It’s a true testament to the diversity of America’s landscapes that you can find sweeping sand dunes, cavernous glaciers and hulking mountains all within the country’s borders. But with so many striking sights, which are the prettiest of them all? Here’s our ranking of the top 30 (as always, be sure to check COVID-19 guidelines before heading out).

Washington’s Olympic National Park is home to some of the largest swathes of old-growth forest in the country and Hoh Rain Forest is easily the most gorgeous. In this temperate rainforest, moss-covered maples, cedars and fir trees spread their branches like mighty claws, creating a lush green canopy punctured only by atmospheric mists. It’s home to a variety of wildlife too, from Roosevelt elk to black bears, bobcats and mountain lions. 

Discover America's most beautiful forests, ranked

The twinkling lights of downtown Chicago, seen here from across the shores of Lake Michigan, make the Windy City look all the more inviting at dusk. Famous high-rises include Willis Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings at a colossal 1,450 feet (442m); the historic Tribune Tower, a Neo-Gothic skyscraper completed in 1925; and the 1,136-foot (346m) Aon Center, formerly the tallest marble-clad building in the world.

Love this? Follow us on Facebook for more travel inspiration

With its vibrant emerald waters, fed by a 50-foot (15m) waterfall which cascades off a curved limestone canyon, Hamilton Pool Preserve is one of the most scenic swimming spots in the US. Located around 30 miles (48km) west of Austin, the watering hole was formed by the collapse of a dome above an underground river thousands of years ago. Sadly, however, it has recently been closed to swimmers for the foreseeable future, due to the risk of falling rocks. It’s still mesmerising to look at though. 

Check out America's most beautiful waterfalls

The jewel in the crown of Seattle’s skyline is undoubtedly the Space Needle. This 605-foot (184m) skyscraper was built in 1962 for the World’s Fair – fitting the theme that year, “The Age of Space”. Its saucer-shaped upper level houses an impressive observation deck, where visitors can take in 360-degree views across Seattle and beyond. The cityscape, which includes a number of striking mid-century towers, is made even more beguiling by the silhouette of Mount Rainier towering in the background.

In this eye-catching aerial shot, Florida Keys’ tiny islets look almost like an intricate jigsaw puzzle, sliced apart by dazzling azure seas. The island chain extends for some 125 miles (201km), but the most popular islands of Islamorada, Key Largo and Key West draw in most of the visitors. The surrounding ocean, a designated National Marine Sanctuary, is home to tropical fish, as well as whales, dolphins and manatees.

A section of the Appalachian Mountains across northern New Hampshire and western Maine, the White Mountains are stunning year-round. But in autumn they really come into their own. The lush green leaves of spruces, maples and beeches turn to a painterly array of red, brown and golden hues, typically drawing in visitors who come to see the natural spectacle.

So-named for its turnip-like shape, this unusual clump of rock on the shores of Lake Huron is unlike any other. The stack was created by crashing waves gradually eroding the limestone cliffs over thousands of years – it owes its top-heavy shape to more intense erosion at the base. Today, the area surrounding Turnip Rock is privately-owned, so the best way to see it from all angles is to kayak around it.

The historic buildings of NOLA’s French Quarter come to life at night, when they’re illuminated in rainbow colours by neon lights. And it’s this fusion of old and new that makes the district so enticing. Founded in 1718, its original wooden buildings were built when New Orleans was under French control, but were largely burned in a fire in 1788. The cast-iron balconies, walled courtyards and colourful façades we see today date to the late 18th and 19th centuries, and are a mix of French, Spanish, American and Creole influences.

The majestic Sequoia National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range is a land of superlatives. Its most famous tree, the towering General Sherman, is the largest known tree on earth by volume at 52,508 cubic feet (1,487m3), plus it’s a towering 275-feet (83m) tall. What’s more, it’s thought to be some 2,300 to 2,700 years-old. As well as being extremely old and extremely large, the park’s namesake trees are incredibly beautiful, thanks to their distinctive reddish bark and ruler-straight trunks.

Big Sur is about as legendary as road trips get. This 90-mile (145km) stretch of road, between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hearst Castle along California's Central Coast, takes in one jaw-dropping view after the next. Think rugged coastlines flanked by crashing waves, sheltered coves encircled by seabirds and historic lighthouses dotting the cliffs.

