Callings opinions - The most beautiful places of the USA and Canada

[IdRatherBe]

Alright ladies and gents, it's almost time that the wife and I satisfy the family obligations and continue the lineage. Before I do, I want to make one big trip in the 4runner to include the most worthy drives/hikes on the map. If I were to allow 3 weeks to get this drive done, I think I can manage just about anywhere in english speaking North America with a couple of good stops along the way. I want to make it a drive because, well, thats what my wife and I do. I hate the constricted feeling that comes with flights and rentals and I love introducing my tires and boots to new dirt.

So my question: What are the 5 most beautiful places you have seen in the USA and Canada? My challenge to you is to make at least one of those a lesser known or unexpected pick. For example, as it stands for me now, my list would look like...

1) Angels Landing - Zion NP
2) Ice Lake - Colorado
3) South Rim - Big Bend NP
4) Mesa Arch - Canyonlands Island in the Sky
5) Lesser known/unexpected - The bluffs of Devil's River SP - TX

Devil's River Probably isn't the 5th most beautiful place I have seen, but there is something really awesome about it. It is so far away from anywhere anybody wants to be. The river is the cleanest in the state so it is clear and has that aqua color so rare here in Texas. After a good day of hiking and biking you can jump in to the chilly water and feel like a new man. My buddy made a drone video on our last trip and I thought he did a pretty solid job.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A5fz7cCCC1g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Lets see 'em...

Side note: I tried the search and this was a surprisingly difficult subject when made this broad. There are a lot of specific state threads and a lot of "my adventures" threads, but I didn't find anything consolidated... so I started one.

 

[Diesel_Dog]

If you make it to Canada, specifically the Rocky Mountain area, there are a number lesser known spots. I'd suggest the Forest Trunk Road.

For more widely known areas you can't go wrong with the Banff -ice field parkway - Jasper areas.

Or you could make a loop of them both.

 

[JayceeP]

1) Cape Breton Highlands... I visited for the first time 2 summers ago and thought it was quite remarkable. Nothing like it on the eastern seaboard of North America. If you're a golfer, Cabot Links and the newly opened Cabot Cliffs is amazing and is receiving a lot of recognition in the golf world.

2) Big Sur/Coastal California. Crazy drive we did on our honeymoon in August. The mountain passes through various parts of California were also incredible to drive through.

3) On that note, the drive though the Mojave into Vegas was pretty unique.... but I live in a very forested and green part of North America so baron desert mountains and passes are not a common sight for me.

4) Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge mountains in Shenandoah National park was quite remarkable and runs way down into North Carolina.

So many areas to choose, especially in the US. Google Gross Morne National park in Newfoundland. That place looks breathtaking. Plenty of scenery in the Rockies and also up in northern Canada (Nunavut/NWT).

 

[v_man]

Is this trip coming up soon ? A lot of destinations will be season dependent...Hard to pick five but here ya go

1) Crater Lake , Oregon
2) Yosemite NP
3) Death Valley NP
4) Colorado alpine loop
5) "lesser" known area = White Sands national monument in New Mexico , surreal white sand (duh) environment as far as the eye can see...

Best of luck on your trip !

 

[96r50]

Waterton Lakes National Park would be on my list. If you're looking for an awesome day hike the Crypt Lake trail is quite memorable.







From National Geographic:

Crypt Lake Trail
Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

Best for: Hikers who want an adrenaline rush and love waterfalls

Distance: 10.8 miles round trip

Don’t let the macabre name scare you off—though you may very well get a chill up your spine as you cling and crawl to this isolated spot high in the Canadian Rockies. This one, relatively short hike packs in an expedition’s worth of adventure: a ferry ride, scrambling, epic waterfalls, exposure, a tunnel, and a pristine alpine lake as the payoff. You will also be hiking in a no-man’s-land of sorts, or perhaps an every-person’s land: Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park, on the southern border of Alberta, and the United States’ Glacier National Park, on Montana’s northern frontier, make up the larger, 1,720-square-mile Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, created by proponents on both sides of the border in 1932. The two governments work to manage the resources of both parks together (since the biotic community could care less about political divisions) and the Peace Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A pleasant, 15-minute boat ride across Waterton Lake is required to reach the trailhead, which gives it a unique, isolated feel. However, the true cut-off-from-the-world highlight of the hike, which gains 2,300 vertical feet over 5.4 miles, is a 100-foot, hands-and-knees crawl the trail takes through a natural tunnel. Along the way, you will also have to balance along a narrow ledge (the park has affixed a cable handrail if you need it) and scurry up a metal ladder via ferrata style. When you do have time to look around, take in the beauty of the park’s waterfalls, long elegant cascades tumbling down the sedimentary rock walls of the sheer peaks. The hike passes by four of them, the highlight of which is Crypt Falls, dropping close to 600 feet straight down from the hanging valley that holds the lake.

