If there's one word that could describe the United States, it's probably 'variety.' The country ranges from the Arctic to the subtropical, from the moist rain forest to the arid desert, from the rugged mountain peak to the flat prairie. And although it is home to some of the world's largest urban areas, the overall population density is relatively low and there are plenty of sites that are almost devoid of habitation.
So when Reddit user u/driedkitten made a post on the platform, asking others to name what they believe to be the most beautiful place in America, it's no surprise that the answers were also quite different from one another. But that's what makes this online thread interesting. It illustrates just how colorful the US really is and can even act as sort of a bucket list for anyone planning to go there.
This post may include affiliate links.
I’m incredibly biased, but the most beautiful place is the California redwoods. Drive up 101, and then detour towards Petrolia. There is absolutely nothing like it. Roll down your windows and drive 35mph. Smell the old growth. Stop at the pull out. Take a small hike. It’s worth it.
strongy78 replied:
Yes, 100%. My brother lives in McKinleyville and I am going to see him the end of April. Can't wait. It's my happy place. They are like the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls... you have to see them to believe them. Those redwoods are something else!
Na Pali coast and Kalalau Valley on Kauai.
BD401 replied:
Ludicrous I had to scroll this far to find Na Pali coast. I’ve been to around forty states - there is a LOT of incredibly scenic stuff in the US, but Na Pali is next level.
We managed to get in touch with u/driedkitten and they were kind enough to have a little chat with us about the thread that they started.
"I received a notification on my iPhone to look at my featured photos of the day," the Redditor told Bored Panda about its origins. "One of the pictures was of Paradise Valley in Sequoia National Park. I have looked at this picture a thousand times before and it still blows me away. I was raised in the central California desert, and was so lucky to live less than half a tank of gas from the coast, mountains, and forests."
"A conversation I had with an old friend resurfaced. I had made a comment — admittedly, at the time, not much of a traveler — of how the United States is dismal in physical beauty compared to much of the rest of the world (a world I never even traveled to!). My friend scoffed at me saying 'If you truly think that, then you haven't seen enough of it.' They were right. Since then, I have seen much more of the United States and the beauty it beholds. With that, there is so much of it I have yet to see that so many others have... and that is how the question of 'Where is the most beautiful place in the United States?' The US has such an extensive landscape — coastal plains, mountain ranges, plains, forests, deserts, skylines, and flats."
Yosemite! You drive thru the tunnel and come out the other side. Looks like heaven / utopia.
ThrustersToFull replied:
Did a hike in Yosemite on January 1 last year. A spectacular way to start the year. I had seen photos of it, seen it in movies, watched countless videos on Youtube about it but -nothing- prepares you for the sight of El Cap as you turn that corner. I was very nearly moved to tears.
I’ve never been, but whenever I’m talking to someone who has been to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they talk about it like it’s better than any heaven they can imagine.
u/driedkitten said that Alaska was hands down the most popular area in the thread, followed by Hawaii, California, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone national parks, and Colorado.
Some of the replies also challenged u/driedkitten's preconceived notions about what constitutes a beautiful place. "In writing my question and the personal response I had a tunnel vision of what answers to expect: nature — mountains, beaches, canyons. And, as expected, many of the responses were as such. But many were not!"
"Many folks picked skylines, like Manhattan's. Others associated beauty with nostalgia and the comfort of being close to home. I love the desert, but many do not. But it did come as surprise that some responses with Joshua Tree and Death Valley," they added.
East side of Oahu or Maui.
frodoslostfinger replied:
Black sand beach on Maui was the most beautiful place I've been to.
Glacier National Park. I was continuously in awe that the place was real life.
tastygrrrl replied:
The vistas of this road, on a motorcycle, were beyond breathtaking to experience. Would 100% do it again. Being on a bike allowed for stops at the waterfalls where there was no room for vehicles to pull over, and the views from the tunnels under the road were supernatural.
