Top 10 States to visit in the U.S.A. ("Places I visited" series)

I've been long wondering how I could put down the things I did and the places I visited in a better way, an interesting one, an easy-to-digest way. I was scanning the web doing some research and I came across one of the many "top 10" kind of articles. I told myself, "I might as well add my own!", and here I am in the mix.
I will try to post my own charts, first of all of places throughout the U.S.A.

It's time to rank the basic unit: the states. 

Of the 50 that forms the Union, I've been to 42 of them (the ones I'm missing? Find out the map by scrolling all the way down this blog!) and the only one I regret I haven't been able to visit yet is Hawaii. Now, don't get me wrong: I don't want to be offensive towards the other states. Every one of them has something worth visiting for (maybe except for Iowa), and my rankings are based on my personal experience, which giving my interests, is different from other people's. 

I weigh a lot the quality of the natural environment, and features like national parks. The variety of the landscape is important - you don't want to drive through Kansas, really - so if it's dotted with mountains, canyons, a nice seaside and maybe a couple nice cities, that will make it much more interesting. Finally, food, culture and people as well are part of what I consider.

Out of all these criteria, here's what I determined to be my top 10. Enjoy!

Don't forget to chek out my photo portfolio here: Emanuele Canton portfolio

10. Maine

Pros: Endless beaches, coves, harbours, unspoiled northern woods, autumn foliage, tranquil atmosphere, awesome seafood.
Cons: Weather (the state kind of shuts down during winter time), relatively small variety of landscapes.


9. Texas

Pros: Friendliness of people, amazing, super-sized food (barbeque in particular), a variety of cities, the history and customs of the state.
Cons: Emptiness of parts of the state, small variety of landscapes (although mountains, as in the pictures, do exist), huge distances to travel.

8. Arizona

Pros: Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon. That is worth the price. Besides, the state features other great natural features (Canyon de Chelly, Vermillion Cliffs, Horseshoe Bend, Havasu Canyon among others).
Cons: It's mainly about redrock. Fair, it's the southwest, but if you don't like it, you won't like Arizona arguably. And it gets hot here.

7. Oregon

Pros: Huge variety of landscapes - literally, from desert and canyons to ocean beaches to high mountains - and variety of weather too. It's a state that caters for everyone.
Cons: Along the coast it rains just too much, if you can't bear it. Besides for Crater Lake, there's no other national park, although plenty of recreationalopportunities exist.

6. Montana

Pros: Glacier national park and surrounding wildernesses, uncrowded land, wildlife (including grizzly bear and wolf).
Cons: Short summers, and then, it's mainly a mountain state.  As the name says.

5. Wyoming

Pros: Two of the most beautiful and iconic parks in the park system (Yellowstone and Grand Teton), wildlife, history and traditions (the state's icon is a cowboy riding a bronco), some breathtaking drives.
Cons: The best corners of the state suffer short summers, again, climbing in altitude. The eastern side (and not only unfortunately) is kind of spoiled by gas drilling.

4. Alaska

Pros: Unrivaled, pristine landscapes that extends from coastal glacier to boreal forests to the highest mountains in the country, unlimited recreational opportunities, plenty of wildlife, tasty food (do I really need to mention Alaskan salmon, or caribou meat, or Alaskan king crab? Really?)
Cons: It's out of hand, it's expensive, most of the places are remote, mosquitoes will devour you in summer and it's deadly cold in winter and the best part of spring and autumn. But heck, it's just too good when you can actually enjoy it.

3. Colorado

Pros: Probably the best mountainside in the lower 48, broad variety of landscapes (see this picture of Black Canyon of the Gunnison, then picture yourself around Anasazi ruins in the southwestern corner of the state and finally on top of a 14footer mountain), a few decent-sized cities with decent weather all year-round, strategic position in the middle of the country (close to the northern Rockies and to the Southwest region).
Cons: Maybe the lack of an outlet to the open waters? I can't really find a whole lot wrong with Colorado honestly!

