Outdoor Destinations Dominate America's Best Travel Experiences of 2026

When TripAdvisor launched its annual Vacationers’ Selection Better of the Greatest Issues To Do Awards for 2026, the message for American vacationers was clear: get exterior. Out of doors locations and nature-driven experiences claimed the highest spots on this 12 months’s U.S. rankings, reinforcing what outside fans have lengthy recognized: America’s wild landscapes are among the many most compelling journey locations on earth.

No. 1: Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, Web page, Arizona

Topping the U.S. rankings is the world round Web page, Arizona, anchored by two of essentially the most dramatic pure options within the Am

erican Southwest. Antelope Canyon is a slim slot canyon carved into the Navajo Nation sandstone, the place the partitions twist and glow in shades of orange and crimson relying on the angle of the sunshine. The canyon’s curves have made it one of the photographed locations on earth, and visits require a Navajo information, making certain the positioning is protected and skilled with correct context.

The Colorado River carves a dramatic 270-degree flip by way of the desert close to Web page, Arizona. (TripAdvisor)

Only a brief drive away, Horseshoe Bend is the place the Colorado River makes a sweeping 270-degree flip by way of the desert, seen from a sandstone overlook roughly 1,000 toes above the water. A simple 1.5-mile round-trip hike results in the sting, the place the view encompasses canyon partitions, desert cliffs, and the vivid blue-green ribbon of the river beneath. Each websites sit inside a panorama that additionally takes in Lake Powell and the Virgin River Gorge, making this nook of the Colorado Plateau one of the visually dense stretches of public land within the nation.

No. 2: Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Grand Canyon wants little introduction, however its scale continues to defy expectations for first-time guests and repeat guests alike. Carved by the Colorado River over tens of millions of years, the canyon stretches 277 miles lengthy, as much as 18 miles extensive, and greater than a mile deep. The South Rim stays essentially the most accessible entry level, although the North Rim and interior canyon provide a extra distant and bodily demanding expertise for these prepared to hunt it out.

Guests take within the huge scale of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, the place the Colorado River stretches greater than a mile beneath (TripAdvisor)

No. 3: Shell Key Protect, St. Pete Seashore, Florida

Shell Key Preserve is a sequence of barrier islands and tidal flats on Florida’s Gulf Coast, dwelling to shorebirds, sea grass beds, and among the clearest shallow water within the area. Kayaking by way of it provides an in depth have a look at a coastal ecosystem that continues to be largely undeveloped, a rarity on Florida’s more and more busy shoreline.

Kayakers paddle by way of the shallow, calm waters of Shell Key Protect close to St. Pete Seashore, Florida, their clear kayaks providing a window into the Gulf Coast ecosystem beneath the floor (TripAdvisor)

No. 8: Oahu, Hawaii

Oahu’s round geography rewards vacationers who take the time to discover past Honolulu. The complete loop across the island takes in volcanic shoreline, lush windward valleys, and the dramatic distinction between the island’s dry leeward shores and its rain-soaked inside. The North Shore, the Koolau Vary, and the windward coast all provide outside experiences that really feel worlds away from Waikiki.

A waterfall cascades down the plush inexperienced cliffs of the Koolau Vary above Honolulu (TripAdvisor)

No. 9: Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii

The Pearl Harbor websites join guests to the panorama of the assault itself, with the united statesArizona Memorial sitting straight over the sunken hull within the harbor. The expertise is as a lot about place as it’s about historical past, unfolding outside on the water in a setting that has modified remarkably little since December 1941.

No. 10: Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls straddles the border of New York and Ontario and stays one of the highly effective and visited waterfalls on earth. Seeing each the American and Canadian sides provides a fuller image of the falls and the gorge they’ve carved over 1000’s of years. The mist, the sound, and the sheer quantity of water shifting by way of the falls make it an expertise that images persistently fail to seize.

The thundering waters of Niagara Falls pour over the sting on the border of New York and Ontario, sending mist into the air that may be felt lengthy earlier than the falls come into sight (TripAdvisor)

Concerning the Methodology

The 2026 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Things To Do Awards are decided by the standard and amount of traveler opinions and rankings posted on TripAdvisor over a 12-month interval operating from February 1, 2025 by way of January 31, 2026, adopted by a further editorial overview course of. Experiences refer particularly to bookable excursions and actions, whereas Sights cowl locations vacationers can go to with out advance reserving.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award-winning outside journalist who resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly outside column for the Slidell Impartial Newspaper. He additionally writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Fee’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He’s the previous host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Present and is on the board of the Louisiana Out of doors Writers Affiliation. Keith contributes to quite a few publications each on-line and in print and prides himself on selling South Louisiana’s distinctive fishery. To contact Keith e-mail: keithlusherjr@gmail.com