9 Wild, Beautiful Places in North America

Nahanni National Park isn't just formidable spires and plateaus—it is also a cultural tapestry of the region, one where history is threaded through the land.

Some falls are known for their height; others for their power. The latter is true for Athabasca Falls in Jasper National Park, on the far western edge of Alberta.

Untouched by mass development, this 10-mile-wide (16 km) island has over a hundred miles (161 km) of shoreline, hidden waterfalls, ancient ruins, and the proud native heritage of Hawaii.

The quietude of Point Reyes National Seashore focuses you on the beauty around you, an unspoiled vista where ocean meets land without the blight of an amusement pier anywhere.

Between the deep furrows carved out over eons by the Green and Colorado Rivers rise huge mesas, narrow pillars, rock arches, and the lonely upright remnants of long-fallen canyon walls.

Few views of America’s remote western mountains compare with the first glimpse of Wyoming’s Snowy Mountain Range, with Medicine Bow’s snow-blanketed summit—at 12,013 feet (3,662 m)—soaring above them all.

The view from the top of Red Sleep Mountain in Montana’s National Bison Range is nearly unchanged from hundreds of years ago when the American West was sparsely populated by people and was a rolling grassland where bison herds roamed beneath snowcapped peaks.

When the sun begins to set on the Ilulissat Icefjord, the chilly scenery is transformed from a two-chromed world of white and blue during the day to icebergs glowing red and orange in the calm, silvery water at night.

Mexico’s Chiapas state is a trove of geological wonders, exotic wildlife, and ancient Mayan ruins.