Most Treasured Views in America: A collection of breathtaking photography

Joshua trees grow amongst the boulder formations on a cloudy and windy day in Joshua Tree National Park, California.

The sun sets over the Sacramento River as it winds through Redding, Calif. The view is along the Palisades Trail, looking west toward Turtle Bay Exploration Park with the Sundial Bridge in the distance.

A group of birds soars above the summit of Sandstone Peak in California.

Snowy Egrets fight over a dwindling pool as the tide goes out at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Preserve in Delaware.

Collin Carter and Emma Griggs (right) kiss at Mather Point at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

Fire control control towers standing along the beach in Cape Henlopen State Park near Gordon Pond are illuminated by the distant light of Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches. Along the horizon, the glow from Cape May, N.J. (right) can be seen beneath the dusty band of the Milky Way.

Daffodils are touched by late afternoon light in Valley Garden Park in Greenville, Delaware.

A family explores the rock formations during low tide at Blowing Rocks Preserve on Jupiter Island. The preserve is a 73-acre conservation area located along Florida's Treasure Coast.

A spectacular sunset and a spectacular lightning show captured at Fort Myers Beach.

A pair of sandhill cranes with chicks cross the Marsh Trail at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach.

Groups of riders snake their way along winding High Bridge Road under a canopy of palms and moss covered oak trees as they ride the loop north of Ormond Beach.

A snorkeler swims near a jetty at St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Fla., May 5, 2025.

Visitors stroll along the walk to the Forsyth Park Fountain in Savannah, Georgia.

The Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River is seen outside of Page, Arizona.

The sun rises behind the fallen trees along Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Visitors on River Street watch a container ship pass along the Savannah River in Savannah, Georgia.

Wormsloe State Historic Site in Savannah, Georgia.

The Blackhawk Statue shows through the trees at Lowden State Park in Oregon, Illinois.

Hikers explore Wildcat Canyon in Starved Rock State Park outside Utica, Illinois.

A coyote walks the boardwalk in the wetlands at Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton, Indiana.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

High Trestle Trail Bridge over the Des Moines River Valley near Madrid, Iowa.

The Holliwell covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa.

Sovereignty, with Junior Alvarado up, wins the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

A hiker makes his way under rock formations in Red River Gorge Geological Area

The Marginal Way is enjoyed year round by tourists as well as locals.

People come from all over the world to visit Nubble Lighthouse.

The USS Oklahoma City arrives in Portsmouth Harbor and prepares to be escorted to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for an engineering overhaul.

Arch Rock on Mackinac Island.

The waves of Lake Superior chop as the Copper Harbor Light Lighthouse (1848) greets visitors coming back from Isle Royale National Park in far northern Lake Superior.

Thousands of visitors come to Holland's Tulip Festival at Windmill Island Gardens.

Visitors to Kitch-iti-kipi cross the spring onboard an observation raft.

Mackinac Bridge from a ferry.

Miner's Castle is one of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore's most elegant sights, with its striations, set against the clear waters of Lake Superior.

Fog clings to the hillsides around Lake of the Clouds and the Upper Carp River in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

A ray of sunlight breaks through the clouds along an area of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes along Lake Michigan.

Fishermen study the waters at the St. Joseph North Pier Inner Lighthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan.

The castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

A group launches canoes from Cooper’s Landing outside Columbia to float on the Missouri River to Jefferson City.

The Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area overlooking Branson, Mo. The conservation area consist of 1,534 acres, with forest, glades, trails and a lookout tower.

The Las Vegas Strip at night and the Fremont experience are must sees while visiting Nevada.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area sits just on the outskirts of Las Vegas.

Warmth slowly seeps into the life of Barnegat Light as spring progresses.

Fishermen walk the shore at Barnegat Light.

Branch Brook Park has a collection of 18 varieties of Japanese Flowering Cherry Blossom trees; with 5,300 trees it is the largest collection of trees in the United States.

A cyclist rides his bike at the Ross Dock Picnic Area of the Palisades Interstate Park in Englewood Cliffs.

A celebration marking the completion of the new Great Falls amphitheater in Paterson.

The Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton, NJ is listed as one of USAT’s 2025 ‘Most Treasured Views’ in New Jersey.

