Natural beautiful scenery9/21/2023 ![]() ![]() Lava entering the Pacific Ocean on Kilauea, Big Island, one of the USA's most unusual natural wonders. Top tip: Bring a sweater or a jacket, since temperatures inside the cave average 54☏ (12☌). See oddly shaped stalactites, stalagmites and other impressive speleothems (cave formations) on a lantern-lit cave tour. Almost 400 miles of underground passageways have been explored (so far, that is) inside this limestone karst cave labyrinth sculpted by subterranean rivers. In America’s heartland, aptly named Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest cave system. Top tip: Vacationing here during early fall avoids some of the biggest crowds, but be prepared for freezing overnight temperatures and, possibly, snowfall. Look for herds of bison roaming free alongside the park’s main roads. ![]() At this Unesco World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, you’ll be amazed by the world’s largest collection of geysers and hydrothermal features, including hot springs, boiling mud pots and steaming fumaroles. Yellowstone is the USA’s oldest national park and is a wonderland of unique geology and wildlife. Climbers first reached the south summit in 1913, a feat now attempted by more than a thousand people every year. Prominently poised above the surrounding wilderness, it’s in fact taller than Everest when measured from its base. In the indigenous Koyukon Athabaskan language, it means ‘the high one,’ which is fitting because Denali is North America’s highest peak (20,310ft). Top tip: Apply online to get a free permit to visit hidden Tall Trees Grove. Almost half of all the old-growth redwood trees remaining that have never been logged are protected by the chain of Redwood National and State parks. Redwoods can reach a height of 379ft, taller than the Statue of Liberty in NYC, and live for up to two millennia. The world’s tallest trees grow on the fog-kissed Northern California coast. Top tip: Yosemite Valley’s waterfalls peak in late spring, which is a less hectic time to visit the park than during summer. Tuolumne River waterfall is just one of the natural wonders you'll find within Yosemite National Park ©Alice Cahill/Getty Images Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site for its unique geological features carved by glaciers, Yosemite also sustains a variety of rare wildlife inhabiting California’s craggy Sierra Nevada mountain range. Gazing up at towering granite monoliths such as El Capitan and at Yosemite Falls, North America’s highest waterfall, you’ll know exactly what he meant. Yosemite National Parkįamous conservationist and wilderness writer John Muir called Yosemite nature’s temple. Note that the North Rim is now closed for the 2020 season. Top tip: To escape the crowds, visit the canyon’s North Rim, which gets one tenth as many visitors as the South Rim. Peering over the edge of the Grand Canyon is enough of a thrill for some, but to really appreciate the canyon’s grandeur, hike all the way down inside it to the rushing Colorado River. Measuring a mile deep, up to 18 miles wide and more than 275 miles long, no other sight in the USA beats this giant hole in the ground for instilling stupefying awe. Squeeze every moment out of your next vacation with tips and tricks from Lonely Planet in our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox.
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