountains all around us. Similarly, I've had a rough year but I'm stronger for it and confident of beautiful things to come from the hurt in my life. I've never been so in awe of a place like this. —kath1992hp

The fort has a wall surrounding it that you can walk on. There's a point in the middle of the wall, next to the river, where I love to sit and watch the sunset. It's so peaceful.

—binlylikenobodyswatching

My family has been summering on the island for 40 years, and I've gone every summer since was born. Can't imagine any place better!

—marinabatt

Washington state is so beautiful! Pretty much anywhere you go is gorgeous, but one of my favorite views is the one from the summer camp I went to as a kid. It's called Camp Zanika and it's on Lake Wenatchee. There's a mountain across the lake that people call "Dirty Face." It's especially pretty when it snows.

—selizabetho7227

It's so quiet, peaceful and beautiful. Everything seems better there, and it's truly truly beautiful.

—gehrallie

My parents took us to Canada one Christmas and on Christmas Day we went to Niagara Falls. It was so cold that the mist from the falls froze to the tree branches, the bushes, to everything. With the snow all over the ground and the trees looking like crystals, it felt like a fairy land.

I took my partner to see it a few years ago on Christmas but it was too warm to get any of the same "winter wonderland" views. As it turns out, the falls were just as majestic and lively but in a different way.

Rain or snow, Niagara Falls is truly a sight and a place I will always love.

—haileyj4f1e8b8ae

The Craggy Pinnacle Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of Asheville, North Carolina. Halfway up is the most amazing tree with branches that grew a perfect spot to sit for hours. The view from the top is one of those awesome windswept 360 panoramic vistas that I never tire of. No matter where I've lived in this country, it's the one spot I keep going back to.

—jent4103b8d54

It's so beautiful in some places there, so peaceful. You'll get nothing from the pictures of the place — you have to see it for yourself. The desert has always been so beautiful to me and the sunset is something completely magical.

—Anna Ramirez, Facebook

Crested Butte, Colorado. Small ski town in the middle of a bunch of mountains, beautiful scenery. Lots of hiking trails in the summer and some of the best skiing in Colorado. Also pretty hard to get to so not very many people.

—k4eb6374d6

It's simply stunning.

—gabbyc4058388a6

I live close by, and spend nearly every weekend somewhere on the lakeshore. It is the place I feel most at peace. There are well over 100 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and just appreciating nature. There are beaches galore. The views are insane and the water is so beautiful it looks like the sea. It's truly my little heaven on Earth. —mrsh810

New York City, but specifically Central Park. Each part of the park is filled with history and beauty and there's always something cool going on. Plus, they have a legit castle in the park.

—skipnees

The Ocanaluftee Overlook in Cherokee, North Carolina, during sunrise on an early autumn day.

We'd get there while it was still dark, with the sun — the ultimate diva — just starting to drop hints that it was on its way and would be glorious when it finally arrived. Sometimes, you could hear a few owls in the fading darkness, settling down to sleep while the rest of the forest began its day. I'd go with my dad and my sister, and when we got there, he'd wrap us up in a blanket and share hot chocolate from a thermos while we waited, exhausted from being woken up from a child's deep sleep, but refusing to doze off and miss even a moment. Our breath would make little white puffs when we exhaled, knowing that by noon you wouldn't even need a sweater. I don't know why, but that juxtaposition always made an impression on young me, like you were getting to experience the best of two seasons in one day. As an adult, you take that for granted.

—angels4d4906ef4

It is as if time has stood still there. There are not many places left like it in the United States. The Main Street and the streets around it seem like they haven't changed since the 19th century. It's a small town along the Mississippi River and you can take rides on the old fashioned steamboats. The whole town is a tribute to Mark Twain and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. I have the fondest memories of spending summers there with my grandmother. I will hold this place near and dear to my heart always.

—kittytoes

I grew up spending at least a week every summer in Grand Marais, Minnesota, and it is absolutely beautiful. It's truly one of the US's hidden gems. Beautiful shoreline one Lake Superior surrounded by amazing forests. (I tried to add one of my pictures but it wouldn't let me.)

—omgitsaclaire

The Grand Canyon is honestly the most breathtaking thing I've seen yet. I'm a total New York City girl, and I visited the Grand Canyon after probably one of the hardest years of my life. As soon as I walked away from the crowds of people, sat on the edge of that canyon and looked at the seemingly endless world in front of me, I just started crying. It's pretty hard to appreciate nature when you live in the city.

—elenaa4bae7a145

White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. It's quiet, serene, and the sands seem to somehow blend into the sky. You can walk the dunes, sled down them, even enjoy some BBQ under the (not so hot) desert sun.

—paullovesstardy

In the Upper Peninsula. My brother went to college there. It's so beautiful. The cold weather just adds to the feeling of peace you get when you look out onto Lake Superior. The lake is clear enough that we would fill up our water bottles with the water in it. It's beautifully freezing in the winter. I love the cold. The downtown area just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's such a classic downtown, little shops and restaurants. The houses are wonderful and the hills are not confusing after a day in Marquette. It is one of the best cities on Earth.

—kaleigh2

It is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and I pretty much live there with my friends. It's especially beautiful during sunsets just chilling with the sea breeze and seagulls.

—kailynm4c5617476

I've travelled a lot — A LOT (29 different countries) — but I'd say although Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon are breathtaking and truly awesome, the most beautiful place I have ever seen is Zion National Park.

—Gail Pyne Geithman, via Facebook

I live in an island called Guam. Not too many people know about it but I think it's truly one of the most stunning places on Earth. Our sunsets are stunning, our beaches are beautiful and the scenery can be absolutely breathtaking. There's nothing like living in paradise.

—inkdriven1008

Not really a surprise but Hawaii. I lived there for about six years and I've only had good memories there. Even the rainy days were pretty. I loved the palm trees and warm air and just the tropical feel everywhere you go. Even better: the culture. They make you feel like you've grown up there all of your life and there's so much to learn. I love and miss it so much that even thinking about going to college there.

—jabrich