Ultimate United States Bucket List

October 4, 2023June 8, 2020 by Ruhls of the Road

The United States is a beautiful country from sea to shining sea. We put together a list of our 20 favorite places to visit form coast-to-coast, the ultimate United States bucket list.

You’ll see the tallest mountains and the most beautiful lakes this country has to offer, on top of a few tropical island destinations.

If planning a trip to the USA is on your bucket list, here is plenty of inspiration for exactly where to visit.

Let’s get to it. Our USA bucket list, 20 awesome places to see before you die.

Moab, Utah

Southern Utah is a wildly beautiful place, and the perfect location for an incredible road trip. When it comes to National Parks, Utah is basically just hoarding them.

Right in the Moab area are Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Further west you’ll find Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park, and that doesn’t even account for the incredible Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

All of these sites have incredible red rock structures that are similar yet unique at the same time. Beneath the bright blue Utah sky, the orange-red rocks of the parks near Moab, Utah will leave you astounded.

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is California’s best National Park, perhaps the best in the entire United States. There’s a reason movies like Free Solo and The Dawn Wall filmed here in Yosemite.

El Capitan is an enormous and beautiful rock face at the center of the park. The hiking in Yosemite is also top notch. Half Dome is incredible, as is all of the waterfalls you can hike to right inside the park:

• Nevada Falls
• Vernal Falls
• Upper Yosemite Falls
• Lower Yosemite Falls

All in all, Yosemite National Park belongs on your USA travel bucket list.

Havasupai Falls

Speaking of waterfalls, Havasupai Falls is next. The Havasupai Reservation is an Indian reservation located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and is home to Havasu Creek and 3 of the most incredible waterfalls on the planet.

Amidst the enormous red rocks of the Grand Canyon, the river flows an icy blue, colored by lime deposits upstream. As Havasu Creek flows through the rocks it comes to a 100 foot drop into a crystal pool below, this is Havasu Falls.

Just a mile downstream is an equally beautiful 200 foot waterfall called Mooney Falls. 3 miles further is Beaver Falls, a cascading set of stunning waterfalls and swimming areas that is heaven on Earth.

You do need to book a reservation to visit Havasupai, and the trip is a 3 day camping trip, but it is one that will be entirely unforgettable.

Kauai, Hawaii is the most adventurous of the Hawaiian islands. The Na Pali Coast is absolutely breathtaking, you can visit this area of Kauai on a boat excursion, on a hike, or even helicopter tours. Jurassic Park was filmed here for a reason, the island is absolutely stunning the entire way around.

Wailua and Waimea are two great areas for adventure and to immerse yourself in Hawaiian life.

In the Princeville area you can relax and put your feet up, and enjoy the beautiful rocky coastline on the north side of the island. If you do visit Kauai, make sure to stop over in Maui as well!

Great Smoky Mountains

Located on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains is one of the most popular National Parks in the United States.

Hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains is activity number 1, with awesome hikes like Mount Cammerer, Abrams Falls, and the Ramsey Cascades. On top of the hiking, you can drive through the center of the park, and see the sights on the 11 mile Cades Cove loop, where you can see the stunning scenery of the park while keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife.

Deer and black bears are at home in the park, so make sure to look closely!

At night, after enjoying yourself in nearby Gatlinburg, stargaze under the enormous sky seeing the beauty of deep space above you. This National Park is one for the books, trust us.

You cannot write an ultimate United States bucket list post and not include Glacier National Park. It is just impossible.

Hiking in Glacier National Park is better than at any national park in the world. Hikes like Cracker Lake, Hidden Lake, Avalanche Lake, Grinnell Glacier, and Iceberg Lake all leave you with your jaw firmly on the floor.

Visit Glacier in Spring, Summer, or Fall, and enjoy the year-round beauty that is present only in this stunning corner of Northern Montana.

The wildlife in Glacier, including bears, moose, elk, goats, and deer, will astound you; there is truly nothing like seeing a wild animal in its natural environment. You’ll be glad you visited, guaranteed.

Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a wonderful place for a road trip. Your USA bucket list would not be complete without a trip to the wilderness of the UP, complete with the stunning Great Lakes and the rocky cliff-side coasts around every bend in the road.

We visited the UP when we did a lap of Lake Michigan, something we recommend everyone do at least once. The unique lighthouses, coastal towns, hikes, and beaches along the way will be an incredible experience.

Seattle & Cascades

The Cascades Mountain Range and National Park is located outside Seattle; the tandem of these two locations make for a wonderful United States bucket list adventure.

Hiking and Camping Tuck and Robin Lake specifically is a wonderful weekend experience.

Downtown Seattle has the Pike Place Market, Space Needle, and so many delicious coffee locales including the original Starbucks.

Hiking around Seattle is also great, with 3 wonderful hikes located just 3 miles from the city: Poo Poo Point, Rattlesnake Ledge, and Snoqualmie Falls.

Alaskan Coast

Alaska is the last frontier. Interior Alaska is home to vast wilderness parks such as Denali and Wrangell-St Elias National Parks.

Coastal Alaska is its own flavor of adventure, home to stunning glaciers (and Glacier Bay National Park), vast fjords, salmon streams, and so much opportunity for exploration.

The best way, in our opinion, to visit the sites of the Alaskan coast is on an Alaskan Cruise. You can cruise from San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver and see the incredible fjords and glaciers that are right at home on the Alaskan coast.

