Stretching for 15 miles (24km) along the northwest coast of Kauai, the forest-clad cliffs and blue waters of Nā Pali are a spectacular sight. Nā Pali means "the cliffs" in Hawaiian, and the peaks rise up to a staggering 4,000 feet (1,200m). Looming above the Pacific Ocean, the colourful coast, which ranges from emerald greens to dark reds, is one of the most striking places in the world.
Rich in history, culture and attractions, San Antonio is a beautiful blend of old and new. And winding its way through the heart of the city is the famous River Walk. Lined with cypress trees, shops, restaurants, museums and bars with bright umbrellas, the colourful 15-mile (24km) urban walkway is one of the biggest attractions in the state.
One of Nevada’s most unique sights, the mesmerising Fly Geyser was actually created by accident. In the 1960s a geothermal energy company drilled on the desert site trying to find a viable energy source. The water that the workmen hit wasn’t warm enough for their purposes, but they failed to seal up the well properly, causing water to spew from the hole. Today, Fly Geyser continues to spew steam and water and its impressive colours are caused by growing algae that thrives in warm, moist environments.
One of San Francisco’s most photographed sights lies along the eastern side of Alamo Square Park. Nicknamed the Painted Ladies, these pastel-coloured Victorian houses sit shoulder-to-shoulder on the slope of Steiner Street. Built in a Queen Anne style, the pretty homes rose to fame after featuring in the opening credits of the hit TV series Full House and have been a popular attraction ever since.
It’s hard to believe that these beautiful mountains in Oregon are not man-made. The striking red, yellow, black and orange stripes of the Painted Hills are the result of climate change over millennia, as well as fossilised animals and plants preserved from millions of years ago. The distinct hills form part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, alongside two other archaeological sites.
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Less than 12 miles (19km) from Alaska’s state capital Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier is easily one of the most beautiful in North America. Ice caves form seasonally and, in the right conditions, hardy adventurers can join guided tours to explore them – as light streams through the clear ice, the shimmering blue walls of the caves look magical. At other times, hiking trails including the relatively short and mellow Photo Point Trail offer views of the glacier, while a kayak excursion on Mendenhall Lake will get you closer to the ice.
With its aqua-blue waters sheltered by the Grand Canyon's deep-orange cliffs, Havasu Falls is a lovely sight. Hidden along Havasu Creek, the cascade's bold blue-green hues are caused by the water flowing through the limestone rock, which gives it high levels of calcium concentrate. The challenging hike to the natural wonder is well worth the effort, but remember that these lands are sacred to the Havasupai Tribe and should be visited with the lightest of footsteps.
You may be surprised to find that these neon-striped trees, dotted across the Hawaiian archipelago, have not been painted by hand. Known as the rainbow gum tree, this incredible natural phenomenon is caused by sunlight and air reacting with the bark as it peels off, turning the strips from green to red, yellow, blue and even pink. As the trees peel, their colours and patterns are constantly changing too.
Often classed as the crown jewel of New Orleans, the illustrious French Quarter is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the US. The city was founded in 1718 by French Canadian naval officer Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville and four centuries of development have left its mark on the historic neighbourhood, a place where modern bars mix with antique stores and age-old restaurants. The beating heart of the French Quarter is Bourbon Street (pictured) which stretches across 13 blocks. With its neon lights, crowds of revellers, pulsating music and colourful beads strewn on balconies, the street is a vibrant symbol of the party town.
This pretty patch of pastoral land is one of "The Seven Wonders of Washington State". Formed over tens of thousands of years, Palouse was created by wind-blown dust and silt from dryer regions. Covered with wheat fields, the gentle rolling hills change colour based on the season, from lush green in spring to dry shades of brown and purple in summer and are beautiful to see.
Nestled along the state border with Utah, this striking rock formation is one of Arizona’s most spectacular sights. The Wave is a small ravine formed of swirling red rock made of windblown sand dating back to the Jurassic period. The intricately patterned rock, which looks like a scene straight out of a sci-fi film, has become a popular hiking destination in recent years and is often hailed as one of the most photogenic natural wonders in the country.
