Enchanting places in each of the 50 US states

(which are not the most visited)

Noccalula Falls

1. Alabama – Noccalula Falls

It is an enchanting 250 acre national Park that features waterfalls that have gorge trails winding at this basin. Its based in Gadsden Alabama and is a must see sight for travellers. Its about 120 miles from Montgomery.

Kodiak Islands

2. Alaska – Kodiak Islands 

It is a large island off the south coast of Alaska. It is separated from  mainland Alaska by the Shelikof Strait. It is the home of Kodiak bear and King crab. It is also known as the Emerald Isle because of its lush and vibrant landscape.

Monument Valley

3. Arizona – Monument Valley 

It is a red-sand desert region on the Arizona-Utah border, is known for the towering sandstone buttes of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Some of these are nearly 1000 feet tall. The region is so striking, that it is one of the most filmed region for western movies.

Southern Overlook

4. Arkansas – Southern Overlook 

It is on Mount Magazine which is the highest point in Arkansas at 2700 feet. Its along Route 209 and lead to overlooks with expansive views of Blue Mountain Lake and the Ouachita Mountains to the south and of the Arkansas River Valley and the Ozark Mountains to the north. A park trail provides access to the state’s high point.

McWay Falls

5. California – McWay Falls 

McWay Falls is an 80-foot-tall waterfall on the coast of Big Sur in central California that flows year-round from McWay Creek in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 37 miles south of Carmel, into the Pacific Ocean. During high tide, it is a tidefall. The only other tidefall in California is Alamere Falls.

Crystal Lake

6. Colorado – Crystal Lake

Crystal lake is a small, shallow lake, but it sits surrounded on three sides by high mountain walls. It is set beneath the eastern slopes of Crystal Peak (12,933-ft.), Views along the way encompass the high tundra-clad plateaus to the east. As you near the lake vistas open to the high peaks rising to the south of Henson Creek.

Mystic

7. Connecticut – Mystic

A small fishing town famous for charming lighthouse, shops and cottages. Mystic is a village and census-designated place in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut. Historically, Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in 1784.

Delaware Bay

8. Delaware – Delaware Bay

Fed by various rivers and connected to the Atlantic. It is a home for number of species of marine life and birds. Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States. Approximately 782 square miles in area, the bay’s fresh water mixes for many miles with the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean

Ocala National Forest Park

9. Florida – Ocala National Forest Park

Ocala National Forest is in Florida, north of Orlando. It’s known for its large areas of sand pine scrub forest. The Juniper Springs, Alexander Springs and Salt Springs recreation areas have natural pools and canoe runs. Hundreds of lakes and ponds include Lake Kerr and the enormous Lake George.

Cumberland

10. Georgia – Cumberland Island

It is a barrier island off Georgia’s southeast coast, with protected beaches and maritime forest. The Dungeness Ruins are the remains of a mansion built by Thomas Carnegie, brother and partner of steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie. Georgian Revival–style Plum Orchard.

Waimea Canyon State Park

11. Hawaii – Waimea Canyon State Park

Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is a large canyon, approximately ten miles long and up to 3,000 feet deep, located on the western side of Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands of the United States. Waimea is Hawaiian for “reddish water”, a reference to the erosion of the canyon’s red soil.

Shoshone Falls

12. Idaho – Shoshone Falls 

Shoshone Falls is a waterfall on the Snake River in southern Idaho, United States, approximately 3 miles northeast of the city of Twin Falls. Sometimes called the “Niagara of the West,” Shoshone Falls is 212 feet high—45 feet higher than Niagara Falls—and flows over a rim nearly 1,000 feet wide.

Anderson Japanese Garden

13. Illinois – Anderson Japanese Gardens

The Anderson Japanese Gardens is a 12-acre Japanese garden located in Rockford, Illinois. The gardens are in a 13th-century “pond strolling” garden with several waterfalls and ponds, streams, rock formations, winding paths, and a tea house.  The “Garden of Reflection” is a contemporary Japanese-inspired garden, with bronze angel sculptures by famous architects. Plantings include Japanese maples, pines, magnolia, lavender…etc.

Brown County State Park

14. Indiana – Brown County State Park 

It is located in the US in the centre of the southern half of the state of Indiana. The park is by far the largest of 24 state parks in Indiana, and occupies 15,776 acres (63.84 km2)—making it one of the larger state parks in the United States. Although Bloomington, Indiana, is the closest city, the park is closer to the small town of Nashvillein Brown County.

Maquoketa Caves

15. Iowa – Maquoketa Caves State Park 

It is a state park of Iowa, United States, located in Jackson County. It is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. Its caves, limestone formations and rugged bluffs provide visitors a chance to “step back” into geological time thousands of years. Caves vary from the 1,100′ Dancehall Cave with walkways and lighting system to Dugout Cave.

Cowley Lake Waterfalls

16. Kansas – Cowley Lake Waterfalls 

Its been voted as one of the “Top 12 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in America”. Located west of Dexter at 20467 US Hwy 166 at the Cowley State Fishing Lake, the waterfall can be seen at the far north-west side of the lake property.

