5 Amazing Vacations Sites To See In This Life That Shouldn't Be Missed

We live in a world filled with wonders that sadly, many of us will never see. From the world-famous Niagara Falls in New York to the Grand Canyon and beyond, we let life control us, eat away at our time, and kill those dreams of travel. Eventually, we get older and start to rethink what we’ve got done and what we still want to do in this life. Here are some amazing scenes and places that we should all try to see.

Devil’s Tower National Monument

Fans of science-fiction and movie buffs should enjoy a trip to Devils Tower National Monument. Made famous as a landing place for friendly aliens the monument was prominent in the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. The monument is also one of the favored spots of crack climbers in the country, towering 1,200 feet over the Belle Fourche River. About 400,000 people a year visit the monument with 1% of them attempting to climb the mountain.

Visitors that come to Devils Tower in June can take part in a traditional event known as the “Old Settlers’ Picnic,” an annual event and feast that dates back to 1893 and celebrates early climbs to the summit. The annual picnic event was held from the 19th century into the 1960s and was revived by the historical association in 2006.

The Grand Canyon

From backpacking, hiking, camping, and touring to kayaking and rafting through the Grand Canyon there’s no shortage of things to do on a trip to what is arguably America’s most famous landmark. Arizona has seen many movie sets built around the historic backdrop of the canyon and its 277 miles of Colorado River and adjacent highlands. The Canyon is a mile deep and stretches to nearly 18 miles wide in places.

While the North Rim closes for the winter season, the South Rim lodges, restaurants, shops, and other services remain open to enjoy all year long. Hosting any special event with the colorful striations and historic backdrop of the Canyon in view would make the event all the more memorable.

Yellowstone National Park

If you’re not interested in the great outdoors, fishing, hiking, or camping opportunities that come with the beauty and wonder of Yellowstone National Park, one of the wonders of the world for travelers is Old Faithful. Old Faithful is a cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. It gets its name from the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and is the first geyser in the park to be named. Old Faithful is a highly predictable geothermal feature and erupts every 45 minutes to 2 hours going back to the year 2000.

During any trip to Yellowstone, be sure to check out the various effects of geothermal activity. It’s well known that Yellowstone sits atop a supervolcano, the Yellowstone Caldera, and the areas are known for the strange and colorful effects of the park sitting atop the giant volcano.

Great Lakes Kayaking

If your vacation plans include a more adventurous side than just site “seeing” perhaps a trip to the sea caves in Chequamegon bay or Red Cliff is in order. The caves are more protected than other locations and the waves are typically less than 1 foot high. Or, if you’re feeling more adventurous head out to the caves along Meyers Beach and Devil’s Island where you’ll find the best caves in the Apostle Islands. They are considered very dangerous places to paddle, with waves quite often more than 1.5 feet high.

Cliff Palace, Colorado

Located in Mesa Verda National Park, Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling structure in North America, and one of the country’s greatest national treasures.

Built over a thousand years ago by Pueblo Indians, the enormous complex of sandstone, mortar, and wooden beams was lived in for more than 150 years before it was mysteriously abandoned. Historians think that droughts devastated the food supply in the area and forced the natives to relocate.

The architecture of the palace is a fascinating sight to behold and has left questions in the minds of those that studied the palace. At the time they were in use it’s believed that the average female would have been about 5 feet tall and the average male about 5'6", but the scale of the buildings and the doorways is interestingly small for those heights.

Conclusion

These five places to see are all filled with wonder and a great way to enjoy an outdoor adventure. For anyone looking for an adventure, hoping to take a vacation, and wishing to make new memories these places are worthy of consideration. The best part about vacationing at outdoor sites for some may be the actual outdoors. Vacationing during a pandemic should include more outdoor than indoor activities.