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What US states have the most natural beauty? (Opinions)

Ginevra

By Ginevra,
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Garga

Garga

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Now that I’ve posted my pictures of PA, I have to say that I’ve seen great beauty in every state I’ve ever been in. I just happen to live in PA so I’ve have time to get some lovely pictures. 

I used to think that the west was ugly—all that dirt and rocks and yellow, but when I finally went out there in person, it’s just stunning! It’s not all green like my PA pix, but it’s gorgeous in a completely different way. 

 

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Clarita

Clarita

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When I first read the subject I was thinking in terms of attractive people. I come to see some spicy comments.

I haven't been to a lot of states (California, Oklahoma, Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts), so I don't think I can say which state. So far my favorite natural beauty is the California Redwood forests.

Pictures do it no justice because what makes them breathtaking for me is the smell, the air, and the atmosphere that the trees create. 

 

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Bambam

Bambam

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I lived in many different states and visiting many others. 
I find beauty in many different places. 
The Hill Country of Texas in the spring when the wildflowers are everywhere.
The Piney Woods of Texas when the honeysuckle is blooming in late spring and the deciduous trees are still their soft green. 
The fall foliage of the New England states is amazing.
The rocky/wild/rugged beautiful of the PNW is so lovely.
The southern end of IN/IL is also beautiful. 
Some of Hawaii is visually stunning as well. 
The Smoky Mountains are incredible. 

We have an incredible diverse and attractive country. 

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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33 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

A few pictures of today in West Michigan.   It was cloudy so colors aren’t as vibrant.

Hiking up and down wooded sand dunes.  We could overlook the river, oxbow lake and Lake Michigan.

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Lovely! So serene. Lake Michigan is my happy place...shhhh....don't tell Lake Huron that. She is pretty too! 😁

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Frances

Frances

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2 hours ago, Garga said:

Now that I’ve posted my pictures of PA, I have to say that I’ve seen great beauty in every state I’ve ever been in. I just happen to live in PA so I’ve have time to get some lovely pictures. 

I used to think that the west was ugly—all that dirt and rocks and yellow, but when I finally went out there in person, it’s just stunning! It’s not all green like my PA pix, but it’s gorgeous in a completely different way. 

 

All of your PA pictures could have been taken in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. (Although that could be said for almost every picture posted so far). We have tons of green in Oregon and grow an amazing variety of crops, in addition to mountains, coast, high desert, ranch land, etc.

Edited by Frances
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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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Here are two photos from our quick stop at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in Nebraska. I am making a plug here because I sincerely believe that the park ranger we met there might be the loneliest park ranger in America! He practically rolled out the red carpet to welcome us in. It is one of the least visited park units, I think average number of visitors is 11,000 ish. It is in the middle of absolute nowhere. The most remote outpost I have ever been to so if you have a chance to go there in your travels, do say hi to the poor man, shake his hand, and if you dare, ask him questions because he will give you all the facts! If you head north out of there and go to Custer State Park in South Dakota, you will not be disappointed and can consider it a reward for going out of your way to visit the lonely outpost. 😁

The 3rd photo is off our back deck at the Alabama house overlooking the cove.

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Kalmia

Kalmia

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5 hours ago, MEmama said:

A few pics from our much needed healing afternoon at the beach today. I'm an ocean person and can't imagine living far from it again (the Great Lakes filed the hole when we lived in Minnesota and Ohio, but I missed the sea air).

I 

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I was planning on going to Popham today, too! The fact that this was the last good painting day of the year meant that I spent every minute painting my barn instead, but it pleases me that we WTMers might have been there at the same time had I not had so much work to do and so little time left to do it. 🙂

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Nart

Nart

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California is pretty amazing ( I live here so I am probably biased). The beauty of standing in a high Sierra meadow surrounded by wildflowers while listening to black bears munching on plants is hard to beat. Then add to that all the coastline. I love watching my boys surf as I walk on the beach as the sun sets. 

Utah's National Parks are stunning. Hiking down and all around Bryce Canyon early in the morning before the crowds is one of my favorite hikes ever. 

The glaciers in Alaska and the scenery. 

