Natural Bridge State Park

Natural Bridge State Park

Taylor Cramer
State Park, Kentucky

An enormous 78ft long, 65ft. tall, rock arch hidden in forest in North-East Kentucky. Natural rock arches are usually associated with the Southwest, but there are over 150 arches within a five mile radius of the park. This area was heavily logged in the late nineteenth century but the lush forest here today shows how resilient nature can be. The park was originally a private tourist attraction owned by L&N Railroad but was donated to the state in 1926 and became one of Kentucky’s four original state parks later that year.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Taylor Cramer
Arizona, National Monument

This is the crown jewel of Arizona’s ruin national monuments, of which there are many. Although not actually a castle, the ancestral multi level housing complex perched high on a cliff side is formidable, overlooking the Wet Beaver Creek and the valley in the distance. This must have been a paradise in its heyday.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Taylor Cramer
State Park, Arizona

The centerpiece of the park is a natural bridge that stands over a 393ft long, 183ft tall, and 150ft wide tunnel. It is believed to be the largest travertine bridge in the world. The tunnel is so large it feels more like a cave. Pine Creek runs through the tunnel and creates a grotto oasis that has become a popular swimming hole for Arizonans looking to escape the summer heat. A small stream runs along the top of the bridge that plummets over its southern end.

Red Rock Canyon State Park

Red Rock Canyon State Park

Taylor Cramer
California, State Park

It’s hard to believe these weren’t built just to be used as backdrops for sci-fi films. Out of all of the rock formation I’ve ever called “otherworldly”, these cliffs are the most. The combination of sheer walls between layers of bulbous sandstone makes these cliffs look like they were made by someone who doesn’t quite know what cliffs should look like.

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

Taylor Cramer
Arizona, Utah

The famous Hoover Dam is known around the world. This impressive structure attracts tourists from all over and countless Southwest itineraries include a trip to this historic and monumental structure. Being only a one hour drive from the Las Vegas strip makes the dam a popular side trip from the neon capital of the world.

Trona Pinnacles

Trona Pinnacles

Taylor Cramer
California, More...

A series of otherworldly rock spires, some as tall as 140ft. These pinnacles formed on the lakebed when calcium rich springs interacted with minerals in the lake from as long ago as 100,000yrs to as recent as 11,000 years ago. Similar processes are still occurring today in Mono Lake, an incredibly alkaline (the opposite of acidic) lake ~200 miles north of here.

Valley of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire State Park

Taylor Cramer
State Park, Nevada

Nevada’s first and largest state park is almost completely unknown outside of the state, but it deserves the recognition of a national park. This is one of the last truly hidden gems. This small state park is still relatively popular so finding parking spots requires patience, and taking a photo without a stranger in it can be a challenge, but this park is more than worth the short drive from Las Vegas. This is an absolute must do if you’re in/near Las Vegas. It is less than an hour outside of Las Vegas and full of incredible natural features. You can see a few sights in an afternoon or take the entire day. It is worth every minute you spend in the park. You would never imagine there were so many treasures within a state park. 

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park

Taylor Cramer
South Dakota, National Park

South Dakota is often imagined as a droning monotony of flat prairies, but look at a topographic map of the state and you’ll see a slash cutting across the countryside, known as The Wall. The sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles expose the colorful sediments laid down over the course of 47 million years through the Cretaceous Period, during the time of dinosaurs.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Taylor Cramer
National Park, Texas

This is a park for hikers. The Natural Park Service has deliberately prevented development within the park, so there are only a few miles of paved roads within the park, and that’s just to get to trailheads or the visitors center. Towering over the Chihuahuan Desert, Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas. 

Letchworth State Park

Letchworth State Park

Taylor Cramer
State Park, New York

Being within an hour’s drive from both Rochester and Buffalo, this is a popular getaway destination for many Western New Yorkers. Three spectacular waterfalls, a glorious gorge, and miles of hiking trails make for an excellent escape from the hustle and bustle. Letchworth Gorge is the most dramatic in the region and is often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the East.

Grand Falls

Grand Falls

Taylor Cramer
Arizona, More...

20,000 years ago, the volcano that produced Merriam Crater spewed lava across the Arizona desert and dammed the Little Colorado River more than five miles away. Lava filled the small canyon carved by the little river and forced it to change direction northward before returning, hundreds of feet downstream, and plummeting over the canyon wall.

Plaza Blanca

Plaza Blanca

Taylor Cramer
New Mexico

An alien landscape of eroded white cliffs, towering pinnacles, and crags. I was drawn here by the prospect that parts of Star Wars: A New Hope were filmed here, but that is not the case. Nonetheless, this is a great place for an afternoon hike amongst otherworldly formations.

Babcock State Park

Babcock State Park

Taylor Cramer
West Virginia, State Park

Perhaps the most photogenic state park in the United States (after Niagara Falls), the Glad Creek Grist Mill looks like it was plucked straight from a storybook. The wood sided mill, the stone abutments of the bridge over the creek, the rusted water wheel, and the burbling rapids make it nearly impossible to take a bad picture. Merely 100ft away is a set of cascading waterfalls. Besides being your typical state park with camping, fishing, hiking, and boating, there isn’t a lot to do here, besides enjoy the sights of the mill and Glade Creek. The park itself isn’t necessarily worth a trip to (Nearest city is Charleston, WV, 67miles away) but a myriad of attractions along the way make this a great addition to a Saturday getaway. 

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Taylor Cramer
Texas, More...

This monument, located along the old Rt. 66 outside of Amarillo, has become an effigy to the fabled route through the Southwest and the spirit of the American road trip. Ten Cadillacs buried hood first in a field are an art installation and an homage to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin on car models ranging from 1948-63. A popular tradition to tag (spray paint) something onto the carcasses is a right of passage for travellers of the Mother Road. The paint is inches thick, and gives the car frames a cartoon-like bulbous appearance. Many people leave cans of spray paint for others to use, but please do not leave empty cans of spray paint or trash here. In 1997 the cars were dug up and moved to their current location to escape the expanding city limits of Amarillo.

Load More