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Complete List of National Natural Landmarks

Welcome to the National Natural Landmarks program, your gateway to the most extraordinary natural wonders our country has to offer! Immerse yourself in a world of unparalleled beauty and geological marvels as you explore these meticulously selected sites of profound ecological and historical significance. From rugged coastlines to mystical caves, from vast deserts to lush forests teeming with life, each National Natural Landmark is a testament to the diversity and magnificence of our planet’s natural heritage.

Alabama

  • Beaverdam Creek Swamp: A tupelo gum swamp in an unusual inland location. 34°37′30″N 86°49′37″W
  • Cathedral Caverns: A 11,000 feet (3,400 m) long cave which includes Goliath, a 45 feet (14 m) stalagmite. 34°34′24″N 86°13′20″W
  • ✓Dismals Canyon: This sandstone gorge is one of few places worldwide where the dismalites (Orfelia fultoni) gather. Their bioluminescent glow can be seen on night tours in this 85-acre (340,000 m2) natural conservatory. 34°19′31″N 87°46′54″W
  • Mobile Tensaw River Bottom Lands: The second largest river delta in the US, this 260,000-acre (1,100 km2) site has a wide range of habitats and wildlife. The 200-mile (320 km) Bartam Canoe Trail goes through the delta. 30°45′15″N 87°56′32″W
  • Newsome Sinks Karst Area: An area hollowed out by more than 40 caves, with over 50,000 feet (15,000 m) of known passages. 34°26′27″N 86°35′50″W
  • Red Mountain Expressway Cut: Part of Red Mountain Park, this expressway cut through Red Mountain and exposes a rich view into geological history. 33°29′44″N 86°47′18″W
  • Shelta Cave: This cave was a dance hall before it became the home of the National Speleological Society There are over nine species of cave dwelling animals that were first discovered here. 34°45’13.10″N 86°36’37.55″W

Alaska

  • Aniakchak Crater: Part of the Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve and containing Surprise Lake, this volcanic caldera last erupted in 1931 and is one of the world’s largest explosive craters. 56.905833°N 158.208889°W
  • Arrigetch Peaks: Located in Gates of the Arctic National Park, granite peaks tower above glacial valleys of tundra and boreal forest, demonstrating abrupt rock type transitions from metamorphic to granitic. 67.416667°N 154.183333°W
  • Bogoslof Island: A volcanic island with new eruptions as recently as 1992, Bogoslof provides habitat for endangered Steller sea lions and several bird species. A unit of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. 53.927222°N 168.034444°W
  • Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range: A coastal and upland tundra habitat of lakes, streams and tide flats, forming the nesting grounds for several species of birds, including black brant, cackling and emperor geese. 53°55’38.0″N 168°02’04.0″W
  • Iliamna Volcano: Active stratovolcano with a 10,016-foot (3,053 m) summit and at least 10 glaciers. A part of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. 60.033333°N 153.066667°W
  • Lake George: At the time of its designation, Lake George, dammed by the Knik Glacier, was the largest glacier-dammed lake in North America. 61.25°N 148.616667°W
  • Malaspina Glacier: Noted by explorers for over two centuries, Malaspina is the largest piedmont glacier in North America, and one of the largest worldwide, outside of ice-cap regions. Mostly located within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. 59.919167°N 140.532778°W
  • McNeil River State Game Sanctuary: Permanent sanctuary for brown bears and other animal populations. Concentration of bears fishing in the McNeil River provides excellent opportunities for viewing. 59.016667°N 154.466667°W
  • Mount Veniaminof: Located in Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, Veniaminof contains a cupped ice field of 25 square miles (64.75 km2), the most extensive crater-glacier in the US, and an active volcanic vent. The glacial vent is the only such one in North America. 56.198056°N 159.390833°W
  • Redoubt Volcano: An active stratovolcano located in Lake Clark National Park. Of 76 major volcanoes in the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands, Redoubt is the second tallest. 60.485278°N 152.743056°W
  • Shishaldin Volcano: Located in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Shishaldin is an explosive stratovolcano with a near perfect cone. It is the tallest volcano in Unimak Island. 54.755833°N 163.9675°W
  • Simeonof National Wildlife Refuge: Provides habitat for numerous mammal and bird species, as well as providing ideal habitat and hauling grounds for sea otters. 54.89479124°N 159.273751°W
  • Unga Island: Part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Unga holds the petrified remains of a sequoia or metasequoia forest buried by Tertiary Period volcanic activity. The forest remnants provide evidence of the environment and climate of Alaska before humans reached the area. 55.260556°N 160.695°W
  • Walker Lake: An example of a mountain lake at the northern limit of forest growth, demonstrating an ecological range from white spruce to talus slopes, devoid of growth, rising 2,000 feet (610 m) above the lake. 67.126667°N 154.363056°W
  • Walrus Islands: The only significant bull walrus haul-out in the US and the southernmost primary area in the world. Seven islands make up the Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary. 57.182617°N 169.946822°W
  • Worthington Glacier: One of the most road-accessible glaciers in Alaska, showing examples of major glacial features ranging from terminal moraines to accumulation zones. 61.170278°N 145.763333°W

