The most beautiful natural sites to discover Côte Ouest Etats-Unis

A sandy path takes you to the foot of two large arches that join in a point.

Park your car in the small parking lot to walk the path to the Crystal Forest. It offers one of the largest concentrations of petrified wood in the park. The circuit runs a loop of less than 1 mile. About 2 miles to the north, on the Petrified Forest Road, is another impressive forest of petrified trunks, the Jasper Forest.

Mammoth's hot springs are the main attraction of the district. Their characteristics are very different from other thermal zones present in the park. Large deposits of travertine (calcium carbonate) give a wide variety of shapes, always spectacular and sometimes magnificent. This décor is constantly evolving, flows and positions from sources that are constantly varying. Don't miss the Minerva Terrace, one of the nicest with its monumental marches with beautiful white colours. Later, the Jupiter Terrace, such impressive size but with complex colours and irregular forms. Canary Spring owes its name to its yellow colour due to the presence of specific sulfur and bacteria. Finally, the White Elephant suggests the back of a huge white elephant.

It is a huge rock in equilibrium on the edge of the road, the remains of a very old ark.

A 4 hectare hike in an incredible cactus "garden" in the middle of the Joshua Tree desert. Here grows the Teddy bear cholla, a cactus with a fluffy teddy bear look, hence its name - be careful, in reality, its spines are very sharp! From January to May, many species of cactus in this area flower, giving the desert an unreal and colourful face. Beware of children on these cactus-lined trails!

Atlatl Rock is one of the first outstanding formations from the west entrance of the park. Atlatl was a primitive weapon of hunting designed to propel arrows. The huge rock mass that is circumvented by a loop of approximately 2 miles is covered with 4 000-year-old petroglyphs. Some scenes represent this ancestor of the bow that gave his name to the place. A campsite of 43 pitches is located at the foot of Atlatl Rock.

North of Vancouver, the WA 503 road leads to the edge of this forest, one of the oldest in the United States and the largest wild blueberry field in the world! It surrounds Mount St. Helens, so you will have to cross it to visit it. Follow WA Highway 504 to Johnston Ridge Observatory, you're there! The 360° (free) view of the horseshoe crater of the St. Helens volcano is unforgettable and spectacular from the peak reached by a small path from the esplanade.

Bypassing the west of Olympic National Park, we arrive in this beautiful rainforest (virgin forest). At the beginning of the H Rain Forest Visitor Center, many trails go to the discovery of the forest. A small 1,2 km loop trail, the Hall of Mosses, allows to discover the magic of the places: trees like désarticulés puppets seem to be guided by the passage into a humid environment in the green mile where an ice stream flows. You can easily imagine a world of fées bells in the surroundings. The Roosevelt elk lives in that part of the park where Spruce Nature Trail passes (2 km). The H River Trail (27 km) leads to the Blue Glacier and Mont Olympus.

Former industrial site renovated in the park. It is from here that we admire the fireworks of 4-July. Superb views of the Lake Union and the city.

Located 10 minutes from downtown, this zoo is one of the city's main attractions. Considered one of the best in the country, the Woodland Park Zoo has over 300 different species. You can see among other macaques, orang-utan, gorillas, grizzly bears, jaguars, sea, elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, penguins… Several environments and ecosystems have been reproduced, savanna and African village, tropical rainforest, Alaska forests etc. An exciting journey for small and large. Cafés and restaurants as well as picnic areas allow breaks in this magnificent zoo.

The dams of Elwha and Glines Canyon were built in 1913 and 1927 without the development of a passage for fish, as required by law. Since then, thousands of salmon could no longer reach the Elwha Valley. In 1992, the United States Congress passed a law ordering the destruction of these dams. In doing so, Lake Aldwell disappeared in 2012 and Lake Mills in 2014. This is the largest project of this kind in the history of the United States. The goal? Ensure that the five species of Pacific salmon return to the Olympic National Park in Droves to reproduce. The landscapes of the Elwha River have changed dramatically in recent years. The national park teams revégétalisé the sédimenteuses areas left empty by the missing lakes.

There are many pleasant walks along the Elwha river. Also see, the Madison Falls, a pretty waterfall 5 minutes walk from the parking lot.

This park stretches on the banks of the river Willamette River over nearly 3 km. Festivals and concerts are held there during the summer while the children play around Salmon Street Springs Fountain and the runners continue their journey. This project was realized thanks to Tom McCall, Governor of Oregon from 1966 to 1974. Recognized for his many actions in favour of the environment, he worked for the preservation of the banks of Willamette River in Portland. In 1970, it transformed the highway into a green drive for urban dwellers. At the time, his project is greeted by shouting at national level - we want to finance new highways, but certainly not remove them! Yet today what's become the Tom McCall Waterfront Park is One of the city's pride. McCall will be shown in other projects, such as the Oregon bottle bill, a law that invites to recycle bottles and other cans in exchange for a few dollars.