Take a look at our guide to planning a Central Coast road trip

Harbouring more biodiversity than any other national park in the US – there are more than 19,000 documented species here, but an additional 80,000–100,000 are thought to exist – the Great Smokies is pretty special. The UNESCO-recognised park, which encompasses an area of more than 800 square miles (2,072sq km) on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, is also home to some of the oldest mountains on Earth. Oh, and it’s breathtaking to look at too, its hulking mountains filled with flowers and wildlife.

Designed by renowned landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the gargantuan 843-acre Central Park was built in the latter half of the 19th century. It set the bar for city parks back then and still does today. Containing everything from a zoo to an Alice in Wonderland statue, along with lakes, bridges and wooded areas, the park has rightfully earned a reputation as one of the country’s most stunning urban green spaces. In winter, when it’s dusted in snow and the famous Wollman Rink opens to skaters, it takes on an extra kind of magic.

There’s something startling about the turquoise, electric blue and emerald hues that are conjured up as the light hits Mendenhall Glacier. Situated around 13 miles (21km) from Juneau in southeastern Alaska, this 12-mile (19km) long, 1.5-mile (2.4km) wide glacier can be viewed from inside its “ice caves” during a tour. Or, for those who don’t enjoy the idea of walking through narrow tunnels below an enormous block of ice, gazing at it from the outside is equally impressive – it’s one of North America's most accessible glaciers.

The undulating surface of Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve looks otherworldly. This 30 square-mile (78sq km) dune field, bordered by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, was formed over millions of years, after a lake dried up and left its sandy sediments behind. Funnels of wind from different directions helped build up the dunes, the tallest of which is a lofty 742 feet (226m).

Southern Florida’s expansive Everglades region is teeming with wildlife, including the endangered Florida panther, the scarlet-streaked Roseate spoonbill and the American alligator. The national park of the same name protects around one-fifth of the total Everglades (which extend over millions of acres in their entirety), and is laced with hiking, biking and kayaking trails – perfect for exploring this tropical wilderness.

Northwestern Montana’s Glacier National Park is a joy to look at year-round. But spring and summer are especially spectacular, when wildflowers including glacier lilies, clematis and Indian pipes add a smattering of bright colour amid the lush green grasses. It’s no wonder Glacier is nicknamed the Crown of the Continent – its valleys and dramatic mountains are some of North America’s most beautiful.

With its corrugated, knife-sharp cliffs, Nā Pali Coast on the northern shore of Kauai is easily one of the world’s most breathtaking shorelines. Stretching for 15 miles (24km) between Polihale Beach and Kee Beach, the emerald-tinged bluffs rise as high as 4,000 feet (1,219m) and are pocketed with caves and waterfalls. Experienced hikers can walk the 11-mile (18km) Kalalau Trail for unbeatable views across the cliffs and of the nearby Hono O Nā Pali Natural Area Reserve.

Vertiginous granite peaks, awe-inspiring waterfalls and clearer-than-clear freshwater lakes are just some of the many treasures to be found in Yosemite National Park. This 1,189 square-mile (3,080sq km) region in east-central California became America’s third national park in 1890 and today it’s one of the most popular, usually attracting around four million visitors a year. Pictured are El Capitan (left), an enormous dome rising 3,600 feet (1,100m) above the valley floor, and Bridalveil Fall, which cascades for some 620 feet (189m).

Filled with jaw-dropping scenery at every turn, Kenai Fjords is easily one of Alaska’s most picturesque national parks. One of its most impressive features is the Harding Icefield, a 714 square-mile (1,850sq km) sheet of ice that's up to a mile (1.6km) thick in places, which feeds more than 30 glaciers. Meanwhile Spire Cove, pictured here, is filled with craggy rock towers which seem to float on the water’s surface, topped by gravity-defying spindly trees.

There’s a real sense of being at the end of the Earth at White Sands National Park, situated in the Tularosa Basin of southeastern New Mexico. Here, paper-white, wind-carved sand dunes stretch as far as the eye can see – in fact, it’s the largest gypsum dunefield in the world at 275 square miles (712sq km). The spectacular sand dunes, which range in elevation from 3,890 to 4,116 feet (1,186 to 1,255m), are best viewed at sunrise or sunset when they’re awash with bluish light.

