15 Weirdest Places to Visit in the U.S.
With so many travel limitations these days, we know that you’re just dying to get back to your world travels, and we want to provide something wild and off the beaten track to keep you occupied.
So, we came up with this list of the 15 strangest natural United States sites to fulfill your fancies this summer. Everything on this list is a natural structure... and everything on this list is weird. There’s never a dull moment across the United States landscape, as you’re about to discover.
Before you head out for your next destination, make sure to pick up a Newverest Trek Scratcher to track your journeys!
Okay, let’s get started!
Mendenhall Ice Caves: Alaska
It is a truly mystifying experience to be, quite literally, inside of a glacier! But, you have to earn it (we think that’s part of the fun). Apart from the blistering cold, it’s tricky to get to these glaciers, but it’s so worth it. The ice caves can only be reached by kayaking to it. Upon your arrival, you still have to hike to make it to the caves. However, it is truly another world once you get inside. It feels like you’re in some kind of exotic space aquarium!
The Wave: Arizona
The Wave is a bizarre formation of sandstone that is characterized by rolling coils that resemble rippling ocean tides. It also requires a difficult hike to reach it. It has protections in place in order to preserve its natural wonder. However, it is open to visitors who request a permit, as long as its beauty is respected!
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Badlands: New Mexico
Exploring the Bisti Badlands feels like you’re stepping onto some sort of extraterrestrial planet! It features attractive rock hoodoos that stand like tall and strange natural statues overlooking the vast wilderness. Various activities are offered there, such as hiking and camping.
Badwater Basin: California
Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation site in all of North America at over 280 feet below sea level. It’s an intriguing location due to enormous salt flats that form from rapid water evaporation. This gives it the appearance of a winter tundra, even though temperatures there frequently reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s pretty trippy!
Grand Prismatic Spring: Wyoming
Located in Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Prismatic Spring is the biggest hot spring in the United States. But that’s not the only thing that makes this spot special. The spring is called “prismatic” for a reason. It features shocking rainbow-like colors that truly make it visually stunning.
The Banyan Tree: Hawaii
Presented as a gift from Indian missionaries, the Banyan Tree in Maui is the largest of its species in the United States. It was planted in 1873 and has grown to be about 60 feet tall! The interesting thing about Banyan Trees is their multiplicity of trunks that form from aerial roots of the tree. The Banyan Tree in Hawaii has 16 trunks (not counting the main trunk) and the width of its canopy spans across half an acre of land!
Petrified Forest National Park: Arizona
This strange forest in Arizona consists of fossilized tree trunks from the Mesozoic era that have slowly solidified into hard quartz over millions of years. The place looks like it’s trapped in time, as if you’re traversing an ancient ground - which, of course, you are!
Carlsbad Caverns: New Mexico
New Mexico features one of the most incredibly beautiful caves in all of North America. What sets this cave site apart is the striking coloration of the cave walls that consist of multicolored limestone. It also houses glorious underground chambers that make you feel like you’re in a completely new world.
Kelso Dunes: California
The gorgeous Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert are so smooth and large, you can sandboard or go offroading. They are vast, rolling hills of rich sands that rise up to about 650 feet in some areas.
Horseshoe Bend: Arizona
Horseshoe Bend is a small portion of the Colorado River that elegantly wraps around the walls of the Grand Canyon. The water is marked by gorgeous yellows, greens, and blues that developed due to the minerals from the rock that it carves through.
Na Pali Coast: Hawaii
The coastline of Na Pali contains beautiful rock formations with vibrant hues of greens, auburn, and everything in between. The sharp ridges of the rock and rich greenery seem to transport you to a Jurassic era - not to mention the lush waterfalls and beaches that the cliffs spill in to.
Devils Postpile: California
The Devils Postpile is one of the strangest natural monuments that the United States has to offer. It features hexagonal basalt columns that formed from glacial and volcanic shifts over a long period of time. (Either that, or it’s the work of aliens). These basalt structures are about 60 feet tall and even host a gorgeous waterfall.
Antelope Canyon: Arizona
The work of erosion over thousands of years has formed the sandstone wonderland that is Antelope Canyon. Heavy rainfall and flash floods have continuously filled the basin with water, creating exotic hallways and ridges along the walls. Natural art is not made in a day!
Bonneville Salt Flats: Utah
The salt flats of Bonneville form like sheets of white ice across a stunningly flat region. However, what truly makes this site beautiful is the way that the sky reflects off of the salt flats. This is the perfect place to view a transcendental sunset.
Devils Tower: Wyoming
Coming in at 1,267 feet, the Devils Tower is a lone igneous rock formation along the rich landscape of Wyoming. It was the first established National Monument in the United States and it is considered sacred by the indigenous people native to that region.
If you’re ready to begin exploring the weirdest natural wonders of America, this list will provide endless vacation time! We hope something on this bizarre list of sites grabbed your attention, and we wish you well on your many adventures.
