# Top Ten Scenic Destinations?



## CMF (Oct 25, 2005)

Where is the most spectacular scenery you've ever seen? BANF? Nova Scotia? Yellowstone? The Grand Canyon? Alaska? ___________?

Charles


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## Rose Pink (Oct 25, 2005)

*Utah*

It's been said that if you don't like the scenery where you are at in Utah, just drive an hour in any direction and it changes.  From the desolate expanse of the salt flats to the changing colors of the rock formations in Bryce to the mountain forests, you'll find just about anything.  We love Moab, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Capitol Reef, and our home in the Salt Lake Valley. (Well, maybe not the actual house--it needs a lot of work--but the location.)


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## LisaH (Oct 25, 2005)

Hawaii, any island
Oregon Coast
Yosamite National Park
Vancouver
Vancouver Island

(I am biased as I live on the West Coast)


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## lumpy (Oct 25, 2005)

*Best Scenery*

Loved the Alaskan cruise a couple of years ago
Also hard to beat Kauai - Napali Coast, Bali Hai, Waimea canyon, waterfalls


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## labguides (Oct 25, 2005)

One often missed site is Cedar Break in Utah, just out of Cedar City.


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## glenn1000 (Oct 25, 2005)

LisaH said:
			
		

> Hawaii, any island
> Oregon Coast
> Yosemite National Park
> Vancouver
> ...



I agree with this list and would add parts of New Zealand and Australia plus the California coastline.


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## CMF (Oct 25, 2005)

*Most Scenic Timeshare???*

How's about North American timeshares near some of these locations?  I want to broaden my horizons and travel somewhere other than Orlando with the family once a year.

Thanks for the tips so far!

Charles


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## JeffV (Oct 25, 2005)

All of them have timeshares reasonably close.  Go to the RCI directory and do a search by state or better yet, look in the RCI resort catalog as you can then see relative distances.  They all beat the heck out of Orlando in my opinion.


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## Jya-Ning (Oct 25, 2005)

Or go to Tug's resort' review, and look at that state or the top 30 resorts

Jya-Ning


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## spatenfloot (Oct 25, 2005)

Worldmark has resorts in many of the listed locations. Are you still considering buying one or did you decide the stick with Marriot?


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## CMF (Oct 25, 2005)

*Sticking with the Big M.*

I need the security of the Marriott only trading window.  But, I will reconsider WM if I have trouble finding the Horizons at Branson at a good price;  the trouble is that I have only an educated guess as to what a good price is.  

I'm in no hurry though.  I have my January vacation in Orlando planned, I am booking tickets on the TUG Alaska cruise, and I'm sure the Foxrun that I am in the process of buying will get me a week in the fall somewhere nice.

So I'm set for 2006 and looking forward to 2007.

Charles


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## wackymother (Oct 25, 2005)

*A beautiful location on the East Coast*

...is the Hudson River Valley, which was painted by some of the great artists of the (hence the name) Hudson River School. If you visit Mohonk Mountain House (unfortunately not a timeshare), they have wonderful hiking trails and little gazebos set on the cliffs where you can sit and admire the spectacular scenery. It's amazing, just like being in one of those paintings!


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## CMF (Oct 25, 2005)

*Been there done that.*

My niece worked at Mohonk and it is beautiful, I visited while she was employed there.  Loved the huge porch with all the rocking chairs.

A few places to add of my own:


The Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Mt. Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mt. Rainier National Park
The San Juan Islands of Puget Sound

Charles


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## debraxh (Oct 25, 2005)

the Big Island of Hawaii

Nearly everywhere I've visited has spectacular scenery of some kind, in it's own way, so I've only listed my favorite.


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## Steve (Oct 25, 2005)

*Some Top Scenic Spots I've been to...*

Here are some of the most beautiful places I've been to:

In the USA:

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Glacier National Park, Montana
Oregon Coast
Maine Coast
Sanibel Island, Florida
Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina
Sedona, Arizona
Santa Barbara, California
Yosemite National Park, California
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/NC

In Europe:

Zermatt, Switzerland
Berchesgaden, Germany
Salzburg, Austria

Most of these areas have timeshares in the nearby vicinity.  

Have fun!

Steve


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## EAM (Oct 25, 2005)

*Top Ten on my list - grouped, but not ranked*

Best Cliffs:
   Na Pali
Best Canyons:
   Waimea Canyon
   The Grand Canyon
Best volcanic site:
    Kilauea Iki
    The Yellowstone Caldera
Best mountains:
    The Alps in Austria, Germany & Switzerland
    Glacier National Park
    The Grand Tetons
    The Maroon Bells
    The view of Pyramid Peak as one comes over a rise on a ski lift in Colorado


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## DeniseM (Oct 25, 2005)

I might have missed it, but I didn't see anyone post Lake Tahoe.