2. Utah

Pros: Some of the best national parks in the country, loads of other state parks or natural areas of sheer beauty, impressive redrock formations, amazing variety of landscapes and climates, absolutely outdoorsy.
Cons: The only thing I can think of is a cooler capitat city. SLC is a nice city for a Sunday stroll and an awesome burger at Crown's Burger (yeah, go try it), but nothing else. Anyway, it doesn't matter, you don't go to Utah to stick around concrete! It's beautiful this way!

1. California

Pros: Other state reach peaks for certain things (Alaska for the mountainside, Utah for the redlands), but there's no other state as California. It has the highest mountain in the lower 48 and other spectacular peaks in the Sierras. It goes all the way down to the lowest point in the country in the Death Valley, a desert, a furnace of a different kind of beauty. It has the biggest and the tallest trees in the world in Sequoia and Redwood. It has a phenomenal coastline, diverse, that attracts hikers, surfers, photographers, fishermen, sailors, vacationers. It has some of the most vibrant city life in the country in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and food is rich and tasty with more than a hint of Mexican influence. The weather is just gorgeous. What else do you need?
Cons: The drought that has been impacting the state in recent years may be the only flipside, besides the higher-than-average cost of life. But hey, it's California. It's worth it.

Top 10 Most scenic roads of the U.S.A. ("Places I visited" series)

I've been long wandering how I could put down the things I did and the places I visited in a better way, an interesting one, an easy-to-digest way. I was scanning the web doing some research and I came across one of the many "top 10" kind of articles. I told myself, "I might as well add my own!", and here I am in the mix.
I will try to post my own charts, first of all of places throughout the U.S.A.

Driving is sometimes tedious, boring, sitting inside a piece of metal that easily goes too hot or too cold, depending on the season and the condition of the car itself. Other times though, driving is a pure pleasure: picture yourself going down Road 1 in California, following the Big Sur coast on a late September afternoon, the sky turning to an artist's palette, the air crisp, the green, lush hillside to your left and the mighty ocean to your right. How wonderful! You would just wish those very moments would last hours, not mere minutes!
Since driving is one of the things you can enjoy the most in America - and as far as covering ground goes, I can say I've had my experiences! - here's my personal selection of my favourite 10 drives in the States. I bet some insanly good stretch of road slipped from memory (it's hard to keep track of, roughly, over 35.000 miles of roads). Also, they're not on the list but I enjoyed a lot roads like Tioga Pass in Yosemite, or the Extraterrestrial Highway in Nevada, or Oregon Road 30 along the Columbia river.
But here's a competitive top 10 that will make you wanting to get on the wheels and drive til you drop, guaranteed!
Are you ready to get on-board and cover some ground?!

(Before you get started, make sure you check out my photo portfolio, where more, better travel pictures can be found, here: Photos by Emanuele Canton
Thanks for visiting! Any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated!)


10. Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina/Virginia - 469mi/755km

A view from one of the many view points along the road, withinn the Smoky Mountains national park

It's not about majestic snow-capped peaks, but these green, almost endless rolling hills will make you fall in love with the place. One of the flipsides is the amount of traffic this road receives - mainly due to the proximity to East coast big cities. In summertime (I didn't dare trying) it might look like a continuous line of cars. And good luck if you are unlucky enough to get stuck behind a 28+foot RV.


9. Vermont Route 100, Vermont - 271mi/349km

I guess that's the kind of stuff you go to Vermont for

It's almost a no brainer, when travelling New England for autumn foliage, to step onto this road. Although far from being a secret, therefore not aloof from being crowded during foliage peak, this road is a little gem. Small villages without fast food restaurants and neon lights that would be visible from the space, it feels cosy and old-fashioned. The scenary is absolutely gorgeous - even on a rainy day, which can be quite a possibility out there!


8. California Route 254 "Avenue of the Giants", California - 32mi/51km

A walk in the woods alongside the road will give you access to solitude, silence, and magic atmospheres

It gives a sense of tranquillity to drive this road, especially early in the morning. The towering trees that line the pavement are impressing, their majesty is breath-taking and you drive around feeling a bit on the retarded side, thanks to it. If you're looking for a chance to see what it could have been to drive a car in some kind of prehistoric forest, that's a place you should put on your to do list.


