Hours, ticket pricing, and what's actually worth seeing — paired with hand-picked vacation rentals nearby. The day planned, the stay sorted, all on one page.
Page · Navajo Nation · Northern Arizona
Two slot canyons on Navajo land — light beams in Upper from 11 AM, ladders in Lower
Plan your visitColorado Plateau · Northern Arizona
A mile deep, 18 miles wide, 277 miles long — the canyon that defined the West
Plan your visitSupai · Havasu Canyon · Northwestern Arizona
Five turquoise waterfalls in Havasu Canyon — 10-mile hike from Hualapai Hilltop, 3-night minimum, lottery permits
Plan your visitPage · Glen Canyon · Northern Arizona
A 270-degree Colorado River bend, 1,000 feet below the rim, four miles south of Page
Plan your visitTucson · Sonoran Desert · Southern Arizona
91,000 acres of Sonoran Desert in two districts framing Tucson — the only national park named for a single species
Plan your visitCoyote Buttes North · Vermilion Cliffs · Northern Arizona
Striated Navajo sandstone in Coyote Buttes North — 64 permits a day, 6.4-mile route, BLM lottery only
Plan your visitCentral San Diego · 1,200 acres of museums and gardens
1,200 acres in central San Diego, 17 museums, the 1915 Spanish Colonial Revival heart of the city
Plan your visitPoint Loma · San Diego, California
144 acres at the tip of Point Loma, the 1855 Old Point Loma Lighthouse, and the spot Juan Cabrillo first stepped onto the West Coast in 1542
Plan your visitPacific Ocean · Off Ventura, California
Five islands, 145 endemic species, and the "Galapagos of North America" — a one-hour boat ride from Ventura
Plan your visitWest shore · near Emerald Bay
Lester Beach white sand, the Rubicon Point clarity that lets you see 100+ feet down, and the 7.4-mile Rubicon Trail to Emerald Bay
Plan your visitMiracle Mile · Los Angeles, California
Peter Zumthor's 110,000-square-foot concrete bridge over Wilshire, just opened
Plan your visitMojave Desert · Eastern California
3.4 million acres, 282 feet below sea level, the hottest place ever recorded on Earth — 134°F at Furnace Creek
Plan your visitAnaheim · Orange County, California
Walt Disney's original 1955 park — eight themed lands, 50+ attractions, and Sleeping Beauty Castle on Main Street
Plan your visitDonner Lake · Truckee
The 1918 Pioneer Monument, a museum of the Donner Party and transcontinental railroad, and a swimming beach on Donner Lake outside Truckee
Plan your visitWest Shore · South Lake Tahoe, California
1,533 acres on Lake Tahoe's only bay — Vikingsholm castle, Fannette Island, and Eagle Falls in one fjord
Plan your visitGriffith Park · Los Angeles, California
Free admission, three domes, the best Hollywood Sign view in LA
Plan your visitEpic Discovery · South Lake Tahoe
A 2.4-mile gondola from South Lake Tahoe to a 9,123-foot observation deck — summer coaster, zip line, and Epic Discovery on the California–Nevada line
Plan your visitMount Lee · Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles
Nine 45-foot letters on Mount Lee since 1923 — the most famous billboard ever built, free to view 24/7
Plan your visitLa Jolla · San Diego, California
200-yard sand cove inside the 6,000-acre Matlahuayl Marine Reserve, with a year-round sea-lion rookery and seven sea caves
Plan your visitOrange County · California artist-colony coast
Seven miles of marine-protected Orange County coast — 30+ named coves, the 1918 Laguna Art Museum, and the 90-year-old Pageant of the Masters
Plan your visitSierra Nevada · California–Nevada Border
22 miles long, 1,645 feet deep, 6,225 feet above sea level — the largest alpine lake in North America
Plan your visitGriffith Park · Los Angeles, California
133 acres in Griffith Park, 1,400 animals, one easy LA day
Plan your visitEastern Sierra · Mammoth Lakes, California
California's longest ski season — an 11,053-foot summit and 3,500 acres in the Eastern Sierra
Plan your visitDesolation Wilderness · South Lake Tahoe
A 9,738-foot summit hike above Emerald Bay — 9.6 miles round-trip past three alpine lakes for the best view on Lake Tahoe
Plan your visitMartis Valley · Truckee
Lift-served downhill mountain biking, a par-72 mountain golf course, and free Highlands Gondola rides above a walkable Truckee village