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## Fern Modena (Oct 25, 2005)

Not ten, and certainly not everybody's...


The view of the Grand Canal in Venice seen from the steps of the Venezia Centrale train station
Alaska, too many places to mention individually
The view of the Las Vegas Strip from Pinnacle Village (see?  I told you it wouldn't be everybody's choice)
Santa Barbara   
Sidi Bu Said (spelling?), Tunisia   
just outside Palermo, Sicily 
Fern


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## JudyH (Oct 25, 2005)

No one mentioned Escalante Canyon, in Boulder, Utah.  Take the senic route from Moab,Utah, thru Canyonlands National Park, on the way to Zion National Park.  Miles of pink marble cascading down forever.  One good thing from the Clinton presidency was that he designated this a National area.


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## bluehende (Oct 26, 2005)

*list of special places*

The special places i have visited.


1.   Mount Ranier

2.    Arches NP

3.  Zion after a 2 inch deluge of rain.....hundreds of intermittent waterfalls off the walls.

3.    Yosemite....from the point right above the valley...forget the name

4.   View from MT Haystack in the Adirondaks.


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## krisj (Oct 26, 2005)

10 most scenic places I've been;

Bali (especially inland mountain rice terraces)
Glen Coe in Scotland
Sea-to-Sky highway (Vancouver to Whistler)
Zion area, Monument Valley or Sedona (for red rocks)
Bornholm Denmark (island off the coast of Sweden)
Mt Rainier, Grand Tetons, Maroon Bells or top of Whistler Mountain (Black Tusk views)
Alhambra in Granada Spain
Hawaii (soft spot for the Big Island, which has it all)
San Juan Islands or Deception Pass area
Old growth forest (Vancouver Island, CA redwoods, WA Ho River Rain Forest)

Kris


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## ellend (Oct 26, 2005)

Great post, loads of ideas for future holidays here.  Add this one to the list,
Exmoor in England when the rain is lashing down and a gale is blowing.  Sounds dreadful, it's great.


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## Neesie (Oct 26, 2005)

I fell in love with Sedona, Arizona.  I never heard of it until I was paging through the RCI book a few years ago....same with Whistler, B.C. and now I've been to both.  Both highly recommended based on scenery.


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## Greg G (Oct 26, 2005)

Acadia National Park, Maine.
I haven't been to any of the other parks mentioned but Acadia National Park was very scenic.

Greg


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## 4dabirds (Oct 26, 2005)

Reefs off a small island in the Carribean - there is a whole other world awaiting down there!

Ruby Beach for it's stacks, drift logs, and river that flows out to the ocean (Washington Coast/Olympic Pennisula)

Yosemite - very diverse scenary/ecosystems from meadows to alpine all in a day's hike

Colorado Rockies and Vermont in the fall

Moab, Bryce, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Zion, Sedona, Valley of Fire - at sunrise or sunset (especially Bryce dusted with just a bit of snow  ...or looking up those canyon walls from the valley floor)

Carmel - sitting on the cliffs as the waves come crashing in

Redwood forest in California

The Hawaiian Islands - for their beauty and diversity


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## shagnut (Oct 26, 2005)

Banff to Jasper via the Columbian Icefields!!! OMG 
Sedona
The Canyonlands of Utah
St Martin (via the Tradewinds Cruise Club)
Lake Tahoe
Lake Placid
The waterfall area near Brevard, NC

I just asked Kelli and she said our Canadian Trip


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## smk1 (Oct 26, 2005)

Neesie said:
			
		

> I fell in love with Sedona, Arizona.  I never heard of it until I was paging through the RCI book a few years ago....same with Whistler, B.C. and now I've been to both.  Both highly recommended based on scenery.



the first time i ever saw blue lagoon and dunns river fall in Jamaica was spectacular, the view over the cliffs of the oregon coast at Worldmarks Depoe Bay is also breathtaking.  Crater Lake in Oregon ( when we were staying at the Running Y ranch (worldmark), Sunset over the Ocean in Nuevo Vallarta.  Mt. st. Helens steam erruption from my back yard.  Multnomah Falls out in the colubia gorge just east of Portland oregon, Lake SHasta in Northern California and Klamath Lake in Southern Oregon, Paradise in Mt. Raineer in Washington state, Whistler B.C was just enchanting!  Sunriver village near Mt Bachelor in Oregon in the winter time with snow.


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## John Cummings (Oct 27, 2005)

I am sure I will leave something off but the following places we have been to come to mind in no particular order.