7. California Route 1, California - 656mi/1055km

Bixby bridge

They wrote songs about this road. And if you write a song about a road, it must be somehow worth it. The 1 truly is, being a long stretch that brings you from the spanish-looking Monterey to the southern reaches of busy L.A., through charming little coastal towns, rugged cliffs and lush hillside. Quite often covered in fog in the mornings, it becomes a mixture of striking colors in the afternoons. Big Sur is the highlight, make sure you stay for the night to enjoy a nice ocean sunset. One of my favourite towns down the stretch is Morro Bay, where a big rock monolith rises out of the water just a hundred yards off the beach. 

6. Seward Highway, Alaska - 125mi/201km

Clouds hiding Portage glacier

There are many scenic roads in Alaska, but possibly the Seward Highwa tops them all. Starting from Anchorage and going straight south towards beautiful Turnagain arm, the road gives access to formidable mountain, glacier and sea views. The Chugach mountains rise to the north, and proceeding further down the road towards its southern end, the landscape closes in and valleys, passes and glaciers seem to get closer and closer. The chances of spotting the occasional moose or bear are decent as well, a thing that makes driving in Alaska always a bit more entertaining, although dangerous. And by the way, this is a pretty dangerous road in itself. Distracted vacationers or intoxicated drivers aren't uncommon - according to the TV show "Alaska State Troopers". Another TV exaggeration?

5. Burr Trail Road, Utah - 66mi/106km

Climbing the steep switchbacks will take some guts to those afraid of heights, but will reward everyone with dramatic views of the Henry mountains to the west

The first road in the Southwest to appear in my ranking, it will provide you with that solitude you need when looking for some peaceful time. The absence of pavement dramatically decreases the number of cars you'll see on this road, but if you have the possibility, take this drive: you might follow crazy fossil-bearing rock formations along the Waterpocket fold, or climb a pass, or drive at the bottom of 500 foot-high red sandstone walls. You might spend a day crossing paths with just about a dozen cars or less, and you might enjoy one of the best driving experiences in the Southwest, right at the doorstep of Capitol Reef national park.

4. Utah Route 12, Utah - 122mi/196km

One of the viewpoints along the road, just a few miles out of the town of Escalante

This being the first of 4 consecutive All-American roads on my ranking, Utah road 12 represents the first road you should be driving to understand what Utah looks like. From the hoodoos of Bryce you catch glimpses of canyons  - such as at Calf Creek - of mesas, of buttes, of distant mountains (the Henry). With good visibility, your eye will wander for tens of miles through the desertic landscape, enchanted by the color bonanza brightened by the deep blue sky of the sunny Southwest. Luckily there ain't no New York or suchs around here, so the road will usually be not too crowded. 

3. Beartooth Highway, Wyoming - 69mi/111km

The view stretches far off to the ranges once you reach Beartooth pass

When I exited Cody, WY on a sunny July afternoon I didn't know what laid ahead of me. I took the Beartooth without high expectation and was finally overwhelmed with scenic vistas and idyllic landscapes. Luckily enough I didn't have to share the road with many cars - probably the insane amount of mosquitoes kept others off - so I was free to pull over wherever the view broadened. Well, it was pure joy. The Absaroka range stands mighty not too far off, alpine tarns dot the valleys carpeted in wildflowers, and snowbanks on the shady slopes are there til well into summer. It is probably as good as it gets as far as mountain drives are concerned.

2. San Juan Skyway, Colorado - 233mi/375km

The Uncompahgre range offers terrific sights along the road, especially in autumn

I have to say, I haven't driven all of it, but what I did of it, completely blew me away. In a state famous for its high mountains (Colorado has 53 14.000 foot peaks with at least 300 foot of prominence), the San Juan skyway encompasses several ranges such as the La Plata mountains, the San Juan, and the Uncompahgre. You might be driving behind a ridge, crossing a bridge over a cold river, to just turn the corner and have your eyes spanning over glorious mountains which feet are covered in dense vegetation - the sort of scene that will make you think you're driving into a Paramount movie opening titles! I drove just about half of it and I can't wait to complete: it stands on top of my to do list for my next US trip (which is a great compliment, you know).

