The 10 Best US States to See Nature: Where to Experience America’s Wildest Landscapes

The United States protects 63 national parks across 29 states, plus thousands of state parks, national forests, and wildlife refuges. Within a single country’s borders, you can watch brown bears catch salmon at the base of a volcano, hike through slot canyons glowing orange at noon, stand among trees taller than a 30-story building, and watch the sun rise over the Atlantic from a granite mountaintop. Few places on Earth pack that much natural variety into one road trip map.

That variety is exactly why choosing where to go can feel overwhelming. If you are researching the best US states to see nature, the honest answer is that you cannot really go wrong, but some states deliver far more scenery, wildlife, and trail mileage per day of travel than others.

This guide breaks down ten states that consistently offer the most rewarding nature experiences, grouped by what they do best: mountains, deserts, coastlines, and remote wilderness. You will also find practical planning advice on timing, park types, and budget, so you can turn inspiration into an actual itinerary.

What Makes a State One of the Best for Nature?

Quick Answer: The Top 10 States at a Glance

If you only have time for a summary, here are the ten states that stand out for natural beauty, protected land, and unforgettable outdoor experiences.

Rank	State	Signature Natural Highlight	Ideal For
1	Alaska	Denali, glaciers, roadless tundra	True remoteness and wildlife
2	California	Redwoods, Yosemite, Big Sur	Variety in a single state
3	Utah	The Mighty Five national parks	Desert and red rock landscapes
4	Colorado	Rocky Mountains and alpine peaks	High-altitude hiking
5	Montana	Glacier National Park	Mountain scenery with fewer crowds
6	Wyoming	Yellowstone and Grand Teton	Wildlife watching
7	Washington	Rainier, the Cascades, rainforests	Forests and volcanic peaks
8	Arizona	Grand Canyon and Sonoran Desert	Canyons and cactus country
9	Hawaii	Volcanoes, cliffs, tropical reefs	Tropical nature and ocean life
10	Maine	Acadia and the Atlantic shore	Rugged coast and fall foliage

How We Chose: National Parks, Biodiversity, and Accessibility

Any list of the best US states to see nature involves judgment calls, so it helps to know the criteria behind the rankings:

• Protected land. States with multiple national parks, national monuments, and designated wilderness areas offer more reliable, well-managed nature experiences. California leads the country with nine national parks, while Alaska contains eight, including the largest national park in the United States.
• Biodiversity and variety. A state that offers glaciers, rainforest, and coastline in one trip, such as Washington, earns points over a state with a single signature landscape.
• Accessibility. Great scenery means little if you cannot reach it. States with major airports, scenic drives, maintained trails, and visitor infrastructure rank higher for most travelers.
• Year-round or seasonal appeal. Some states shine for three months; others offer worthwhile trips in any season.

Matching a State to Your Travel Style

The “best” state depends heavily on what you want out of your trip. Use this quick guide to narrow your choice:

• Serious hikers: Colorado, Montana, and Washington offer the deepest trail networks and the biggest alpine payoffs.
• Desert lovers and photographers: Utah and Arizona are almost unbeatable, especially at sunrise and sunset.
• Coast and island travelers: Maine, California, and Hawaii deliver ocean scenery with completely different personalities.
• Wildlife watchers: Alaska and Wyoming are the strongest picks for bears, wolves, bison, moose, and whales.
• Road trippers: Utah’s Mighty Five circuit and California’s Pacific Coast Highway are two of the great driving routes in the world.
• Travelers who prefer scenic drives to strenuous hikes: Montana’s Going-to-the-Sun Road, Yellowstone’s loop roads, and Acadia’s Park Loop Road deliver world-class views from the passenger seat.

Best States for Mountains, Forests, and Alpine Scenery

Colorado: Rocky Mountain High Country

Colorado has more high country than any state in the Lower 48, with more than 50 summits rising above 14,000 feet. Rocky Mountain National Park, an easy drive from Denver’s major airport, is the headline attraction: Trail Ridge Road crosses the park at over 12,000 feet, making it the highest continuous paved road in the country, and the tundra views from the top feel more like Alaska than Colorado.