Plan your visitSierra Nevada · Olympic Valley, California
Two mountains, 6,000 acres, the 1960 Olympic stage — Lake Tahoe's biggest ski resort
Plan your visitNorth Coast · Del Norte & Humboldt Counties, California
139,000 acres of coast redwoods on California's far north coast — Hyperion stands 380 feet, the tallest tree on Earth
Plan your visitBalboa Park · San Diego, California
100 acres in Balboa Park, 3,700 animals, the original cageless open-habitat zoo since 1916
Plan your visitMission Bay · San Diego, California
189 acres on Mission Bay, the original SeaWorld since 1964, and California's tallest dive coaster
Plan your visitBrentwood · Los Angeles, California
Free admission, Richard Meier travertine, and a hilltop garden by Robert Irwin
Plan your visitNorth Shore · Tahoe City, California
A self-guided 5-mile float from Tahoe City to River Ranch — Lake Tahoe's only outlet river
Plan your visitUniversal City · Los Angeles, California
A working movie studio, eight major rides, and the Studio Tour that started it all
Plan your visitNavy Pier · San Diego Embarcadero
1,001-foot aircraft carrier on Navy Pier, 30+ restored aircraft, the longest-serving U.S. Navy carrier of the 20th century
Plan your visitSierra Nevada · Central California
El Capitan, Half Dome, and the giant sequoias — 759,000 acres of granite and waterfall
Plan your visitRoaring Fork Valley · Aspen, Colorado
Four mountains, 5,500+ acres, one ticket — Aspen Mountain, Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass
Plan your visitWestern Slope · Montrose County, Colorado
The 2,250-foot Painted Wall, the steepest river drop in North America, and a canyon so narrow sunlight only reaches the bottom for 33 minutes a day at the Narrows
Plan your visitTenmile Range · Summit County, Colorado
Five peaks, 187 trails, and the highest chairlift in North America at 12,998 feet
Plan your visitFront Range · Colorado Springs
Free admission, 300-foot red sandstone fins framing Pikes Peak, and the most-visited city park in Colorado at 4.5 million visitors a year
Plan your visitSan Luis Valley · South-central Colorado
The tallest dunes in North America at 750 feet, the seasonal Medano Creek surge flow, and an International Dark Sky Park backed by 13,000-foot Sangre de Cristo peaks
Plan your visitElk Mountains · Pitkin County, Colorado
Two 14,000-foot peaks reflected in Maroon Lake — the most-photographed mountains in North America, accessed only by reservation shuttle from Aspen Highlands
Plan your visitFour Corners · Montezuma County, Colorado
5,000 archaeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings built into the alcoves between AD 1190 and 1300 — the first US national park created to protect human history
Plan your visitFront Range · North-central Colorado
Sixty peaks above 12,000 feet, the highest paved through-road in America, and a single town between Denver and the alpine
Plan your visitGore Range · Vail, Colorado
5,317 acres, seven Back Bowls, and the largest single-mountain ski resort in Colorado
Plan your visitBay Lake · Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World's 1998 zoological park — the 145-foot Tree of Life, Pandora's floating mountains, Avatar Flight of Passage, and Kilimanjaro Safaris through 110 acres of African savanna
Plan your visitBay Lake · Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World's 1989 movies-and-shows park — Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the 199-foot Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog Dash, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, and Fantasmic! nightly
Plan your visitBay Lake · Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World's 1982 future-and-world-cultures park — the 18-story Spaceship Earth geodesic sphere, an 11-pavilion World Showcase, and Luminous: The Symphony of Us nightly
Plan your visitSouth Florida · Florida
1.5 million acres of subtropical wetland, the only place on Earth where alligators and crocodiles share water
Plan your visitOverseas Highway · Florida
113 miles of US-1 from Key Largo to Key West, 42 bridges, and the only living coral reef in the continental U.S.
