North America is much less popular among Russian tourists than in Europe and Asia. Some travelers are stopped by a long flight across the ocean, others are confused by high prices. And besides, thanks to Hollywood in the minds of many of the USA, these are huge cities and skyscrapers or small, calm (and boring) towns with similar two-story houses. However, America has something to brag about in terms of natural attractions, many of which are capable of striking to the depths of the soul.
In one article, it is impossible to cover everything at once, so here are only the most interesting and popular places. They are selected here so that they can be visited in one trip. All of them are located in the neighboring states - Arizona, Utah, California and Nevada.
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is undoubtedly the most famous natural landmark and the greatest pride of America. It is inferior to some other canyons in its beauty, but it definitely wins in terms of size and grandeur - just think about it, its length is almost 450 kilometers, its width reaches 30 kilometers, and its depth is more than 2 kilometers! In order to see the Grand Canyon in all its glory, you can go on a tour by helicopter and fly above it or look at it from one of the viewing platforms, while the canyon looks completely different from different sides.
If the view from above is not enough, you can go down to its bottom. Again, the easiest and fastest way is to pay for a helicopter tour, but the most sporty one is to do pedestrian trekking. Such a walk takes more than 10 hours and, as a rule, includes an overnight stay downstairs, because in one day it is almost impossible to make this trip, especially in summer, in the heat. The intermediate option between the helicopter and the pedestrian trekking is downhill on horseback, this method is also popular.
Antelope Canyon
Against the backdrop of the giant Grand Canyon, the Antelope Canyon looks like a kid, but this does not prevent him from being fantastic and unreal beautiful! This is one of the most unusual and fascinating canyons in America - from the side it is not visible, it is located in a crevice, and the entrance looks like a narrow crack in the ground, past which you can easily pass without noticing if you walk without an accompanying person. But as soon as you descend down, your heart literally stops with delight!
Nature has worked on this creation for thousands of years, and as a result, it is truly a masterpiece. It is very difficult to describe it in words and even in photos not to convey all the beauty. This is the place that you must see with your own eyes.
It is best to descend into the canyon at certain hours when the sun's rays fall through a crevice at a particular angle and illuminate the canyon from the inside. It is at such moments that a special and absolutely magical atmosphere reigns here.
By the way, on a hot summer day, this canyon has another significant plus - it’s pretty cool throughout the day and you can take a break from the heat.
Antelope Canyon cannot be reached without a guide - the fact is that on rainy days a lot of water gets there, and since this canyon is very deep, it is rather difficult to quickly return from it to the surface. One of these unexpected floods, which happened about 20 years ago, claimed the lives of several people. Therefore, security issues are treated very strictly here.
Death Valley
Death Valley is another iconic place to which many legends are devoted and which attracts the attention of tourists. That's what good marketing means - it’s enough to give the place an intriguing name and popularity is ensured =)
But its unusual name this place was not at all due to high mortality, as it might seem, but because of the poor vegetation and poor animal world - in Death Valley there are practically no inhabitants and almost nothing grows. However, according to one of the legends, the valley got its gloomy name because of the death of one of the members of the group of gold miners who tried to overcome the desert, so everyone can choose the story of the appearance of the name according to their taste.
The territory of Death Valley is very large; so that you can look around all the interesting places thoughtfully, without haste and fuss, it’s better to lay a visit there for a couple of days, although if time is tight, you can gallop round everything in a day.
You should not think that there is nothing to see in such a rotten place, the variety of natural attractions here is impressive! The salt lake and sand dunes, moving stones and the ghost town of Rhyolite, the artist's palette and the Devil's golf course, as well as a desert, a volcano, breathtaking landscapes and dozens of kilometers of scenic roads.
Sequoia Park
As the name suggests, Sequoia National Park has gained popularity due to the giant redwoods - the 5 largest trees in the world grow here. The largest of them - the tree of General Sherman - so huge that it would take about 14 people to clasp it at the base.
To make it even easier to estimate the size of the tree, imagine that it would take three lanes if you suddenly decided to build a highway through it. And in order to estimate its height, imagine that if a tree were cut down, it would not fit on a football field.
In addition, there are more curious specimens in the park - for example, a tree lying across the road in which a car tunnel was cut down; Apparently, it was easier to do this than to clean it altogether. There are smaller trees; they have made passages for people.
There are many walking routes in the park - people come here to make trekking of various lengths: from half an hour to several days.
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is located on the reservation area of the Navajo Indian tribe. If this is not the most recognizable natural place of America, then one of the most popular for sure.
It is here that runs the famous road disappearing in the rocks, which has repeatedly appeared in Westerns, and the monuments themselves often flash in the films and are “shot” in advertising.
It is best to drive up to the Monument Valley at dawn - at this particular time, thanks to the illuminated rocks, the view will be the most impressive. But the monuments themselves look best at sunset - the sun illuminates them favorably, and dozens of people come to the observation deck to see it every day.
Bryce canyon
Bryce Canyon is completely different from other American canyons. As in many other places, one question unwittingly arises - how? How could nature have created such a miracle? What had to happen here over the centuries for this creature to form? And why, literally a hundred kilometers away, are there other canyons that look completely different?
Bryce Canyon consists of a variety of rocky arrays of bizarre shapes of various shades - from pale pink to bright red, and many of them even have their own names, derived from their similarity to one or other objects.
It is best to admire Bryce Canyon from observation platforms, but, unlike the Grand Canyon, it is not so deep, so if you wish, it is quite easy to go down and walk along its bottom, among the red rocks. Here, too, there are tracking routes of varying complexity, there are simple ones among them, so everyone can find a suitable option.
Americans love and appreciate their natural beauty, many are happy to spend the weekend in national parks - there you can meet people of completely different ages, including retirees and couples with babies. And frankly, they can be understood - there are really a lot of amazing places, so choosing a place for another vacation, the option of a trip to the USA can be safely considered not only to lovers of megacities and casinos, but also to nature lovers!