Beyond the famous park, the state rewards travelers who dig a little deeper:

• Maroon Bells near Aspen form arguably the most photographed mountain scene in America, especially when the peaks reflect in Maroon Lake at dawn.
• Great Sand Dunes National Park pairs North America’s tallest dunes with a backdrop of snowcapped peaks, a combination that exists nowhere else.
• The San Juan Mountains around Ouray, Silverton, and Telluride offer some of the most dramatic driving and hiking in the Rockies.
• Mesa Verde National Park adds ancient cliff dwellings to the natural mix.

Practical notes: summer visits to Rocky Mountain National Park currently require planning around timed-entry reservations, and afternoon thunderstorms are a near-daily event in the high country. Give yourself a day or two to adjust to the altitude before attempting strenuous hikes.

Montana: Glacier National Park and Big Sky Wilderness

Montana earns its “Big Sky Country” nickname with wide valleys, jagged peaks, and some of the darkest night skies in the Lower 48. The centerpiece is Glacier National Park, home to more than 700 miles of hiking trails, turquoise alpine lakes, and a healthy population of grizzly bears, mountain goats, and moose.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road, which threads between glacial cirques and over the Continental Divide, is one of the most spectacular drives anywhere in the national park system. In summer, check whether vehicle reservations are required, as access is often managed during peak season.

For hikers, the Highline Trail and the trail to Hidden Lake Overlook deliver enormous scenery for moderate effort. Outside the park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex protects over 1.5 million acres of roadless backcountry, and Flathead Valley makes a comfortable base with far lower prices than the park’s inns and lodges.

Glacier sees noticeably fewer visitors than Yellowstone or the big Utah parks, which makes Montana one of the best US states to see nature without fighting for a parking spot.

Washington: Mount Rainier, the North Cascades, and the Hoh Rainforest

Washington is the only state in the Lower 48 with three national parks, and each one showcases a different ecosystem:

• Mount Rainier National Park centers on a 14,411-foot volcano visible from Seattle on clear days. In late July and August, the meadows at Paradise and Sunrise erupt in wildflowers.
• North Cascades National Park is one of the least visited parks in the country despite holding more glaciers than any other park outside Alaska. It is often called the “American Alps.”
• Olympic National Park is the real marvel: a single protected area that includes glacier-capped mountains, Pacific beaches dotted with sea stacks, and the Hoh Rain Forest, which receives as much as 12 feet of rain per year. Walking beneath moss-draped bigleaf maples feels like stepping into another country.

With Seattle as a base, you can reach all three parks within a few hours, making Washington one of the most efficient nature destinations in the country. Aim for July through September for the best trail conditions.

Best States for Deserts, Canyons, and Red Rock Landscapes

Utah: Exploring the Mighty Five National Parks

No other state concentrates as much world-class scenery within a single road trip as Utah. Its five national parks, collectively known as the Mighty Five, all sit within a day’s drive of one another:

1. Zion National Park is famous for towering sandstone walls and two legendary hikes: Angels Landing, which now requires a lottery permit, and The Narrows, a wade through a slot canyon up to a thousand feet deep.
2. Bryce Canyon National Park contains the largest collection of hoodoos, the odd spire-shaped rock formations, found anywhere on Earth, plus some of the darkest night skies in the country.
3. Arches National Park protects more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the iconic Delicate Arch.
4. Canyonlands National Park offers vast, maze-like canyons carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers, best viewed from the Island in the Sky district.
5. Capitol Reef National Park is the least crowded of the five, with a striking waterpocket fold, orchards you can pick fruit from, and far thinner crowds.

A sensible loop runs about a week: fly into Las Vegas or Salt Lake City, base yourself in Springdale, Moab, and Torrey, and visit in spring or fall when temperatures are comfortable. If you want the Utah experience with fewer people, Capitol Reef and the surrounding Grand Staircase-Escalante country are the places to go.

Arizona: From the Grand Canyon to Saguaro Country

Arizona’s landscapes range from alpine forests around Flagstaff to one of the most iconic geological features on the planet. The Grand Canyon needs little introduction: 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and more than a mile deep in places. The South Rim is open year-round and offers the classic viewpoints, while the North Rim, open roughly May through October, sees a fraction of the visitors.

Beyond the canyon, Arizona rewards a slower look:

• Saguaro National Park, split into two districts around Tucson, protects the giant saguaro cactus, a plant found almost exclusively in the Sonoran Desert and capable of living 150 years or more.
• Sedona combines red rock formations, excellent hiking, and a surprisingly good food scene.
• Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon, on and near the Navajo Nation, deliver some of the most photographed landscapes in the Southwest.
• Petrified Forest National Park adds ancient painted desert and crystallized logs to the mix.