Plan your visitLake Buena Vista · Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World's flagship 1971 park — Cinderella Castle, six themed lands, 40+ attractions, and Happily Ever After fireworks nightly
Plan your visitOrlando · Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando's 1990 working studio park — Diagon Alley with Hogwarts Express, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, and the Bourne Stuntacular live show
Plan your visitOrlando · Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando's 1999 themed-islands park — Hogsmeade Village and Hogwarts Castle, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, the Hulk Coaster, the VelociCoaster, and Skull Island: Reign of Kong
Plan your visitLēʻahi · Honolulu, Oahu
300,000-year-old tuff cone, 0.8 miles to the summit, the postcard view of Waikiki
Plan your visitMaui · Hawaii
10,023-foot dormant volcano, sunrise above the clouds, and the bamboo forest at the bottom of the Pīpīwai Trail
Plan your visitKauaʻi · Hawaii
Kauaʻi's north shore amphitheater — a two-mile crescent of sand backed by 4,000-foot green pali, with the pier from The Descendants at the eastern end
Plan your visitHonolulu, Oahu
$25 entry, 400 fish species, and the only protected snorkel cove in Honolulu — closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Plan your visitBig Island · Hawaii
Two of the world's most active volcanoes, 323,431 acres on the Big Island, and lava you can sometimes see glowing from the road
Plan your visitNorthwest Maui · Honolua–Mokulēʻia MLCD
45-acre Marine Life Conservation District — West Maui's clearest snorkel cove in summer, North Pacific humpback front row in winter
Plan your visitWest Maui Mountains · Wailuku
1,200-foot lava remnant, 740-acre rainforest valley, and the 1790 battle that unified Hawaii
Plan your visitCapitol District · Downtown Honolulu
The only royal palace on US soil — and the room where Queen Liliʻuokalani was imprisoned for eight months
Plan your visitKauaʻi · Hawaii
A 203-acre seabird sanctuary on Kauaʻi's northernmost point, anchored by the 1913 Daniel K. Inouye Kīlauea Lighthouse
Plan your visitMagic Island · Oʻahu · Hawaii
50,000 attendees, 7,000 floating lanterns, one Memorial Day evening at Ala Moana Beach Park
Plan your visitMaʻalaea Harbor · Wailuku, Maui
Largest tropical aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, a 750,000-gallon Open Ocean tank, and the only 360° humpback whale dome in Hawaii
Plan your visitMaʻalaea Bay · South Maui
A half-submerged volcanic crescent, 250 fish species, and 150-foot underwater visibility
Plan your visitKauaʻi · Hawaii
Sixteen miles of 4,000-foot sea cliffs on Kauaʻi's northwest shore, reachable only by foot, kayak, or helicopter
Plan your visitNorthwest Maui · Honoapiʻilani Highway mile 38.5
A 100-foot seawater geyser at Maui's northwest tip, plus the Heart-Shaped Rock 200 yards down the cliff
Plan your visitPearl Harbor · Honolulu, Oahu
Free admission, the USS Arizona above her crew, and the moment America entered World War II
Plan your visitKauaʻi · Hawaii
Kauaʻi's south shore family beach — a tombolo sandbar between two coves with year-round swimming, snorkeling, and basking Hawaiian monk seals
Plan your visitHāna Highway · East Maui
64.4 miles, 620 curves, 59 one-lane bridges, and a different waterfall every five minutes
Plan your visitHoʻolawa Valley · Mile 2, Hāna Highway
Mile-2 Road to Hana stop — two waterfalls, three swimming holes, and the only working farm stand on the route
Plan your visitWest Maui Mountains · Waiheʻe Forest Reserve
Maui's signature hike — 4.5 miles, 1,500 vertical feet, ridge-top views of three waterfall valleys
Plan your visitEast Maui · Mile 32, Hāna Highway
122 acres of black sand, lava tubes, sea arches, and Maui's largest heiau — the most-photographed stop on the Road to Hana
Plan your visitHonolulu, Oahu
Two miles of imported sand, the world's first surf school, and free public access from sunrise to sunset
Plan your visitKauaʻi · Hawaii
The 80-foot twin cascade on the Wailua River — Fantasy Island's opening shot, two minutes off Highway 583
Plan your visitKauaʻi · Hawaii
The 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific' — a 14-mile, 3,600-foot-deep gash of red rock and green ridges on western Kauaʻi
Plan your visitCape Cod National Seashore · Massachusetts
65 miles of hooked peninsula, 40 miles of National Seashore, eight historic lighthouses, and the Mayflower's first landfall in 1620
Plan your visitEdgartown · Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
96-square-mile island, 6 towns, the 1876 Flying Horses carousel, and Aquinnah's 140-foot red clay cliffs
Plan your visitBaker · Eastern Nevada
77,180 acres, 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, 5,000-year-old bristlecones, Lehman Caves, and Nevada's only glacier
Plan your visitBlack Canyon · Nevada / Arizona border
726-foot Art Deco arch-gravity dam in Black Canyon — completed 1936, 17 generators, 4 million tons of concrete, 30 miles east of Las Vegas
Plan your visitLake Tahoe Nevada State Park · Incline Village
Granite-cove beach with 70-foot lake clarity — kayak rentals, the Shakespeare amphitheater, and the busiest non-motorized launch on Tahoe
Plan your visitEast Shore · Incline Village, Nevada
America's Most Beautiful Bikeway — 3 paved miles from Incline Village to Sand Harbor along Lake Tahoe's east shore
Plan your visitOverton · Southern Nevada
46,000 acres of Aztec sandstone fifty miles from Las Vegas — Nevada's oldest state park, since 1935
Plan your visitSouth Shore · Zephyr Cove, Nevada
Powerboat & jet-ski rentals, the M.S. Dixie II paddlewheeler, and the south shore's only beach horseback rides
Plan your visitMidtown Manhattan · 34th & Fifth
1,454-foot Art Deco skyscraper at 34th and Fifth — 86th-floor open-air observatory, 102nd-floor enclosed deck, lit-tower spire visible from every borough
Plan your visitNiagara River · New York
America's oldest state park — Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, and 3,160 tons of water per second over Horseshoe Falls
Plan your visitLiberty Island · New York Harbor
Bartholdi's 305-foot copper colossus on Liberty Island — Bedloe's Star Fort pedestal, 354 steps to the crown, ferry from Battery Park
Plan your visitCascade Range · Oregon
1,943 feet of impossibly blue water in a 7,700-year-old volcanic caldera — the deepest lake in the United States
Plan your visitCascade Range · Bend, Oregon
Oregon's largest ski area — a 9,065-foot stratovolcano with 4,318 acres, 360-degree summit terrain, and 462" of annual snowfall
Plan your visitU.S. 101 · Oregon
363 miles of public shoreline, 9 lighthouses, and Haystack Rock — the country's longest publicly accessible coastline
Plan your visitPine Ridge · South Dakota
244,000 acres of eroded buttes and pinnacles, the world's richest Oligocene fossil bed, and the largest mixed-grass prairie in the U.S.