Glacier National Park is on my bucket lists of gorgeous places to visit for hiking and photography. I am glad that I got to see a glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska as I understand that they are receding each year due to climate change.
Big Sur.
Heaven on Earth, in my opinion.
Big Sur is one of the most spectacular places. Simply driving up or down the one will leave you breathless. You think you've seen a beautiful bend, then you hit the next turn.
Havasu Falls, no picture does it justice.
If you visit Havasu Falls in Arizona, please respect that they falls are located on Havasupai tribal land. You will need to obtain a permit from the Havasupai tribe. Please understand that this is sacred land you are hiking on.
Pictured Rocks, Michigan. Unexpectedly incredibly breathtakingly beautiful.
Subjective of course, but Crater Lake is certainly a sight to behold.
Commercial-Layer1629 replied:
On a clear,sunny day, there is no more beautiful place on earth than Crater Lake. Stunning blue water. Mountains all around…
My vote is Bryce Canyon in Utah. It's breathtaking.
It was in December when I was fortunate enough to visit - snow dusted and glinting in the early evening sunlight. Beautiful.
If you want ocean - Carmel/Big Sur
Mountains - Yosemite
Desert - Joshua Park
Forest - Redwood National and State Park
You might have guessed I'm from California.
That's why I'm so happy to be from California and still live here. I can see all those beautiful things and such majestic variety and still have my reproductive Rights protected no matter where I go! (I'm kidding but kind of not kidding either)
Silver Falls State Park outside Salem, OR. Nine waterfalls along a very narrow canyon. The water falls 50-200 feet and hits the rocks below, turning to mist. The mist travels back up the canyon walls and collects on the foliage. It is a perpetual rain forest. There is long, stringy lichen that hangs from the tree branches making it look like a scary Disney forest. A few of the larger falls have paths that you can walk behind the falls.
Tetons on a clear day are beautiful.
the little boy in my head still giggles at the name. In the 80s I was based in Idaho Falls for a while. At the time the town was fairly conservative and heavily influenced by the Mormons. the local liquor store gave you your purchase in a plain brown paper bag. So I chuckled the day I realized the big mall in town (only one at the time) was named the "Big Nipple Mall" (or breast depending on your source), just in a different language. I get it was named after the mountain / range but still, some folks had to sit around and decide that was going to be the name. And also - yes, pretty mountains.
I’m gonna throw a curveball and say the Badlands of South Dakota. There’s never anyone there, and you can hike pretty much the whole place. It’s so peaceful.
The Appalachian trail in upstate New York or the Ozark mountains in Missouri or white sands New Mexico. All beautiful for different reasons but equally awesome
ericj5150 replied:
Camped at White Sands under a Full Moon. 2am under a full moon was crazy beautiful and very cool. The Moon reflecting off the White Sand. It was incredible how bright it was.
White Sands is great. Went with family. Kids had a great time and so did I.
The Shenandoah Valley. Its an amazing place if you're an outdoorsman. Hiking, fishing, hunting, bird watching, camping.
Almost heaven, West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River Life is old there, older than the trees Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze...
Mount Rainier.
Wise_Ad_4816 replied:
If I stand right at the doorjamb of my front door on a clear day, I have a beautiful view. I owned this house for 15 years before I figured that out. You can't see it from any other position in the doorway, or if you're outside.
Love this. Growing up I stared out the window of my grandparents' house at this beauty every day!
Glacier Bay, Alaska.
Downtown_Skill replied:
I've been to tons of national parks (Yosemite being my favorite) but Alaska's one of the places that's always been on the top of my list. I always viewed Alaska as the most beautiful place in the US. Denali national park looks unreal too as well as the Bering land bridge and the Arctic parks. It's just another world up there.
slade357 replied:
Alaska is just cheating. There's so many different places with such different sights and all of them are breathtaking. There's this specific period of fall where a certain grass begins to die and turns orange. So on one mountain you have bright green grass with patches of deep orange, blue and purple wildflowers, black rock, and white snow on top. An explosion of color all on one mountain.
