While America boasts plenty of obvious tourist destinations, it’s often the lesser known locations that surprise and become the experience of a lifetime. These surprising places have so much personality to give based on beauty, backstory and more intimate explorations inspired.
1. Great Basin National Park, Nevada
This national park is located in the southeast corner of the state, bordering Utah. It has mountain lakes, ancient bristlecone pines. Some of the darkest skies in all of the United States. This national park is about as out of the way as it gets without tourist traffic.
2. Apostle Islands, Wisconsin
This collection of islands on Lake Superior shaped by water and wind is home to sea caves, beaches like none you’ve ever seen and lighthouses. Access via kayak or boat ensure that this region is just as isolated as it is picturesque, especially off season.
3. Custer, South Dakota
While many people flock to South Dakota to witness Mount Rushmore, Custer is an equally impressive hidden gem boasting granite spires, rolling prairie, bison and a Western feel that seems like more of a town than a scenic drive with trails leading to impressive locations.
4. Bisbee, Arizona
This lesser traveled town feels like a step back in time. Part formerly in mining town, part quaint, artsy welcome, it’s famous for homes of various colors on the hillsides and community artistic installations in quirky places unlike any resort towns known across the rest of Arizona.
5. Cumberland Island, Georgia
This barrier island is one of the last untamed places in America boasting wild horses on untamed beaches and maritime forests. With a limited number of daily visitors permitted, it’s a beautiful experience to exist on the Atlantic without resortedness.
6. North Cascades Highway, Washington
The most beautiful drive in America (that not many people take)! Snow capped mountains, bluer than blue lakes—every bend is more beautiful than the last.
7. Marfa, Texas
Small and mysterious, Marfa completely merges minimalist art with the vastness of desert landscapes. The curiosity of the visitors regarding the lights is the reason they travel there but the creative energy and unexpected calmness are the reasons they stay.
8. Driftless Area, Iowa and Wisconsin
The last Ice Age made this region escapable and it left behind a land of rolling hills, limestone rises, and river valleys filled with silence. It has a pastoral and timeless feeling that is ideal for slow driving, eating at local diners, and scenic overlook.
9. Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Lassen is often skipped for Yosemite, but it still has to offer steaming vents, volcanic peaks, and crystalline lakes besides the landscapes changing fast as you roam around thus giving you a stunning insight into the earth’s raw forces without the crowds.
10. Door County, Wisconsin
A peninsula with small towns, cherry orchards, and scenic views all over is what Door County is made of. It is the place where the relaxed atmosphere of the coast connects with the warm friendly nature of Midwest making it a perfect destination for those who love small delights and beautiful sunsets.
11. White Sands National Park, New Mexico
The endless white dunes are stretched under the wide open sky thus forming a nearly surreal place. A walk in this area is like entering another world especially during the sunrise and sunset when the terrain shines softly and silence reigns.
12. Hells Canyon, Oregon and Idaho
The Grand Canyon is deeper but the dramatic gorge that is less visited also offers river adventures, wild trails, and marvelous views. It is one of the places in the US where you can still be reminded of how large and wild the wilderness is.
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