Thrill Factor: Most hikers can do the trail without a problem, despite the exposure. The worst sections are protected with a steel cable handhold. It is committing and exposed, though, so don’t try it if you suffer from vertigo and be aware of changing weather.

Take It Easy: If you want a steep Waterton hike with none of the thrills and chills of Crypt, try the 6.5-mile round-trip jaunt to the stunning alpine cirque and turquoise waters of Wall Lake.

 

[3wbdriver]

Bryce Canyon NP in the first couple hours after sunrise.

 

[Jhalko]

Bryce Canyon NP in the first couple hours after sunrise.

You take that on your spring trip? Cuz I just remember rain clouds when we met in Moab, come to think of it, every trip I take seems to get a lot of rain... :rain:

 

[3wbdriver]

You take that on your spring trip? Cuz I just remember rain clouds when we met in Moab, come to think of it, every trip I take seems to get a lot of rain... :rain:

Yup. Did Bryce Canyon (morning), Zion (noonish), and Monument Valley (late afternoon) 2 days before I met you in Moab. It started clouding up as I was driving north through Monument Valley.

 

[Bevo]

Maroon Bells - Colorado

Pic taken with an old iPhone 3 years ago.

 

[Ol'Baditude]

Man... this thread is giving ME ideas now.

If you're considering Canada, check out the build thread in my sig. If anything strikes your fancy, I'll let you know how to get there.

 

[bimrunner]

Canyonlands
Lake Tahoe area
Yosemite NP
Mendocino area CA
Squim WA

 

[NewguyNY]

Denali natl park AK.
Wrangle St Elias natl park AK
Kennicott/ McCarthy AK

 

[1engineer]

Moved thread to General Discussion.

 

[Canary]

The Icefields Parkway - one hundred spectacular miles from Jasper to Banff.
The John Day country in east central Oregon.
The Big Sky country of eastern Montana.
The Hayden Valley of Yellowstone.
A 50 mile circle around Stanley, Idaho.

 

[Intruder]

If you make it to Canada, specifically the Rocky Mountain area, there are a number lesser known spots. I'd suggest the Forest Trunk Road.

Sadly, the FTR between Coleman and Highwood Junction is mostly littered with 5th wheels, RVs, and toy haulers. Beautiful country, just ruined by the d-bags.

 

[Jeremy556]

I would recommend western Colorado and Utah, that's why I live here. Lots of great places further north as well, but you are already pushing it on season for access unless you are into snow shoeing/skiing.

Can't give a top 5, maybe a top 50 or 500 in the area, but it is dependent on many factors and season.

When did Greg get demoted to moderator? Good luck buddy, it's a thankless job that doesn't pay.

 

[IdRatherBe]

Nice responses so far! Freaking Canada... so beautiful... so far. I guess thats happening (if weather permits).

I know, top 5 is brutal, but it makes it interesting. I have been to several of the others mentioned here and they could easily crack MY top 5 if they were a little quieter/lonelier or if I had hit the season just right for fall colors or spring bloom.
[MENTION=106195]v_man[/MENTION] Thanks for bringing the seasons up. We won't be expecting to wash burp cloths until late next year. Ideally, I'll be avoiding any snow shoe needs and go late spring/early summer. If all goes well, this trip will be the big bang before such grand ideas are out of the question for a decade or so. I want plenty of time to get it right. Outdoor excursions is one place I enjoy excessive research and planning.
[MENTION=78273]Jeremy556[/MENTION] You were a huge help on my trip through Utah earlier this year. I already have made use of at least a few of your thoughts. I'm all ears to any more.
[MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] Thanks for the move. Sometimes I forget that there is more to the internet than the 5th gen forum.

 

[1engineer]

It seems everyone is recommending "Out West" stuff. You have 15 days! Drive! My two favorite places: Big whitewater, hike, mountain bike and climb under New River Gorge Bridge New River Gorge Bridge - New River Gorge National River (U.S. National Park Service) in Fayetteville, WV and then drive down the beach in the Outer Banks of NC to Ocracoke Island https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocracoke,_North_Carolina for a great trip. This gives you a LOT of drive time across the country and a fun destination to boot! BTW I live 15 minutes away from the bridge. Come this way and my wife and I will buy you and your wife dinner one night. Here are a few pics of the bridge and Ocracoke:

 

[KidVermicious]

Several of you are badly wrong. There is nothing beautiful or redeeming anywhere in Utah. Stay away.

 

[1engineer]

Several of you are badly wrong. There is nothing beautiful or redeeming anywhere in Utah. Stay away.

Except the dinosaur dig between Helper and Huntington...