Natural Attractions (174)

Firehole River

Rhyolite canyon walls frame a geothermal-warmed Firehole River, with Firehole Falls dropping 40 feet.

Two Medicine Picnic Area

Huckleberry Shake owns the menu; pancakes arrive in colossal portions.

Vulture Peak

Glaciated peak with Precambrian Belt rocks; backcountry scramble to the summit.

Grace Lake

Grace Lake: glacial cirque lake at 3,966 ft, reached via the Logging Lake Trail.

Hidden Falls

Water pours over Hidden Falls on Cataract Creek; forested cliffs frame the cascade.

Elk Mountain

360° summit views over Belt rocks; a rugged, glacier-carved ascent.

Summit Mountain

Rugged summit along the Continental Divide; drive-up view with hillside trails.

Glacier Peak

Remote stratovolcano in the Washington Cascades. Last major eruption around 1700 AD.

Slough Creek

Meadow stream, VIP Pool at Lamar confluence; shaped by fluvial erosion and glacial deposition.

Little Harbor Brook

Shallow brook beside a mossy trail; formed by glacial erosion and meltwater through Ellsworth Schist.

Numa Peak

Numa Peak rises above Bowman Lake; Numa Ridge Lookout reveals vast alpine views.

Flinsch Peak

Yellow limestone horn above Two Medicine; hike from the Two Medicine trailhead, parking fills early.

Pyramid Peak

Granite peak sharpened by glacial ice; scrambling to Pyramid Peak from Pyramid Pass.

Imperial Geyser

Imperial Geyser erupts from a 75×100 ft pool; silica-lined conduits feed vivid runoff mats.

Fort Yellowstone Overlook

Travertine terraces from Mammoth Hot Springs; calcium carbonate deposition in action.

Mount Vaught

8,854 ft peak in the Livingston Range; scrambling ascent; Belt Supergroup rocks thrust by Lewis Overthrust.

Sargent Mountain Pond

Granite bowl pond high on Sargent Mountain; alpenglow lights the surrounding peaks.

Monument Falls

215 ft waterfall fed by glacial meltwater; view from Avalanche Lake shore.

Rising Sun Picnic Area

Pizza with a crispy crust and handmade sauce; big views over St. Mary Lake.

Young Lakes

Otokomi Lake

Red cliffs frame Otokomi Lake, a cirque bowl beneath Goat Mountain. Belt rocks tell a billion-year glacial tale.

Going-to-the-Sun Mountain

Snowfields crown a Lewis Overthrust peak; view from Logan Pass along Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch rises from red sandstone against a broad Utah sky. Erosion by water and wind carved this freestanding span.

Lake Josephine

Cirque lake at 4,882 ft. Boat shuttle shortens the hike to Lake Josephine.

Twin Falls

Two cascades drop 80 feet along a mossy trail in Glacier National Park.

Teton Glacier Turnout

Glacier tongue at a roadside turnout—the largest in Grand Teton NP—retreating under a tectonically lifted skyline.

Lake Butte Overlook

Panoramic view of Yellowstone Lake from the caldera rim; distant Tetons on clear days.

Acadia National Park Pond

Crystal-clear Jordan Pond is a 187-acre, 150-foot-deep glacial tarn beside the Bubbles.

Lookout Point

Lower Falls, 308 ft, canyon carved by the Yellowstone River through altered rhyolite.

Madison River

Madison River at Madison Junction—volcanic uplift and a 1959 earthquake reshaped its course.

Running Eagle Falls

Water pours from a limestone cliff; underground flow surfaces.

Grand View

Red-orange canyon walls glow above the Yellowstone River—a rhyolite story carved by erosion.

Hidden Lake

Hidden Lake Overlook: a cirque lake at Logan Pass; overlook easy, lakeshore hike rewarding.

Cadillac Mountain

Granite crown; first light on the U.S. coast; sculpted by ancient glaciers.

Gibbon River

84 ft Gibbon Falls; river through hydrothermal basins along Grand Loop Road.

Castle Geyser

Castle Geyser: a 12-ft geyserite cone erupts up to 90 ft from magma 5–13 km below.

Fiery Furnace

Fiery Furnace: red sandstone fins and slot canyons shaped by erosion and uplift.

Virginia Falls

50 ft main drop; 3.1–3.8 mile hike from St. Mary Falls Trailhead.

Inspiration Point

Promontory overlooking the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone; rhyolite walls reveal millions of years of erosion.

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake glitters along a shoreline flanked by steep, forested cliffs.

Apikuni Falls

300‑ft cascade over Precambrian argillite; base-view hike in Many Glacier.

Upper Falls View

Upper Falls, 109 ft drop over rhyolite—river erosion in a hydrothermally altered canyon.

Eagle Lake

Eagle Lake — glacially carved freshwater lake with clear, deep water in Acadia NP

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River

308 ft drop; river erodes hydrothermally altered rhyolite here.

Swiftcurrent Lake

Swiftcurrent Lake sits in a cirque behind the Many Glacier Hotel; clear water held by Altyn Dolomite dam.

Yellowstone Lake

Caldera lake tilted by resurgent domes; hydrothermal vents dot the lakebed.

Grand Prismatic Spring

Rainbow rim of a hot spring; colors arise from thermophiles in Yellowstone's volcanic system.

Lower Inspiration Point

Bryce hoodoos from Lower Inspiration Point; ice-wedging sculpts pink and white Claron limestone.

Cadillac Mountain Overlook

Granite monadnock with glacial polish; sunrise views from Cadillac Mountain summit.

Artist Point

Lower Falls overlook; canyon walls colored by hydrothermal alteration of rhyolite.

Glacier Ridge Runners

Rugged ridge views over Desert Mountain; a gateway to glaciated terrain via Glacier Ridge Runners.

