Natural Wonders

Choquequirao, Peru

White llama terraces dazzle in Peru's "other Machu Picchu"

Known as the other Machu Picchu, Choquequirao ("Cradle of Gold") is preferred by serious hikers who enjoy the untamed nature of the trails. Remoteness and inaccessibility have kept most potential... »

Natural Wonders, Cultures and Civilizations , Incredible Ruins | Edited by Nicholas Jackson

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Dyed by iron oxide over centuries, these sandstone rocks rise thousands of feet into the sky

Maintained by the Bureau of Land Management as part of its National Landscape Conservation System, Red Rock National Conservation Area is a chunk of land just 15 miles west of Las Vegas that is... »

Natural Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by canuck and Nicholas Jackson

Dover Island, Nova Scotia

Eastern Canada's ocean playground

Affectionately known as Nova Scotia's Granite Playground, Dover Island is a paradise for hikers, kayakers, bird-watchers, wave-catchers and rock climbers. The island is located just off the coast... »

Natural Wonders, Anomalous Islands, Intriguing Environs | Edited by kalizearmour and Nicholas Jackson

Cherrapunji

Known as the wettest place on earth

Cherrapunji, located in the East Khasi Hills in the Indian state of Meghalaya, holds the dubious honor being the "wettest" place on earth. The average yearly rainfall of the region fluctuates from... »

Natural Wonders, Weird Weather Phenomena | Edited by Nathan_Risinger, Dylan and 2 others

Multnomah Falls

Roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water

Only a 30-minute drive from Portland, Oregon, Multnomah Falls allows visitors to experience the power of nature up close. The base of this 611-foot-tall cascade of icy water is only a five-minute... »

Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders | Edited by canuck, Nicholas Jackson and others

Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve

Granite outcropping that the state's tourism bureau doesn't promote because of its delicate ecosystem

Named for a massive granite standing rock that is actually closer to fourteen acres in size, the Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve is set in a 2,267-acre park in South Carolina that is open for... »

Natural Wonders, Geological Oddities, Extraordinary Flora, Fascinating Fauna | Edited by lewis, Annetta and others

Rio Tinto (Red River)

Considered the birthplace of the Copper Age and Bronze Age, the river is tinted red from 5,000 years of mining

Originating in the Sierra Morena mountains of Andalusia, Spain's "red river" runs through the southwestern region of the country. For approximately five thousand years, copper, gold, silver and... »

Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders, Martian Landscapes | Edited by Genki and Nicholas Jackson

Neahkahnie Mountain

Mountain known by the Tillamook Tribe as "the place of the supreme deity"

North of Manzanita in Oswald West State Park, the Neahkahnie Mountain sits tucked on the Oregon Coast overlooking U.S. Route 101. Part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range, the mountain is known to... »

Natural Wonders, Cultures and Civilizations | Edited by canuck, Dylan and others

San Francisco's Peregrine Falcons

Recovered from the brink of extinction, at home in the Financial District

It is not an uncommon sight in San Francisco’s Financial District to see pigeons disappear at lighting speed, attacked from on high by the city’s resident Peregrine Falcons. These beautiful... »

Natural Wonders, Fascinating Fauna | Edited by Annetta, Dylan and others

Baikal Seals

Some of the world's only freshwater seals live in one very special lake in Russia

Harbour seals, grey seals, elephant seals - these all share a common habitat, the ocean. The Baikal Seals are one of the only seals to live exclusively in freshwater. (The only other species of... »

Natural Wonders, Fascinating Fauna | Edited by M Rebekah Otto, Dylan and others

Elsewhere on the Web