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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsWhat are the most beautiful places you ever visited?
Last edited Thu Mar 1, 2018, 08:49 PM - Edit history (1)
Define "beautiful" as you think beautiful is. List or describe as many as you wish.
For me, in no particular order...not one better than another
1..Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada
2. Yellowstone National Park
3. Along the shores of ..Lake Michigan ...many locations.
4. Chicago Botanic Gardern
5. Yosemite Valley..(forgot this one)
lapfog_1
(29,166 posts)long before it became famous and, thus, full of tourists.
JoeOtterbein
(7,698 posts)Also Cannon Beach, OR !
samnsara
(17,570 posts)KPN
(15,587 posts)MFM008
(19,776 posts)Oregon!
But my favorite place.
Pacific beach/Ocean Shores WA.
SentimentAL value.♡♡
KPN
(15,587 posts)samnsara
(17,570 posts)...many places in Wash State are just as majestic but the passes are too high for me to enjoy. And in the wintertime when I step out my front door and see the mtns and the pines and the deer it takes my breath away. And during the spring my front porch is filled with hummingbirds. So many locations not far from my front door.
Liberal Jesus Freak
(1,451 posts)Majestic, wild, I could see Corsica from my front porch on a clear day. The mountains, the beaches, the people, the food. It was an amazing experience in the most beautiful place Ive ever lived. Number two? Cape Cod in the mid-eighties, for many of the same reasons
dhol82
(9,351 posts)Falklands - also major penguin colony
Antarctica - stunning icebergs
Mongolia - the Gobi Desert is an amazing place with thousand mile views.
Switzerland - no matter where you look its a postcard view.
Amalfi Coast - gorgeous views of land and sea
Sahara desert - undulating waves of sand
Okavango Delta of Botswana - amazing birds living in and on the water.
So many places, so much beauty in the world. Getting ready to go to Japan. I am sure that will end up on my list also.
KPN
(15,587 posts)Bagged Switzerland and Okavango many years ago, but the others -- oh my! Good for you!
dhol82
(9,351 posts)Visiting Japan in April and Northern Italy in September.
Seriously thinking about a trip to Ethiopia next January.
So many cool places to see.
KPN
(15,587 posts)Freedomofspeech
(4,218 posts)Also, the South of France.
Siwsan
(26,177 posts)All are breathtakingly beautiful countries, but the northern parts of Wales and Scotland are much less populated and much more breathtaking, IMHO. I love lakes and waterfalls. My favorite in Wales is Swallow Falls, near Betws-y-Coed. Iceland has the magnificent Gulfoss. The the lochs in Scotland are spectacular.
What I loved the most about Loch Ness and Gulfoss was the minimal to no tourist traps. Gulfoss, in particular, is remote and pristine. I was shocked that every time I was there (I was stationed in Iceland) the only people around was the group of people who had made the trip with me.
And on the opposite side of the spectrum, the Vasquesz Rocks outside of Santa Clarita, CA are so beautifully stark.
Lulu KC
(2,547 posts)teezy
(269 posts)I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, ON and have family in Marathon. It's stunningly beautiful. Everywhere between Harmony Bay and Marathon is simply amazing. My family owned a restaurant on Batchwana Bay... not exactly north shore, but halfway there.
Hayduke Bomgarte
(1,965 posts)Near Montrose Colorado.
The "Four Corners" area, especially around Shiprock Utah.
The white sand beaches of the Bahama's.
Southeastern Idaho.
applegrove
(118,021 posts)Sometimes it was raining at the chateau but we were above the clouds. You could see for miles. I'll never forget the first time i saw mountains, the Smokey Mountains, on a drive down to Florida when i was 11 or 12. Then there are the drumlins of Nova Scotia that are small round hills that are sometimes farmed. Also the Gatineau Hills in the fall.
dhol82
(9,351 posts)We had to do the obligatory rising before dawn to see the sunrise over the lake.