With its peaceful rolling hills and sleepy small towns, Texas Hill Country has long been a destination for wildflowers. Every spring, bluebonnets, which are Texas' state flower, carpet the landscape in a burst of colour. The green canvas is covered in stunning swathes of violet, white and blue and is a sight to behold.
Home to the greatest number of hoodoo rock formations on Earth, the beauty of Bryce Canyon is bound to leave you breathless. At least 50 million years of wind and water have carved out the canyon's horseshoe-shaped amphitheatre and its sandstone cliffs into the otherworldly characters seen today. Set against a pale blue sky, the rows and rows of ochre-hued humanoid pillars look truly surreal.
Check out more of the world's most breathtaking rock formations
The southernmost point in the US, Florida's Key West is a peaceful subtropical paradise. The island city is best known for its water sports, vibrant nightlife, beaches and pastel-conch-style architecture. Palm-lined streets filled with Queen Anne-style gingerbread mansions and tin-roofed houses give Key West its unique charm. A place for artists and dreamers, the colourful houses were once home to the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and Robert Frost who sought inspiration and solace from the city.
Pretty landscapes, berry farms, incredible wildlife and historic waterfront communities against the backdrop of the Cascade Mountains make up the stunning Skagit Valley, which lies in the northwest corner of Washington State. Between the towns of La Conner and Mount Vernon, the valley comes alive in spring when millions of tulips burst into bloom during The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Running yearly throughout April, the festival hosts various events and activities alongside the carpet of rainbow flowers.
South Carolina's port city is filled with incredible sights and beautiful streets, but none are as recognisable as Rainbow Row. Located on Charleston's East Bay Street, Rainbow Row refers to a series of 13 candy-coloured houses, which date back to the 1740s. It wasn't until 1931 that one of the homes was painted pastel pink by new owner Dorothy Porcher Legge, and other residents soon followed, creating the pretty row of houses that have become one of the city's most photographed spots.
Located on Route 66 in a dusty field in Texas, this unique collection of half-buried cars has been intriguing drivers since 1974. Various myths have circulated about the origins of Cadillac Ranch, but the site is actually an art installation created by the Ant Farm group to represent the “Golden Age” of American automobiles, a bizarre monument to times gone by. Visitors are strongly encouraged to add their own graffiti, building on the ever-mutating layers of paint on the colourful cars.
In the far northeast corner of Los Angeles County, Antelope Valley is a protected area known for being the perfect microclimate for poppies, California’s state flower. The remote area is particularly gorgeous in spring, when it is overrun with a dreamy display of California poppies and endless bright orange petals are scattered across the landscape.
Situated in the Yellowstone National Park’s Upper Geyser Basin, Morning Glory is one of the most famous hot springs in the park. The pool was originally entirely blue, caused by minerals and bacteria thriving in the hot water. However, after years of people throwing various objects into the spring, some of its thermal vents have been blocked, causing the bacteria to dwindle and the temperature to drop. Invasive yellow bacteria forming has caused the red and yellow tinge around the edges of the spring, resulting in its vivid rainbow shades.
Located in Miami’s glamorous South Beach neighbourhood, the vibrant Ocean Drive is an image that immediately springs to mind when thinking of the popular beach city. Running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, the legendary strip is at the heart of Miami’s bustling nightlife, filled with bars, restaurants and boutique beach shops that spill out onto the streets. Ocean Drive has been popularised for its candy-coloured Art Deco architecture, swaying palms and beautiful beach views, making it a must-visit spot in the city.
A sparkling labyrinth of mirror fragments, glass bottles, tiles and bike wheels, the Magic Garden certainly lives up to its name. Created by award-winning artist Isaiah Zagar, tyres, bottles and forgotten items have been repurposed into a vibrant public art installation, drawing inspiration from Folk art. Visitors can wander through the small galleries and garden and explore the shimmering tunnels of multi-coloured mosaics.
