Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is one of the greatest natural attractions on Earth. It’s a vast and visually powerful landscape with plunging cliffs and variegated colors slashing across the ancient rocks. Known for its multihued toned, the colors of the rocks change color through the course of the day, culminating in a spectacular sunset. It also …

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Why You Should Visit the Grand Canyon in Winter Instead of Summer

A snow storm moving across the Grand Canyon in the winter.

The question of when you should travel to the Grand Canyon is an important one because the timing of your visit will greatly impact your vacation in a variety of ways. When visiting in the summer, you have a few more lodging options and both canyon rims are open, but you’ll face crowds, increased prices, …

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Wapusk National Park, Manitoba

Wapusk National Park, Manitoba

Wapusk National Park is a Canadian National Park located outside of Churchill, Manitoba. It is a sub-arctic park which is located along the shore of Hudson Bay and it is home to one of the largest polar bear denning areas in the world. The word “wapusk” comes from the Cree word for polar bear. The …

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Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park: In 1932 Waterton Lakes National Park (Alberta, Canada) was combined with the Glacier National Park (Montana, United States) to form the world’s first International Peace Park. Situated on the border between the two countries and offering outstanding scenery, the park is exceptionally rich in plant …

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Olympic National Park, Washington

Olympic National Park

From the World Heritage inscription for Olympic National Park: Located in the northwest of Washington State, Olympic National Park is renowned for the diversity of its ecosystems. Glacier-clad peaks interspersed with extensive alpine meadows are surrounded by an extensive old growth forest, among which is the best example of intact and protected temperate rainforest in …

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina

From the World Heritage inscription for Great Smoky Mountains National Park: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a major North American refuge of temperate zone flora and fauna that survived the Pleistocene glaciations. The park includes the largest remnant of the diverse Arcto-Tertiary geoflora era left in the world and provides an indication of …

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Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

From the World Heritage inscription for Carlsbad Caverns National Park: The more than 100 limestone caves within Carlsbad Caverns National Park are outstanding and notable worldwide because of their size, mode of origin, and the abundance, diversity, and beauty of the speleothems (decorative rock formations) within. On-going geologic processes continue to form rare and unique …

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Statue of Liberty National Monument

Statue of Liberty UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for the Statue of Liberty: The Statue of Liberty, a hollow colossus composed of thinly pounded copper sheets over a steel framework, stands on an island at the entrance to New York Harbor. It was designed by sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi in collaboration with engineer Gustave Eiffel and was a gift …

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Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

From the World Heritage inscription for Mammoth Cave National Park: Mammoth Cave is the most extensive cave system in the world, with over 285 miles (456 km) of surveyed cave passageways within the property (and at least another 80 miles [128 km] outside the property). The park illustrates a number of stages of the Earth’s …

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