united states of america

Grand Teton National Park is where the wild feels truly wild—jagged peaks slicing into the sky, glacial lakes reflecting landscapes so perfect they seem unreal, and wildlife that looks like it just walked out of a nature documentary. The Teton Range, rising almost abruptly from the valley floor, feels like nature’s own fortress, with Grand Teton towering at 13,775 feet, daring climbers and hikers alike. But you don’t have to summit anything to be blown away—the views from Jenny Lake, Schwabacher Landing, or Snake River Overlook are proof that this place doesn’t have bad angles.

Yellowstone National Park isn’t just a park—it’s a land alive with fire, water, and wildlife in a way that feels almost prehistoric. Sitting atop a supervolcano, it’s a place where the Earth literally breathes, where geysers like Old Faithful shoot boiling water sky-high, and where neon-colored hot springs like Grand Prismatic look too vivid to be real. But Yellowstone isn’t just about geothermal wonders—it’s also home to vast meadows where bison roam like they own the place (because, let’s be honest, they do ), wolves move like shadows across the Lamar Valley, and grizzlies lumber through the backcountry with the quiet confidence of top-tier apex predators.

Bryce Canyon National Park looks like another planet—like nature decided to ditch the usual mountain-and-lake routine and go full sculptor mode instead. The park’s signature hoodoos—tall, spindly rock spires carved by wind, water, and time—rise in fiery shades of red, orange, and pink, creating an amphitheater that feels like it belongs in a fantasy novel. Standing at Sunrise Point or Inspiration Point, you get this overwhelming sense that the Earth has been hard at work here, shaping and reshaping the landscape for millions of years.

Puerto Rico is the definition of vibrant—a place where history, culture, and nature collide in the most colorful way. One minute, you’re wandering the blue cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, surrounded by pastel buildings and centuries-old forts like El Morro and San Cristóbal, and the next, you’re deep in El Yunque National Forest, hiking through lush rainforest, chasing waterfalls, and listening to the symphony of coquí frogs. And then, just when you think Puerto Rico can’t get any more magical, you find yourself kayaking through Bioluminescent Bay, where the water literally glows beneath your paddle, like nature’s own neon light show.

Fairbanks, Alaska, in winter feels like the edge of the world—where the air is razor-sharp, the snow muffles everything into a frozen silence, and the Northern Lights turn the sky into a living, breathing canvas of green, purple, and blue. One of the best places on Earth to witness the aurora, Fairbanks offers countless ways to experience the magic, whether from a remote cabin, the panoramic heights of Murphy Dome, or while soaking in Chena Hot Springs, where the steam rises to meet the celestial light show above.

Drive the Badlands Loop Road, and every turn reveals something even more dramatic, from the sweeping views at Panorama Point to the fossil-rich terrain that once housed ancient rhinos and saber-toothed cats. Hike Notch Trail, where a rope ladder takes you up into the maze of badlands, or just stand in silence at sunset, watching the golden light set the rock formations on fire. And while the landscape steals the show, don’t forget the wildlife—bison roam the grasslands, bighorn sheep cling to cliffs, and prairie dogs pop up like tiny sentinels, keeping an eye on everything.

The Badlands are both unforgiving and unforgettable, a place that looks like it shouldn’t exist but somehow does, standing as a testament to the raw power of time, wind, and water.

The Grand Canyon isn’t just a canyon—it’s a mind-bending, earth-shattering, time-defying masterpiece that makes you question your own significance. Standing on the rim, staring into this vast chasm of layered rock that stretches for miles in every direction, you realize this isn’t just a hole in the ground—it’s a 277-mile-long, mile-deep storybook of Earth’s history, with pages made of rock dating back nearly two billion years. It’s so massive that it doesn’t even feel real, like your brain refuses to fully process the scale of it. This place is so mental that I have been there 4 times! And will go there many times over.

Hidden beneath the Arizona desert, this slot canyon is a masterpiece of light and shadow. The real magic happens when the sunlight sneaks through the narrow openings above, casting beams of light that look like something out of a fantasy film. In Upper Antelope Canyon, these shafts of light pierce through the darkness, illuminating the swirling walls in an almost supernatural glow. Meanwhile, Lower Antelope Canyon is narrower, requiring ladders and a bit of scrambling, making it feel even more like an adventure into the Earth itself.