1. Going-to-the-Sun road, Montana - 53mi/85km

A perspective of what this road is: not just an unbelievably sweet spectacle of a drive, but also an astonishing feat of engineering

It can't be otherwise I suppouse. It's not about length, it's not about traffic volume - even though, remember, in August it gets C-R-A-Z-Y out there, crazy!! Bumper to bumper with another half a million cars (no, I slightly exaggerated) and no room at Logan visitor center parking lot. It's about what this road is. Besides from being a quite cool engineering fact - it took from 1921 to 1933 to build the steep mountain road that goes from switchbacks to a long, straight stretch along the Garden Wall (picture) that links East Glacier with West Glacier (national park) - the GTTS is also remarkably scenic. The Garden Wall with its crests looking like a stegosaurus back, Logan Pass with iconic Mount Logan, the many valleys: it's one of those roads where you can't fall asleep for a second. You might even miss a bear or a chilled-looking mountain goat. This road is a jewel, nestled in what's called "The Crown of the Continent" for some pretty truthful reason, and as most of the times with these places, comes with pros and cons. The main con is snow. The road might open as late as early July, and stay open until September or so. It's a short window of time, and arguably you'll have to battle the crowds to experience it, but I can think about few other things worth the hassle more than this road! Enjoy!

Top 10 Wildlife Moments in North America ("Places I Visited" series)

I've been long wandering how I could put down the things I did and the places I visited in a better way, an interesting one, an easy-to-digest way. I was scanning the web doing some research and I came across one of the many "top 10" kind of articles. I told myself, "I might as well add my own!", and here I am in the mix.
I will try to post my own ranks, first of all of places throughout the U.S.A.

Even though I can't boast once-in-a-lifetime experiences when it comes to wildlife, I can say I had my share anyway. From roadside moose and wolves, to on-the-trail bears and darting eagles, my eyes have been lucky enough to spot a good variety of creatures while hiking, driving or simply chilling out. Here's a selection of my favourite 10 moments, not ordered by importance or rarity of the animal in itself, but more by the meaning, the feelings and emotions the moment left me with. I hope I'll be able to recreate that very instant with my words for you to enjoy!
Let's start!

10. Mountain goat on the trail, Glacier NP

Mountain goats are cool animals. I love the way they stare at you, kind of saying "Yo what's up?!" all the time. I love their color - usually it makes it easier to spot them, unless they're far high on the snowy slopes. I met with this guy on my way back from an off-trail hike in Glacier NP, and he peacefully led my way out of the forest and simply let me take over at a certain point. He just kept feeding on the grass. Made me almost wanted to pet it - if it wasn't a wild animal and wasn't that big too! (goats can be quite big!)

9. Buffalo wading the river, Yellowstone NP

It was early in a foggy July morning, and I was driving hopelessly and aimlessly in the Lake district of the park til I decided to move towards Hayden valley. I woke up after a rainy night spent as usual sleeping in my truck, and I was eager for the weather to clear and start a nice day hiking. Hayden was placid and quiet when I got there. Unusually, there were just a couple cars waiting for wildlife for the daily show. I stopped 'cause something caught my eye: it was just a buffalo, but it was heading steady for the river. I stopped, got my telezoom lens out, and followed. The big fella plunged into the cold waters of the Yellowstone river and started to swim towards the other bank. I was fired up. That's the kind of stuff you see on tv documentaries usually, and there I was looking at 12-14 hundred pounds beast puffing and snorting his way across the river. The fog that was slowly lifting up from the ground made the scene tremendously cool for me!

8. Lynx xing, Kluane NP (Canada)

Of this I have no picture unfortunately, the whole sight lasted for a few seconds only. I was driving south on the main road skirting Kluane National Park, a beautiful, remote area in south-western Yukon. It was a glorious day and I was soaking in the beauty of the jagged mountains and the taiga-like vegetation. At a certain point, I spot something crossing the road fast just after the turn, so I speed up the tiny bit that allows me to get in full-sight of the animal. It was a lynx. These elusive animals are very shy, and it's quite a lucky event whenever somebody has the chance to spot one of them. Knowing this all, I jump on the other side of the road with the car (traffic is not a word that applies to these places, so I did it in safety!) and try to spot the animal in the brush where it certainly dashed in. Impossible. I spent a minute or two trying to identify a possible way in and track the animal down but the intricacy of the brush had me waving white flag. It was short, photo-less, but pretty lucky as well!