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Ginevra

Ginevra

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7 hours ago, wisdomandtreasures said:

I grew up in Monterey, CA and spent lots of time in Pacific Grove, Carmel, Moss Landing, and Big Sur. It's pretty hard to beat those, but Idaho has a ton of great walking trails that come pretty close. 🙂 

My SIL visited Monterey one year in the spring. (I have never been to CA at all….yet.) She said, “You have *got* to go sometime; the natural beauty is absolutely breathtaking!” 

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Ginevra

Ginevra

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16 hours ago, Frances said:

I’ve lived on the east coast (and travelled there extensively), the Midwest (ditto), and Colorado and while all of those places have lots of natural beauty, none have the diversity of the west coast all within one state.

That is part of what I love about Maryland. For a tiny state (comparatively), there are diverse ecosystems and topography. You can go to the Atlantic Ocean, or the nearby marshland; gorgeous farmland throughout, especially in the Hunt horse area with mind-bogglingly gorgeous horse farms; hikes, waterfalls, streams and lakes; rocks/boulders out to the west…as long as we ignore parts of Baltimore, it feels like paradise. 😏

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Ginevra

Ginevra

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16 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

We were just in Northwest Arkansas, and while the trees were changing color beautifully, and we had a stunning, drop-dead-gorgeous view where we were staying, I came away less than impressed with the wildness and trashy look of endless deciduous trees.  I was surprised, because I'm an avid tree lover. Green leaves are my love language.

I guess I just like them a bit more tidy. Maybe that's why the less jungle-y look of northern Colorado and Oregon forests appealed to me. Anyway, that was a new revelation, and a surprising one at that.

 

 

That is surprising to me too. Having just come from a visit to Colorado, one thing dh and I both said we love here is the jungly-ness of it. 😊 We love how verdant and lush everything looks compared to Colorado. The Aspens were stunning, of course, and the mountains breathtaking, but we love the ground-to-overstory non-stop plant life of the East. 

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MEmama

MEmama

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8 hours ago, Kalmia said:

I was planning on going to Popham today, too! The fact that this was the last good painting day of the year meant that I spent every minute painting my barn instead, but it pleases me that we WTMers might have been there at the same time had I not had so much work to do and so little time left to do it. 🙂

We put off all our outdoor work., lol. We'll regret it this week of course, especially if it really does snow, but my spirit needed to be at the sea and Popham is my happy place. Wouldn't that have been something if we'd both posted photos of the same place! *laughs in maine* 

I hope you got your painting done--we are in for a shock after this warm fall.

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DawnM

DawnM

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Every state has beautiful areas and not so beautiful areas.   

I love the West Coast.   The mountains, the beaches with cliffs, the plants/vegetation, etc.....

But I have finally come to appreciate some of where I am on the East Coast.   The beaches aren't as grand (for example, you can drive PCH from San Diego up to Portland and see the ocean most of the way.   You can't do any of that on the East Coast.) and the mountains are not nearly as high or grand, but they are beautiful.   NC has lots of green, lots of trees, and rolling hills.   

That isn't to say that those are my two favorite places necessarily, it is to say that everywhere has something nice, even TX.....maybe......🤠   J/K!

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KrissiK

KrissiK

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California. At least it has the most variety. Yesterday I visited families for my job in The mountains, near Kings Canyon National Park. Breathtaking granite canyon. I'm still in awe and I go up there all the time. This weekend I am at the Central Coast with my middle daughter. Absolutely beautiful. Here's DH and me in Yosemite last winter. It was so beautiful up there.

 

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Scarlett

Scarlett

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I have been in a lot of states. I am  partial to AR, and especially the Ouachita Mountains where I grew up. 

I spent many years visiting High Point NC spring and fall and I always thought that area was beautiful. It looks a lot like AR. 

We vacationed in Copper Mt CO last summer and that area is stunning as well. 
I also love southern CO. Years ago we took the train up to Silverton and also went to Mesa Verde. Very pretty. 
 

I love the parts of CA we visited  a few years back. We stayed in San Jose but did a lot of day driving  and everything was so pretty. 
 

Up state NY and Connecticut  also had some beautiful countryside. 
 

OK has beautiful big skies. I love cow pastures and my friends have a cattle ranch with gorgeous sun rises and sunsets. 