San Juan mountains of southern Colorado.
I agree. The San Juans are absolutely spectacular, particularly in the early evening when the mountains turn pink with alpenglow.
A tie for Acadia, Hoh rainforest, and Rainier in the fall.
NunChuckNorris007 replied: "I was going to say Acadia. It's very underrated for some reason. My mom's friend by coincidence ended up being my English professor in college and we went on a trip to see family in ME. We stopped at Acadia for a day and she said it reminded her a lot of her visit to Greece."
Hal9000_Red_Eye replied: "Hoh rainforest is absolutely devastatingly beautiful. Hiked the whole Hoh river trail when I was 17 and it's still near the top of the list for my favorite things I've ever done."
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
ControlYourPoison replied:
This was my response. It's one of my favorite places on Earth.
Big Bend National Park. It gets no press and it is beautiful.
I think it depends on what you like. In my opinion I like the New England states because I’ve seen pictures of the autumns that they have there. It’s the perfect place for Halloween. I love everything related to horror. And Maine is the state where lots of horror stories from Stephen King books take place.
Everyone's talking about nature and landscapes for obvious reasons but all joking aside large American cities are absolutely beautiful for distinctly American reasons. San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, DC, NYC, Chicago, Boston. American cities are just built differently than the rest of the world. And those are just the large ones - Portland, Annapolis, Savannah, Austin, Nashville.
Oh yeah not to mention American girls in American cities.
Washington DC. The architecture is amazing and all of the Smithsonian museums have free admission, and in spring the cherry blossoms are blooming
Red Rock Canyon in Nevada. If you like deserts, it's pretty as hell.
I've been fortunate enough to have been in over half the states. California is absolutely gorgeous in the "wild" areas. The Pacific Northwest as people have also noted. The red rocks of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah are absolutely breathtaking. It's hard to believe sometimes that the color is actually real. The Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee are also beautiful, especially when they are covered in the "smoke" that gives them their names. The beaches of Hawaii, and actually the green that is the island of Kauai are also otherworldly. I haven't yet been to the Dakotas, but it's in my bucket list because I want to see Mount Rushmore. I have a friend who took pictures and it doesn't seem real.
Ditto on Crater Lake that others have mentioned.
And then, of course, there are the cities. Now whether or not they can be classified as beautiful remains to be seen, but some of them are legendary and it's worth visiting.
I lived in AZ and I have to say, unless you're REALLY into barren dirt and red rocks, I would skip it. Go to Colorado or Utah or some of the other suggestions here. Driving is a little scary because you can be on a road for miles and miles with no signs of life. It's incredibly hot. And the pictures you see are very stylized. I mean...the skyline is very pretty and the rocks are fine but I just feel like you can see even better things without risking damage to your car or being stranded like you do in AZ.
Point Reyes Lighthouse - the view of the shore from on the cliff will change your life.
The Florida Keys.
HawaiianBrian replied:
That water. Omg, the perfect color and temperature
Depends on what you’re looking for. The United States is a big place.
For me - Hawaii is hard to beat.
you might want to try the rest of Polynesia then : bora-bora-...bdf76a.jpg 
Lake Superior shoreline, Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Appalachian Mountains. Specifically in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina.
Hocking Hills state parks, Ohio. All of them.
Much of Utah and quite a bit of Colorado.
Beauty is subjective. The US has an amazing amount of different environments in it. The two main mountain ranges have beautiful peaks. and wonderful scenery.
The east coast and lowlands have amazing areas, gorgeous sunsets, and brilliant people.
The Florida keys are fantastic for diving.
The Midwest has beautiful areas (mostly around the blackhills) but rolling fields and wonderful small towns.
The west coast have amazing areas where you can snowboard in the morning and swim in the ocean at night if you like.
The southwest is home to breathtaking rock formations.
The north west have beautiful forests.
The gulf states have mesmerizing swamps.