1. Banff, Jasper, and Kooteney National Parks in Alberta and British Columbia Canada.
2. Yosemite National park. I especially like the drive from the eastern gate across the Tioga pass.
3. Sedona Arizona
4. Carmel and Big Sur on the California coast. There are many beautiful scenic areas along the California Coast in Central and Northern California.
5. The Windermere Valley in British Columbia Canada
6. The Santa Ynez Valley in California.
7. Lake Tahoe
8. The Sierras in California both east and west.
9. The Las Vegas strip. This is not your classical scenery but is definitely pretty spectacular.
10. Utah
11. Lake Shasta California

There are many more beautiful areas we have seen but these should suffice for now.


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## susieq (Oct 28, 2005)

*some very useful ideas .......*

This is a wonderful post ~ with lots of ideas for future trips!! Following are some of our favorites, again in no particular order:

     The Niagra Falls area is spectacular ~ particulary the Canadian side.
     The Island of Maui.
     The red rocks of Sedona and The Grand Canyon.
     St. Augustine in Florida ~ the oldest city in the US.
     The Newport,RI and Jamestown areas.
     San Francisco and Fisherman's Wharf
     Amish country and Gettysburg in PA.
     Pagosa Springs, CO. and the Four Corners area
     The Mountains of central Virginia


and our much anticipated future trips:

     Wells, ME
     Lead, SD ~ and Mt Rushmore
     Canmore, Can and the Canadian Rockies


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## Werner (Oct 29, 2005)

The view of the Grand Canyon at sunrise from Bright Angel Point on the North Rim is overpowering.  You walk out along a narrow ridge line and stand at the point (with guard rails) and the canyon is all around you, almost 360 deg. around and a mile down.  

Also, the view of the Grand Canyon from the back of a mule.

Sedona, Az red rocks, especially the rock art at the Palatki Ruins

Acadia National Park (Bar Harbor), Me.

Denali National Park - Seeing the "Big 5" on one trip.  Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Moose, Mountain Sheep, and Caribou.  Alaskan moose make New England moose look like wimps.

Brooks Camp at Katmai National Park;  Bears, bears and more bears feeding at the salmon stream.  Getting stuck in "bear jam" when the dinner bell rings and having to wait for a hour or two until the bears decide to let you go.

I also forgot; the village of Telluride, CO., truly stunning in its setting tucked into a box canyon in the San Juan Mountains.  Drive Rt. 550 from Ouray to Silverton, possibly the most beautiful paved road in the US.  Then rent a jeep (or take a tour) and drive some of the old mining roads.


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## Dollie (Oct 29, 2005)

Werner forgot to mention Yellowstone National Park, both in the summer and the winter.  Taking the snowcoach into the lodge in the winter to stay right near Old Faithful.  This time it was a "buffalo jam".  You move off the trail quickly as you see these rather large animals come lumbering down the trail you are on.


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## jillk (Oct 31, 2005)

I would second (or third?) the Colorado Rockies, especially the Telluride area, Steamboat, most of the Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen), Summit County (Keystone, Breckenridge, etc.), and the Wolf Creek Pass/Pagosa Springs area. It's just beautiful, almost any time of year!


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## purple (Oct 31, 2005)

I agree with many of the places listed and would like to mention a few of my favorites:
The Cinque Terre in Italy
The Lakes District in England
Sunset in Santorini Greece
Sara


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## akbmusic (Oct 31, 2005)

*My unanimous opinion*

Of all of the places we have been so far, those we have thought were the most beautiful were:

1. St. John, USVI
2. Sedona, Arizona  (especially at sunset)
3. Cades Cove in Smoky Mountain National Park, Gatlinbug, TN  (make sure you get up early and go on one of the days they let only walkers/bicycle riders in)
4. Mackinac Island in Michigan, especially if you ride your bike out of town a ways
5. Exumas in the Bahamas (I would give anything to build a house on one of those small islands!)


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## christsh (Oct 31, 2005)

*Best scenery*

The highway between Durango and Telluride Colorado...wow..

Quepos, Costa Rica...wow


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## KevinRS (Oct 31, 2005)

*My choices*

N. America

#1. Banff - Jasper
Glacier Park
Yosemite
Havasupai Falls and Indian Rsvn, bottom of Grand Canyon
Smokey Mountains - Gatlinburg
Seattle
Vancouver

International

#1.  Phi phi Islands, near Phuket Thailand (INCREDIBLE)
Whitsunday Islands, Great Barrier Reef
Sydney
Guilin, China
Three Rivers Gorges - China
Towns along Romantic Road - Germany

I could go on and on.....


