With four different federal agencies overseeing 28 designations of protected areas amounting to more than 615 millions acres, it鈥檚 no wonder most Americans stick to marquee destinations, like national parks, and familiar wildernesses close听to home. That leaves so much left to be explored, which听can be daunting if you don鈥檛 know where to start. We鈥檝e got you: just start at the beginning of this decision tree, and click on the hyperlinked indicators by your answer to jump down to the next question鈥攐r go old-school and scroll to the corresponding letter and number combination. We guarantee that the听recommendations you arrive at听will be surprising鈥攁nd tailored to you.
What kind of experience do you want?
Adventurous!听Go to A1.
Chill.听Go to B1.
A1: OK, how hard do you want to go?
Just a gentle sweat, thanks. Go to C1.
Go big or go home! Go to C2.
B1: Cool. Seeing stuff or learning stuff?
Teach me your ways!听Go to D1.
Please, I鈥檓 on vacation.听Go to D2.
C1: How far out are you thinking?
Um, how close is the nearest bar? Go to E1.
Desperately seeking solitude. Go to E2.
C2: By land or by sea?
I was born with gills! Go to G1.
Landlubber here. Go to G2.
D1: All right. History buff or science nerd?
Blow my mind, nature. Go to F1.
The older, the better. Go to F2.
D2: Fine. Plants or animals?
Gimme that sweet, sweet chlorophyll. Go to H1.
I heed the call of the wild! Go to H2.
E1: Um, how close is the nearest bar?
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, Philadelphia: Right next to the Philly airport is this 1,200-acre fishing and hunting preserve.
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico: Paddle through a mangrove forest, snorkel in crystalline waters, or cast a fly into a gemstone bay at , only a short drive from beachfront bars.
E2: Desperately seeking solitude.
Noatak National听Preserve, Alaska: Whether floating the Noatak River or trekking across the Arctic tundra, you鈥檒l have to yourself鈥攎inus some resident caribou, moose, and grizzlies.
Ozark National听Forest, Arkansas: It鈥檚 easy to snag your own swimming hole in this mountainous, , which has dozens of waterfalls.
F1: Blow my mind, nature.
Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida: Pack a telescope and spend at least one night training your lens on some of the
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho: Keep an eye out for migrating pronghorn while traversing the caves, lava flows, and cinder cones dotting .
F2: The older, the better.
Chaco Culture 颅National Historical Park, New Mexico: Join a guided tour of the Ancestral Puebloan ruins at this , then bed down in the shadow of ancient cliff dwellings.
Grand Staircase鈥撀璄scalante National Monument, Utah: Gawk at fossil-stuffed, multihued rock layers stacked like prehistoric pancakes that trace 275 million years of human and geologic history.
G1: I was born with gills!
Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia: Consult a tide table, then kayak across Cumberland Sound to pitch your tent at one of five campgrounds scattered around .
Gauley River National Recreation Area, West Virginia: Though beautiful in any season, roars to life each fall when a series of dam releases whip up a heart-pounding brew of world-class whitewater.
G2: Landlubber here.
City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho:听Calling all climbers: rack up for more than 600 routes that roughly 28 million years in the making, located south of Pocatello, near the Utah border.
McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, Colorado and Utah: Set out from the northern 颅terminus of the 142-mile Kokopelli Trail, that runs from Fruita, Colorado, to Moab, Utah.
H1: Gimme that sweet, sweet chlorophyll.
Big Thicket National 颅Preserve, Texas: Feel like you鈥檙e packing multiple trips into one at , which features nine distinct ecosystems, including lush cypress swamps.
Carrizo Plain National Monument, California: Wet winters create psychedelic spring wildflower displays across the rolling meadows of in California鈥檚 Central Valley.
H2: I heed the call of the wild!
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, New York: Forget people-watching in NYC鈥攂ird nerds should grab their binocs and scan for the hundreds of species that flock to .
National Bison Range, Montana: Pack a camera when visiting , which helped rescue its famous namesake鈥攐ur national mammal鈥攆rom the brink of extinction.