Timing matters in Arizona. The deserts are best from October through April; summer heat in Phoenix and Tucson regularly exceeds 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The Grand Canyon’s high elevation, however, makes it a pleasant summer escape.

Best States for Coastlines, Islands, and Ocean Views

Hawaii: Volcanoes, Tropical Rainforests, and Dramatic Cliffs

Hawaii is the only US state where you can watch lava glow at night, snorkel over coral reefs, and drive through a cloud forest on the same trip. Each major island offers a different flavor of nature:

• The Big Island is home to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, regularly puts on a display. The park’s crater overlooks and lava tubes are accessible with minimal hiking.
• Maui offers the sunrise spectacle at the summit of Haleakala, a 10,023-foot dormant volcano where you can literally stand above the clouds.
• Kauai claims the Na Pali Coast, a series of emerald cliffs and valleys along the island’s north shore, plus Waimea Canyon, often called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”
• Oahu balances famous beaches with volcanic crater hikes such as Diamond Head.

From December through March, humpback whales migrate through the islands in large numbers, and snorkeling is excellent year-round. Hawaii is the priciest state on this list, but no other destination in America combines tropical rainforest, active volcanism, and ocean life so completely.

California: Big Sur, the Redwood Coast, and Channel Islands

California is the most naturally diverse state in the Lower 48, and its nine national parks lead the nation. A single two-week trip could include:

• Redwood National and State Parks, where the tallest trees on Earth, some over 370 feet, grow in fog-draped coastal forests.
• Yosemite National Park, with its granite monoliths, thundering spring waterfalls, and high Sierra meadows.
• Big Sur, the stretch of Highway 1 where mountains plunge into the Pacific, punctuated by Bixby Bridge and McWay Falls.
• Channel Islands National Park, a boat-access-only archipelago often called the “Galapagos of North America.” The island fox, found nowhere else on Earth, is one of its stars.
• Death Valley National Park, which contains Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level, and some of the darkest skies in the country.

The trade-off for all that variety is scale. California destinations are spread far apart, so pick one or two regions per trip rather than trying to see everything at once.

Maine: Acadia and the Rugged Atlantic Shore

Maine offers the most dramatic coastline on the US East Coast, and Acadia National Park is its crown jewel. As the first national park established east of the Mississippi River, Acadia blends granite headlands, spruce forests, and carriage roads built specifically for walking and cycling. Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Atlantic coastline of the United States, is among the first places in the country to catch the sunrise for part of the year.

The park’s compact size makes it unusually visitor-friendly: Park Loop Road links the major sights, Jordan Pond serves its famous popovers beside the water, and the town of Bar Harbor sits right at the park entrance.

Beyond Acadia, Maine rewards slow travel. Portland Head Light is one of the most photographed lighthouses in America, small towns like Camden and Stonington pair lobster boats with mountain backdrops, and Baxter State Park protects Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Visit in late September or early October and you get the added spectacle of New England fall foliage reflected in the ocean.

Best States for Remote Wilderness and Wildlife Encounters

Alaska: Denali, Glaciers, and the Last Frontier

Alaska is on another scale entirely. The state holds eight national parks, including Wrangell-St. Elias, which at 13.2 million acres is larger than the country of Switzerland. Much of Alaska has no roads at all, and several parks can only be reached by small plane or boat.

The highlights are genuinely world-class:

• Denali National Park protects North America’s tallest peak, the 20,310-foot Denali, and offers the best chance in any US national park to see grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, and moose in a single day.
• Katmai National Park is where brown bears gather at Brooks Falls to catch leaping salmon each July, a spectacle photographers travel from around the world to witness.
• Glacier Bay National Park offers boat-based glacier viewing among tidewater ice and feeding whales.
• Kenai Fjords National Park combines a road-accessible glacier, Exit Glacier, with boat tours through a coast full of orcas, puffins, and tidewater glaciers.

Plan Alaska trips for June through August, budget generously, and accept that a few things will not go according to plan. The reward is the wildest landscape accessible in the United States, and on clear autumn nights at the season’s edges, a chance at the northern lights.