The entire Canadian Rockies are spectacular. Did a heli-hiking trip through there.
applegrove
(118,021 posts)I got sleeping bags or blankets, found a patch of grass and went to sleep. Pretty, pretty place.
dhol82
(9,351 posts)We were there in July and it was really cold at dawn.
applegrove
(118,021 posts)slept in a cabin without the stove on that summer. So I was used to roughing it. Didn't sleep well because the ground was so hard and people woke up early in the hotel and started walking around the front lawn so we had to wake up then and go back to my sister's staff housing to sleep more.
Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)Oregon Beaches
Grand Canyon NP
Arizona desert outside Tucson.......as long as I am only visiting
Havasu Falls
Grand Tetons NP
Lake Powell
Arches NP/La Sals (generally the area around Moab, UT
RockCreek
(738 posts)The Antarctic peninsula.
dhol82
(9,351 posts)It was just stunning.
MLAA
(17,165 posts)COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)MLAA
(17,165 posts)I lived there for 4 years with that view and at least a couple times a week heard a boom and looked out to see fireworks. 🙂
Bayard
(21,805 posts)I lived down the road from King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks when I lived in CA. Also visited Yosemite for a week in the winter, which was fairly spectacular. Our hotel room had a roaring river that went right underneath our balcony.
Santa Fe National Forest. Stayed at bed/breakfast rustic cabin that also featured trail rides up into the mountains.
Smokey Mountain National Park, especially early morning before the mists burn off (I have a thing for mountains).
Ottawa, Canada when massive amounts of tulips are blooming in the spring
Niagra Falls, that we stopped at for a night on the way back from Ottawa
Dale Hollow Lake in southern KY. Rented a really nice log cabin, and went fishing.
Bernheim Forest outside Clermont, KY, arboretum and research forest, lakes, gorgeous.
Skittles
(152,964 posts)Aristus
(66,095 posts)1. The Scottish Highlands.
2. The coast of Ireland.
3. The Saudi desert, at night, under a full moon.
4. Bavaria.
5. The Cascade Mountains of Washington and British Columbia.
longship
(40,416 posts)North of Lake Superior.
Wild wilderness. The continental divide is a mere 100 miles away. All water to the north of that line flows into the Arctic Ocean. Every drop of rain that falls to the south flows into the largest freshwater body on the planet (Lake Superior) eventually finding its way to the Atlantic Ocean.
There are water falls everywhere!!
Aubrey Falls!
Magpie High Falls:
Montreal River falls:
Around every curve of the two lane Trans-Canada-Highway there are yet more wonders to see.
Then, there's the pictographs, the origin of the Hiawatha legend, on Agawa Rock:
Right on the north Lake Superior shore.
On the way to the pictographs. How did that get there? It's really big!
Answer: carried by a glacier!
The geology in this area borders the preCambrian shield rock, some of the oldest on the planet. It makes for colorful vistas everywhere.
Driving around the north shore of Lake Superior is astounding. Jaw dropping!
Here's astounding Algoma.
LeftInTX
(24,554 posts)Copper Falls is just north of the Lake Superior/Mississippi River subcontinental divide. (It is about 30 miles south of Lake Superior)
I've heard that Ontario is probably the oldest place on the planet! I think Southern Wisconsin is about 400 million years old.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,063 posts)samnsara
(17,570 posts)Ferrets are Cool
(21,063 posts)She is my light at the beginning of each day and has been for almost 20 years.
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Stuart G
(38,359 posts)I left that out..and added it later..truly incredible.......Stuart
Roland99
(53,342 posts)mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)I even made to the top of Half Dome one time, mid 80's, climbed up the cable ladder thing ... I early 20's, no way I could get up there now. Barely made it then lol ...
Floating down the Merced River on a raft through the middle of the valley on a nice May/June day ... it just doesn't get more beautiful. Mirror Lake is a pretty incredible spot too.
I also love a lot of spots in Hawaii.
The Top of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island at night is also beautiful in a man-made sort of way. This obviously has filters and such but the real thing is still pretty damn cool ...
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Need to get Alaska on my plans too!
DFW
(54,055 posts)Of course, there are MANY spectacular places there.