Towering 50 feet (15.24m) high and 150 feet (45.72m) wide, this magnificent mountain in the Sonoran Desert is unlike anything else on Earth. Artist Leonard Knight spent roughly three decades building the colourful mound, to show his devotion to peace, love and God to the world. Knight used hay bales, donated paint, adobe clay and an assortment of found objects including tyres and windows to create his mountain-shaped shrine. Crowned by the words “God Is Love”, the mountain serves as a unique testament to Knight's faith and attracts visitors from all over the world.
A colourful oasis, The Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs is hard to miss. Characterised by its bright façade of almost every colour of the rainbow, the bright hotel is known for its lively pool scene. Home to 244 guest rooms, two restaurants, a spa, gym, and a party pool, the hotel has plenty to keep guests occupied during their stay. The Saguaro Hotel's lively events calendar matches up to its colourful exterior, with movie nights, karaoke and poolside DJs all on offer here.
Long before the towering mega-resorts, shiny casinos and world-class entertainment of the Las Vegas strip, there was Fremont Street, the city's original scene. Spread across five blocks, the pedestrian-only thoroughfare is dotted with colourful open-air bars, restaurants, street performers and some of the oldest casinos in Las Vegas. Illuminating it all is the spectacular Viva Vision light canopy. Made of nearly 50 million LED bulbs, the canopy wows passers-by below with the world’s largest light and sound show.
Situated in northwest Oregon, the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival takes place at its namesake farm every spring. From March until May, the lush landscape is covered in 40 acres of colourful tulips, reminiscent of the famous flower fields of the Netherlands. Thousands are drawn to the farm’s tulip festival each year, which includes rubber duck races, pony rides and a cow train for travelling through the fields.
Hidden within the forest-clad North Cascade Mountains, the azure waters of Diablo Lake look almost unreal. Created by the Diablo Hydroelectric Power Plant, the lake’s unique blue waters are caused by the minerals from nearby glaciers feeding into it. With the green forests and snowy mountain peaks beautifully contrasting with its vivid blue-green waters, Lake Diablo is a dreamy spot for a hike.
Soaring more than 30 feet (9.1m) high, these rainbow towers can be found within the Ivanpah Valley just outside of Las Vegas. First opened in 2016, the Seven Magic Mountains was produced by the Nevada Museum of Art and Art Production Fund. The exhibition was originally intended to be displayed for two years but due to its critical acclaim, Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone hopes to keep the artwork on view for many years to come. Surrounded by Nevada's beautiful desert landscape and rugged mountains, the kaleidoscope of colourful stacked boulders are a whimsical sight.
One of the only green sand beaches in the world, this unusual stretch of sand lies near South Point on Hawaii's Big Island. Papakōlea Beach, or Mahana Beach as it's also known, gets its unusual green sand from olivine crystals that have eroded from a collapsed 49,000-year-old cinder cone belonging to the Mauna Loa volcano. With its crystal green sand and beautiful blue waters, the rare beach is a real jewel of the island.
Pretty and peaceful, this canopy of trees in Washington’s Olympic National Park is one of the finest and largest temperate rainforests in the US. Thanks to 140 inches (356cm) of rainfall on average each year, the Hoh Rainforest is one of the lushest in the world. Unchanged for thousands of years, fog swirls around the ancient trees while green moss blankets the landscape, giving it an enchanting yet eerie feel.
Artistic, stylish and vibrant, Venice is Los Angeles’ buzzing beachfront neighbourhood and resort. Sandwiched between Santa Monica and Marina del Rey, it was designed by eccentric millionaire Abbot Kinney in 1905. The neighbourhood pays homage to its namesake Italian city, with its canals, pedestrian bridges, lagoon and piazzas. Today, Venice is known for its bohemian-style beachfront boardwalk that stretches along the sand, filled with performers, hotels and colourful shops and stalls.
