Lesser-Known Places to Go in the United States

AFAR

Afar reveals our list of the best outdoor spaces to visit in the United States, along with why you’ll want to add them to your travel plans. Get to know some of the places on the list in this video, then head over to afar.com to learn more.  ---- CONNECT WITH AFAR Afar.com is a digital and print magazine that publishes travel tips, guides, news, and stories: https://www.afar.com  Get updates on the latest articles, travel news, and more from AFAR by signing up for the AFAR newsletter: https://afar.com/newsletters  Follow AFAR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfarMedia Follow AFAR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/afarmedia Follow AFAR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afarmedia Follow AFAR on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/afarmedia  ---- CREDITS  Claudia Cardia - Video Editor Jessie Beck - AFAR Producer Elizabeth See - Designer Sarika Bansal - Editorial Director Michelle Heimerman - Photo Editor Chloe Arrojado  MUSIC “Lucky” Mountain Boy/ Musicbed   FOOTAGE / PHOTOGRAPHY iStock Storyblocks

Transcript

00:00Hey there, it's Chloe from afar. After living out of my car in 2021 solely for the purpose

00:06of exploring the United States, I was shocked by how diverse the country is. Traveling from

00:11North Carolina to Seattle, down to San Diego, and back to North Carolina, I realized that

00:16the country has it all. Deserts, mountains, fields that seem to go on forever, there are

00:21just so many places to visit. A lot of them are justifiably popular, but if you want to

00:25see America's great outdoors with fewer crowds, try these spots.

00:36In the southwest corner of Texas, Big Bend National Park is far from the big cities of

00:40Dallas, Houston, and Austin, but its appeal is in how remote it is. On the Rio Grande

00:44boundary between Texas and Mexico, Big Bend is a stargazing haven as an international

00:49dark sky park. The park has three distinct landscapes, and around the Chisos Mountains,

00:54the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Rio Grande. Alabama may be the most underrated beach

00:59destination in the U.S. It's part of the Gulf Coast with more than 30 miles of beach

01:03to enjoy, and islands off the coast give even more opportunities for outdoor adventuring.

01:07For crowdless beaches, head to places like Gulf State Park. Don't confuse it with Gulf

01:11Shores and Dauphin Island, which is off the Gulf Coast.

01:15Voyagers National Park, along the Canadian border in Minnesota, is amazing for seeing

01:19the night sky. It's one of the places to see the northern lights in the lower 48. It's

01:24also a place you'd explore by canoe, because the park is laced with waterways and lakes.

01:27There's evidence that humans have been using its waterways for fishing and transportation

01:31for more than 10,000 years. With so few people and so much land, South Dakota is full of

01:36peaceful outdoor adventure. Mount Nashville National Memorial and Black Hills National

01:40Forest is just the start. There's also the incredible rock formations of Badlands National

01:45Park and the state's Native American Scenic Byway, a 350-mile series of highways and

01:50roads that follow the Missouri River through the lands of Native American tribes.

01:55We all know about Utah's 95 national parks, which are some of the most loved in the country,

01:59but the state's red rock formations can be appreciated in less crowded but just as beautiful

02:03places throughout the state. Goblin Valley State Park, Cone Ridge, and the Nashville

02:08Bridges National Monument are a few places that have the Mars-like landscapes similar

02:12to those of Zion or Canyonlands National Park.

02:16More than 99% of Florida's Dry Tortugas National Park consists of water. This national

02:21park is about 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico, and is a marine sanctuary

02:25for species including angelfish and barracuda. Don't forget to check out Fort Jefferson,

02:30the former US military coastal fort that spread across the second largest island in Dry Tortugas.

02:36I feel very passionately about heading outside and really seeing the United States, especially

02:41places that aren't super well-known. The country's beautiful diversity simply cannot

02:45be matched. Is there a place in the United States you really love and you think more

02:49people should know about? Comment down below. Remember to hit that like button and subscribe

02:53for more recommendations on the world's best places to visit. Thanks for watching,

02:57and happy travels!

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