Top Things to do in United States
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What to do and see in United States, United States: The Best Bodies of Water
Spanning 2,800 miles (4,506 kilometers) from east to west, the US is a vast patchwork of landscapes and metropolises. From Arizona’s red-rocked canyons and California’s coastal beaches to New York’s big city and Virginia’s storied past, it covers any topic any traveler could want or need.
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1. New River Gorge
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 194 reviews
A 53-mile stretch on the river that is set aside as a national park.
Reviewed By WiseWomanWanderer - Mount Orab, United States
New River Gorge and area should be on everyone's bucket list! I went for the hiking and the views for 3 nights accompanied by my dog. I could only manage easy-moderate trails. And I love water features. So, here is our itinerary>>> Sunday 1. stop at Canyon Rim Visitor Center, get trail maps, walk the boardwalk trail 2. hike Long Point Trail Monday 1. wake early to get parking place and then hike Endless Wall Trail (small parking lot, they will tow if on main road). 2. travel to Sandstone Falls and experience the boardwalk, island trail and overlooks 3. head to Thurmond area to hike the Rend Trail along the Dunloup Creek. Drove a little further to check out the New River. Driving back I pulled over to venture down to the falls (no sign so keep your eyes on the look out!). Tuesday 1. travel to Babcock State Park to experience the Grist Mill. Then hiked the Island in the Sky Trail which was nothing spectacular because the views were overgrown. Then, hiked around Lake Boley 2. drive to Summersville Dam and check out the two overlooks. Then, drive down the Gauley River access road and walk down the two steep entries to the Gauley River. 3. drive to Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park and hike the portion of the Patteron Trail with the 3 overlooks. 4. drive the Fayette Station Road Tour and get up close and personal with the New River. 5. hike the Timber Ridge Trail just because I was in the car a lot and needed more hiking! Wednesday 1. stop at Hawks Nest Overlook, Cathedral Falls, Confluence at Gauley Bridge (a city), and Kanawha Falls on SR 60 on my way back home I reviewed most of these trails on separate Tripadvisor entries. I just posted highlights of the trip. I gave each a 5 rating! I would have given 10 ratings if I could!
2. Table Rock Lake
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,309 reviews
Nationally known for its bass fishing, this beautiful clear water lake with gorgeous vistas is also an ideal setting for swimming, boating and water sports, and rivals some Caribbean islands with its excellent scuba diving.
Reviewed By dtw1969 - Fairview Heights, United States
Beautiful , large lake that has a lot of boats running around - but still is nice. Hiking around, walking near, swimming and more here! Bring the family, picnic and just relax. A great place to watch sunset is the boat ramp near Moonshine Beach!
3. Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4,633 reviews
A 1243 mile long river with 80 miles of canyons. Located between the states of Oregon and Washington.
Reviewed By alif30 - Parrish, United States
What a beautiful area! We stopped at A few falls and then the scenic overview place. Multnomah Falls, Horseshoe Falls, and the Vista House. All in all it took only an a couple hours. I would like to go back someday and hike around the area.
4. Coeur d'Alene Lake
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,397 reviews
Fed by waters from three different rivers, this pristine, 30-mile lake offers just about every water sport imaginable.
Reviewed By Gregg-Midlo
Whether you want to water ski, tube, fish, hike, bike, golf or just cruise the lake you will be amazed as the contrasting vistas of cool water against the green mountains and blue skies. Be on the lookout for bears, moose, eagles, egrets and more. What a magnificent place to create a memory.
5. Lake Michigan
6. Emerald Bay State Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 883 reviews
This spectacular bay in Lake Tahoe is best approached by hiking trails.
Reviewed By Alacrout - Los Angeles, United States
You really can’t go wrong with any part of Lake Tahoe, as the whole thing is surrounded by stunning mountain views. The views can get a little hazy during bad fire seasons, but still a beautiful area. Hard to pick a definitive “best” part of the Lake, but Emerald Bay is certainly up there as one of the best parts. The color of the water lives up to the name of “Emerald.” In the middle of the Bay, there’s a cute little island that is the ONLY island in Lake Tahoe. You can kayak, canoe, or boat to the island (NOT swim) and see the ruins of “Tea House,” where a quirky captain lived in the 1800s. Inspiration Point is a necessary stop on your way through the park—it gives you one of the best views of the entire Bay. Be sure to check out Vikingsholm too! :)
7. Tracy Arm Fjord
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2,879 reviews
Reviewed By clippers2018 - Maidenhead, United Kingdom
I spent the whole of June ‘19 travelling across Canada for 3 weeks followed by an 8 day Alaskan inside passage Cruise. I witnessed and experienced some amazing things including a flight over Niagara Falls and Dog Sledding on a Rockies Glacier. However, clear top (and that’s saying something !) amongst the numerous highlights was the Tracy Arm Fjord Cruise. The Cruise lasted 6.5 hours. It started with a switch from cruise ship to a smaller vessel (100 people ?) at 9am with a return to Juneau at 3:30pm. It was spectacular throughout. We cleared early fog to find ourselves on mill pond like water surrounded by magnificent snow capped mountains, valleys and tree lined rock faces, numerous waterfalls, mind boggling ice floes and jaw dropping glaciers. And then there was the wildlife ! As we travelled through the area every turn delivered yet another incredible view. So good was the spectacle any food time outs were very brief affairs ! There were early sightings of bald eagles, basking seals, brown bears at the waters edge and whales ! As we headed towards Juneau we came across a humpback whale crashing it’s fins on the water before submerging and a few seconds later performing a full breach right in front of us. Quite the spectacular finish to the cruise ! Researching this excursion pre cruise it looked fantastic, but exceeded those expectations considerably. I was advised to pre book and was so glad I did as it had sold out when I boarded. If you are doing one excursion make this the one if you possibly can. Truly magnificent.
8. Mirror Lake
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,026 reviews
Reviewed By luvtotravel6768 - Simcoe, Canada
Mirror Lake has it all - wonderful views; calm lake water; a 2.7 mile interlocking brick pathway all the way around, including part of the downtown street; a small sandy beach; a toboggan run in winter right onto the frozen lake!; kayaks to rent; flowers and flowering shrubs in May/June; and I must have forgotten something! We walked the loop 3 times during our week's stay, and saw walkers, joggers, families, mom's with strollers! Mirror Lake is well worth the stay in Lake Placid!
9. Fontana Lake
10. Lake Havasu
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 750 reviews
Created when the Parker Dam was built in 1938, this lake is actually a Colorado River reservoir popular for water-skiing, boating and other recreational water sports.
Reviewed By BecRecks - Grand Junction, United States
The London bridge is so beautiful, there are excellent boat trips here with narration and there are a ton of lighthouses around the Lake that are actual smaller replicas of real lighthouses. THe Lake had tons of swimming areas and lots of rental options for water craft. November was in the MID 80s -perfect time to go, not crowded AT ALL(don't go there in the summer!) Bring some water toys if you go. Lots of great breweries around - friendly people. Just a really neat place to go. But drink extra water as it is super dry there....
