Article created by: Austėja Akavickaitė
If there's one word that could describe the United States, it's probably 'variety.' The country ranges from the Arctic to the subtropical, from the moist rain forest to the arid desert, from the rugged mountain peak to the flat prairie. And although it is home to some of the world's largest urban areas, the overall population density is relatively low and there are plenty of sites that are almost devoid of habitation.
So when Reddit user u/driedkitten made a post on the platform, asking others to name what they believe to be the most beautiful place in America, it's no surprise that the answers were also quite different from one another. But that's what makes this online thread interesting. It illustrates just how colorful the US really is and can even act as sort of a bucket list for anyone planning to go there.
I’m incredibly biased, but the most beautiful place is the California redwoods. Drive up 101, and then detour towards Petrolia. There is absolutely nothing like it. Roll down your windows and drive 35mph. Smell the old growth. Stop at the pull out. Take a small hike. It’s worth it.
strongy78 replied:
Yes, 100%. My brother lives in McKinleyville and I am going to see him the end of April. Can't wait. It's my happy place. They are like the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls... you have to see them to believe them. Those redwoods are something else!
Na Pali coast and Kalalau Valley on Kauai.
BD401 replied:
Ludicrous I had to scroll this far to find Na Pali coast. I’ve been to around forty states - there is a LOT of incredibly scenic stuff in the US, but Na Pali is next level.
Yosemite! You drive thru the tunnel and come out the other side. Looks like heaven / utopia.
ThrustersToFull replied:
Did a hike in Yosemite on January 1 last year. A spectacular way to start the year. I had seen photos of it, seen it in movies, watched countless videos on Youtube about it but -nothing- prepares you for the sight of El Cap as you turn that corner. I was very nearly moved to tears.
East side of Oahu or Maui.
frodoslostfinger replied:
Black sand beach on Maui was the most beautiful place I've been to.
Glacier National Park. I was continuously in awe that the place was real life.
tastygrrrl replied:
The vistas of this road, on a motorcycle, were beyond breathtaking to experience. Would 100% do it again. Being on a bike allowed for stops at the waterfalls where there was no room for vehicles to pull over, and the views from the tunnels under the road were supernatural.
Big Sur.
Heaven on Earth, in my opinion.
If you want ocean - Carmel/Big Sur
Mountains - Yosemite
Desert - Joshua Park
Forest - Redwood National and State Park
You might have guessed I'm from California.
I’ve never been, but whenever I’m talking to someone who has been to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they talk about it like it’s better than any heaven they can imagine.
Lake Tahoe, Nevada. It's gorgeous.
Havasu Falls, no picture does it justice.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan. Unexpectedly incredibly breathtakingly beautiful.
Subjective of course, but Crater Lake is certainly a sight to behold.
Commercial-Layer1629 replied:
On a clear,sunny day, there is no more beautiful place on earth than Crater Lake. Stunning blue water. Mountains all around…
My vote is Bryce Canyon in Utah. It's breathtaking.
Silver Falls State Park outside Salem, OR. Nine waterfalls along a very narrow canyon. The water falls 50-200 feet and hits the rocks below, turning to mist. The mist travels back up the canyon walls and collects on the foliage. It is a perpetual rain forest. There is long, stringy lichen that hangs from the tree branches making it look like a scary Disney forest. A few of the larger falls have paths that you can walk behind the falls.
Tetons on a clear day are beautiful.
The Appalachian trail in upstate New York or the Ozark mountains in Missouri or white sands New Mexico. All beautiful for different reasons but equally awesome
ericj5150 replied:
Camped at White Sands under a Full Moon. 2am under a full moon was crazy beautiful and very cool. The Moon reflecting off the White Sand. It was incredible how bright it was.
The Shenandoah Valley. Its an amazing place if you're an outdoorsman. Hiking, fishing, hunting, bird watching, camping.
Mount Rainier.
Wise_Ad_4816 replied:
If I stand right at the doorjamb of my front door on a clear day, I have a beautiful view. I owned this house for 15 years before I figured that out. You can't see it from any other position in the doorway, or if you're outside.
Glacier Bay, Alaska.
Downtown_Skill replied:
I've been to tons of national parks (Yosemite being my favorite) but Alaska's one of the places that's always been on the top of my list. I always viewed Alaska as the most beautiful place in the US. Denali national park looks unreal too as well as the Bering land bridge and the Arctic parks. It's just another world up there.
slade357 replied:
Alaska is just cheating. There's so many different places with such different sights and all of them are breathtaking. There's this specific period of fall where a certain grass begins to die and turns orange. So on one mountain you have bright green grass with patches of deep orange, blue and purple wildflowers, black rock, and white snow on top. An explosion of color all on one mountain.
San Juan mountains of southern Colorado.
A tie for Acadia, Hoh rainforest, and Rainier in the fall.
NunChuckNorris007 replied: "I was going to say Acadia. It's very underrated for some reason. My mom's friend by coincidence ended up being my English professor in college and we went on a trip to see family in ME. We stopped at Acadia for a day and she said it reminded her a lot of her visit to Greece."
Hal9000_Red_Eye replied: "Hoh rainforest is absolutely devastatingly beautiful. Hiked the whole Hoh river trail when I was 17 and it's still near the top of the list for my favorite things I've ever done."
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
ControlYourPoison replied:
This was my response. It's one of my favorite places on Earth.
Big Bend National Park. It gets no press and it is beautiful.
I think it depends on what you like. In my opinion I like the New England states because I’ve seen pictures of the autumns that they have there. It’s the perfect place for Halloween. I love everything related to horror. And Maine is the state where lots of horror stories from Stephen King books take place.
Everyone's talking about nature and landscapes for obvious reasons but all joking aside large American cities are absolutely beautiful for distinctly American reasons. San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, DC, NYC, Chicago, Boston. American cities are just built differently than the rest of the world. And those are just the large ones - Portland, Annapolis, Savannah, Austin, Nashville.
Oh yeah not to mention American girls in American cities.
I've been fortunate enough to have been in over half the states. California is absolutely gorgeous in the "wild" areas. The Pacific Northwest as people have also noted. The red rocks of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah are absolutely breathtaking. It's hard to believe sometimes that the color is actually real. The Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee are also beautiful, especially when they are covered in the "smoke" that gives them their names. The beaches of Hawaii, and actually the green that is the island of Kauai are also otherworldly. I haven't yet been to the Dakotas, but it's in my bucket list because I want to see Mount Rushmore. I have a friend who took pictures and it doesn't seem real.
Ditto on Crater Lake that others have mentioned.
And then, of course, there are the cities. Now whether or not they can be classified as beautiful remains to be seen, but some of them are legendary and it's worth visiting.
