Places You Can NOT Appreciate Without Seeing Them In Person?

[sparky08]

I saw Chamonix, France last year and was amazed at the size of Mt Blanc.

Mt Blanc is 12,000 ft higher than the valley floor and covered in glaciers. We took the Augille du Midi (cable car) up and watched the sunrise. I'll never forget that.

 

[motley]

Northern lights! If you ever have the opportunity, you MUST! You have to see it to believe it.

I was in Alaska for several weeks. Stinkers never showed themselves.

 

[flyoverstate]

Colorado and Utah have many over-visited places that qualify as "You have to see it in person", but there are also many less visited ones, and I think the fewer people, the better. Most are less visited because they are harder to get to.


Wheeler Geologic Area (CO)
Great Sand Dunes NP (CO)
North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP (CO)
Colorado National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
"The West End" in Colorado and the Uncompahgre Plateau including the Dolores River
Hovenweep National Monument (CO/UT)
Capitol Reef National Park (UT)
Henry Mountains (UT)

There are many more, most of which I wouldn't post on a public forum because they don't deserve to be trampled. I used to joke that my property in CO would be a state park in the Midwest, but it isn't really joking.

Places like Rocky Mountain NP, Aspen, Moab, Zion NP, were great thirty years ago, but sadly, you might as well be on a carnival ride now. Ruined. Step up to the ticket booth, buy your ticket, get in line with annoying Instagrammers, and screaming kids who can't live without their video games. Sheesh.

 

[TrvlBug]

Just thought of another one...the aquamarine pools at the Havasupai Indian Reservation. We didn't make ressies for Phantom Ranch far enough in advance so spent a couple of days at Havasupai instead. A must see.

We've been fortunate to be able to travel extensively all over the world. One of our favorite trips was a 3 week car trip in the Southwest US.

 

[Koolau]

Places like Rocky Mountain NP, Aspen, Moab, Zion NP, were great thirty years ago, but sadly, you might as well be on a carnival ride now. Ruined. Step up to the ticket booth, buy your ticket, get in line with annoying Instagrammers, and screaming kids who can't live without their video games. Sheesh.

Yeah, I guess Joni had it right.
"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

She wrote this about Hawaii and I can see what she was talking about. Still, who is to decide how many people get to "enjoy" paradise before it is too much?

Hanauma Bay is a snorkeling location on Oahu. We have limited visitors to Hanauma Bay by charging $25 entry fee and limiting parking. Still, the best thing that ever happened to the bay was Covid. During the lock down and subsequent shut downs, the bay recovered from a lot of the environmental damage caused by over use. IIRC the dramatic recovery spurred HB to limit visitors even further (I think they cut an additional day that the park is open.)

It is a truly amazing place if you ever get a chance to see it.

Hanauma Bay State Park

Formed within a volcanic cone, today Hanauma Bay offers a pristine marine ecosystem that allow visitors an amazing place to snorkel daily.

hanaumabaystatepark.com

On Big Island there's an even more spectacular snorkeling site off Captain Cook at Kealakekua Bay. 90 ft water and you can see the bottom. Best access is by boat (I THINK they limit the number of boats/visits per day but don't quote me.) It's been a long time since I've been there.

Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook): a FAVORITE snorkeling spot

ALL you need to know to visit Kealakekua Bay - a marine sanctuary and one of the BEST places to snorkel in the entire state of Hawai'i.

www.lovebigisland.com

 

[mh]

For me, it's soccer match day in any English or Irish pub. I traveled to Dublin in July and was in the Sinnott's Bar watching the Euro Final between England and Spain. The atmosphere was electric. As an American and not at all a soccer fan, I never appreciated how crazy Europeans are about soccer. Until that day. It was awesome and something to be experienced.

if you are in southern california. consider going to a LA galaxy game and buying a seat in the supporter section (where the more enthusiatic fans are). it has a similar feel. and the galaxy are doing very well this year (1st place in the west), so chances are you'll see a good game.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I meant "it". He is also not very muscular.

Was "it" proportionate to 17 ft tall?

 

[SecondAttempt]

Bay is a snorkeling location on Oahu. We have limited visitors to Hanauma Bay by charging $25 entry fee and limiting parking. Still, the best thing that ever happened to the bay was Covid. During the lock down and subsequent shut downs, the bay recovered from a lot of the environmental damage caused by over use. IIRC the dramatic recovery spurred HB to limit visitors even further (I think they cut an additional day that the park is open.)