7. Coyote's on the hunt, Yellowstone NP

I wasn't planning on anything more than to reach a place suitable to make dinner but I had to stop for this. You see coyotes fairly frequently, but not in too many occasions they're looking for food. At least, not as in this occasion. The coyote, even though evidently disturbed by the cars driving by (just a few, it was late in the day and our road wasn't the most beaten by the crowds) was using his ears to locate a mouse, maybe a ground squirrel. It was amazing to watch him concentrate on the sounds, tilting his head back and forth, to the left or to the right, appearently following the sounds of his prey. And then... a powerful leap, with a plunge straight onto his prey... that wasn't there anymore, unfortunately. You can't be successfull every time - actually, they're not successful most of the times. At least it gave us a great entertainment!

6. Close-up with the black bear, Glacier NP

I have seen plenty of black bears. This one though scared the heck out of me. I bumped into it on the roadside, and as everyone else, parked my car in a safe spot and got a bit closer. Other people followed the bear into the bush, and soon a line of photographers formed. I was some 30 yards from it, but some Asian folks pushed it much closer, maybe 20. The bear was surely disturbed and agitated by the crowd, and he was snorting and sniffing the air around him as in the shot above. The only reason I stayed was the people before me. Then, some idiot starting to flash the bear. I thought "This guy thinks it's a teddy bear. What a lame person". Next thing you know is the bear hit the dead tree with both front paws, snorts loud, and runs. I personally remembered all the suggestions for these cases - like keep your cool, don't flee, stay your ground, especially with blacks - but of course I screwed them all and ran with the crowd for safer grounds. Luckily the bear fled alongside the tree and didn't go for some fancy sushi.

5. A fawn makes me emotional, Eagle Creek trail in Oregon

Sometimes you'll bump onto something unexpected in the woods. That's what happened on that sunny day in May along the Eagle Creek trail. Walking back up from one of the many waterfalls to be found there, this fawn comes out of the brush and starts walking towards me, crying out loud like saying "Please help me!". Obviously he had lost mommy, and she was nowhere to be found. It was a heartbreaking moment: the fawn walked all the way to me and liked my leg. If there's one thing I know and try to apply is that wildlife is wild, and has to be kept that way, so I backed off. I almost had tears in my eyes, since the fawn looked at me with a "Why are you leaving me here?" stare. I thought about calling a ranger, but had no contact number. I resolved to look elsewhere and keep walking. On my way back I inspected the site again and found nothing. It was a sad moment. I just hoped he'd have been alright.

4. An incredibly chilled moose surprises me, Bighorn National Forest

I saw this moose with the tail of my eye. It was an amazing feat in itself, since I was driving pretty fast on that winding road and had no particular attention for the roadside. The moose was some 20 meters away from the road, lying on the grass at the brink of the woods. I backed all the way down with my car and hopped off, confirming my able sight. There actually was a moose. I walked closer, keeping my cool, and reached to some 10 yards away from it. He didn't flinch. All he did was to follow my every move with tired-looking eyes. I know about moose, and usually keep safe distances between me and them. They look awkward but can bolt at you in seconds. With this one, I felt ok from the start, and I got this close for a very exciting encounter.