With its lofty sandstone buttes rising up from a vibrant red valley floor, Monument Valley is unbelievably beautiful. This epic landscape on the Utah-Arizona state border is part of the Navajo Nation, a 16 million-acre region which is home to around 250,000 members of the Navajo tribe. Today, visitors can usually enjoy guided tours from Navajo operators, sample traditional cuisine and peruse local crafts within easy reach of the park’s visitor centre.

While the moniker might seem misleading for such a gorgeous landscape, Badlands got its name from the Lakota people who called it mako sica (translating to bad lands) because its extreme terrain was difficult to cross. Given that the 244,000-acre national park near South Dakota’s Black Hills is filled with epic canyons, spires and buttes, you can see why. The unusual striped rock was formed over the course of millions of years, as layers of silt, sand and clay piled up and compressed.

Such crystal-clear, bright blue waters are hard to come by. So when you combine them with a smattering of rocky islets and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains, the full effect is astounding. Located on the California-Nevada border, this 193 square-mile (500sq km) lake is a popular spot with walkers, skiers, nature lovers and adventurers at all times of the year.

The long-underrated Palouse is finally beginning to get the attention it deserves for its breathtaking beauty. The farming region, which spreads across southeast Washington and north-central Idaho, is known for its rolling fields which turn golden and yellow during the autumn harvest season, and lush green in spring and summer. These captivating hills were formed over tens of thousands of years, from wind-blown dust and silt from dryer climes, creating the gently undulating landscape we see today.

It’s hard to grasp the sheer vastness of the Bonneville Salt Flats just from looking at them. The exceptionally smooth, seemingly never-ending salt crust encompasses a massive 30,000 acres of northwest Utah and was formed when Lake Bonneville began to recede at the end of the last Ice Age. The minerals it left behind – gypsum, halite (common table salt), and small concentrations of potassium and magnesium – form the salt crust.

Panoramic views don’t get much more perfect than this. The oft-photographed Maroon Bells in Colorado’s White River National Forest are two peaks: Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, which tower more than 14,000 feet (4,267m) above sea level and are reflected in the crystal-clear Maroon Lake below. The landscape only gets even more stunning when you throw in candyfloss clouds and pink-tinged light at sunset.

From every angle, Antelope Canyon is totally mesmerising, with its rippling sandstone walls taking on myriad organic forms. Situated within the Navajo Nation reserve in northern Arizona, the narrow slot canyon is just eight to 12 feet (2.4–3.7m) wide in places, making for a dramatic array of colours as the light beams into it at different times of day. It was formed by flash flooding, which eroded away at the bedrock over thousands of years, and whipping winds, which hurled sand at the canyon walls and created the swirling shapes we see today.

At 370 feet (113m) in diameter, Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring is America’s largest hot spring and the third largest in the world. Its ultra-vivid colours, which might look like the result of some serious photo editing, are actually formed by bacteria. In the centre, it’s too hot for almost any bacteria to survive, so the water appears clear and blue due to the scattering of blue wavelengths (the same effect that makes the ocean look blue). But as the water spreads outwards it cools down and can foster different types of bacteria, which produce the green and yellow bands on the outside.

The aptly-named Horseshoe Bend looks almost as if a giant horseshoe has been embossed into the Earth. This gorgeous canyon, located near Page, actually owes its distinctive U-shaped curve to the meandering course of the Colorado River, which carved it out over millions of years. It’s no wonder the ultra-photogenic spot has proven such a hit with visitors – it’s just five miles (8km) downstream of Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell too.

These are America's most stunning natural wonders

An abundance of rock chimneys fill several natural amphitheatres which comprise Bryce Canyon National Park. Located in southwestern Utah, the unique canyon is home to the largest collection of hoodoos (spindly rock towers) in the world, which are especially dazzling as the early morning sunlight hits the canyon. Or, for that matter, when they’re coated in a light dusting of snow in winter. The national park has a difference in elevation of more than 2,000 feet (610m), meaning it has three different climate zones which are home to a rich array of wildlife and plants.

Check out the best things to see in America's national parks