It is a truly amazing place if you ever get a chance to see it.

Hanauma Bay State Park

Formed within a volcanic cone, today Hanauma Bay offers a pristine marine ecosystem that allow visitors an amazing place to snorkel daily.

hanaumabaystatepark.com

On Big Island there's an even more spectacular snorkeling site off Captain Cook

Glad to hear Hanauma Bay is recurring but I truly think they need to ban cruise passengers further!

Thank you for mentioning my backyard (Kealakekua Bay) It is truly spectacular. But like Captain Cook, we welcome people who are respectful. Read up on Captain Cook's fate to understand how we treat those who are disrespectful.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Many of mine have been covered, but here are a few more:

The ocean when there is no land in sight.

I did that in 1988 before GPS was widely known about. It was kind of scary to be honest.

Wild dolphins frolicking in the ocean just because they can.

I had an amazing experience scuba diving one time. I and the divemaster who I had dived with many times were the last in the water and we were descended upon by a pod of dolphins that seemed to be more curious about us than we were of them. We hung mostly motionless about 30 feet deep while they investigated us. Some got within inches of us. We watched pairs have sex. Saw babies and juveniles practice breaching. It was amazing. We were with them for over half an hour and only surfaced because we were almost out of air. It is by far the most amazing diving experience I ever had.

The phosphorescent wake behind your ship at night.
The Panama Canal (preferably transiting on something smaller than a cruise ship).
The view of Mt. Rainier from the Puget Sound ferry.
Glacier Bay in Alaska.
Sunset from the top of a mountain above the tree line.
Petra, Jordan
The Sahara Desert
Needles Highway in the Black Hills of South Dakota

The inside of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

Been there and attended mass. SPB as well as Angelus in St. Peter's Square. It was amzing even though I am not Catholic or relikgious

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky
The view from the field in the old Cleveland Lakefront Stadium when it was filled with 80,000 cheering college football fans (no longer exists).

 

[Koolau]

My impression was just the opposite. I haven’t seen any humans 17 feet tall…

I don't recall how big it or he was. I just recall viewing the statue at age 17 with several 17 year old female friends. Slightly awkward.

 

[Koolau]

Something you could likely never plan, but I once viewed Chicago from 130 miles away and about 25 thousand feet in the air. (It was in January and the ground temp hovered near zero as best I recall. There wasn't a breath of wind when we landed at ORD. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.)

The sun was intense and I could make out most of the significant buildings of the Chicago skyline from that distance. It was magical. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself.

 

[anethum]

Here are some that may not have been mentioned yet, in no particular order:

Monarch butterfly reserve in southern Michoacan state in Mexico. Millions of butterflies flitting around in a meadow near the top of a mountain. This was about 15 years ago when the butterflies were very plentiful.

las Pozas surreal sculpture garden set in a lush tropical forest near Xilitla, San Luis Potosi state, Mexico. Bizarre but beautiful.

looking into the caldera from the rim of the active Villarica volcano, near Pucon, Chile (in retrospect, this was dangerous, even though I hiked up in a small group with a guide, as required). Little eruptions were constantly happening inside the caldera.

Sigiriya, an astounding enormous 200 meter (660 ft) high rectangular rock in Sri Lanka. You walk up over 1,200 steps (including a few metal spiral staircases attached to the side of the rock with nothing beneath you).

snorkeling in the Red Sea. The vast array of colorful fish in large numbers amazed me

the gorgeous Na Pali coast on the Island of Kauai

Waimea Canyon on Kauai

The view at the end of the easy Sentinel Dome hike in Yosemite (similar to views at nearby Glacier Point), esp. in late spring when the waterfalls in Yosemite Valley have vast amounts of water.

Giant Forest section of Sequoia National Park, the largest concentration of giant sequoia trees that exists.

Stunning main reading room at the Library of Congress

First glimpse of Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly

Incredible variety of cacti in several Mexican deserts (far more cactus species are native to Mexico than anywhere else), including Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, and deserts between Zacatecas & San Luis Potosi.

Mount Rainier when it's first visible (viewed both on the ground as well as from an airplane)

the extensive and varied Huntington Gardens in Southern California

Art deco architecture in Napier, New Zealand

British colonial architecture in Penang, Malaysia.

