Favorite scenic place that's not in a National Park that you have visited

[dnc]

I won't even pole this one because there's billions of options. What's the coolest place for natural beauty you have been to that isn't in a National Park (or looking at one, so not "my favorite view of Mount Rainier is at _____________)?

I've been blessed to see a bunch of really cool places from name stuff like Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Four Corners and Monument Valley to hidden gems like Chimney Rock and Hickory Nut Falls in NC and Hell in the Cayman Islands.

I love all those places and many more but I think Monument Valley was my favorite. It's well known for a reason. Kinda surreal visiting a place like that you've seen in a hundred movies, commercials and pictures.

 

[RaceBannon]

I love the high desert.

 

[backthepack]

Santa Barbara hikes/beaches.

 

[dnc]

I love the high[/b] desert.

I'm surprised I'm surprised

 

[CFetters_Nacho_Lover]

- Garden of the Gods is pretty fucking cool.

- My commute to Fort Carson had me going westbound up and over a hill that gave an awesome view of Pike's Peak at sunrise.

- Anything in Maltby.

 

[dnc]

- Garden of the Gods is pretty fucking cool.

- My commute to Fort Carson had me going westbound up and over a hill that gave an awesome view of Pike's Peak at sunrise.

- Anything in Maltby.

I expected to love the drive up Pike's Peak and be meh about Garden of the Gods but it was the other way around.

Royal Gorge is another cool spot a little further out of the Springs.

The Black Hills and Needles Highway deserve mention as well.

 

[YellowSnow]

Domestic travel only ?

If I can use @Logistics might have to go international.

 

[dnc]

Domestic travel only ?

If I can use @Logistics might have to go international.

I mentioned Grand Cayman above as a nod to all you international travelers. It's all up for grabs. Maybe your favorite domestic and foreign spot?

 

[YellowSnow]

Domestic travel only ?

If I can use @Logistics might have to go international.

I mentioned Grand Cayman above as a nod to all you international travelers. It's all up for grabs. Maybe your favorite domestic and foreign spot?

I can never pick one domestically, so I will go with my backyard.

 

[dnc]

Domestic travel only ?

If I can use @Logistics might have to go international.

I mentioned Grand Cayman above as a nod to all you international travelers. It's all up for grabs. Maybe your favorite domestic and foreign spot?

I can never pick one domestically, so I will go with my backyard.

That Bachelor?

 

[YellowSnow]

International...

 

[dnc]

Domestic travel only ?

If I can use @Logistics might have to go international.

I mentioned Grand Cayman above as a nod to all you international travelers. It's all up for grabs. Maybe your favorite domestic and foreign spot?

I can never pick one domestically, so I will go with my backyard.

That Bachelor?

Domestic travel only ?

If I can use @Logistics might have to go international.

I mentioned Grand Cayman above as a nod to all you international travelers. It's all up for grabs. Maybe your favorite domestic and foreign spot?

I can never pick one domestically, so I will go with my backyard.

That Bachelor?

NM, South Sister

 

[YellowSnow]

Domestic travel only ?

If I can use @Logistics might have to go international.

I mentioned Grand Cayman above as a nod to all you international travelers. It's all up for grabs. Maybe your favorite domestic and foreign spot?

I can never pick one domestically, so I will go with my backyard.

That Bachelor?

Close. South Sister.

 

[dnc]

International...

 

[chuck]

My favorites are all places I had to work to get to and most of them are waterfalls. My favorite is probably Rush Creek falls in the Lewis River basin. Two hellish miles upstream on a raging creek flowing through a narrow, almost vertical canyon choked with virgin timber -


The entire stream looks like this for two miles...high gradient and ripping even in late summer (it's spring fed).

And eventually you arrive at this -


Bring a snack. The walk back out is a slog. Theres another way in from above but I've never been that way.

And fuck off anyways. The fewer people walking around in there the better!

 

[dnc]

My favorites are all places I had to work to get to and most of them are waterfalls. My favorite is probably Rush Creek falls in the Lewis River basin. Two hellish miles upstream on a raging creek flowing through a narrow, almost vertical canyon choked with virgin timber -
View attachment 35146

The entire stream looks like this for two miles...high gradient and ripping even in late summer (it's spring fed).

And eventually you arrive at this -
View attachment 35147

Bring a snack. The walk back out is a slog. Theres another way in from above but I've never been that way.

And fuck off anyways. The fewer people walking around in there the better!

You were at the top of the list of people I was hoping wood chime in on this.

@dflea and @Swaye as well.

 

[CFetters_Nacho_Lover]

- Garden of the Gods is pretty fucking cool.

- My commute to Fort Carson had me going westbound up and over a hill that gave an awesome view of Pike's Peak at sunrise.

- Anything in Maltby.

I expected to love the drive up Pike's Peak and be meh about Garden of the Gods but it was the other way around.

Royal Gorge is another cool spot a little further out of the Springs.

The Black Hills and Needles Highway deserve mention as well.

I lived in Colorado Springs off & on (deployments and shit) for about 3 years and never went to either Pike's Peak or GotG while I was there. Went back in 2017 and someone recommend GotG over Pike's Peak. It was worth it.

I've driven through the Black Hills and it was nice. I drove through eastern Montana and western North Dakota. Both were fucking spectacular from what I saw. I didn't have tim to stop as I had a long way to go and a short tim to get there.

 

[dnc]

- Garden of the Gods is pretty fucking cool.

- My commute to Fort Carson had me going westbound up and over a hill that gave an awesome view of Pike's Peak at sunrise.

- Anything in Maltby.

I expected to love the drive up Pike's Peak and be meh about Garden of the Gods but it was the other way around.

Royal Gorge is another cool spot a little further out of the Springs.

The Black Hills and Needles Highway deserve mention as well.

I lived in Colorado Springs off & on (deployments and shit) for about 3 years and never went to either Pike's Peak or GotG while I was there. Went back in 2017 and someone recommend GotG over Pike's Peak. It was worth it.

I've driven through the Black Hills and it was nice. I drove through eastern Montana and western North Dakota. Both were fucking spectacular from what I saw. I didn't have tim to stop as I had a long way to go and a short tim to get there.

I hate eastern Montana but I've spent way too many days there (mom's[/s] other dad's parents lived there. Wasn't a big fan of most of western ND either though I do want to check out Teddy Roosevelt NP one day, I've just kinda of driven the edge of it two or three tims.

Western SD is tits.

Shoutout Governor Noem!

 

[RaceBannon]

There is a piece of the Oregon Trail on the old pass from Nebraska into Wyoming. The badlands made me think of it because we had gone south in South Dakota through the badlands to the classy state of Nebraska

You can touch the wagon ruts and read the graffiti on the cliffs from the 1800s. Pretty cool

 

[dnc]

Beartooth Highway is another one that deserves mention. We drove it one night coming northeast out of Yellastone in the fog and hail. Scary as hell.

In daylight the view at the top is about as good as it gets.