Outdoor sights in USA
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The High Line
For years now, the big buzz in Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen has been all about the coming of the High Line, the first section of which finally and officially opened to the public in the summer of 2009. Now you can stroll, sit and picnic 30ft above the city below on what was, since the 1960s, an abandoned stretch of elevated railroad track. The perks thus far are numerous, and include stunning vistas of the Hudson River, public art installations, fat lounge chairs for soaking up some sun, willowy stretches of native-inspired landscaping (including a mini-forest of trees), a cupcake vendor and a thoroughly unique perspective on the neighborhood streets below – especially at…
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Sea Lions at Pier 39
Beach bums took over San Francisco’s most coveted waterfront real estate in 1990 and have been making a public display of themselves ever since, canoodling, belching, scratching their naked backsides and gleefully shoving one another off the docks. Naturally these unkempt squatters became San Francisco’s favorite mascots, and since California law requires boats to make way for marine mammals, yacht owners have to relinquish valuable slips to accommodate as many as 1300 sea lions who ‘haul out’ onto the docks between January and July, and whenever else they feel like sunbathing.
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Governors Island
Off-limits to the public for 200 years, former military outpost Governors island is now one of New York's most popular seasonal playgrounds. Each summer, free ferries make the seven-minute trip from Lower Manhattan to the 172-acre oasis. Among the island's draws is Picnic Point, an 8-acre patch of green with picnic tables and hammocks; Figment (www.figmentproject.org), a one-weekend-only interactive art festival in June; and Water Taxi Beach, a spit of sand that hosts events from dance parties to live concerts. Then there's the smooth, 2.2-mile bicycle path around the perimeter of the entire island, which you can pedal with rental bikes from Bike & Roll for $15 per two…
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People's Park
Just east of Telegraph Ave, between Haste St and Dwight Way, is the site of People's Park, a marker in local history as a political battleground between residents and city government in the late '60s. The park has since served mostly as an unofficial residence for Berkeley's homeless. A publicly funded restoration spruced it up a bit, and occasional festivals do still happen here, but on the surface it's still just a mangy patch of trampled grass.
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Lombard Street
You’ve seen its eight switchbacks in a thousand photographs. The tourist board has dubbed this ‘the world’s crookedest street, ’ which is factually incorrect. Vermont St in Potrero Hill deserves this street cred, but Lombard is (much) more scenic, with its red-brick pavement and lovingly tended flowerbeds. It wasn’t always so bent; before the automobile it lunged straight down the hill. Don’t try anything funny. The recent clampdown on renegade skaters means that the Lombard St thrills featured in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game will remain strictly virtual, at least until the cops get slack. Until 2008, every Easter Sunday for seven years adults had arrived at the…
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Will Rogers State Park
Rugged but small, this park sprawls across ranch land once owned by Will Rogers (1875–1935), an Oklahoma-born cowboy turned humorist, radio-show host and movie star. In the late '20s he traded his Beverly Hills manse for a 31-room ranch house and lived here until his tragic 1935 death by plane crash. Following extensive renovations, guided tours allow you to again nose around the Western art and Native American rugs and baskets and marvel at the porch swing right in the living room.
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He'eia State Park
He'eia State Park on Kealohi Point, just off Kamehameha Hwy, has a good view of He'eia Fishpond on the right and He'eia-Kea Harbor on the left. The fishpond, an impressive survivor from the days when stone walled ponds of fish raised for royalty were common on Hawaiian shores, remains largely intact despite the invasive mangroves.
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Palisades Park
Perhaps it’s appropriate that Route 66, America’s most romanticized byway, ends at this gorgeous cliffside park perched dramatically on the edge of the continent. Just pretend you don’t see all the beggars. Stretching 1.5 miles north from the pier, this palm-dotted greenway is tops with joggers and people-watchers.
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Font's Point
Font's Point offers a spectacular panorama over the Borrego Valley to the west and the Borrego Badlands to the south. Walking the 4 miles to the point is a good way to really be amazed when the desert seemingly drops from beneath your feet.
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Hot Springs Mountain Tower
On the top of Hot Springs Mountain, the 216ft tower has spectacular views of the surrounding mountains covered with dogwood, hickory, oak and pine – lovely in the spring and fall.
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Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
This 2812-sq-mile preserve, which covers the southern two-thirds of Kodiak Island, all of Ban and Uganik Islands and a small section of Afognak Island, is the chief stronghold of the Alaska brown bear. An estimated 2300 bears reside in the refuge and the surrounding area, which is known worldwide for brown-bear hunting and to a lesser degree for salmon and steelhead fishing.