Moki dugway road in southern Utah near Monument valley

Places which I think have been mentioned by others: Redwood National Park (more impressive than Muir Woods, which is itself impressive), Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Venice, statue of David, Eiffel Tower, 2017 total solar eclipse, Bristlecone Pine forest in eastern California at 10,000 ft (much more impressive and healthy trees than 2 other Bristlecone pine forests I've seen in 2 national parks), Bryce Canyon. eta: the mezquita in Cordoba, Spain. I was not prepared for its beauty and immense size.

 

[Dean56]

Crater Lake is beautiful when seen in person. I spent a whole day there taking pictures.

 

[explanade]

I dispute the premise of the OP.

I spend a lot of time on photography on trips and when I research places, I get a good sense of the scenery I will see. Actually bookmark places in Google Maps based on the views I want to see and photograph,

As good as photography is, as skilled as photographers are, no pictures do justice to these places. If it's not my own photos, look at Ansel Adams' famous photographs of Yosemite and actually going there. Adams used to spend hours waiting for just the right light.

But as the expression "a feast for the eyes" suggests, it's a kind of sensory wave that no photo prepares you for.

My photos help me remember some of these places, just the way it commands your attention -- you can't look away.

One of the memorable experiences was going to the Austrian village of Lermoos, which is on the Austrian side of Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany.

Obviously saw a lot of photos in planning, as I chose a lodge which had views of the peak across a valley. When I drove there, from Munich, the winding roads gave partial views but I didn't stop until I got to the inn. I parked the car, went to the trunk to unload my luggage, and there it was. Despite seeing many photos before, it still hit me, clear unobstructed views with parts of the village in the foreground.

Aside from the view, the area has a lot of things to do and of course, not far from Innsbruck, which again is surrounded by glorious Alpine scenery.

 

[Yoheadden]

I immediately thought of many places already mentioned, but some new ones are:
The Biltmore Estate in NC
Newport mansions in RI- for summer cottages, worth the trip
West Point military academy-you can feel the history
For foodies-The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in NY. It’s a beautiful setting on the Hudson River.
The Kancamangus Highway in NH during the Autumn. Just WOW
Maine’s coastline-Walk the marginal way in Ogunquit. Just beautiful

 

[Gumby]

I immediately thought of many places already mentioned, but some new ones are:
The Biltmore Estate in NC
Newport mansions in RI- for summer cottages, worth the trip
West Point military academy-you can feel the history
For foodies-The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in NY. It’s a beautiful setting on the Hudson River.
The Kancamangus Highway in NH during the Autumn. Just WOW
Maine’s coastline-Walk the marginal way in Ogunquit. Just beautiful

In my humble opinion, the U.S. Naval Academy is far more attractive than West Point, especially in the Spring.

 

[Onda]

Total solar eclipse

 

[Gumby]

Total solar eclipse

Agree completely. We drove up to Plattsburgh, NY to see the one this past April. It was spectacular.

 

[Koolau]

Anyplace on the ocean where you can't see land or other shipping or aircraft.

I'm sure it's not special to folks who've done a couple dozen cruises but for this midwestern hick, born in the corn belt, it was a revelation.

 

[DrRoy]

Grand Tetons
Great Sand Dunes
Yellowstone
Stonehenge
Banff - Moraine Lake
Antelope Ca

nyon

 

[DrRoy]

And Bryce Canyon

 

[Car-Guy]

Total solar eclipse

Agree completely. We drove up to Plattsburgh, NY to see the one this past April. It was spectacular.

We watched it from outside our back door. It was only ~98% eclipsed around here so maybe it needed to be 100% to be impressive. Most disappointing.

 

[Onda]

We watched it from outside our back door. It was only ~98% eclipsed around here so maybe it needed to be 100% to be impressive. Most disappointing.

Even 99.9% is very dissapointing compared to 100% (which is total eclipse).

It is like comparing cold sunset in winter to night.

 

[aja8888]

Norman Wells, NW Territories, Canada.

You haven't seen Canada until you go this far north, Go in the winter as travel is easier.

 

[Car-Guy]

Even 99.9% is very dissapointing compared to 100% (which is total eclipse).

It is like comparing cold sunset in winter to night.

I'll need to take your word for that since I'll be "dead as a doornail" long before the next total eclipse will happen around here.