“America the Beautiful” was written about the United States specifically, but it certainly applies to all of North America. As a whole, the natural wonders of North America contain some of the most famous and well-known natural wonders on Earth.
Between Mexico, Canada, and the United States, there are dozens of sites that can be classified as natural wonders. It can be overwhelming, but it’s your lucky day!
I’ve compiled a list of some of the most incredible, bucket-list wonders you can find on the continent (and sometimes on islands nearby). We’re talking glaciers and canyons, waterfalls and reefs, forests and volcanoes!
So, strap in and get ready to take notes for your next North American adventure. In no particular order, here are the 23 most beautiful natural wonders in North America.
Table of Contents
1. Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
The Grand Canyon is not just one of the most beautiful natural wonders in North America, it’s also one of the most famous in the entire world. The Grand Canyon has been carved over millions of years by the Colorado River.
I’d recommend you view it (from different points) at sunrise, sunset, and by moonlight.
With a special permit, you can visit the incomparable Havasu Falls, which free fall right into the canyon.
Also read: 20 Amazing Natural Wonders in Arizona
2. Copper Canyon, Mexico
Copper Canyon is Mexico’s answer to the Grand Canyon. And since it’s actually bigger and deeper (sometimes more than one mile!), technically it’s “grander” as well.
Copper Canyon (Barranca del Cobre in Spanish) is located in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The best way to see it is via the Copper Canyon railroad, an engineering marvel that goes through 86 tunnels and over 37 bridges.
Copper Canyon is also home to Mexico’s highest waterfall, Piedra Volada.
3. Niagara Falls, USA/Canada
One of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world can be found on the border of Canada (Ontario) and the United States (New York state).
Niagara Falls is so famous because its height combined with the high flow rate (the highest in North America) is unique, as most very tall waterfalls actually don’t have much water. Not Niagara!
Niagara Falls is actually three separate falls connected together, with the biggest (and most famous) being Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the US-Canadian border. To truly experience the magnitude of the falls, take a tourist boat or get a viewpoint from above.
4. Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
Every year, millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the northern United States and parts of Canada to one forested section of Mexico, northwest of Mexico City. These butterflies spend the winter in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, and they populate the forest so densely, entire trees look orange, with their branches weighed down by butterflies.
In the spring, they find their way back north. Incredibly, it takes on average four generations of butterflies to make this roundtrip journey.
No one knows how they end up at the same place every year, but it’s lucky for you because it’s an incredible sight!
5. Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, Mexico
A large stretch of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (also known as the Great Mayan Reef) can be found off the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. At 700 miles long, the Mesoamerican Reef is second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia (around 1,500 miles long).
The reef provides some of the best scuba diving in the world, and is home to various species of sea turtles, over 500 fish species, and one of the largest congregations of whale sharks in the world.
6. Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Deep in the vast Canadian Rockies is Canada’s oldest (and maybe most iconic) national park, Banff. Visit Banff for stunning alpine scenery, large amounts of wildlife (like grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, and elk), and azure mountain lakes—especially Moraine Lake.
7. Yellowstone National Park, USA
Another natural wonder of the world located in the United States, Yellowstone National Park is probably the most famous national park in the world—and, when it was founded in 1872, the first!
With its geothermal features (geysers and hot springs), pristine wilderness (Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley), and tons of wildlife (bears, bison, elk, wolves), Yellowstone is vast, unique, and iconic.
8. Cenotes, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
The “jewels of the Yucatan” (a peninsula on Mexico’s Caribbean coast) are the cenotes, water-filled limestone sinkholes found above and below ground.
Used for centuries as safe drinking water sources, and considered to be windows to the underworld by the local Maya, cenotes are now incredible places for swimming.
There are estimated to be thousands of cenotes throughout the Yucatan, although not all are accessible. Technically, they’re all linked, which forms the largest underwater river system in the world.
9. Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada
Baffin Island, way up in the north of Canada, is Canada’s largest island (and the fifth largest in the world). Found between Canada and Greenland, Baffin Island has a few small Inuit settlements but is mostly uninhabited, thanks to its extreme landscape and climate.
However, it is a haven for many endangered animal species, like polar bears, caribou, wolves, Arctic foxes, seals, narwhals, beluga whales, bow whales, and many migratory species of birds.
10. Bay of Fundy, Canada
One of the world’s natural wonders located in Canada is the Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world—the tidal range of Fundy is around 50 feet, while the average tidal range around the world is 3 feet.
One of the world’s biggest whirlpools, the Old Sow Whirlpool, is located in the bay, and the nutrient-dense, protected waters provide nursing grounds for many species of whales.
Hopewell Rocks, on the coast of New Brunswick, are the best way to see the full Bay of Fundy experience: within six hours, these islands in the ocean will jut out of the beach sand, and you can walk right near them.
11. Lake Superior, USA/Canada
The largest freshwater lake in the world (by area) lies between the United States and Canada.
Aptly titled Lake Superior, and the largest of the Great Lakes chain, this lake is big enough to cause its own weather. Lake Superior holds so much water, it could flood all of North and South America with up to one foot of water.
Lake Superior gives you the impression of an inland sea, with sand dunes, lighthouses, over 200 islands, and a long history of shipwrecks.
12. Denali National Park, Alaska, USA
To see the highest peak in North America, head up to Alaska!
Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) is in the national park of the same name, smack in the middle of Alaska. Within 6 million acres of pristine Alaskan wilderness, Denali lords over it all, at over 20,000 (6,000 meters) feet high.
13. Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
Often classified as a “slow-moving river,” the wetlands of Everglades National Park are a unique, semi-aquatic ecosystem found mostly in Florida, in the southeast United States.
It’s significant as the home of many endangered species, like the Florida panther and the manatee. You can also see many different types of birds, alligators, and turtles—usually best from a guided boat tour.
Also read: 17 Must-See Beautiful Natural Wonders in Florida
14. The Redwoods, California, USA
The coastal redwoods of California, or “California giants,” are the tallest trees in the world, and some of the longest-living organisms as well. These massive trees grow all over northern California, and have been known to reach heights over 400 feet, and be several thousand years old.
To walk among these giants, visit Redwood National Park, Muir Woods National Monument, and the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail. For waterfalls scattered throughout the redwoods, visit Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
To take trains or trams, try Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park and the Trees of Mystery. If you prefer to drive, you must go to the Avenue of Giants, within Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
15. Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada
Ancient cedars, mist-shrouded valleys, glacier-cut fjords, and the elusive spirit bear all await you in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. The largest coastal temperate rainforest left on the planet, known as the “Amazon of the North,” stretches over 250 miles of coastline from central B.C. up to Canada.
Although home to many First Nations communities and a huge variety of other wildlife, the most famous resident is the spirit bear, or the Kermode bear, which is a rare subspecies of a black bear that is cream-colored.
To spot a spirit bear, you’ll need an expert guide (and a whole lotta luck), but the rainforest is worth the visit either way.
16. The Northern Lights, Northwest Territories, Canada
You can sometimes spot the northern lights (or the aurora borealis) in the upper reaches of the United States and southern Canada, but for the truest, brightest colors, you gotta go to the Deep North!
Some say the best place in the world to see the northern lights are in the Northwest Territories of Canada, where they are visible over 240 days (or should I say nights?) a year. Winter is an especially lucky time to spot them, as it’s dark for so many hours each day—the winter solstice has just under five hours of daylight!
17. Nanacamilpa Fireflies Sanctuary, Mexico
Now, this is probably a natural wonder of North America that’s new to you: the Nanacamilpa Fireflies Sanctuary in Mexico.
This magical site, located in the central Mexican state of Tlaxcala, is filled with millions of fireflies in the months of July and August. The forest literally sparkles—like I said, magic!
18. The Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia, Canada
Although the Cabot Trail itself is a man-made road, it passes through so many natural wonders, it just has to be on this list.
Located in Nova Scotia, Canada, the Cabot Trail winds through Cape Breton Highlands National Park, stopping in historical communities and zooming through vistas of valleys and the coast. There are numerous hiking trails for even more views, plus year-round recreation that make this natural wonder quite a fun one to visit.
19. Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada
Haida Gwaii, an island archipelago off the northern coast of British Columbia, is known as the “Galapagos of the North” thanks to its abundant wildlife. It’s also the homeland of the Haida people, who mostly inhabit four of the 450 or so islands that make up Haida Gwaii.
Haida Gwaii has preserved old-growth forests, marine-protected waters full of life, and various heritage sites to give you a true taste of Haida culture.
20. Iceberg Alley, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Every spring off the northeastern point of North America, near the coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, giant icebergs float by. Known as Iceberg Alley, every year around 800 of these giant hunks of glaciers are visible from shore as they drift away.
Most of the icebergs break off of ancient glaciers in Greenland and eventually float into the ocean.
As they bring sediments from the glacier with them, the icebergs attract tons of marine wildlife, so it’s a great place to spot whales and other ocean animals.
21. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, USA
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, located in the United States, has two active volcanoes, including one of the most active in the world: Kīlauea and the sacred Mauna Loa. Found on the Big Island of Hawaii, this national park is one of the only places in the world to get face-to-face with a volcano.
You can visit from land and via the sea (which I recommend!) as seeing lava flow into the ocean is truly unforgettable.
22. Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA
Antelope Canyon is a stunning and unique sight in the Navajo Nation (within Arizona). Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon (technically six connected canyons), caused by thousands of years of flash flooding in the sandstone.
You can only access Antelope Canyon with a reservation and a guide, for safety and preservation reasons, and although the canyon is notoriously difficult to photograph, you must bring your camera anyway!
23. Parícutin Volcano, Mexico
Parícutin Volcano near the city of Uruapan in Mexico is a notable natural wonder partly due to its beginnings. In 1943, Parícutin suddenly burst through a farmer’s land, shocking the world (and the farmer, for sure).
Parícutin remained active until the 1950s and caused several deaths and two towns to be completely abandoned due to its eruptions. Nowadays, you can hike the dormant volcano and see the famous ruins of San Juan Parangaricutiro Church, which is mostly obscured by (hardened) lava.
Conclusion
There are so many amazing things to see in North America, and this list is just the start! But, if I do say so myself, it’s a pretty good list to be going off of.
Whether you’re hoping to be super adventurous and head up to Denali or the Northwest Territories, want some sun and surf on the Mesoamerican Reef, or want to see either a dormant or very much active volcano, there’s a natural wonder in North America for you.
But, let’s share the wealth! What are some natural wonders of North America that I missed and belong on this list? Share below!