Mammoth Cave National Park

17. Kentucky – Mammoth Cave National Park 

Mammoth Cave National Park is home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. The park’s 52,830 acres (21,380 ha) are located primarily in Edmonson County, with small areas extending eastward into Hart and Barren counties

Oak Alley Plantation

18. Louisiana – Oak Alley Plantation 

It is a historic plantation located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in the community of Vacherie, St. James Parish, Louisiana, U.S.  Oak Alley is named for its distinguishing visual feature, an alley (French allée) or canopied path, created by a double row of southern live oak trees about 800 feet (240 meters) long, planted in the early 18th century — long before the present house was built. The allée or tree avenue runs between the home and the River. 

Cadillac Mountain

19. Maine – Cadillac Mountain 

It is in Acadia National Park, at 1,530 feet (466 meters), is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place to view sunrise in US. It is one of over 20 mountains on Mount Desert Island (MDI), Maine that were pushed up by earth’s tectonic and volcanic forces millions of years ago.

Ladew Topiary Garden

20. Maryland – Ladew Topiary Garden

Ladew Topiary Gardens are nonprofit gardens with topiary located in Monkton, Maryland. The gardens were established in the 1930s by socialite and huntsman Harvey S. Ladew, who in 1929 had bought a 250-acre farm to build his estate.

Bish Bash Falls

21. Massachusetts – Bish Bash Falls

It a waterfall in Bash Bish Falls State Park in the Taconic Mountains of southwestern Massachusetts, US, is the highest waterfall in the state. Fronting the waterfall is a deep emerald plunge pool contrasting the plethora of Autumn colors.

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

22. Michigan – Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is a scenic route within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, in western Northern Michigan in the United States. The roadway, with its “scenic vistas and gentle curves”, is located off state highway M-109 between Empire and Glen Arbor.

Split Rock Lighthouse Park

23. Minnesota – Split Rock Lighthouse Park

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is a state park of Minnesota on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It is best known for the picturesque Split Rock Lighthouse, one of the most photographed.

Tishomingo State Park

24. Mississippi – Tishomingo State Park

Tishomingo State Park is a public recreation area located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Tishomingo County, some 45 miles northeast of Tupelo, Mississippi. The major feature of the park is Bear Creek Canyon and its generous sandstone outcroppings. 

Onondaga Cave State Park

25. Missouri – Onondaga Cave State Park

Onondaga Cave State Park is a Missouri state park located on the Meramec River approximately 5 miles southeast of the village of Leasburg. The park was established in 1982. Park activities include cave tours, camping, fishing, hiking, picnicking, and swimming.

26. Montana – Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is a 1,583-sq.-mi. wilderness area in Montana’s Rocky Mountains, with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border. It’s crossed by the mountainous Going-to-the-Sun Road. Among more than 700 miles of hiking trails, it has a route to photogenic Hidden Lake. Other activities include backpacking, cycling and camping. Diverse wildlife ranges from mountain goats to grizzly bears.

27. Nebraska – Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock is a prominent geological rock formation in Morrill County in western Nebraska. Rising nearly 300 feet above the surrounding North Platte River valley, the peak of Chimney Rock is 4,228 feet above sea level. T. The trails ran along the north side of the rock, which remains a visible landmark for modern travelers along U.S. Route 26 and Nebraska Highway 92.

28. Nevada – Valley of Fire State Park

Valley of Fire State Park is a public recreation and nature preservation area covering nearly 46,000 acres located 16 miles south of Overton, Nevada. The state park derives its name from red sandstone formations, the Aztec Sandstone, which formed from shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago.

29. New Hampshire – Lake Winnipesaukee

Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately 21 miles long and from 1 to 9 miles wide, covering 69 square miles —71 square miles when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of 180 feet.

30. New Jersey – Cape May

Cape May is a city and seaside resort at the tip of southern New Jersey’s Cape May Peninsula. It’s known for its grand Victorian houses such as the Emlen Physick Estate, now a museum with a preserved interior from the era. Shops and restaurants line the Washington Street Mall, 3 pedestrianized blocks of Washington Street.

31. New Mexico – Carlsbad Caverns Park

The park entrance is located on US Highway 62/180, approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Carlsbad Cavern includes a large limestone chamber, named simply the Big Room, which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at its highest point.

32. New York – Letchworth State Park

Letchworth State Park is a 14,427-acre New York State Park located in Livingston County and Wyoming County in the northwestern part of the State of New York. The park is roughly 17 miles long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep gorge and over several large waterfalls.

33. North Carolina – Hanging Rock State Park

Hanging Rock State Park is a 8,605-acre North Carolina state park in Stokes County, North Carolina in the United States. The park is 30 miles north of Winston-Salem and is located approximately 2 miles from Danbury in Stokes County.

34. North Dakota – International Peace Garden

The International Peace Garden is a 3.65-square-mile park located adjacent to the International Peace Garden Border Crossing along the Canada–United States border between the province of Manitoba and the state of North Dakota. Park dedicated to international peace between USA and Canada. It has an inscription with a pledge that the two countries will never take up arms against each other.

