Natural Wonders of America

The Grand Canyon

Where the desert opens up. In the red rock of Arizona the flat ground suddenly drops away, the walls go straight down, and far below a small green river keeps cutting.

Yellowstone & Old Faithful

Yellowstone & Old Faithful

Niagara Falls & the Great Lakes

One roaring waterfall between two of the Great Lakes. Ice made these five huge lakes about twenty thousand years ago, and Niagara Falls is still moving slowly back up the river.

Sequoia & Yosemite: Giant Trees and Great Rocks

The biggest tree on Earth. In the mountains of California, some sequoias are more than two thousand years old. Climbers sleep on a wall of grey rock. Long ago, rivers of ice cut a deep valley like a big letter U.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Blue ice and white thunder. In Alaska, blue ice falls into the sea with a sound like thunder. Every summer, humpback whales swim here from Hawaii to eat.

Hawaii: Islands on Giant Volcanoes

A mountain taller than Everest. Every island in Hawaii is a volcano. Hot rock comes up under the ocean and slowly makes a mountain. Some beaches have black sand. On the Big Island, the earth is still making new land.

The Bayou, Louisiana

Dark water, grey moss and alligators. In Louisiana, the Mississippi carries mud to the sea and makes new land. Alligators wait in the quiet water under old trees. Nearby, the city of New Orleans gave the world jazz.

The Appalachian Trail

Five months of walking, one white mark at a time. A small white mark on a tree shows the way. The path goes for more than 3,500 kilometres, from Georgia to Maine. In autumn, the forests turn red and gold.

The Grand Canyon

Where the desert opens up. In the red rock of Arizona the flat ground suddenly drops away, the walls go straight down, and far below a small green river keeps cutting.

Yellowstone & Old Faithful

Yellowstone & Old Faithful

Niagara Falls & the Great Lakes

A roaring waterfall on the border between the United States and Canada, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. An ice sheet carved the five Great Lakes about twenty thousand years ago, and the falls are still slowly moving upstream.

Sequoia & Yosemite: Giant Trees and Great Rocks

Ancient giants and walls of granite. High in California's Sierra Nevada, giant sequoias were already old in Roman times. Nearby, glaciers cut a deep valley between walls of granite. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed a grant to protect the valley and its trees.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

A bay that did not exist two centuries ago. In 1794, George Vancouver found only ice here. Since then, the ice has pulled back about 100 kilometres. Whales and seals now feed in the open water. The Huna Tlingit still call the bay home.

Hawaii: Islands on Giant Volcanoes

Islands that grow out of the ocean floor. A hot spot deep under the Pacific built every Hawaiian island, layer by layer. From its base, Mauna Kea is taller than Everest. On Kīlauea, lava still adds new land to the Big Island.

The Bayou, Louisiana

Where the Mississippi slows down and drops its mud. Over centuries, the river built a still water world of cypress trees and alligators. French settlers and the Cajuns made their homes here. New Orleans gave the world jazz.

The Appalachian Trail

A footpath that ordinary people built, from Georgia to Maine. Follow the white blazes for more than 3,500 kilometres through fourteen states. The trail runs along the ancient Appalachian Mountains. Volunteers cut most of it by hand, and they still look after it today.