With the soggy climate, progressive politics, and large population of plaid-wearing hipsters, downtown Portland fulfills many Pacific Northwest cliches. It’s not a bad thing. Who doesn’t like reasonable temperatures, public art, indie music, and microbreweries? Not to mention Powell’s Books, a bookstore mecca for the literary-minded. It’s all here in downtown Portland.

The Golden Gate Bridge is easily on the top of “things to do” lists about San Francisco. How can you visit San Francisco on a vacation and not see the Golden Gate Bridge? It’d be crazy. With the views of the city, the Bay, and the Pacific Ocean, plus the bridge itself, traveling to see this is a no brainer.

Mount Rushmore could very well be the most American national landmark there is.  The faces of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt carved into a mountain–pretty American.  Plus, it’s in South Dakota, smack dab in the middle of the United States.  That’s gotta raise its landmark ranking.  Here’s a travel tip: go sometime not close to the Fourth of July. That way you can get an extra dose of patriotism during the patriotic dry season. Or you can go all out and visit on Independence Day weekend, but you won’t be the only one thinking of that idea. Good luck with parking.

Whether you go camping here or just drive through on your American road trip towards Mount Rushmore, the Badlands National Park in South Dakota is definitely worth a visit. It’s a unique national park. Yellowstone and Yosemite don’t look anything like this guy.

When you’re in the nearby town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, you get the feeling you’re in a wild west theme park with all the cowboy merchandise.  Once you get on top of the Grand Tetons, though, whether you’re there to ski or just look at the nature around you, it starts to feel like a national park instead of Wyoming’s version of Disney World.