Fiery Furnace, the "Burning Furnace", is a complex labyrinth with high sandstone edges where it is very easy to get lost. Twice a day the Rangers organize a guided tour. This 3-hour popular hike sometimes requires hands help to sneak into narrow holes or narrow cornices. He's more sure to take a ticket two days in advance at visitor center.

These impressive geological formations, with their colour gradients, owe their name to their similarity to the Amerindian tipis. They have been forged over thousands of years, with floods and strong gales. They are made of layers of sandstone and clay. We drive along the Petrified Forest Road to the Tepees.

An agglomerate of rocks tight against each other sculpts the silhouette of a camel.

Like an open window on the north of the valley flanked by Elephant Butte and Cly Butte, North Window offers a privileged view of East Mitten Butte. Note that you have to walk about five minutes on a road not accessible to cars to reach this point of view.

The eruption of the Grand Geyser, the largest foreseeable geyser in the world, takes place every 7 to 3 hours. Classic geyser fountain, a gigantic water column springs from a large basin into powerful gusts. The rash lasts on average from 9 to 12 minutes and consists of one to four gusts reaching sometimes 60 ¾ meters.

This rock in the shape of a human skull is one of the favourite landmarks of Joshua Tree hikers. Also accessible by car by asphalt road, on Park Blvd.

Pretty approximately one hour excursion in the heart of the wild flowers. But beware, you do not have the right to gather wanting.

In addition to the gardens, the main attraction is Louis Stevenson House. It is in this Victorian house that Robert Louis Stevenson dropped anchor time to find the inspiration for its L'Ile masterpiece with the Treasury. He spent there a few months during 1879, still unknown. A stroll in the peninsula of Monterey inspired the design of its imaginary island.

Caution: take care to call before your visit to check the opening of Louis Stevenson's House. The house has been closed to the public due to budgetary restrictions, and does not open longer in summer, thanks to the help of volunteers of the region.

The largest dunes in California are the favourite quad game. You can also take horse rides.

A wooden pontoon from which you can fish, a clean beach where you can play volleyball and tan in peace. Stop in one of the small restaurants near the seafront to try the very Californian clam clam, the soup of clams served in soft bread. Unfortunately, due to the gradual disappearance of local hulls, conservators are forced to import from the East Coast, but they are equally good. In October the annual festival of hulls is held.

To make beautiful walks, watching whales or picnic. In spring, the mountain is fully covered with wild flowers.

This magnificent ranch of over 10,000 ha is a transition between the coast and the Anza-Borrego desert. First a Kumeya 'ay land (the land where it rains) of Indians, it is then that of the James Lassitor ranch in 1857. She also knew the era of the Gold Rush from 1869 to 1892, when he found the most important filon in California. It was only in 1923 that businessman Ralph Dyar dismantled the Stonewall Mine and the small town that grew around. Ranch became the property of the state in 1933 and serves the park.

Famous for its observatory, it also offers campsites. In the main building you will find information on walking, on both campsites and on horse trips. Next to the hotel is the little Indian Museum (open daily from to, free entrance). He teaches us a lot about the Indians and the past of the mine, where you can visit the ruins in the park.

Ocean Beach has a wooden pontoon (pier) from where to watch surfers and fishermen. A hippie atmosphere and a family, a good place to bathe, walk (1 mile long) and walk his pet (part of the beach is reserved for them).

The beaches of Coronado are famous for their fine and brilliant sand. At the foot of the prestigious Hotel del Coronado is the main beach of the island. You will find more south of other less known beaches: Glorietta bay beach but Silver Strand State Beach on the thin earth net linking the island to the mainland.

Local surfers are located west of Point Loma Peninsula, south of Ocean Beach, to tease the waves.

These granite blocks extend over 1 800 m in magnificent chaos. Ancient glaciers, rocks are steep and powerful. Several trails are available, we recommend the Crags Trail climbing up to Castle Dome through the forest and then into the granite blocks. Landscapes out of time at the top. Don't miss it.

Beware, it's a land trail leading to mccloud's three waterfalls. You can bathe at Middle Falls level.

It starts with a small minutes cruise on the majestic Shasta Lake to reach the other side of the bank. The blue waters of the lake framed from the mountains to the snow-covered summits form a striking spectacle. Then go on board a bus that takes you to the caves entrance.

The caves were discovered in 1878 by J.-A. Richardson, hence the inscription "discovered by J.-A. Richardson, November 3, 1878" which always appears on one of the walls. They are the result of thousands of years of geological phenomena. A guide will take you for almost an hour of cave cave to make you admire the stalagmites and stalactites while explaining their training process. The cave of the cathedral is breathtaking.

The star of this park is, once not usual in California, the giant Redwood. So we'll be measured at the Parson Jones Tree, the largest of the park, or see this old branch of Colonel Armstrong Tree, the oldest tree in the park. This magnificent forest of giant redwoods was preserved thanks to Colonel James Armstrong who discovered the beauty of these trees in the 1870 s. Easy access paths will take you through wood.