The Na Pali coast and the Waimea canyon (from a helicopter):
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The Alaskan coast is impressive, too.
I wish I had some photos of the Seychelles. That place was amazing, too. We also love the outer tip of Cape Cod:
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And Bryce canyon, and and and and..........
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Staying at the grand wailea and then a couple nights in waikiki
DFW
(54,055 posts)I was more impressed with the Big Island and Kaua'i.
If you're in Waikiki, don't miss the Manoa bamboo forest and Hanauma Bay for snorkling!
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Shes long dreamed at staying at the Grand Wailea and the rainbow hotel at Hilton Waikiki.
Finally talked her into cashing in most of my FF miles and hotel points from my months of travel a few years ago.
Gonna be a great trip.
Some day Ill get to Kauai
DFW
(54,055 posts)I was very underwhelmed. Much kitch, not too long on substance, and their beach sucks. McKenna beach down the road is much better, although you have to watch it. I got dumped by a wave head first onto a bank of solid coral, and was bleeding from every place that could. The Marriott on the northern end of Maui near Lahaina has a far cooler reception area which is a tropical bird atrium.
It's like a 40 minute flight to Kaua'i from there. I'd elope. Either Princeville or Poipu.
Roland99
(53,342 posts)All new for us and its essentially free which is hard to pass up!
DFW
(54,055 posts)And if they've renovated it, it might even be nice, who knows?
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)still really awesome but helps a lot to get out their early before the many 100's of people stir up a bunch of sand and obscure the visibility.
Back when I went (early 1980's) I had my Junior PADI cert and they had pretty reasonably priced dives about 100 yards out past the shallow reef by the shore (had to able to lug a tank a good distance around the rim of the bay though) but visibility out there was pretty incredible ... went down to about 50 ft on one of the dives ... I also dove off Diamond Head on the same trip (travelling back from Hong Kong to California on Summer Vacation) and off of Saipan in Micronesia both were really cool but Hanauma is really a special place. A Major Tropical Oasis, man. So colorful and beautiful with all the different fish & coral & sea turtles & anemone & starfish & just SO MUCH to see.
mainstreetonce
(4,178 posts)Zion National Park
A beach on
St
Croix
Victoria,British Columbia
KPN
(15,587 posts)Upthevibe
(7,881 posts)Big Sur and that beautiful drive from L.A. to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Hwy..
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Had a wonderful solo drive 25 years ago up the PCH
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)The Bluff Trail at Montana d'Oro in Morro Bay is gorgeous.
https://www.hikespeak.com/trails/montana-de-oro-bluff-trail/
eissa
(4,238 posts)One of the most beautiful coastlines I've ever seen, and so many charming little stops to visit along the way.
dhol82
(9,351 posts)From what I have heard it wont be open fully until next year.
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)I'm sorry. I cannot post this beautiful picture of the bay and the lovliness of its island. Those Greek columns and its wonderful island beauty made me grow in love with this place.
But I found this: http://www.eringtonlifestyle.se/lifestyle/travel/city-guide-why-you-should-visit-taormina/
CanonRay
(14,037 posts)Going back in October
CTyankee
(63,771 posts)but enjoy...all my best to you on your trip!
sinkingfeeling
(51,277 posts)1. ANTARCTICA
2. IRELAND
3. PATAGONIA
4. SOUTH GEORGIA
5. PETRA, JORDAN
6. EGYPT
7. GLACIER NATIONAL PARK/BANFF
8. COAST OF ITALY
kysrsoze
(6,010 posts)I know Im just scratching the surface. There are so many places Id love to see.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)How stunning it must be to actually visit.
DFW
(54,055 posts)It's only about a 3-4 hour flight from here, so finding the time is the greater challenge.
Doodley
(8,976 posts)AJT
(5,240 posts)democratisphere
(17,235 posts)Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York.
Greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Florida Keys.
All of New England.
Beautiful is the geography, plant life and wildlife of the Great Outdoors.
lkinwi
(1,477 posts)The first glimpse of Lake Superior when on the bridge.