I lived in WA state as a young child and the mountains there are majestic. We lived in a little town called Naches and it was pretty in that area. 
 

 

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Halftime Hope

Halftime Hope

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5 hours ago, Ginevra said:

That is surprising to me too. Having just come from a visit to Colorado, one thing dh and I both said we love here is the jungly-ness of it. 😊 We love how verdant and lush everything looks compared to Colorado. The Aspens were stunning, of course, and the mountains breathtaking, but we love the ground-to-overstory non-stop plant life of the East. 

You know, we spent most of the long weekend running around in the tight curvy roads near Eureka Springs, hiking and seeing dry waterfalls and doing all kinds of other outdoor stuff, and on our last day, we did a day trip several hours east to meet a new friend. That meant we were in rolling hills and hubby commented how much more he enjoyed wider open spaces--the trees weren't so "in-your-face".  LOL! I think he felt what I was feeling, but wrapped different words around it. We noticed the understory aspect so much more than in our Texas deciduous forests, because so much of the understory was scarlet or vermilion -- just beautiful!

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marbel

marbel

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2 hours ago, Scarlett said:

I love the parts of CA we visited  a few years back. We stayed in San Jose but did a lot of day driving  and everything was so pretty. 

I lived in San Jose for 30+ years and the best thing about it was the close proximity to so many beautiful places that weren't actually in San Jose. 😄

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frogger

frogger

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I find beauty everywhere so I agree with those who say there is no place most beautiful.

I think I am drawn to extremes though rainforests with big trees and moss and rocky deserts where you can see the rock layers in a variety of hues. Stream filled valleys and rocky sharp mountain peaks.

But I will still find a farm field or a tree lined lane beautiful. The west may be more rugged but the older hills of the east have a softer beauty.

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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PSA:

This is the Michigan Mascot..not the official state animal which is an animal that doesn't even live here. 🙄 The real state animal mascot.

You may think it is a raccoon. It is not. It is a Trash Panda. It will terrorize your camp. It is not scared of anything. Not ones thing. Every last one of them has the same mentality as Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Usually, they are foraging for twinkies, ho-hos, cosmic brownies, snickers, and marshmallows. Throwing it anything that "naturalists" say they should eat will only earn you scorn, derision, and increased evil Trash Panda activities. You can get away with tossing graham crackers into the woods. Sometimes they will follow them.

This one is names Ziggy. He occupies campsite 33 at Warren Dunes State Park along with his cohort in crime, Roy. Ziggy actually comes and sits at the campfire usually less than two feet from you and begs for bites much like toddlers hovering over their mother's plate. Don't be fooled, later he will be trying to claw his way into your tent.

So be aware. 😁

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Kalmia

Kalmia

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I haven't been to that many states, but from what I have seen in real life and in photographs, I think all of them have extraordinary places worth visiting. Having chosen to live in Maine over all other states, I do say that Maine's variety of terrain and habitats (mountains, hills, ocean, sandy beaches, cobble beaches, rocky coast, salt marshes, wetlands, bogs and fens, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, old fields, and farmland); its low population; and its dark skies for seeing the stars; and it's four seasons (five, if you count mud season) makes it a place where one can visit or live and experience many different natural places within a days drive without much crowding from other people.

Places I have been that I found incredibly beautiful include the rivers and sandstone bluffs of eastern Kentucky (Cumberland Falls region); the pointy, close together mountains of West Virginia  and the Monongahela region; the Catskill Mountains of NY; a preserve called the 1,000 acre swamp near Rochester NY,  the Kancamagus Highway in NH that goes through the White Mountains; the Honey Island Swamp in Slidell, LA; and the phosphorescence on the beach at night on Cape Cod.Though I have been to Michigan many times, it is to a very flat, featureless region in the lower center, so I am sure I have not seen the best that state has to offer.

On my list, there are hundreds more natural wonders in other states I would love to visit. If I could see a remnant native prairie in flower, even though I don't gravitate to flat terrain, I would be really happy. Other places on the list are the Sonoran desert, Utah, British Columbia (not a state, but a province!), Glacier National Park (well, all the national parks), and more.

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