The most breathtaking natural wonder in every state Part 5 (Final)

By Melia Robinson From Business Insider

The United States is a nation of spectacular natural, geological, and cultural diversity.

The third largest country by size in the world, the US contains landscapes as varied as the vast white sand dunes of New Mexico and the watery wilderness formed by trees and marshland in Florida.

Picking 50 wonders wasn’t easy, but here are the most beautiful natural attractions in each state.

Melissa Stanger and Sophie-Claire Hoeller contributed reporting to a previous version of this post.

SOUTH DAKOTA: One of the world’s richest fossil beds can be found at Badlands National Park. Ancient mammal species, like the saber-toothed cat, once roamed here.
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Source: National Park Service

TENNESSEE: For two weeks every summer, a special species of fireflies gathers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for mating season. The fireflies blink in unison.
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Source: National Parks Traveler

TEXAS: A pink granite dome rising above Enchanted Rock State Natural Area formed a billion years ago, when a large pool of magma buoyed above the Earth’s surface, cooled, and slowly turned to granite. It’s an exfoliation dome, meaning it has layers like an onion.
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Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife

UTAH: Arches National Park is a red, arid desert, punctuated with over 2,000 natural stone arches, soaring pinnacles, massive fins, and giant balanced rocks.
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Source: National Park Service

VERMONT: The Green Mountain National Forest is within a day’s drive for more than 70 million people, so locals as well as tourists can enjoy its watercolor-like landscapes.
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Source: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service

VIRGINIA: A road trip down Skyline Drive shows off all that beautiful Shenandoah National Park has to offer, including wildlife and wildflowers that bloom all year round.
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Source: National Park Service

WASHINGTON: Olympic National Park contains glacial mountains, beaches, and rain forests in its one million acres. The famed Hall of Mosses is blanked in a lush green canopy.
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Source: National Geographic and National Park Service

WEST VIRGINIA: The aptly named Mountain State is the only state that lies completely within the Appalachian Mountain region. You can hike all of the Appalachian Trail’s 2,184 miles, passing through West Virginia and traversing scenic, wooded, and pastoral lands.
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Source: Marshall University

WISCONSIN: The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is an archipelago of 21 islands that dot the waters of Lake Superior. Frozen waterfalls hang inside its sea caves.
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Source: Travel Wisconsin

WYOMING: Yellowstone National Park’s Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the US, features a brilliant rainbow produced by bacteria that lives on the perimeter.
Yann Arthus-Bertrand/AP
Source: Slate

For more on this story go to: http://www.businessinsider.com/beautiful-attractions-in-every-state-2017-6/#south-carolina-the-lush-marshes-on-hunting-island-provide-the-best-sunset-views-the-vietnam-war-scenes-in-forrest-gump-were-filmed-along-marsh-boardwalk-40