Black Hills
honest.abe
(8,556 posts)-- French Alps near Mt Blanc
-- Grand Tetons NP
-- Yellowstone NP
-- Glacier NP
-- Muir Woods
-- Yosemite NP
-- The Stockholm archipelago
-- Nido, Palawan, Philippines
-- Dakak, Mindanao, Philippines
I have traveled all over the US and many parts of the world but I never get tired of experiencing new and beautiful places. There are so many more that I still want to see.
CanonRay
(14,037 posts)also tne Napali Coast on Kauai
argyl
(3,064 posts)And the rest of the Sierras as well.
San Juan Mountains, Southwestern Colorado.
Mt. Rainier, and Orcas Island, largest of the San Juan Islands of Washington State.
Grand Canyon, North Rim.
Big Bend National Park, Texas.
Koh Phi Phi island, Phuket Province, Thailand
City of Chiang Mai, Thailand
There are others; these came to mind first.
madaboutharry
(40,152 posts)Norway
The Big Island, Hawaii, especially Volcano National Park
The Galilee, Israel
Montreal Botanical Garden, Montreal, Canada
Wales
GWC58
(2,678 posts)The area is absolutely beautiful. Stayed at The Park Hotel. Its an 18th century estate. Green, very, very green. Hotel has its own golf course. Loved the place! 👍
iamateacher
(1,088 posts)Lake Como, Italy, Bergen, Norway, and Kyoto, Japan.
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)My mother was born and raised there. I went there a lot as a kid, but didn't return as an adult until my grandfather's funeral (xmas 2013). When the snow had stopped falling and settled, the scenery looked like something Hallmark would copyright for a holiday card.
Never seen something so beautiful in my life.
Freedomofspeech
(4,218 posts)So very beautiful...especially the coast.
crazycatlady
(4,492 posts)Easily the most beautiful college campus I've ever seen.
(It's in South Portland)
Freedomofspeech
(4,218 posts)The campus. Thanks...will do some research.
fierywoman
(7,641 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)and empty!
fierywoman
(7,641 posts)kwassa
(23,340 posts)we came down the beach in the early morning when it was still covered with fog, which gradually burned off to reveal the rocky islands just off the coast.
Huge beaches covered with timber washed up in the back, big orange starfish in water. We wandered in solitude for hours.
fierywoman
(7,641 posts)(from the bluff to the beach) in the fog.
machoneman
(3,952 posts)N/M
3catwoman3
(23,818 posts)...Musee de l'Orangerie. Completely captivating.
yuiyoshida
(41,762 posts)Generic Brad
(14,270 posts)I look out the window and there is a pond filled with wildlife. Muskrats and turtles hang out during the day. There are permanent resident flocks of geese. The tree out my window attracts cardinals and blue jays. Heron's fight for the best fishing spot. There are pairs of ducks all over. I see so many migratory birds checking in for a few weeks at a time. When the light hits just right in the evening I can see the fish teeming in certain spots. Carp occasionally leap out of the water.
And I am walking distance of great shopping. I really love this corner of the world.
(I'm in Kansas - very close to the MO border).
dhol82
(9,351 posts)Somehow I never think of Kansas lookin like that.
shenmue
(38,501 posts)cos dem
(895 posts)especially on Thanksgiving.
shenmue
(38,501 posts)cos dem
(895 posts)It takes place in Stockbridge. You should look it up.
I've actually been to the Stockbridge area, and it is a pretty place.
Trailrider1951
(3,409 posts)Crater Lake (Mt. Mazama) Oregon. Truly the most beautiful lake here in N America, that I've seen, anyway. Any season of the year, the views are sublime...