Plan your visitBlack Hills · South Dakota
Four 60-foot granite presidents — Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Lincoln — carved into the Black Hills between 1927 and 1941
Plan your visitMoab · Eastern Utah
76,679 acres outside Moab, more than 2,000 cataloged sandstone arches, and Delicate Arch — the freestanding 65-foot landmark on the Utah license plate
Plan your visitPaunsaugunt Plateau · southern Utah
A natural amphitheater of pink-orange hoodoos at 8,000 feet — the largest collection of irregular rock columns on Earth
Plan your visitMoab/Monticello · Eastern Utah
337,598 acres carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers — Mesa Arch sunrise, the 100-mile White Rim Road, and the Maze, Utah's most remote NPS unit
Plan your visitHanksville · Central Utah
3,654 acres of Entrada hoodoos in central Utah — wander the goblin fields freely, IDA Gold-tier dark skies, and the Wild Horse slot canyon next door
Plan your visitEscalante · South-Central Utah
1.87 million BLM acres in southern Utah — Lower Calf Creek Falls, Devils Garden hoodoos, and the slot canyons of Hole-in-the-Rock Road
Plan your visitOljato · Utah-Arizona Border
91,696-acre Navajo Tribal Park on the Utah-Arizona line — the Mittens, John Ford's Point, and the 17-mile Valley Drive past the West's most cinematic skyline
Plan your visitWasatch Range · Park City, Utah
The largest ski resort in the United States — 7,300 acres, 41 lifts, ski-to-Main Street
Plan your visitSpringdale · Southwestern Utah
229 square miles of Navajo sandstone — Angels Landing, The Narrows, and the only mandatory shuttle in the NPS
Plan your visitCascade Range · Washington
236,381 acres around a 14,410-foot active stratovolcano — the fourth U.S. national park, established 1899, with 25 named glaciers and the 93-mile Wonderland Trail
Plan your visitSkagit County · Washington
504,654 acres, 312 glaciers — more than every U.S. park outside Alaska combined — and the 1,800-square-mile North Cascades Highway through Diablo Lake's turquoise water
Plan your visitOlympic Peninsula · Washington
Three ecosystems on one peninsula — Hoh Rainforest, Hurricane Ridge alpine, 73 miles of wild Pacific coast — designated 1938
Plan your visitSan Juan County · Washington
57.3 sq mi saddlebag-shaped island, the largest in the San Juans — Mount Constitution at 2,409 ft is the highest point in the archipelago, all reached by Anacortes ferry
Plan your visitSeattle Center · Lower Queen Anne, Seattle
605-foot Space Age icon at Seattle Center — observation deck at 520 ft, the Loupe rotating glass floor, Mount Rainier on the horizon
Plan your visitJackson Hole · Wyoming
310,000 acres in northwestern Wyoming — the 13,775-foot Grand Teton rises 7,000 feet above Jackson Hole, with 200+ miles of trails and the 25-mile Teton Park Road
Plan your visitTeton Village · Wyoming
4,139-foot vertical and the Aerial Tram to Rendezvous Peak — Corbet's Couloir, the Hobacks, and 459 inches of average snow
Plan your visitGreater Yellowstone Ecosystem · WY / MT / ID
America's first national park — Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, and a supervolcano caldera
Plan your visit