50 of America’s most beautiful natural tourist attractions – one for each state.

If you could choose just one natural wonder to see in each of America’s fifty states, what would they be? Considering the astonishing beauty that can be found all across the United States, that would be a tough decision, but each of the following natural tourist attractions is a can’t-miss stop on any road trip. They’re not exactly off the beaten path, but these 50 scenic stops represent some of the best landscape features the nation has to offer.

Alabama – Noccalula Falls

Alaska – Hubbard Glacier

Arizona – North Rim of the Grand Canyon

Arkansas – Devil’s Den

California – McWay Falls, Big Sur

Colorado – Rocky Mountain National Park

Connecticut – Dinosaur State Park

Delaware – Lewes Beach

Florida – Spiegel Grove, Key Largo

Georgia – Stone Mountain

Hawaii – Diamond Head Crater

Idaho – City of Rocks

Illinois – Starved Rock

Indiana – Marengo Cave Formations

Iowa – Loess Hills

Kansas – Monument Rocks

Kentucky – Mammoth Cave

Louisiana -Finch Lake

Maine – Arcadia National Park

Maryland – Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park

Massachusetts – Natural Bridge

Michigan – Pictured Rocks

Minnesota – Shovel Point,  Lake Superior

Mississippi – Natchez Trace Parkway

Missouri – Big Spring

Montana – Glacier National Park

Nebraska – Sand Hills

Nevada – Lake Tahoe

New Hampshire – The Basin of Pemigewasset River

New Jersey – Great Falls, Paterson

New Mexico – Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

New York – Niagara Falls

North Carolina – Outer Banks Wild Horses

North Dakota – Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Ohio – Brandywine Falls

Oklahoma – Elk Mountain

Oregon – Crater Lake

Pennsylvania – Presque Isle

Rhode Island – Cliff Walk, Newport

South Carolina – Table Rock State Park

South Dakota – Mount Rushmore

Tennessee – Smoky Mountains

Texas – Enchanted Rock

Utah – Bryce Canyon

Vermont – Champlain Valley from the Long Trail

Virginia – Natural Bridge

Washington – Cape Horn & The Columbia River Gorge

West Virginia -New River Gorge

Wisconsin – Apostle Islands

Wyoming – Yellowstone National Park

Top image: Nicholas_T

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The landscape of the world is always changing. Geological processes like tectonism, denudation and volcanism have shaped the face of Earth as we know it over the course of billions of years. Unfortunately, much of the natural phenomena on the planet today is transforming for the worse due to human encroachment. Whether the effects of global warming, deforestation, urbanization or heavy tourism are to blame, the fact of the matter is that these precious gems are rapidly deteriorating right before our eyes.

The snowfield of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is quickly thawing. Signs point to global warming.

Farming, irrigation and development are draining the water necessary to sustain the Everglades in South Florida. Restoration plans have done little, as this landscape now covers only half of its original territory.

Rising water temperatures, which cause coral bleaching, and increasing acidity levels are gradually killing the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.

Scientists estimate that sometime between 2030- 2050, the last glacier in the Swiss Alps will have melted away.

The cypress forests throughout the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana have been decimated to manufacture mulch. Every year, 25 square miles of these stunning wetlands are lost forever to the sea.

Rampant tourism in the Galapagos Islands is causing more disturbance than this fragile setting can long endure.

Due to increased temperatures, the ice shelf of South Georgia Island, a region rich in wildlife, is disintegrating.

Deforestation is the leading threat to the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica. The clouds this region is named after are beginning to dissipate as a result, which will eventually deprive this lush landscape of the moisture it needs to thrive.

Pollution and urbanization imperil Kathmandu Valley in Nepal.

The Mexican Michoacan Mountains are being defaced by illegal deforestation.

Global warming has already claimed over two-thirds of the glaciers within the pristine boundaries of Glacier National Park in Montana.

The Dead Sea in Israel is receding at an alarming rate (approximately three feet every year) because its primary water source, the Jordan River, is being sucked dry by the local populace.

Rising sea levels may spell doom for Australia’s Fraser Island.

The rainforest habitat of the island of Borneo, a territory divided between Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, is endangered by farming and logging.

Since 1978, the glaciers in Alaska’s Kenai Fjords National Park have receded about a half-mile and continue to diminish further with each passing year.

Before you book a plane ticket, keep in mind that claims of eco-tourism can be deceiving and many of these delicate settings are best left untouched. If your heart is set on visiting these spots while you still can, visit the International Ecotourism Society, Conservation International or the Nature Conservancy for tips on how you can experience these wonders without further contributing to their ruin.

Images: wikimedia, minds-eye, Eulinky, dino_olivieri, derekkeats, baxterclaus, gokarna, cmanon, Andrew Kalat, laura padgett, peterjoel1, Chi King, Alaskan Dude

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