Lying west of Aspen, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak truly embody the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Looming 14,000 feet (4,267.2m) high above the Maroon Creek Valley, the two giant bell-shaped, wine-coloured peaks are perfectly mirrored in the pristine Maroon Lake below, creating a breathtaking scene. As the seasons change, the mountains change too, from a rainbow of wildflowers carpeting the landscape in spring and summer to reds, yellows and oranges dominating in the colder months.
A world-renowned attraction, the colourful balloons soaring across Albuquerque in New Mexico are a dreamy sight. For nine days in early October, more than 500 balloons float into the city's skies as part of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Known as the largest hot air balloon festival in the world, the slow-moving objects with their varying shapes, colours and sizes painting the sky in a multitude of colours is a spectacle unlike any other. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the festival.
Sitting on Monterey Bay, this charming town is the oldest beach resort on the West Coast. Capitola started out as a tent camp in the 1870s before it became the idyllic Italian-looking beachside town of today. With its string of brightly coloured seaside shops, bistros and houses, the romance of the original resort still remains. People flock from all over to enjoy the town's stunning sandy beach, gorgeous gardens and laidback charm.
A major travel destination where burnt oranges, reds and yellows blanket the landscape, it’s not just the foliage that takes over Massachusetts in autumn with its bold colours. Cranberry bogs across the South Shore transform into a vibrant crimson, marking the annual harvest season. The tart berries are native to the New England area and have been harvested for over 200 years. Some farms allow visitors to tour the bogs and see the vast bright red hues for themselves or buy some cranberries to take home.
With its neon lights, live music and bustling nightlife, Beale Street is one of America’s most famous streets. Trailing through downtown Memphis, the popular strip is three blocks of restaurants, nightclubs and shops in the middle of the city. Rich in heritage, the National Historic Landmark District has a history of hosting legendary musicians including Memphis Minnie and BB King. When day turns to night, Beale Street explodes with the buzz of blues, jazz and rock 'n' roll music and its rainbow of bright lights which seem to go on forever.
The most colourful part of the Badlands National Park, this rolling yellow landscape in South Dakota is a joy to look at. The yellow, purple, grey and reddish bands in the rock layers showcase millions of years of geology. The sunny shades were caused by an ancient sea draining away and the chemicals from decaying plants turning the soil yellow.
This path of neon trees is just one of the many intriguing installations at the Meow Wolf Santa Fe, an immersive art experience in New Mexico. Established in 2008 by Meow Wolf, an arts and entertainment company, the installation, known as the House of Eternal Return, takes visitors on a mind-bending journey of mystery through more than 70 colourful rooms filled with surprises. From teleporting fridges and luminescent caves to space-age corridors and multicoloured trees, the installation is one of the city's most unusual attractions.
With its bold blue centre surrounded by yellow, orange and green, the largest hot spring in the US is arguably the most enchanting too. Stretching roughly 370 feet (112.8m) in diameter and over 121 feet (37m) deep, the Grand Prismatic Spring reaches around 70°C (160°F) in temperature. Organisms called microbial mats give the spring its unique colours, which can change depending on the season. The spring's vivid hues and spectacular size have made it a star attraction of Yellowstone.
While it may look like an abstract painting, this colourful image shows a series of salt ponds in San Francisco Bay. Thanks to its clay soils and Mediterranean climate, the bay is ideal for salt making, with thousands and thousands of tonnes of sea salt being produced each year. The ponds get their distinct bright colours, ranging from blue-green to deep magenta, from microorganisms that thrive at varying salinity levels.
Possibly the most famous slot canyon in the world, Antelope Canyon is known for its incredible rock formations and vivid colours. Shaped by millions of years of water and wind erosion, the canyon gets its name from the herds of antelope that used to roam the area. On a private island within the Navajo Nation, the canyon is considered sacred by the Navajo people. During spring and summer, sunlight shines through its walls, causing the red rocks to change colour, from rusty reds to dark purples, making it a photographer’s dream.
Check out these stunning images of the world's most incredible canyons