White Sands New Mexico

Located in the heart of New Mexico is a site unlike anything you’ll find in the USA. White Sands National Park is a breathtaking site, as bright white powdery sand dunes stretch out for miles in every direction.

The view is powerful, as deep in the distance the white dunes give way to a mountain range, making for a great backdrop when you add in the great big blue skies of New Mexico. White Sands is a must-see site for your United States bucket list.

Grand Teton & Yellowstone

Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks are a one-two punch in Wyoming that make for an incredible wilderness tandem.

Head to Jackson, Wyoming and drive north to Grand Teton, where you can hike to incredible alpine lakes such as Taggart Lake and Jenny Lake. Death Canyon and Garnet Canyon are two other hikes that take you deep into the mountains of Grand Teton.

Further north is Yellowstone, where you can visit the famous Old Faithful and Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

These two Wyoming National Parks will be a wonderful experience, and is a must for your ultimate United States bucket list.

Oregon Coast

After you visit Seattle, head south and check out the entire Oregon Coast, a wilderness wonderland along the Pacific Ocean. One special thing about the Oregon Coast is that it is entirely public land. You can walk the entire coast from top to bottom all along the Pacific Ocean if you would like to!

The best place along the entire coast is the Samuel H Boardman State Scenic Corridor, a beautiful stretch of land absolutely PACKED with awesome sites and views.

Also along the Oregon Coast is the Tillamook Creamery and the wreck of the Peter Iredale, two awesome must-see stops on your adventure.

Florida Keys

The Florida Keys are a wonderful set of islands located off the southern tip of Florida, just 90 minutes from Miami. Along the drive through the Keys, you’ll go over incredibly long bridges, one that is 7 MILES LONG, over bright blue tropical waters.

The Florida Keys are right where the Caribbean Sea meets the Gulf of Mexico; here you’ll get warm weather, sandy beaches, and a tropical climate that makes for a wonderful place to visit on your USA bucket list.

Key West and Key Largo are excellent fishing and snorkeling destinations. Also along the way are tarpon feeding at Robbie’s and excellent beaches on each and every island.

Big Bend National Park

Located deep in West Texas, Big Bend National Park is the most remote site on our ultimate United States bucket list. Right at the bend in the Rio Grande lies the Chisos Mountains and some of the best panorama views in the entire country.

The South Rim Trail brings you to a jaw-dropping view of the landscape from above, and the Window and Lost Mine Trail have equally impressive views.

After those epic hikes, relax in the free hot springs right along the Rio Grande, and head to one of the unparalleled campsites available all over the park.

The single best part about visiting Big Bend? The stargazing. The cloudless West Texas sky (and the lack of artificial light) means that the starts here are as big and bright as anywhere else on Earth. 

Door County, Wisconsin

The Midwest sometimes doesn’t get mentioned in any USA bucket list posts, and that is a shame. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and the other Midwestern states are full of awesome natural adventures and things to do.

Door County, Wisconsin is one of those places. Visit in Fall, and you’ll see colors you didn’t know existed in the trees and landscapes of Door County. The endless forests and trees change color beautifully. Lake Michigan adds an awesome element to the Wisconsin adventure.

There are wonderful hikes, boat excursions, stunning hotels, and delicious restaurants in the area that will make your experience unforgettable.

Redwoods in Northern California

Redwoods National and State Parks are a series of protected areas in California that show off the intense size and stature of the state’s Redwood forests. The trees are simply astounding!

The best thing to do in Redwoods National Park is walk at the base of the trees and stare until they disappear into the skies. The best of the trees in Northern California are the Grove of Titans. Here there you can see some of the largest, oldest, and most impressive trees in the world.

You simply MUST put the Redwoods on your ultimate United States bucket list.

Colorado Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most famous and visited National Parks in the USA, and with good reason. The enormous snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, and the beautiful alpine lakes at the base of the peaks, make for an absolutely incredible natural experience.

Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park is the best thing to do here. Hike to lakes such as Dream Lake, Cub Lake, Emerald Lake, and Bierstadt Lake. On top of the hikes, you can see wildlife such as deer, elk, moose, and bears at places such as Moraine Park, a huge expanse of land between the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

Buffalo National River

Located in Northern Arkansas is a beautiful wilderness area called Buffalo National River. This area has a bright blue river flowing straight through the heart of thick forests and enormous peaks. Herds of deer and elk live here in this untouched wilderness that makes for a great hidden gem in the heart of the country.

Take a road trip through the United States and make a stop at Buffalo National River!.

Bonneville Salt Flats

The Bonneville Salt Flats are located in Northern Utah right near Salt Lake City, and make for a wonderful bucket list destination. What you’ll find here are enormous areas of land covered in salt and shallow water. It makes for an absolutely mind-boggling landscape.

The ground before you either shines bright white or reflects the high peaks of the mountains deep in the distance. You can even take a few steps out on the salt flats if you choose to. But be forewarned, your shoes will get EXTRA salty if you do!

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is the final destination on our ultimate United States bucket list.

There are so many fun (and free) things you can do in New Orleans. You can go hiking in one of the city’s many parks or enjoy awesome local culinary delicacies. Of course you must enjoy Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. The art, culture, and adventure you can have in New Orleans is unlike any other city in the country.

That is why we chose New Orleans for our final location on this ultimate bucket list. 

We sincerely hope you enjoyed this article on the ultimate United States bucket list destinations. Please use the below images to Pin this to Pinterest!