Brink Of The Upper Falls

109-ft Upper Falls along the Yellowstone River; erosion carved the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Moose Falls

30‑ft plunge on Crawfish Creek; geothermal warmth supports unique habitat.

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone

308-ft Lower Falls. Dramatic spray and yellow canyon walls carved by erosion.

Trout Lake

Alpine Trout Lake in a glacial basin; 1.2-mile loop, bear country.

Lake McDonald

Glacial lake, crystal-clear to the lakebed; drive-up access along Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Sunset Lake

Blue pool, rising steam, and thermophilic rims—Yellowstone's hydrothermal heartbeat.

Larb Hollow Overlook

Waterpocket Fold panorama with the Henry Mountains in the distance. Uplift and erosion shaped the scene.

Bubble Rock

100-ton glacial erratic on a cliff edge above Jordan Pond; Lucerne Granite origin hints at ancient ice.

Green River Overlook

Green River Overlook: a mesa view of the Green–Colorado confluence over White Rim Sandstone.

Lake Five

Glacial lake with cold, clear water; dock views at Paul’s Memorial—glacial history in view.

Ptarmigan Falls

Ptarmigan Falls: 300-ft drop from a hanging valley; glacial ice carved the cliff.

Sand Beach

Shell-sand beach in a cliffed cove; waves grind shells into sand.

Lions Park and Bike Path Trailhead

Colorado River corridor in Entrada Sandstone; water erosion shapes the canyon.

Earthquake Lake

Quake-born lake along Sheep Mountain; turquoise water over a stark landslide scar.

Bubble Pond

Bubble Pond by the roadside; a glacial cirque basin with bubbles rising from the bottom.

Norris Back Basin

Steam over Porcelain Basin; a 2.5-mile boardwalk through Yellowstone's hottest hydrothermal realm.

Redrock Falls

Redrock Falls: a wide curtain of cascades against red iron-oxide rock.

The Bowl

Glacial pond on Acadia's east side; Pleistocene ice carved the basin—swim-friendly.

Bat Flight Amphitheater

Dusk bat emergence at Carlsbad Caverns' Natural Entrance — caves formed by sulfuric acid dissolution.

Two Medicine Lake

Cirque Lake formed by glaciers; red Grinnell Argillite bed colors the lakebed.

Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests

Dark, sheer walls loom over the Gunnison River. Erosion by water carved this deep canyon.

El Capitan Viewpoint

Capitan Reef cliff; sulfuric-acid caves reveal Permian seas.

Duck Brook Bridge

Stone-faced arch over a glacial ravine; Rockefeller carriage-road icon in Acadia.

Santa Elena Canyon Overlook

8-mile limestone canyon; Rio Grande carves through Cretaceous rock at the border.

Gamecock Park

Boardwalk through an old-growth floodplain forest; river floods shape the land.

Undine Falls

60-ft, three-plunge waterfall over a 700,000-year-old basalt flow

Sand Beach Overlook

Shell-fragment CaCO3 beach beneath 100-ft Great Head cliffs; coastal erosion in action.

National Park Mountain

Snowy summit over pine slopes; a glacial cirque reveals ice's carving power.

Iceberg Lake

Iceberg Lake: a glacial cirque lake with late-summer icebergs set beneath towering Belt rocks.

Big Bend National Park West Entrance

Gateway to Big Bend’s canyons—uplift and river erosion sculpt limestone walls.

McDonald Falls

Turquoise water tumbles from a two-tier drop at a wheelchair-friendly turnout; glacially fed water colors the scene.

Gibbon Falls

84-foot cascade over an ancient Yellowstone lava flow; drive-up overlook with a wheelchair-friendly path.

Otter Cove Overlook

Granite cliffs rise over Otter Cove; glacial carving and coastal erosion shape the view.

Great Head

Pink granite headland above Sand Beach; coast revealed by coastal erosion.

Jordan Pond

Glacial tarn, 150 ft deep, 61 ft visibility; 3.3-mile loop around Jordan Pond.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Sign

2,700 ft deep slot canyon; base as narrow as 40 ft, carved in 2-billion-year-old rocks.

Natural Bridge Yellowstone

Two-span rhyolite arch over Bridge Creek; carved by erosion and freeze-thaw, reachable by a 2.5-mile hike.

Sawtell Peak

360-degree summit views over Paleozoic strata; lava flows from the Yellowstone hotspot.

Saint Mary Lake

Turquoise Saint Mary Lake runs 9.9 miles along Going-to-the-Sun Road, colored by rock flour.

Shoshone Lake

Black obsidian beaches frame Shoshone Lake—Yellowstone’s largest roadless backcountry lake.

Firehole Falls

40 ft cascade over rhyolite — roadside viewing, easily accessible.

Hickman Natural Bridge

133-ft Navajo Sandstone arch—erosion in action beneath Capitol Reef.

Grinnell Lake

Glacial rock flour colors Grinnell Lake turquoise; boat shuttle shortens the hike.

Avalanche Creek Picnic Area

Sandwich + jerky power combo; trail mix fuels the hike.

Uncompahgre National Forest

Dark canyon walls loom above the Gunnison River; two-billion-year-old basement rocks exposed by river erosion.

Sunset Point

Sunset Point: erosion-carved layered overlook in the Waterpocket Fold; sunset light reveals deep time.

Dead Horse Point State Park

Entrenched river meander; 2,000-ft drop; sandstone mesa carved by uplift and downcutting.

Lake McDonald

Lake McDonald — Glacier’s largest proglacial lake, 10 miles long along the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Head of the Rocks Overlook

Head of the Rocks Overlook: Slickrock Navajo Sandstone at 5,648 ft with a drive-up view on Scenic Byway 12.