3. Grizzly on the trail!, Banff NP (Canada)

Yes, it's just another grizzly bear. And yes, luckily nothing bad happened that day. But what an unplanned adrenaline boost I did get that day! Me and a buddy were hiking in the Moraine Lake area of Banff NP, Alberta, and we just entered a restricted area where just groups of 4 people were allowed to hike. Being short of time (I had to be back at work later) and seeing nobody coming up, we kept on going. Of course, just 4-500 yards past the sign, I'm on the lead and I spot something with my eye, to the left, grazing in the brush. Ain't no deer this time, and my heart starts beating like a drum. It's a grizzly bear, that appearently hasn't noticed us. I stop my bud - that didn't even see the bear til I pointed it out - reach for my bear spray, ask him if he has bear spray and hear that he forgot it at home. Sweet. We back up, slowly, quietly. The bear doesn't seem like noticing us and keeps foraging on grass. At a safer distance we start walking with our backs to the bear and with a quicker pace. We reach safety, some 300 yeards from it. We discuss what to do. I don't want to risk - a bear is no cow, and you can't just hope it won't maul you if you dare just walking on the trail a few feet from him! In the meantime, a group of 4 joins us, we have 2 more bear sprays and on we go. After 200 yards, there's the bear again. He moved slightly out of the woods, coming towards us. We're in 6 and we form a "line of fire", where us with the bear spray stay in front, ready to pull the trigger. We are at no more than 30 yards from him. Quite a bad choice, distant-wise huh? Well, the bear doesn't care/ He just grazes. I take a chance to shoot a picture and remember - of course, it always happen - that I left my telezoom lens at home. The day I have a bear this close. It's all cool until the bear turns towards us, gets on his hind legs for a few seconds, then resumes grazing. People are petrified. I decide that it's time for us to move, to take another trail, and leave the others with the decision on whether to continue or not. Before the end of the day, we'd see aother grizzly bear, still on the trail, the one we decided to continue on. It was definitely destiny, that day, that I'd see bears. 

2. Father osprey's back with food, Yellowstone NP

I know it's nothing extraordinary, and that people with more time (and money!!) than me have much better shots, but I'm particularly fnd of this one moment, and the picture that came with it. I was about to walk to the Lower Yellowstone falls (check out my "Top 10 Waterfalls in the U.S.A." on my previous post!) when I spotted this osprey nest. There was clearly one bird, so I got a bit closer. Almost nobody had spotted it before, and people were stopping and looking at what I was possibly shooting at. Then I moved, I was too far. I jumped over a fence - hey, there was no sign to not do it! - and strolled over a rocky cliff all the way to the end, where it dropped some hundreds of feet down towards the bottom of the canyon. I stopped, and started to get more details of the scene. Mother osprey was at the nest with 2 babies, and I reckoned father osprey wouldn't have been far. I started to scan the canyon. Far off the distance, towards the fall, a big bird soaring over the water catches my attention. I put it right into the center of my scope and follow it. At first, he came back with no food. So I wait. And I wait. I wait for 45 minutes, to the amusement of some people on the safe side of the trail (they were taking pictures of me standing there) to finally see him approaching the nest with a fish in his talons. It was great. Again, one of those things I used to see on tv documentaries, finally had been witnessed on live-action! It also taught me that those fellas have to be real patient - it ain't easy to provide for a growing family in osprey's world either!

1. Eventually, I cross gazes with a wild wolf, Kananaskis Country (Canada)

I was driving out of Kananaskis country on a grey, late-summer day with my girlfriend. We hadn't seen more than 3 or 4 cars in 3 hours that day. Back on the main road, after a few miles, something dog-like walks on the road. I accelerate to go past the dip on the road and find myself at some 30-40 yards from a gray wolf. I start shaking. Wolves are among my favourite animals overall. As I know, they're usually shy and fearful of humans (and they have good reasons to be so, I guess), so they tend to stay away from anything human-related, roads included. It's more of a luxury when somebody has a chance to spot one, even for a few seconds. Well, armed of my camera, there I am. I roll down the window, let my car running and on park, and shoot. This big guy literally walks towards us on the other side of the street, a few feet from us. I feel it difficult to handle the camera without shaking because of how thrilled I am. Seeing the wolf wslowly walking away, I get out of the car and carefully follow him, at a distance. He doesn't mind me, until this very moment. He turns towards me, looks at me for 2 or 3 seconds, and resumes whatever he was doing - probably just chasing some food source around. That gaze froze me. I wasn't scared, I know that probably deep inside he'd have been more scared than me, but it was an epic moment for me. Being that close to a wild wolf, exchanging an almost human-like, feelings-filled look for a few seconds. I hope I'll have other better, safe encounters with wolves, but for now, this one will stay at number 1! 

Thanks for following, remember to share it with your adventure-eager friends!!
I'll do my best to keep the production up... and coming up next is, my very personal "Top 10 National Parks of the U.S.A."! Catch with y'all soon!