Alaska is known for its wilderness and glaciers and Hawaii is known for its beaches.
Guam is a rainforest island as well.
The US is full of beauties. I highly recommend checking out the national forests.
The Great Smoky Mountains.
I live here. This place is breathtaking especially during the fall with the color changes.
There is a stretch of the Navajo reservation where there is no cell service, AM or FM radio reception. The road stretches before you for miles surrounded by red rocks touching blue sky. The buzzing undercurrent of modern connectivity fades away and your brain can be truly still.
KaleidoscopeWeird310 replied:
We did a little unscheduled off-roading in that area when we came to a road closed barrier. A Navajo couple pulled up alongside us while we pondered the dirt road heading roughly in the direction we wanted to go and assured us it was passable. Really lonely place... but wonderful.
Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in northern Minnesota. Water so clear you can see the bottom of the lake. Loons, moose, beavers, bear, pine trees. the beauty is also in the quiet - motorized boats are only allowed on a few lakes. Everywhere else it's canoe, portage, or hike. It's very quiet. There's also very little light pollution so you can really see the stars. But I do have to warn you about the mosquitos swarms at the portages.
Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan!
Been there when I was a kid and I still remember it. Mostly my stepfather's mother telling me the legend of the dunes.
The Adirondacks (upper NY State).
This may not be super big or grand, but in certain areas on the inner elbow of Cape Cod, you can look out over the ocean on a decent day, and see the tip of where Cape Cod ends.
It's not much, but it's a pretty remarkable sight to see at least once.
As a girl who loves the desert, Grand Canyon National Park on the backroads at night. Hermits rest past the busses closing is absolutely gorgeous, its so quiet and you can see the still water at the bottom and its just beautiful.
I've been here I don't believe there is a picture ever made that can do it Justice. It's just gorgeous especially at sunrise.
Northern Wisconsin. It may not be the most visually stunning, but there's a peacefulness there I have never felt anywhere else on this entire planet.
It's not as flashy as the other places mentioned, but I live here and still am struck by its beauty every day, so I'll say the Driftless region in Wisconsin.
I am particular to Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico, but I may have a slight bias. I really like the Painted Canyon in western North Dakota in the summer, and while it’s not naturally beautiful, the National Mall in Washington DC can be gorgeous at night.
There's a spot on Angel Island in San Francisco where you can look around and see the entire city around you, and maybe the waters of the bay will be green and glassy if it's a sunny day.
Glad to see some love for deserts.
I went to Death Valley NP and fell in love with salt flats
I went to Elmira, New York back in 2019 to visit my grandmother. It was so beautiful. Rivers and bridges were pretty much every few square miles. Forests and trees surrounded that small town. The air was very pure. And the people there were very friendly and old fashioned. I loved that place a lot.
Not going to be the most popular but the Driftless area of NE Iowa in the fall is amazing. Even in summer when everything is green is a sight to behold. Getting to Decorah is like entering a whole new world.
Waipio Valley just outside of Hilo. Specifically the White Road hike to the rim. I got to do it maybe 20 years ago, before it became inaccessible. Absolutely breathtaking.
Also, the drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on a BRIGHT, sunny day is 👌
The Gulf Coast, more specifically Gulf Shores, AL and anything east of it. Check out the Emerald Coast in the FL panhandle.
Mountains are gorgeous and the Keyes are breathtaking, but I think the Tennessee hill country is the most beautiful place in the US. Just don’t stop to talk to the locals when you’re in the sticks, cause, like, the klan.
Really? I've been to hill country more times than I can count, I'm jewish on my mother's side, have many friends there who know this, and nobody ever bothered me.
North Dakota. January. White snow in the horizon dozens of miles ahead of you. Blue skies, orange sunset. Crisp smell. By yourself- you become the only person on this beautiful white earth. And nobody else cares about where you are, and nobody else wants to join you - because to them, where you are is a joke. Their loss.