A boat with the Maid of the Mist takes visitors on a tour of the American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls at Niagara Falls State Park in Niagara Falls, NY.

A view of the Mount Carmel Neighborhood in the City of Poughkeepsie from the Walkway Over The Hudson State Park.

Visitors walk along the Gorge Trail and pass underneath the iconic Rainbow Falls at Watkins Glen State Park in Watkins Glen.

An Amish buggy travels along the side of state Route 241 in Paint Township. Roads in Ohio's Amish Country often have fuel-powered vehicles sharing space with horse-driven buggies.

The Caine Road Covered Bridge in Ohio was built in 1986 to honor Ashtabula County’s 175th Anniversary. The 124 foot long bridge traverses the west branch of the Ashtabula River.

Amphitheatre Falls flows in Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve. In addition to this view, there is a hiking trail leading visitors to the top of the waterfall.

A couple takes in the view of Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

People take in Dundee Falls, located at the Beach City Wildlife Area, in Wayne Township, OH.

Runners make their way through Eden Park during the annual Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati.

There are 76 steps from the ground floor to the top viewing area of the Lighthouse at Gospel Hill Ministry.

Rock House State Park in Ohio's Hocking Hills region has been named one of USA TODAY Most Treasured Views.

The Marblehead Lighthouse towers over visitors in Marblehead, Ohio.

The downtown skyline, Scioto Mile park, and Scioto River of Columbus, Ohio as seen from the south side.

Kindergartners compete in the Huntington Bank and Bags Sugarcreek Big Wheel Race at the Ohio Swiss Festival.

A visitor to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur on Wednesday wades across Panther Falls.

Visitors to Turner Falls swim and walk at the upper falls.

The Wichita Mountains are pictured at sunset from the top of Mount Scott at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.

A view of Wizard Island from the lodge area at Crater Lake National Park.

A view of the Painted Hills, a unit of the John Day Fossil Bed National Monument, in Eastern Oregon.

Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor features some of the most dramatic views on Oregon's South Coast. Seen here is a view just past the Indian Sands.

People call Silver Falls State Park the “crown jewel” of the Oregon State Parks system.

Two skiers stand at the top of the run near the Palmer chairlift at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. It is not unusual to see people wearing short sleeves while summer skiing.

Ice Lake spreads out below in the Eagle Cap Wilderness from a trail that climbs to the Matterhorn, the second-tallest peak in the Wallowa Mountains.

Boaters and walkers pass Perry Monument at Presque Isle State Park near Erie.

Kingston likes the view from the overlook at Susquehanna Riverlands State Park.

The Mohegan Bluffs are large clay cliffs about 150 feet high, located on the southern shore of Block Island.

Beavertail Light in Jamestown.

A view of the Roger Williams statue in Prospect Park in Providence at twilight, an hour after sunset.

The bottom of the Forty Steps, at the east end of Narragansett Avenue less than a mile from the start of the Cliff Walk, leads to the former location of Conrad's Cave.

Visitors walk through Falls Park where the Reedy River flows through it in Greenville, S.C.

Russ and Alisha Smith of Rockwood, Tennessee, despite the rain, made the winding-road journey for the first time to the South Carolina/North Carolina border where the Fred W. Symmes Chapel of YMCA Camp Greenville looks over South Carolina.

Dan and Sherry Hartley of Connestee Falls, North Carolina, visit Sassafras Mountain Observation Tower at 3,553 feet elevation.

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) shines bright in the rain for automobile drivers on South Carolina Highway 11 near Table Rock State Park in the Upstate of South Carolina.

Badlands National Park.

Tourists make their way along Highway 87 to drive through Needles Eye Tunnel in Custer, South Dakota.

Storm clouds roll in over Mount Rushmore.

The Hernando deSoto Bridge can be seen during sunset at Mud Island in Memphis, Tenn.

A view of Big Creek Gulf in Beersheba Springs, Tenn.

Rock of Ages' E. L. Smith quarry in Graniteville.

The Washington State Ferry Walla Walla transits Rich Passage as it heads from Bremerton to Seattle.

Kayakers paddle along sea caves north of Meyers Beach in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

The Devil's Doorway is one of a handful of distinctive rock formations at Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo.

A crew of electricians work on running power to the lighting system on a portion of the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee.