America’s Great Outdoors: 7 Places You Need To See

As one of the biggest and most naturally eclectic countries in the world, The United States features an incredible number of outdoor tourist destinations varying from the natural wonders of Yellowstone, Appalachia and Alaska to the sunny beaches of California and the East Coast.

America the beautiful, indeed. Our country is known for its beautiful, vast landscapes and serene scenery. It's part of the reason we love our homeland so much.

As stated in Our Story, "We exist to honor the people and things that have given us strength as a nation. We love our Country. We love our American Flag. We love the Great Outdoors."

So we wanted to highlight 7 amazing locations in America to see with your family when you can get the time for a substantial vacation. These are some of our favorite outdoor tourist spots but there are many more we could've included.

Glacier National Park

Photo credit: Getty/Jon Farmer

Our personal favorite! Glacier National Park is awe-inspiring spectacle to behold.

A showcase of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, carved valleys, and spectacular lakes. With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness steeped in human history. Relive the days of old through historic chalets, lodges, and the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road. - NPS.gov

Glacier National Park is located in northwestern Montana, on the Canada–United States border. The park encompasses more than 1 million acres and includes parts of two sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains, more than 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals.

Bryce Canyon National Park

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Found in Southern Utah, Bryce Canyon National Park is a spectacular collection of rock formations. Technically, Bryce Canyon isn’t a canyon, but a series of natural amphitheaters. Mormon frontiersmen first occupied the canyon as settlers, but now most tourists come for the amazing views and the exquisite hiking opportunities.

Sunset Point is one of the most famous viewing points, presenting panoramic views of the red, yellow, and orange rock figures. Queen’s Garden Trail is another choice because it offers green trees among the red rocks for a stunning juxtaposition. 

Yosemite National Park

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Yosemite National Park (also pictured in the main article photo) is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. This remarkable destination is known around the world for its exceptional scenery. Tourists can look out over breathtaking granite cliffs, marvel at clear waterfalls, and visit sequoia trees that are hundreds of years old all within this single park!

A prominent place to explore in the park is Yosemite Valley as it features the massive Yosemite Falls as well as the granite monolith called Half Dome.

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Denali National Park

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The Denali National Park and Preserve are found in Interior Alaska and include Mount McKinley, the highest mountaintop in North America. The term “Denali” means “the high one” in the native Athabaskan language and is a reference to Mount McKinley.

Furthermore, the park safeguards an incredible wilderness area that contains grizzly bears, caribou, moose, wolves, and many other creatures. 

Yellowstone

Photo credit: Getty/XIN WANG

Yellowstone National Park was the world’s first national park, set aside in 1872 to conserve the expansive number of geysers, hot springs, and other thermal areas, as well as to protect the wonderful wildlife and robust beauty of the area. Yellowstone lies on top of a gigantic hotspot where molten mantle rock rises towards the surface.

Thereon, the park comprises half of all the world’s discovered geothermal features, with more than 10,000 instances of geysers and hot springs. Additionally, black bears, grizzly bears, deer, elk, bison, and wolves can all be found within the park borders. Yellowstone is one of the world's rarest natural phenomenon right here in the United States!

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Grand Canyon

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The Grand Canyon is found in northern Arizona and is undoubtedly one of the many great tourist destinations in the United States. Sculpted over several million years by the Colorado River, the canyon reaches a depth of over 1 mile and 277 miles long.

The Grand Canyon is not the deepest or the longest canyon in the world but the overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape offer visitors sensational views that are unpaired throughout the world.

Great Smoky Mountains

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We couldn't forget about the East Coast! Great Smoky Mountains National Park is actually America’s most visited park. This is an ideal getaway for a weekend family adventure. Hike, camp, and explore one of America’s oldest mountain ranges.

Founded in 1926, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is composed of ridges of seemingly endless forest on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Named the Smokies from the ever-present morning fog, this mountain range is world renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and its history of southern Appalachian mountain culture.

“There are trees here that stood before our forefathers ever came to this continent; there are brooks that still run as clear as on the day the first pioneer cupped his hand and drank from them.” — President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Let us know your favorite destination of America's Great Outdoors in the comments!

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