DFW
(54,055 posts)Definitely one of the most awe-inspiring sites in North America
hack89
(39,171 posts)GeorgeGist
(25,294 posts)Innsbruck
Victoria, BC
Monterey - Big Sur
Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI
Smoky Mountains
Biltmore , NC
French Riviera
Grand Marais, MN
Niagra Falls
Rocky Mtns, CO
Grand Canyon
Virgin Islands many
eissa
(4,238 posts)I remember walking around the town square and thinking it looked like a movie set -- it was just too beautiful to seem real.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)badhair77
(4,191 posts)The woods in PA, the waterfalls of the Finger Lakes, Sandbridge Beach in VA
doc03
(35,148 posts)Chipper Chat
(9,635 posts)Unfortunately, it's gone now. Covered by lava from a volcano.
Bradshaw3
(7,455 posts)Ouray Colorado next.
Xel-Ha Mexico
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)[link:https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/|]
Rhiannon12866
(202,984 posts)It's a spectacular area - despite my issues with heights - though I was there with my jokester Dad who wanted to take my picture, but kept telling me to back up...
cos dem
(895 posts)Especially the towns of Ouray, Telluride, Durango, Silverton, and Wolf Creek pass.
Alaska, I've been to Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, all amazing, and just scratches the surface.
Falkland island, not necessarily a lot of natural beauty, but many places almost completely unspoiled (except for the landmines, thanks Argentina) and incredible wildlife.
Sydney harbor, and Swan River basin in Perth.
Crater lake in Oregon
Banff and Jasper national parks.
New and Gauley rivers in West Virginia.
LisaM
(27,759 posts)San Juan Islands, the mountains of North Carolina
FM123
(10,050 posts)Sanibel Island, Florida (Most beautiful shells on the beach)
zanana1
(6,085 posts)I love seashells and the ones I can pick up here in NH are pretty dull. The joy of discovering unusual seashells is high on my list of wonderful things.
handmade34
(22,755 posts)the beach in Hallandale... I discovered "Sea Beans" and spent every morning for 6 weeks looking for them... I kept them and now that I'm not on the road, I hope to germinate some of them soon
http://www.seabean.com/locations/Florida/
zanana1
(6,085 posts)spooky3
(34,302 posts)Cicada
(4,533 posts)Locut0s
(6,154 posts)Ive done quite a lot of traveling in my life. When I was young I lived in Asia with my parents in China, Taiwan and Malaysia. The culture and food will be forever seared into my mind. I am very grateful for having lived in and experienced Asia! Over the years Ive traveled to Europe and other locations. I live in BC Canada and there are no end of beautiful places here. Like you Stuart, very high on my list would be Jasper / Banff National parks. I did a camping trip in Mount Robson national park a few years back which included a stunning 40km hike I did in one long grueling day. Those mountain vistas are overwhelming. But having been to Hawaii 3 times now eatery time I go there I discover an idyllic paradise that continues to surprise me. I tell myself each time that I must have been just in a good mood the last time I visited and that it wasnt THAT special. And each time I find something about the place that makes me want to call it home. It somehow manages to marry my childhood love of the tropics with a laid back but still modern lifestyle that I long for. I have thought numerous times now of trying to craft of life so that I can move there. And specifically the stunning island of Kauai although Ive been to several other Hawaiian islands.
unblock
(51,974 posts)so lush.
some amazing hiking there.
Donkees
(31,085 posts)MrsMatt
(1,660 posts)Sabino Canyon, AZ
The Dells of the Wisconsin River, WI
Muir Beach, Marin County, CA (in March, on a cold day - no people)
CountAllVotes
(20,854 posts)Actually, this native never left. Nope.
handmade34
(22,755 posts)I swooned when I traveled through the Redwood Highway (work took me through there 3 times ) always had to stay awhile and do some hiking and believed I was in an ancient mystical world
CountAllVotes
(20,854 posts)God knows how I loved it.
So much that I simply packed up and moved here and I was no youngster when I did it.
Zero regrets believe me!
SWBTATTReg
(21,859 posts)Tanuki
(14,893 posts)quartz007
(1,216 posts)voteearlyvoteoften
(1,716 posts)St Johns River Florida. Manatees and amazing variety of birds, trees, air plants and 🐊.
DiverDave
(4,875 posts)Back wall. The face of the back wall, then turn around, and the big blue.