Birdlife is plentiful: more than 200 species have been recorded, and there are 600 breeding pairs of eagles that nest within the refuge. Flowing out of the steep fjords and deep glacial valleys and into the sea are 117 salmon-bearing streams that account for 65% of the total commercial salmon harvest…
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Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park
Though it may appear to be desolate lava rock this national park is worth exploring. It covers 1160 acres of oceanfront and includes fishponds, ancient heiau and house sites, burial caves, petroglyphs, holua, and a restored 1-mile segment of the ancient King's Trail footpath. Visit in the early morning or late afternoon (or when it's overcast), as midday temperatures can be unbearable. Trails cross rough chunks of 'a'a lava, so wear good shoes.
At the park's northern end is Kaloko Fishpond. Further south, 'Aimakapa Fishpond, is the largest on the Kona Coast. Separated from the ocean by a stone wall, fish were raised in these ponds until distributed by the ali'i. Mangrove,…
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Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Assateague Island, a beautiful 37-mile-long island off the eastern shore of Maryland, preserves a rare stretch of undeveloped seashore, one of the most pristine and picture-perfect spots on the mid-Atlantic coast. As an undeveloped barrier island, it provides a sharp contrast to the overdeveloped beach resorts that dominate the coast. Besides its natural appeal, the island is home to a legendary herd of wild ponies, whose dramatic silhouettes race across the dunes. The National Park Service manages most of the protected national seashore; the southern end of the island is Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. A bridge accesses the northern portion of the island, but…
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Tuolumne Meadows
Beyond Tioga Rd, about 55 miles from Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows is the largest subalpine meadow in the Sierra. It provides a dazzling contrast to the valley, with its lush open fields, clear blue lakes, ragged granite peaks and domes, and cooler temperatures. If you come in July or August, you'll find a painter's palette worth of wildflowers decorating the shaggy meadows.
Tuolumne is far less crowded than the valley, though the area around the campground, lodge store and visitors center does gets busy, especially on weekends. Some hiking trails, such as the one to Dog Lake, are also well traveled. Remember that the altitude makes breathing a lot harder than in the…
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Pipiwai Trail
The Pipiwai Trail runs up the 'Ohe'o streambed, rewarding hikers with perfect views of the upper waterfalls. The trail starts on the mauka side of the visitor center and leads up to Makahiku Falls (0.5mi/800m) and Waimoku Falls (2mi/3.2km). Or take a little shortcut by picking up the trail from the pedestrian crossing at the highway. To see both falls takes about two hours return. The upper section is muddy, but boardwalks cover the worst bits.
Along the path, you'll pass large mango trees and patches of guava before coming to an overlook after about 10 minutes. Makahiku Falls, a long bridal-veil waterfall that drops into a deep gorge, is just off to the right. Thick…
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Kualoa Regional Park
The 153-acre Kualoa Regional Park on Kualoa Point provides an expansive vista of offshore islands and inland mountains. In ancient times Kualoa was once one of the most sacred places on O'ahu. When a chief stood on Kualoa Point, passing canoes lowered their sails in respect. There are picnic tables, rest rooms, showers and a lifeguard. Camping is allowed from Friday through Sunday. The children of chiefs were brought here to be raised.
It may also have been a place of refuge where kapu (taboo) breakers and fallen warriors could seek reprieve from the law. Because of its rich significance to Hawaiians, Kualoa Regional Park is listed in the National Register of Historic…
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Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
Staten Island's buses – which accept the MTA MetroCard and leave from outside the ferry terminal – are your best bet for reaching the island's more distant attractions. Top of the list is Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, a beautiful complex of themed gardens, historic buildings, art spaces and museums 2 miles west of the ferry terminal. Highlights include an ancient-style Chinese Scholar's Garden, a Tuscan Garden modeled on the Villa Gamberaia in Florence, and the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, which showcases changing exhibitions of modern art. From Henderson St on the southern edge of the Snug Harbor complex, the Staten Island Mall-bound S44 bus…
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Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
In 1982 the state reserved 48,000 acres along the Chilkat, Klehini and Tsirku Rivers to protect the largest known gathering of bald eagles in the world. Each year from October to February, more than 4000 eagles congregate here to feed on spawning salmon. They come because an upwelling of warm water prevents the river from freezing, thus encouraging the late salmon run. It's a remarkable sight - hundreds of birds sitting in the bare trees lining the river, often six or more birds to a branch.