As a North Dakotan, I appreciate this post. I'd highly recommend NOT coming during the winter though. It's much more beautiful looking at rolling hills of wheat!
Depends on what you like. If you want some good red rock, Zion National Park in southern Utah is breathtaking. In fact, most parks in central and southern Utah are truly phenomenal. Moab has arches that are absolutely incredible and mind blowing. I highly recommend spending time traveling the national and state parks of Utah, especially southern Utah.
Driving though the Rockies during sunset or sundown. I've driven through most of this country and everytime I make a drive through CO, I make sure to time it just right. Stunning 😍
I like the Huntington Library in Pasadena California.
And the gardens around the mansion are amazing! So is the Arboretum in Arcadia, where I went to high school—-the jungle there us where they filmed the old Tarzan movies back in the 1930s, and the resident peacocks are so protected that, if the wander outside the Arboretum and onto the surrounding roads, they can stop traffic (of course, if you hit and either injure or kill one, you are going to f*****g regret it).
Pacific Northwest would be high on the list. Alaska.
Maine Coast in the summertime.
Kauai in Hawaii.
Hudson River Valley
Vermont especially in the fall.
But man it's really hard to beat the Pacific Northwest. So many breathtaking places. Columbia River Gorge, Olympic Mountains, Cascades, on and on.
As far as picturesque urban places obviously Seattle, San Francisco, LA from Newport Beach down to San Clemente, Denver, San Diego especially La Jolla, Miami along the Macarthur Causeway, the drive from Jersey City to Nyack along the Hudson River with the Manhattan skyline across the river, I've seen some unbelievable sunsets in Las Vegas when the sun sets behind the mountains and lights up the sky in electric colors.
As far as places that I found ugly or visually uninteresting, that list is easy. Sacramento, Memphis, Baltimore, Philly, Newark (and surroundings), Albuquerque, Amarillo, most of New Orleans outside of the French quarter and St Charles, most of south Florida that's not on the coast, Modesto, San Bernardino, Riverside, Jacksonville, Mobile, Springfield Massachusetts, Bridgeport Connecticut. I also didn't care for Honolulu, which isn't horrible but I think the rest of Oahu is nicer.
But your list of “ugly” cities includes cities with other attractions. History, food, music, diverse neighborhoods. Philadelphia is where the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. Baltimore has the Inner Harbor, Maryland Blue Crabs, and the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Memphis has barbecue, the blues, the Mississippi River, and Graceland. And there are always the local people in those cities to get to know. If you put aside your biases, you can find great stuff to see in just about every city, whether they’re aesthetically beautiful or not.
You know why we bash it? Because every post is based on that you live in America!! There's a bigger world out there you know!
Load More Replies... All in all, even though America is in a horrid political climate now, with healthcare and housing problems and all, I think of the gorgeous nature for miles and I once again feel happy that I am an American.
Please continue to do everything to protect it. I'm Canadian and was very happy to see everyday US citizens fight to prevent the pipeline between our countries. DO not grant political power to people who think National Parks are simply a form of wildlife Disney theme park that should allow recreational vehicles and "development" or that "public land" means allowing stripping it of its trees or pulling things out of the Earth. The animals who live across our two countries have no concept of borders when they migrate, so their habitats must be protected. We are fighting the same fights here.
Load More Replies...
You know why we bash it? Because every post is based on that you live in America!! There's a bigger world out there you know!
Load More Replies... All in all, even though America is in a horrid political climate now, with healthcare and housing problems and all, I think of the gorgeous nature for miles and I once again feel happy that I am an American.
Please continue to do everything to protect it. I'm Canadian and was very happy to see everyday US citizens fight to prevent the pipeline between our countries. DO not grant political power to people who think National Parks are simply a form of wildlife Disney theme park that should allow recreational vehicles and "development" or that "public land" means allowing stripping it of its trees or pulling things out of the Earth. The animals who live across our two countries have no concept of borders when they migrate, so their habitats must be protected. We are fighting the same fights here.
Load More Replies...