Saw some cool stuff on the dives I did there.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)... and the Isle of Sky.
ploppy
(2,162 posts)Ring of Kerry
Lake Louise
Mt. Hood
Amsterdam
dhol82
(9,351 posts)Scariest thing I ever did.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Totonto, Ontario in '83 (to cover the urban), and Honey Grove, TX (to cover the rural).
Mendocino
(7,430 posts)Valley of the Ten Peaks Alberta CA
Napali Coast Kauai HI
Glacier Point Yosemite CA
Angels Landing Zion UT
Pictured Rocks MI
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Bruges, Belgium
?imwidth=1400
Vienna, Austria
Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
Adirondack Mountains, Upstate NY
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5yayK6QJKtkUEZ6sMtSJ3Fr_-q3Tl6jI7ebdEYeyt7dxHbscz-Q
Cape Cod, MA
DFW
(54,055 posts)But agree on the others.
We go to Cape Cod every summer, been to Prague a couple of times (70 minute flight for us), and to Brugge as well (I'm in Belgium once a week for work anyway, and it's less than an hour away from Sprout City).
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)it's real beauty. The Dingle Peninsula/Ring of Kerry is particularly stunning but I also liked the south east as well.
DFW
(54,055 posts)It's crazy with SO much nearby and still working for a living. If we had the time and energy, we'd have seen everything with a three hour flight radius, but just look at a map of Europe, see where Düsseldorf is, and then draw a circle of a three hour flight radius, and you find we live near half of western civilization.
MissMillie
(38,454 posts)Glacier National Park is beautiful
And the Maine Coast works well for me too.
ailsagirl
(22,837 posts)Last edited Sun Mar 4, 2018, 09:46 PM - Edit history (1)
yellowdogintexas
(22,119 posts)that anyone can visit. The pink gypsum formations are among the most photographed mineral subjects in the world.
Also: My daughter, every day of her life
Yellowstone/Tetons
Florida Keys especially the snorkeling
Cozumel's coral reef
Rio Secreto underground river (a state park in Quintana Roo, Mexico, and an excellent day trip
for a cruise stop.
Sedona's Red Rocks
Slot Canyons in NE AZ
Grand Canyon
Alhambra Palace in Granada Spain
Sacre Coeur in Paris
Versailles
Kentucky farmland
Altamira's Painted Caverns
Fla Dem
(23,351 posts)I am sure there are other equally beautiful places in the world, but the color of the foliage was breathtaking. It was if a great master painter had dipped his/her brush in a multitude of paint colors and painted every leaf. As we rounded each curve and a new vista was opened up to us, it just took my breath away. Happened over 30 years ago and it's still vivid in my mind. The only other time I was as awestruck was my first glimpse of the Grand Canyon.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)The light, the waves and ocean just left me in awe.
The Florida Keys are a spiritual experience for me while driving through them, no exaggeration.
Yellowstone also
Grand Teton National Park
Colorado's "never summer" mountains near Estes Park
Maui
The Arctic Ocean Beach at Barrow, Alaska
Grand Canyon
First Speaker
(4,858 posts)...it reminded me so much of Mordor, my native country. Also: the West Haven, CT, Walmart's...so many happy memories. Some of the formerly-mountainous areas in eastern Kentucky, where we've done such a great job in Achieving Energy Independence...the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, back in the 70s before the casinos came in...and of course, Camden, New Jersey. It's so tough to choose...
kwassa
(23,340 posts)First Speaker
(4,858 posts)...and just maybe, I was admiring New Jersey's splendors just a wee bit too much already. But I'll give you Baltimore. I passed thru North Street a few years ago, and thought it looked like Hiroshima after the blast...
malthaussen
(17,066 posts)... breathtaking, especially if you leave your windows down.
-- Mal
mainstreetonce
(4,178 posts)And the coral reefs.....
llmart
(15,501 posts)Cape Breton National Seashore - Nova Scotia
Acadia National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Smoky Mountains
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Kauai
I have never been out of the US other than Canada and have always thought I'd love to see some of the sights of Europe, but I have to say, after reading through all of these posts, there are truly some amazing places in our great country. I hope and pray that no one, especially the greedy people who are in power now, is EVER allowed to destroy the beauty of our national parks and other special places. I've been in about 35 states and seen so much beautiful scenery.