35. Ohio – Hocking Hills State Park 

Hocking Hills State Park is a state park in the Hocking Hills region of Hocking County, Ohio, United States; in some areas adjoining the Hocking State Forest. Within the park are over 25 miles of hiking trails, rock formations, waterfalls, and recess caves.

36. Oklahoma – Chickasaw Recreation Area 

Chickasaw National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area situated in the foothills of the Arbuckle Mountains in south-central Oklahoma near Sulphur in Murray County. It includes the former Platt National Park and Arbuckle Recreation District.

37. Oregon – Crater Lake 

Crater Lake is a crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. With a depth of 1,949 feet (594 m), the lake is the deepest in the United States. In the world, it ranks ninth for maximum depth, and third for mean (average) depth.

38. Pennsylvania – Rickett Glen State Park  

Ricketts Glen State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 13,193 acres in Columbia, Luzerne, and Sullivan counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is near the borough of Benton on Pennsylvania Route 118 and Pennsylvania Route 487, and is in five townships: Sugarloaf in Columbia County, Fairmount and Ross in Luzerne County, and Colley and Davidson in Sullivan County.

39. Rhode Island – Block Island  

Block Island is south of mainland Rhode Island. Its 1800s red-brick Southeast Lighthouse sits atop the dramatic clay cliffs of Mohegan Bluffs, with a rocky beach below. Sandy beaches include popular Crescent Beach, on the east coast. The island’s northern tip features North Lighthouse, built in 1867, and Sachem Pond, home to gulls and swallows. 

40. South Carolina – Caesar’s Head State Park 

Caesars Head State Park is a park in northern Greenville County, South Carolina, that borders Transylvania County, North Carolina, and is reached via US 276. The eponymous rock formation, is a granitic gneiss outcrop at 3,208 ft (978 m) above sea level on the Blue Ridge Escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains and rests roughly 2,000 ft (600 m) above the Piedmont below.

41. South Dakota – Badlands National Park 

Badlands National Park is in South Dakota. Its dramatic landscapes span layered rock formations, steep canyons and towering spires. Bison, bighorn sheep and prairie dogs inhabit its sprawling grasslands. The Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240) winds past scenic lookouts.

42. Tennessee – Smokey Mountains National Park 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. The sprawling landscape encompasses lush forests and an abundance of wildflowers that bloom year-round. Streams, rivers and waterfalls appear along hiking routes that include a segment of the Appalachian Trail. An observation tower tops Clingmans Dome, the highest peak, offering scenic views of the mist-covered mountains.

43. Texas – Santa Elena Canyon 

It is one of the best-known natural features in Big Bend National Park. A short nature trail enters its shady depths, 8 miles west of Castolon, accessible by either Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive or the Old Maverick Road. The nature trail crosses Terlingua Creek, climbs several flights of ramps and stairs and then descends into the canyon along the Rio Grande. At this point the canyon walls loom over 1500 feet above the river below.

44. Utah – Zion National Park

Zion National Park is a southwest Utah nature preserve distinguished by Zion Canyon’s steep red cliffs. Zion Canyon Scenic Drive cuts through its main section, leading to forest trails along the Virgin River. The river flows to the Emerald Pools, which have waterfalls and a hanging garden

45. Vermont – Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain is a natural freshwater lake i mainly in Vermont but also across the Canada–U.S. border into the Canadian province of Quebec. The Vermont portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of Clinton County and Essex County.

46. Virginia – Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park extends along the Blue Ridge Mountains in the U.S. state of Virginia. The Skyline Drive runs its length, and a vast network of trails includes a section of the long-distance Appalachian Trail. Mostly forested, the park features wetlands, waterfalls and rocky peaks like Hawksbill and Old Rag mountains.

47. Washington – Cape Flattery

Cape Flattery is the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States. It is in Clallam County, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, where the Strait of Juan de Fuca joins the Pacific Ocean. It is also part of the Makah Reservation, and is the northern boundary of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

48. West Virginia – Blackwater Falls State Park

Blackwater Falls State Park is located in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. The centerpiece of the park is Blackwater Falls, a 62-foot cascade where the Blackwater River leaves its leisurely course in Canaan Valley and enters rugged Blackwater Canyon.

49. Wisconsin – Apostle island Lakeshore

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore comprises a stretch of shoreline and 21 islands at the northern tip of Wisconsin, on Lake Superior. On the mainland, the Lakeshore Trail winds past cliffs and sea caves. Many islands have trails, beaches and marinas. . Sand Island and Raspberry Island have 19th-century lighthouses. The Lucerne shipwreck is just off Long Island.

50. Wyoming – Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs State Park is a public recreation area in Thermopolis, Wyoming, known for its hot springs, which flow at a constant temperature of 135°F. he state park offers free bathing at the State Bath House, where temperatures are moderated to a therapeutic 104 °F.[4] The petroglyph site at Legend Rock, some 25 miles away, is also part of the park.