The eagles can be seen from the Haines Hwy, where turnouts allow motorists to park and view the birds. The best view is between Mile 18 and Mile 22, where you'll find telescopes,…
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Stan Price State Wildlife Sanctuary
Named for an Alaskan woodsman who lived on a float house here for almost 40 years. The sanctuary includes an area that has been closed to hunting since the mid-1930s, and due largely to the former presence of Price and his visitors, the bears here have become used to humans. The bears are most abundant in July and August, when the salmon are running.
Most visitors to Pack Creek are day-trippers who arrive and depart on floatplanes. Upon arrival, all visitors are met by a ranger who explains the rules. You must leave all food in a cache provided near the south sand spit. You may not leave the viewing sand spit to get closer to the bears, although you may use a small…
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Flushing Meadows Corona Park
The area’s biggest attraction is this 1225-acre park, built for the 1939 World’s Fair and dominated by Queens’ most famous landmark, the stainless steel Unisphere – it's the world’s biggest globe, at 120ft high and weighing 380 tons. Facing it is the former New York City Building, now home to the highly underrated Queens Museum of Art.
Just south are three weather-worn, Cold War–era New York State Pavilion Towers, part of the New York State Pavilion for the 1964 World’s Fair. If entering the park from the subway walkway, look for the 1964 World’s Fair mosaics by Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol (just down from the pedestrian bridge from the subway). Also nearby is…
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Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Extending from near JFK, airport at the start of the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, the salty, marshy Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is one of the most important migratory bird and wetland habitats along the eastern seaboard. In spring and fall, more than 325 bird species stop in to rest and snack, snapping up all sorts of briny sea creatures like clams, turtles, shrimp and oysters. Each season brings different visitors: spring features warblers and songbirds, and American woodcocks in late March. In mid-August shorebirds start to move south, landing here from Canada, fueling up for the trip to Mexico. Fall is when migrating hawks and raptors get mobile, along with…
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Alekoko (Menehune) Fishpond
Although the view is distant, you won't regret a quick stop to look at the tranquil 39-acre Alekoko (Menehune) Fishpond, an ancient loko wai (freshwater pond), surrounded by a vast area of forest. According to legend, Kaua'i's menehune (little people) formed the fishpond overnight when they built the stone wall running along a bend in Hule'ia River. The stone wall is now covered by a thick green line of mangrove trees.
The pond was in great condition until 1824, when Kaua'i's leader Kaumuali'i died and ali'i (chiefs) from O'ahu and Maui ruled the island as absentee landlords. With no ali'i to feed and maintain the pond, it sorely declined. Later the surrounding area was…
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Lapakahi State Historical Park
Lapakahi is part of a marine conservation area and certain sections are sacred. Follow the 1-mile loop trail (unshaded) past the remains of house sites, canoe sheds and fishing shrines. Learn how fishers used lift nets to catch opelu (pan-sized mackerel scad), a technique still practiced today, and how the salt used to preserve fish was dried in stone salt pans. Try 'o'o ihe (spear throwing) and 'ulu maika (stone bowling).
Lapakahi was a remote fishing village 600 years ago. Fish were plentiful, and the cove provided a safe canoe landing year-round. Eventually some of the villagers moved to the wetter uplands and began to farm, trading their crops for fish with those who…
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Pier 45
Still known to many as the Christopher Street Pier, this is an 850ft-long finger of concrete, spiffily renovated with a grass lawn, flowerbeds, a comfort station, an outdoor cafe, tented shade shelters and a stop for the New York Water Taxi as part of the ongoing Hudson River Park project. And it’s a magnet for downtowners of all stripes, from local families with toddlers in daylight to mobs of young gay kids who flock here at night from all over the city (and beyond) because of the pier’s long-established history as a gay cruising hangout. That’s been the source of ongoing conflict in the neighborhood, where moneyed West Village residents say that the clutches of youths…
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Loft Mountain
The landscape of Loft Mountain ranges from bucolic grassland to challenging hills and is home to a variety of wildlife, especially deer and bears. Here you'll find a wayside, camp store, gas station, picnic area and campground that's much less crowded and more secluded than Big Meadows. A 4.4km (2.7mi) nature hike loops around the northeast summit of Loft Mountain and makes for an enjoyable family excursion.
Getting to the trailhead takes a bit of doing, however. Park at the Loft Mountain wayside lot and walk north on Skyline Drive. After passing the Patterson Ridge Trail on the left, look for a dirt road on the right. Take that road past the PATC maintenance building to…
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