RobinA
(9,878 posts)differently on a different day, but:
Isle Skye, Scotland
Capitol Reef NP
Grand Teton NP
Dry Tortugas NP
Monument Valley
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Big Sur, and Victoria, BC.
Also, Palm Springs. What a remarkable city that is. Ive lived less than an hour away from the place for almost forty years and never saw it up til about six months ago.
PearliePoo2
(7,768 posts)The Olympic Rain Forest in Washington State. (the huge Spruce and Cedars, giant ferns and mosses hanging from trees. The air is so thick with oxygen you can practically cut it with a knife)
The Grand Canyon
Highway 101 down the Washington/Oregon/California Coastline
The Redwood Forest
Yellowstone National Park
San Juan Islands Washington State
mindem
(1,580 posts)My favorite place on earth.
nocalflea
(1,387 posts)The mountains literally make me sing. The view of the lake from skilifts is pretty amazing.
Tioga Pass and Mono Lake in winter.
That "on top of the clouds " experience is one of the headiest. I've experienced that in a number of locales. Nothing really beats it for me.
WestMichRad
(1,282 posts)Pretty much any place on planet Earth that is unspoiled by human activity has its own beauty, if you know how to look for it.
I'm not disclosing my favorites because I'd rather there be few to no people there when I visit!
handmade34
(22,755 posts)"In wildness is the preservation of the world"
there is so much beauty in so many places and I am in agreement with you
I can always find myself when I climp a mountain, walk the rocks through a brook, look for new plant and animal activity in my back acres, etc...
Tommy_Carcetti
(43,085 posts)Floridas natural springs, the Grand Canyon, Florida Keys.
Once I visit Hawaii, Im sure Ill add that to the list. Ive heard Kauai is especially beautiful.
trueblue2007
(17,138 posts)Ghost of Tom Joad
(1,352 posts)Australia and Pyrenees in Spain
kairos12
(12,817 posts)LeftInTX
(24,554 posts)I don't go many places myself, but went to Nikko when I was a kid. Located in the mountains.
DFW
(54,055 posts)Have to agree--one of those most beautiful inhabited places I have seen
nmgaucho
(527 posts)PaulX2
(2,032 posts)And show capped mountains in the background.
Liberty Belle
(9,528 posts)But also these sites in North America:
Hawaii, especially the island of Kaui years ago
Alaska, particularly the Kenai Peninsula and Denali
The Maine seacoast including Acadia
Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks
Rocky Mt. National Park
Victoria, British Columbia
Glacier National Park, especially a hike to Granite Park Chalet
And our local secret find, Three Sisters Falls near Julian, Calif. where people slide down the middle fall into a pool below.
montana_hazeleyes
(3,424 posts)in my life. Went on two cruises along Calif. coast to Mexico, the stops were tourist places. I loved Catalina Island though. My favorite part was being on the ocean itself.
The one place that was absolutely stunningly spiritual to me that I have visited was the Mariposa Grove at Yosemite. You have to go way up high to be where the enormous trees are. We took the trolley up.
I've said this before. When you stand amongst those trees, you feel you are in another world-their world.
I wish everyone could experience this.
Dulcinea
(6,507 posts)The Parthenon & Meteora, Greece. Also the Kassandra Peninsula. My husband & I were the only Americans for miles around!
The Galapagos Islands
Big Island National Park, Hawaii. Everywhere we went in Hawaii was gorgeous.
The beaches of the Florida Panhandle are the most beautiful in the USA.
Denali National Park
London was fabulous! I also love New Orleans!
The upper Allegheny River in SWPA. I grew up there, & my ashes will be scattered there when I depart this life.
This summer, our family is planning to visit Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, & the Grand Canyon.
So many places I haven't seen yet! Traveling is one of my favorite things in life!