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## Laurie (Oct 31, 2005)

My #1 would be Bernese Oberland Alps & Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland.

My #2 for spectacular would be the erupting volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the one time we saw Pu'u O'o shoot fire and molten rock miles straight up into the sky. The slowly flowing lava other times was pretty great as well.

Other faves that can only be described as spectacular:
Banff/Jasper/Yoho/Kootenay
Glacier NP
Grand Canyon esp North Rim
Several areas of Utah: Bryce, the road between Bryce & Capitol Reef, Moab, Arches, Castle Valley

Then there are some generally gorgeous areas, whether or not "spectacular" is always fitting, I tried but there's no way to limit my list to 10:
Vancouver Island
Tuscany
Italian Riviera & Cinque Terre
Croatian coast
Perigord region of France: Dordogne, Lot Rivers
Hawaii, anywhere there is black lava or sand + green vegetation + blue sea (Big Island & Maui)
Austrian lakes, Salzkammergut region
Parts of north Tenerife & Lanzarote, Canary Islands (it's that black lava and sand again along with vegetation, rock formations etc.)


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## xzhan02 (Oct 31, 2005)

Another vote for Bernese Oberland Alps & Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland, especially Murren.


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## talkamotta (Nov 1, 2005)

Being a Utah girl: 

1. Utah - so much natural diversity within one state 

2. Driving up I15 from Salt Lake thru Yellowstone, Glacier Park, Banff and Jasper and everything in between. 

3. Was breathless when we went on the Alaskian cruise. 

4. Love relaxing on the beach at Longboat Bay 

5. The wonderful people of Mazatlan and the sunsets

In the next year it will be Cancun????, Australla and New Zealand, and Hawaii so Im sure the list will continue.  

Not to bring religion into it,  but when I see some of the beautiful natural sights of the world I get a lump in my throat and tears come to my eyes and I think of what an amazing God we have. I feel closer to Him than in a church. We are so very lucky.


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## wauhob3 (Nov 1, 2005)

1)Trassachs-Scotland
2)Kauai
3)Cotswolds-England
4)St. John USVI


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## CMF (Nov 1, 2005)

*So many places - so little time*

Where to begin?  I have young children, so I think the national parks in the continetal US is a logical place. 

Charles


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## JoAnn (Nov 1, 2005)

There are so many beautiful places....
I remember our first drive to Key West in '77 and seeing that incredible water!
The Florida Everglades
All of the National Parks we've been to.
Mt. McKinley..and we've been twice, but the first time we had gorgeous weather and got to see the whole mountain from top to bottom...the second time it was completely in the clouds.  
Denali and the bus ride into the park
Heading East near LaCross WI and seeing the Mississippi below
Crater Lake,
Whistler
the ride on the Durango/Silverton RR
Flying into Las Vegas at night and coming in over Hoover Dam
Lake Tahoe area

Patagonia in Chile and Argentina...think Andes mountains w/snow on them
Buenos Aires
The Chilean wine country (think Napa Valley)

Copper Canyon in Mexico

Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island

Monteverde Cloud Forrest in Costa Rica
Arenal Volcano at night & sitting in the hot springs at Tabacon
Orosi Valley CR.
Quepos area &
Manuel Antonio park in CR
any place else we visited in CR...especially it's people.  

and sitting in our lanai looking out at our little lake and watching the Egrets, Herons, Osprey and an occasional Eagle come in.  And our little Moorhens and their babies in the Spring.


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## northwoodsgal (Nov 2, 2005)

The places that I would consider the most spectacular - the ones that immediately come to mind - are:

The cliffs on the west coast of Ireland
Niagara Falls
Tioman Island, Malaysia
The Badlands, South Dakota
The Swiss/Austrian Alps in the fall
The beaches of southern Portugal


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## yangtonghua (Nov 9, 2005)

*Most beautiful mountain and lake*

After traveling for almost forty years, the most beautiful mountain and lake that I have seen are in China where I visited last year and this year. 

Mountain – Huangshan

Lake – Jiuzhaigou

Here are the links:

http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/huangshan/photo_huangshan_1.htm

http://www.yoyochina.net/Destination/CityIntro.aspx?DestinationID=24

http://www.yoyochina.net/PhotoGallery/PhotoList.aspx?CityId=24

Simply Beautiful, Spectacular, Awesome, Breathtaking.

However, do not expect 5-star hotel accommodation and gourmet food. Just think you are at Yellowstone Park.

Real nature lovers will be thrilled at the sceneries.

tonghua


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## nkosi278 (Nov 9, 2005)

Colorado Rockies - year round
Italian Dolomites - year round
English Lake district - year round
and
The Cornish coast line - year round
nkosi


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