3 ms·

Would there be some sort of a list of sights like these to visit for someone outside of USA?

SwellJoe 10y ago
While I just berated American tourists for taking the path of least resistance and mostly sticking to the "big" National Parks, there is some value in sorting out the "must-see" from the "also amazing, but not as much amazing stuff to see in one location". If you can only stay in the US for a few weeks, hitting the high points may make sense. I've been traveling for years, and still haven't seen all of them, though I'm trying. If human ruins are a priority for you, then the ones I've mentioned are maybe the best starting points (though Casa Grande Ruins is "only" a National Monument, and not a National Park; it's maybe a place to visit for a day or two on your way to or from somewhere else, unless you have a specific interest in the Hohokam civilization or that era). Mesa Verde is astonishing in its history; it was inhabited, off and on, for thousands of years, with evidence of habitation as far back as 7500BCE, and multiple eras of civilization represented. That'd be a good one to visit if you want to learn about ancient civilizations in the Americas. Frankly, I think one could make an amazing vacation by visiting almost any National Park: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_... I like to spend a week or two or three camped in the park, depending on the size of the park, and what kinds of exploration one can do. Some are bigger than others. Denali could take weeks to explore pretty thoroughly, Yosemite is maybe more of a long weekend. Note that for most of those, the archaeology/anthropology angle is minimal, though almost always present; it's usually the terrain itself that is the star of the show. Most of our National Parks will have good materials about who lived in the area and when (and it's often fascinating and a good way to spend a day or two of your visit, and there's likely to be tours that focus on that aspect of the park), but the geological/natural features are often the focus. Our National Parks system is among the things I'm most proud of about my country (and I have lots of things to be critical of). I wish I could show it to everyone in the world; but, most Americans haven't even visited more than one or two, so I guess we should start there.
mch82 10y ago
Here is a directory of National Conservation Lands maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/nlcs.html http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/nlcs.html (I didn't find a way to search by features, like presence of ruins). Edit: I found another page with a helpful written overview of the National Conservation Lands http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html

While I just berated American tourists for taking the path of least resistance and mostly sticking to the "big" National Parks, there is some value in sorting out the "must-see" from the "also amazing, but not as much amazing stuff to see in one location". If you can only stay in the US for a few weeks, hitting the high points may make sense. I've been traveling for years, and still haven't seen all of them, though I'm trying. If human ruins are a priority for you, then the ones I've mentioned are maybe the best starting points (though Casa Grande Ruins is "only" a National Monument, and not a National Park; it's maybe a place to visit for a day or two on your way to or from somewhere else, unless you have a specific interest in the Hohokam civilization or that era). Mesa Verde is astonishing in its history; it was inhabited, off and on, for thousands of years, with evidence of habitation as far back as 7500BCE, and multiple eras of civilization represented. That'd be a good one to visit if you want to learn about ancient civilizations in the Americas. Frankly, I think one could make an amazing vacation by visiting almost any National Park: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_... I like to spend a week or two or three camped in the park, depending on the size of the park, and what kinds of exploration one can do. Some are bigger than others. Denali could take weeks to explore pretty thoroughly, Yosemite is maybe more of a long weekend. Note that for most of those, the archaeology/anthropology angle is minimal, though almost always present; it's usually the terrain itself that is the star of the show. Most of our National Parks will have good materials about who lived in the area and when (and it's often fascinating and a good way to spend a day or two of your visit, and there's likely to be tours that focus on that aspect of the park), but the geological/natural features are often the focus. Our National Parks system is among the things I'm most proud of about my country (and I have lots of things to be critical of). I wish I could show it to everyone in the world; but, most Americans haven't even visited more than one or two, so I guess we should start there.

mch82 10y ago

Here is a directory of National Conservation Lands maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/nlcs.html http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/nlcs.html (I didn't find a way to search by features, like presence of ruins). Edit: I found another page with a helpful written overview of the National Conservation Lands http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/NLCS.html