10 Best Natural Wonders in the US

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is home to 2 giant and active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa, where you can see rivers of lava and stunning volcanic rock formations for miles. In addition, you can see incredibly rare plant and animal life here. This area has been a protected national park since 1916, and you can explore by car or on foot. The 11-mile-long Crater Rim Drive circles the summit of Kilauea before heading down to the caldera floor.

Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and Mauna Loa is among the world's largest shield volcanoes. Both are on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The Grand Canyon is among the most iconic sites in the United States with 277 miles of stunning, colourful desert landscape with rocks, green space, and wilderness. The canyon is divided into three distinct regions: the North Rim, South Rim, and West Rim.

Hands down the most popular region, and the most developed for visitors, is the South Rim. It offers tonnes of restaurants, dining, and adventure options. At the West Rim, you can walk a glass-bottomed skywalk and feel like you're flying. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the crowds, do some hiking or exploring at the North Rim. It's all in the state of Arizona.

Yellowstone National Park is the oldest national park in the United States, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a biosphere reserve offering geysers, geological features, bison herds, hot springs, and adventure. The park encompasses hundreds of miles of unspoiled, preserved wilderness where you can see some of the only remaining free-ranging herds of bison left on the continent, while packs of timber wolves roam the forests. The famed geyser Old Faithful spews gas and water on schedule high into the air. You can see boiling mud pots, bathe in hot springs, and view steaming fumaroles.

The park covers the northwest corner of Wyoming and encompasses parts of Montana and Idaho. On March 1, 1872, it became the nation's first national park.

Niagara Falls is one of the natural wonders of the world on the border of the US and Canada and offers an awe-inspiring experience. Niagara Falls is made up of three different falls: the Horseshoe Falls (or Canadian Falls), the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls. You can see the American Falls along Prospect Point Park, take a Maid of the Mist boat ride to get right up to the falls, or hike to the Cave of the Winds to see the falls from behind.

The American falls can be seen in New York state right along the Canadian border. For more fun, drive across the border and see the other side.

Yosemite National Park is among the oldest national parks in the nation and offers a stunning range of natural beauty with lakes, groves, waterfalls, mountains, and rock formations. You can walk the shores of gigantic, crystal-clear subalpine lakes, stroll among vast groves of ancient, towering sequoias, and snap photographs of the jagged crags of towering granite peaks in the distance. Among the highlights here are Mariposa Grove, the Half Dome rock formation, and the Yosemite Falls that cascade over 2,425 feet, making them the highest in North America.

It would take years to explore the whole park. It's ideal for camping, backpacking, and adventure in central California.

Mammoth Cave National Park in central Kentucky is among the longest cave systems in the world, offering more than 390 miles of spelunking adventure deep under the earth. These caves are known to have been explored by humans as far back as 4,000 years ago. Over the centuries, they provided minerals that early natives needed. By the 18th century, European settlers had arrived to explore the caves, which have housed tuberculosis patients and seen tragedy, and are rumoured to be haunted.

This iconic cave system also offers natural wonders like stalactites and stalagmites, caverns, and twisting corridors. They are some of the most storied caves in the entire world.

Everglades National Park in Florida is the largest subtropical wilderness in the nation, with endangered animal species, rare plants, and a winding 60-mile-wide river. The Everglades encompass 1.5 million acres of land and offer one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. The Everglades have been an important part of the southeastern US ecosystem for thousands of years, providing important hunting and foraging grounds for Native Americans and later for European settlers.

Today the Everglades are a World Heritage Site, a Wetland of International Importance, and an International Biosphere Reserve. You can enter from Naples, along Shark Valley, or via the Tamiami Trail.

Monument Valley in Utah is a famed landmark of the Four Corners region, offering iconic views of massive natural sandstone rock formations and colourful desert bluffs. Here you'll see towering red mesas framed against a crystal blue sky and endless stretches of brightly coloured desert landscape. The desert is part of the Colorado Plateau and is marked by flaming red sand made from iron oxide in the siltstone and dark blue rocks of magnesium oxide. Among the most famed formations here is the Eye of the Sun.

In the mid-20th century, this area was mined for uranium, and it also contains deposits of copper and vanadium. It's a wondrous place that has been featured in dozens of film and TV productions.

The redwoods in Northern California's Avenue of the Giants are some of the largest old-growth redwood trees in the world, with unparalleled majesty and history. Some of the trees here are thousands of years old and stretch higher than some skyscrapers into the sky. It's one of the more idyllic places in the nation and feels like a true fairy-tale realm. It's almost as if the trees could talk to you while you wind your way through the paths of this ancient woodland.

The area offers hiking options for visitors of every skill level, from easy paved trails to more difficult rough-hewn paths. You can also join a ranger-led programme to learn all about these stunning trees.

Arches National Park offers a vast stretch of rocky desert featuring more than 2,000 arches of natural stone, making it among the densest natural arch concentrations in the world. This Utah national park sits right along the shores of the Colorado River and offers hiking, biking, camping, and tonnes of photo opportunities that will make your social media feed leap off your smartphone. The hiking opportunities here are ideal for any skill level, ranging from easy 15-minute hikes to 5-hour treks. You can also take a ranger-led tour to learn about the nature of the arches.

On some routes, you can take a rock-climbing excursion. From photos to outdoor adventure, this park has it all.