Wyoming: Yellowstone and Grand Teton Wildlife Watching

Wyoming contains the world’s first national park, Yellowstone, established in 1872, and the park still delivers like nowhere else. It holds roughly half of the world’s known geysers and hot springs, including Old Faithful and the impossibly colorful Grand Prismatic Spring. But for many visitors, the wildlife is the real draw: Yellowstone and the adjacent Grand Teton National Park support the largest concentration of large mammals in the Lower 48.

The Lamar Valley in Yellowstone’s northeast corner is often called “America’s Serengeti.” Dawn and dusk drives there regularly produce sightings of bison herds, wolf packs, grizzly bears, pronghorn, and elk. Grand Teton adds a jagged mountain range that rises abruptly around 7,000 feet above the valley floor, reflected in the Snake River and framed by historic barns at Mormon Row.

Practical wildlife tips:

• Bring binoculars or a spotting scope; the best sightings are often distant ones.
• Stay at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from all other wildlife.
• June through September offers the best access, while September adds bug-free hiking and elk rut activity.

How to Plan Your Nature Trip: Practical Tips

The Best Time of Year to Visit Each State

Timing can make or break a nature trip. Here is a quick seasonal guide:

State	Best Months	Why
Colorado	June–September	Trails snow-free; wildflowers in July
Montana	July–September	Going-to-the-Sun Road fully open
Washington	July–September	Dry weather and clear mountain views
Utah	March–May, September–November	Mild desert temperatures
Arizona	October–April	Comfortable desert conditions
Hawaii	Year-round	Shoulder months of April–May and September–November are quieter
California	Varies by region	Coast is pleasant year-round; Sierra best July–September
Maine	June–October	Fall foliage peaks late September to mid-October
Alaska	June–August	Long daylight, best access, warmest weather
Wyoming	June–September	All roads open; peak wildlife activity

National Parks vs. State Parks vs. National Forests: Where to Go

Many travelers assume national parks are the only option, but America’s public lands offer three tiers worth understanding:

• National parks protect the most iconic landscapes and offer the best infrastructure, but they also come with entry fees, reservation systems, and crowds. Book lodging and permits months ahead for summer visits.
• National forests cover nearly 200 million acres across the country. They are usually free or cheap to enter, allow dispersed camping, and often contain trails that deliver 90 percent of the scenery with 10 percent of the crowds. The forests surrounding many famous parks are underrated in their own right.
• State parks are the sleeper pick of American nature travel. Places like Custer State Park in South Dakota, Dead Horse Point in Utah, and Maine’s Baxter State Park rival national parks in scenery while offering quieter trails, better-equipped campgrounds, and easier reservations.

If your itinerary feels overscheduled, swapping one national park day for a national forest or state park day usually lowers costs and stress while raising the odds of solitude.

Budget-Friendly Ways to Experience America’s Nature

A nature-focused trip is one of the most affordable ways to travel well in the United States, especially with a few strategies:

• Buy the America the Beautiful annual pass. For $80, it covers entrance to every national park and federal recreation site in the country for a year. Two or three park visits typically pay for it.
• Use free entrance days. The National Park Service waives fees on several days each year, including Veterans Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
• Travel in shoulder season. May, late September, and October bring lower lodging prices, thinner crowds, and often the best weather.
• Camp, including for free. Developed campgrounds cost a fraction of hotels, and dispersed camping on national forest and Bureau of Land Management land is generally free across the West.
• Choose the less famous park. Capitol Reef instead of Zion, North Cascades instead of Mount Rainier, or Lassen Volcanic instead of Yosemite delivers similar scenery with easier reservations and lower costs.
• Join free ranger programs. Guided walks, campfire talks, and stargazing events are included with admission and add depth that no guidebook can match.

Conclusion: Pick Your State and Start Exploring

There is no single answer to the question of the best US states to see nature, because America’s landscapes are simply too varied. Alaska offers wilderness on a scale found almost nowhere else on Earth. Utah and Arizona sculpt the planet’s most photogenic rock. Colorado, Montana, and Washington stack mountains, forests, and glaciers within easy reach of major airports. Hawaii, California, and Maine prove that America’s coasts deserve equal billing with its canyons and peaks.

The smartest approach is to match the state to your travel style, pick one or two anchor destinations, and build a trip around them rather than trying to check every box at once. America’s wildest landscapes have been waiting for millions of years. Whichever state you choose first, they will still be there when you are ready for the next one.