jmattes's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Crater Lake, Oregon

Crater Lake

The deepest lake in the United States, and once the site of epic destruction that lives on in legends.
Isle of Skye, Scotland

Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls

Ancient cliffs resembling a kilt on Scotland's second largest island emit an entrancing sound.
Forsand, Norway

Kjeragbolten

This giant boulder is pinched over a 1000-meter abyss by two mountains.
Gran Sabana, Venezuela

Mount Roraima

This "floating island" plateau sits 7,671 feet above the forest floor.
Khangalassky District, Russia

Lena Stone Pillars

A remote forest of stone pillars along the Lena river.
Lee Vining, California

Mono Lake

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.
Bodo, Norway

Saltstraumen Maelstrom

World's strongest whirlpool.
East Sussex, England

Beachy Head

England's most notorious suicide spot.
Natural Bridge, Virginia

The Natural Bridge

A sacred site for Native Americans surveyed by George Washington and owned by both King George III and Thomas Jefferson.
Antarctica

Blood Falls

Natural time capsule containing an alien ecosystem.
Lexington, Oregon

The Duplicative Forest

Remember that scene in the Matrix, when Neo is in the big white room with all the weapons flying by? Well, this is what it would look like if he had wanted trees instead of guns.
Alamogordo, New Mexico

White Sands National Park

Explore the largest pure gypsum deposit in the world, and go dune sledding while you're at it.
Juan Fernández, Chile

Robinson Crusoe Island

Named for the DeFoe novel inspired by a stranded sailor, this island is known for its rare plants and extreme beauty.
North Yorkshire, England

Brimham Rocks

Astonishing rock formations dot the Brimham Moor landscape.
Horn-Bad Meinberg, Germany

Externsteine

Between Neo-Pagans and Neo-Nazis, these strange rock formations have a curious cult following and a very strange history.
Athens, Georgia

The Tree That Owns Itself

A white oak with property rights.
Sierra Bullones, Philippines

Chocolate Hills

Bohol's mysterious brown hills.
Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Synchronous Fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains

For two weeks every June, fireflies in the Smoky Mountains perform an astonishing light show.
Jindo, South Korea

Jindo-Modo Landbridge

Landbridge created by the South Korean version of Moses.
Ry, Denmark

Himmelbjerget

Denmark's famous pseudo-hill.
Mauritania

Richat Structure

A geological bull's-eye visible from outer space.
Daniel Campos, Bolivia

Uyuni Salt Flat

A seemingly endless landscape of pure salt stretches far across Bolivia.
Inyo County, California

Sailing Stones of Racetrack Playa

The rocks in this arid basin leave trails of movement behind them.
Hòa Thắng, Vietnam

The White Sand Dunes of Vietnam

A desert in southeast Asia, complete with a beautiful lake covered in lotus flowers.