IN THIS STORY:
>Yosemite in winter: Supersized snow cones and giant sequoias

>Badlands and Black Hills: Rock on

>Chicago: Gutsy, brawny American classic

>Washington, D.C.: The red, white, and new

>Alaska’s Tongass National Forest: Paradise found

>Sidebar: Getting There

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We know you’ve got one—everybody does—one of those mental lists of, “Places I really should visit sometime in my lifetime.” If you’re lucky, you’ve picked off a few of them already. 

As travel writers, we’re often asked to name our favorite place, which is rather like naming a favorite child. It’s impossible. Narrowing it down some, though, we easily can name some U.S. destinations that, to us, represent the best of America. Places that stir the soul and lift the spirit for quite different reasons. To us, they seem uniquely American, totally alluring, and utterly intoxicating. Having said that, here are five places you might want to add to your life list of places to see.

Yosemite in winter: Supersized snow cones and giant sequoias

Yosemite National Park in California is an American treasure, but Yosemite in winter is something else altogether. This landscape of raw grandeur draws hearty souls unafraid to take snowshoe treks instead of tram trips and adventurous types who’d consider camping in February, but maybe opt for the comforts of a lodge instead. Without the summer crowds, you really can see this place and marvel at its towering ledges and panoramic waterfalls. In winter, you feel wondrously small poised next to Yosemite’s rugged landmarks, like Half Dome and El Capitan, and you get an overwhelming sense that everything is supersized in this national park.

For starters, there’s what we call the world’s largest snow cone, minus the sugary syrup. As frozen spray blows down from Yosemite Falls, it piles up into a giant mound of ice and snow that can reach up to 300 feet, the same height as a 25-story building. Yosemite Falls, the fifth tallest waterfall in the world, is just one of the spectacular sights that greet visitors here. In fact, it’s just one of several waterfalls that seem to be nearly everywhere you look. Bridalveil Fall is especially dazzling. When the afternoon light hits it just right, it explodes into a rainbow of colors.

Speaking of supersized, it’s worth a trip out of Yosemite Valley to see the giant sequoias, which are some of the most massive living things on the earth. In winter, you’ll drive a few miles, then hike or snowshoe in —depending on snowfall—to view the towering redwoods. Off-season, it’s a scene of hushed serenity. The stately trees are dusted in white, and there’s no waiting in line to see the “grizzly giant” in winter—you gotta love that!

Yosemite in winter surely is one of California’s best-kept secrets. The weather is typically mild, featuring midafternoon sunshine that bathes the majestic setting in a golden glow. The average high temperature in January is 49 degrees; in February, the mercury might nudge 50 to 55 degrees by midday. Because it’s the slow season, you can typically bag a room, midweek at least, on short notice. As the guide on the Yosemite Valley tour put it, “You can stay at the Awahnee Lodge for $350 per night and get room service, or camp for $5 a night, and the animals will come and take food away from you.” Only in America. (See sidebar for information on the park and accommodations.)

Badlands and Black Hills: Rock on

Few sights stir the soul more deeply than staring up into the faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln rising from the mountain of granite that is Mount Rushmore. Gutzon Borglum sculpted this national memorial in South Dakota in 1927, a 14-year feat that involved 30-man crews working 400 feet up using dynamite, drills, wedges, and hammers to coax faces out of rock. 

Walking toward it the first time is a breathtaking experience, as you stroll past the 56 flags marking each state, territory, and commonwealth in the United States. It is said the sculptor idolized Abraham Lincoln, and he sculpted the president twice before carving him on Mount Rushmore. Here, Lincoln’s head, like the others, is 60 feet high, twice the size of Egypt’s Great Sphinx. The eyes are 11 feet wide, with 22-inch shafts in the pupils to catch the sunlight and provide a lifelike glint.

Just in case the sight of 6,200-foot Mount Rushmore hasn’t brought a lump to your throat, wait until nightfall when they illuminate it and play the National Anthem. 

Mount Rushmore, symbolic though it is, is just part of the story here in South Dakota’s Black Hills. Mother Nature herself has provided a dazzling backdrop in Badlands National Park, one of America’s most exquisite natural wonders. Layers of sedimentary rock reveal ribbons of colorful sand, embedded with the petrified remains of prehistoric creatures—some 65 million year’s worth of geologic history. It’s little wonder this park is home to some of the richest fossil beds in the world. What may strike you most, though, is the eerie topography. The soaring spires, twisting canyons, and sawtooth ridges create an exotic moonscape that feels otherworldly. Nearby grasslands, studded with wildflowers, are home to a herd of 500 bison. (See the sidebar for more information.)

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