Athabasca Glacier (Canada)

Athabasca Glacier

Located in the Canadian Rockies, the Athabasca Glacier is an amazing sight.

It is approx 6km long (3.7 miles), and is around 6km² (2.3 sq miles) in size. Its thickness is around 90-300 meters (300-980ft). But every year it is shrinking by 5 meters (16ft), and over the last 125 years it has receded more than 1.5km (nearly 1 mile).

It is easy to get to the edge of the glacier, however only experienced hikers shoiuld think about getting on top of the glacier. Many tourists have died when exploring it, due to hidden crevasses.

Avalanche Lake (Montana, USA)

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake is located in Glacier National Park, in the U. S. state of Montana. Avalanche Lake is southwest of Bearhat Mountain and receives meltwater from Sperry Glacier.[2] Avalanche Lake is a 2 miles (3.2 km) hike from the trailhead along the Trail of the Cedars.

Banff National Park (Canada)

Banff National Park

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park and was established in 1885.

Located in the Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes.

Canyonlands National Park (Utah, USA)

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands is in south east Utah (close to the town of Moab).

It was declared a national park in 1964. There are four areas to park - the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the rivers (Green and Colorado).

There is no accomodation or restaurants in the national park, but there are in the nearby towns.

Crowsnest Pass (Canada)

Crowsnest Pass

Crowsnest Pass (sometimes referred to as Crow's Nest Pass is a low mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta–British Columbia border.

The pass is located in southeast British Columbia and southwest Alberta, and is the southernmost rail and highway route through the Canadian Rockies.

Horseshoe Bend (Arizona, USA)

Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend is a very popular and famous landmark in the USA.

It is on the Colorado River, close to the town of Page, in Arizona. You can do a 1.5 mile (2.4km) hike from Route 89 to Horseshoe Bend (and it is worth it!) but there is also an access road that leads there if you want something a bit easier.

Johnston Canyon (Rocky Mountains, Canada)

Johnston Canyon

Johnston Canyon has been carved out by the Johnston Creek (a small tributary) as it approaches the Bow River.

The creek has cut through the limestone rock to form sheer canyon walls, as well as waterfalls, tunnels, and pools.

A popular hiking trail follows the canyon and leads to a meadow within the Johnston Valley above the canyon. The first part of the trail consists of a constructed walkway with safety rails and bridges, while the last part of the trail is natural and more rugged. Within the meadow are the Ink Pots, which are six blue-green spring-fed pools.

Ice climbing is a popular activity on the frozen waterfalls in winter.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial (South Dakota, USA)

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Another very popular tourist destination and huge landmark in the USA.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of four United States presidents: George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865).

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum created the sculpture's design and oversaw the project's execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum.

New York City (New York, USA)

New York City

No roundup of North America could be complete without mentioned the big apple.

Over 60,000,000 tourists (American and foreign) visit NYC every year. This is in addition to the 8 million residents there, in the land area of just 302 square miles.

Universal Studios (California, USA)

Universal Studios

Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park in Los Angeles, California.

It is a very popular tourist destination, with over 40,000 visitors a day in peak season.

It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketing headline is "The Entertainment Capital of LA". It was initially created to offer tours of the real Universal Studios sets and is the first of many full-fledged Universal Studios Theme Parks located across the world.

Upper Antelope Canyon (Arizona, USA)

Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon is called Tsé bighánílíní, 'the place where water runs through rocks' by the Navajo.

It is the most frequently visited by tourists for two reasons:

• First, its entrance and entire length are at ground level, requiring no climbing.
• Second, beams or shafts of direct sunlight radiating down from openings at the top of the canyon are much more common in Upper than in Lower.Beams occur most often in the summer months, as they require the sun to be high in the sky. Winter colors are more muted. Summer months provide two types of lighting. Light beams start to peek into the canyon March 20 and disappear October 7 each year.

Walt Disney World Resort (Florida, USA)

Walt Disney World Resort

As one of the USA's most popular tourist destinations, we couldn't forget about Walk Disney World Resort in Florida!

It is a huge entertainment complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando and Kissimmee.

Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort covers 27,258 acres (43 sq mi; 110 km2), featuring four theme parks, two water parks, twenty-seven themed resort hotels, nine non–Disney hotels, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the outdoor shopping centre Disney Springs.

Washington DC (USA)

Washington DC

If you have any interest in USA politics (or even world politics!) then Washington, DC should be your mecca!

It is full of famous monuments and museums, plus of course home to the major brances of the US Government. There are lots of things to see and do here as a tourist, in this amazing city.

Wolf Discovery Center (Montana, USA)

Wolf Discovery Center

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is a not-for-profit wildlife park and educational facility opened in 1993 that is located in West Yellowstone, Montana, United States. It is open 365 days a year, and admission is good for two onsecutive days. It is a popular tourist destination, and higly recommended.

Xcaret (Mexico)

Xcaret

Xcaret Park is a theme park and resort on the Caribbean coastline of Mexico (in Quintana Roo state). It is a great place to go and unwind!

Zion National Park (Utah, USA)

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is located in southwestern Utah, and is famous for its steep red cliffs.

Native Americans started to live there around 8000 years ago. It is very popular with hikers, as it has many hiking trails that cover many types of terrain.