Burma Jones
(11,760 posts)Yosemite
The Grand Canyon
Yellowstone
Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park
Costa Rica - pretty much everything I saw there
Gaspesie National Park - Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec
Wrigley Field
Falling Water
Dolly Sods, WV
eissa
(4,238 posts)The drive on the Amalfi Coast on the way there was spectacular, and then reaching the town perched on a cliff with its amazing views -- stunning!
Another beautiful drive -- California's Pacific Coast Highway. Has to be one of the best coastline drives, with gorgeous views almost the entire way, and great places to stop and visit.
Yosemite National Park -- it's beautiful any time you visit, but I particularly enjoy it in the Spring when the waterfalls are full.
Miami Beach/Ocean Drive for its bluest of waters and lovely architecture, and Crandon Beach on Key Biscayne.
Salzburg, Austria -- gorgeous baroque architecture, spotlessly clean streets, and Mozart balls!
Oahu's northern shore.
McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)See it once and it will be with you for the rest of your life even if you can not afford a Turner or Monet. Cliche, I know, but there is a reason it is an all time artist's favorite.
Cancun looking out at the Caribbean, sun through the absolutely clear aquamarine blue water turning it into blue fire- forget the high-rise hotels and American chain restaurants behind you. The view off the water came first. The hotels were an afterthought.
New Mexico between Santa Fe and Taos, the contrasting turquoise-blue skies, jasper-red gullies, sun-bleached golden grasses, dusty green-grey pinons and lots of topography meaning lots of shadows and light plus the white clouds rolling over the distant mountains to add "drama" to the landscapes--no wonder so many painters fell in love with the place.
Rock of Cashel, Ireland, the weather may have had a bit to do with it. Month of May, chilly with pale grey/white sky, acid green-dewy grass and a huge storm-grey stone mountain/tower of rock that seemed both man-made and wild rising up from the earth as if trying to reach heaven.
Night in Texas City, the petrochemical plants like a steel forest belching smoke and fire against a sky that is never darker than gray due to the nearby Houston lights. Could easily be a scene from a Broadway production of Dante's Inferno.
And since these are all visuals, the most beautiful auditory was in a Paris Metro, just your average Paris Metro, large, busy but not rush hour, someone somewhere was playing (of all things) Peruvian flute music and it was so beautiful weaving through the echoing tunnels that I had to leave my party and run through the halls until I found the band. My family thought I was nuts. I can still hear that flute.
malthaussen
(17,066 posts)... just about anywhere along there is pretty nice.
Delaware Water Gap has its charms.
-- Mal
Heartstrings
(7,349 posts)Anywhere in that area, in fact the entire island is gorgeous!
JDC
(10,082 posts)stonecutter357
(12,682 posts)KPN
(15,587 posts)All of New England,
the Oregon Coast -- Yachats
Glacier Nat Park
Yosemite NP
damn -- all the NPs
Capetown
Sehlabathebe NP, Lesotho
Kenya
Malawi
Botswana
Victoria Falls
Coyote Gulch-Escalante-Boulder
UP Michigan
aye, yai, yi! Where do I stop?
My deck, my yard.
teezy
(269 posts)I moved here in 2012 and I am in love with this part of Ontario. If anyone is travelling up this way, I've got a boatload of tips for places to go.
- Northern Ontario along the Trans-Canada Highway
- Iceland
- Helsinki
- countryside of Sweden
- Bavaria. The town of Berchtesgaden (where Hitler's Eagles Nest sits atop the mountains) is breathtakingly beautiful. We also stayed in a little town called Bad Tölz, which I would love to go back to some day.
- Cape Breton and the Highlands (including the Cabot Trail)
- Newfoundland. Only been to St. John's and the eastern side, but it's near the very top of my favourite places.
- The Kawarthas and the Muskokas. Lake Rosseau.
- The Canadian Arctic and the Mackenzie River/Delta
- New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine in the autumn
backtoblue
(11,323 posts)I visited the redwoods as a child and I will never forget the pure awe I felt at those huge trees. The ferns were even over my head! I must admit I believed in magic for a while.