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

  • Big Spring Creek: Unique spring-fed creek fed by an unconfined aquifer, creating a rare animal- and plant-supporting wetlands in a generally arid area. Part of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. 37°46’00″N 105°37’30″W
  • Garden of the Gods: The site showcases the lithologic character of sedimentary rocks, as well as providing a habitat for North American honey ants and excellent viewing opportunities for several bird species. 38°52’04″N 104°53’28″W
  • Garden Park Fossil Area: Internationally recognized paleontological site renowned for finds of dinosaur, fish, crocodile, turtle and mammal fossils. Located on Bureau of Land Management land. 38°32’06″N 105°13’18″W
  • Hanging Lake: Travertine deposition-formed lake with substantial hanging garden plant life and minimal human alteration, unique in the region. A part of White River National Forest. 39°36’05″N 107°11’30″W
  • Indian Springs Trace Fossil Site: Best North American location for animal trace fossils from the Ordovician period. 38°22’03″N 105°29’07″W
  • Lost Creek Scenic Area: Located in Pike National Forest, with extensive rock formations, including gorges, ridges and spires, and stream channels that meander between above- and under-ground. 39°16’07″N 105°28’05″W
  • Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas: Site of major paleontological importance, unique for fossil footprints of reptiles, birds, and mammals. The site was expanded in 2011 to include the 19-acre (7.69 ha; 0.03 sq mi) Parfet Prehistoric Preserve in the city of Golden. 39°40’52″N 105°11’33″W
  • Raton Mesa: Protected by a thick lava cap, Raton Mesa has resisted the extensive erosion and weathering that has affected surrounding areas, providing an extreme contrast in geography. 37°05’52″N 104°27’46″W
  • Roxborough State Park: Site showcases typical Colorado Front Range sedimentary strata, as well as erosion of Fountain Formation sandstone in unusual patterns, extensive fossil remains and unusual plant populations. 39°25’45″N 105°04’06″E
  • Russell Lakes: Colorado’s largest remaining bulrush marsh, now rare in the southern Rocky Mountains. Provides habitat for extensive flora and fauna, especially waterfowl. 37°56’41″N 106°07’12″W
  • Sand Creek: Shared with Wyoming, the site is one of North America’s most impressive occurrences of cross-bedded sandstone and “topple blocks”. Also a site of paleontological and biological significance. 40°59’45″N 105°46’05″W
  • Slumgullion Earthflow: A major example of the geologic process of mass wasting, a large flow of volcanic rock traveled from mountainside to valley to form Lake San Cristobal. The same process is occurring again, slowly covering the existing flow. Located on Bureau of Land Management land. 37°59’55″N 107°14’42″W
  • Spanish Peaks: Located in San Isabel National Forest, the site is an exceptional illustration of over 500 igneous dikes, many exposed, formed when molten igneous rock is forced into a fault before hardening. 37°22’32″N 104°59’37″W
  • Sulphur Cave and Spring: Located in the Howelsen Hill Ski Area of Steamboat Springs, the site is a superb example of bacterially-mediated sulfuric acid speleogenesis. The cave contains many uncommon cave features, such as biovermiculations and snottites. 40°29’01″N 106°50’24″W
  • Summit Lake: At almost 13,000 feet (4,000 m), the site contains an excellent example of alpine tundra in the contiguous US. Some of the plants that survive in this microclimate are usually found only in the Arctic Circle. 39°35’54″N 105°38’40″W
  • West Bijou Site: Part of the Plains Conservation Center, the site contains fossil and mineral evidence detailing the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, the Earth’s most recent mass extinction event. 39°40’52″N 104°44’09″W

Connecticut

  • Bartholomew’s Cobble: Open space preserve, agricultural preserve, and bio-reserve primarily located in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts and edging into Canaan, Connecticut. The preserve contains over 800 plant species including North America’s greatest diversity of ferns. It is open to the public with hiking trails and a visitors center. 42.057222°N 73.350833°W
  • Beckley Bog: The southernmost Sphagnum-heath-black spruce bog in New England. Purchased by the Nature Conservancy in 1956. 41.96889°N 73.16222°W
  • Bingham Pond Bog: A rare undisturbed northern black spruce bog, which is missing the more common Sphagnum moss. 42.02028°N 73.46639°W
  • Cathedral Pines: A large tract of old-growth white pine and hemlock forest owned by the Nature Conservancy which was mostly destroyed by tornadoes in 1989. 41.836044°N 73.325163°W
  • Chester Cedar Swamp: Known for its Atlantic white cedar swamp within the Cockaponset State Forest. 41.387499°N 72.488995°W
  • Dinosaur Trackway: One of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America, with a fine display of early Jurassic fossil tracks in sandstone from about 200 million years ago. 41.651944°N 72.656944°W
  • McLean Game Refuge Natural Areas: 4,400 acres (1,800 ha) forest in multiple tracts has a very diverse group of species as well as evidence of glacial activity. 41.920545°N 72.788544°W
  • Pachaug-Great Meadow Swamp: Known for the Atlantic white cedar swamp inside the Pachaug State Forest. Includes sections of the Pachaug River and the Great Meadow Brook. 41.599167°N 71.878056°W

Florida

Georgia

  • Big Hammock Natural Area: Relatively undisturbed broadleaf evergreen hammock forest.
  • Camp E.F. Boyd Natural Area: One of the best representatives of the upland sand ridge ecosystem of the Coastal Plain
  • Cason J. Calloway Memorial Forest: An outstanding example of transitional conditions between eastern deciduous and southern coniferous forest types.
  • Ebenezer Creek Swamp: The best remaining cypress-gum swamp forest in the Savannah River basin.
  • Heggie’s Rock: The best example in eastern North America of the remarkable endemic flora restricted to granite outcrops. 33°32’29.8″N 82°15’13.1″W
  • Lewis Island Tract: One of the most extensive bottomland hardwood swamps in Georgia. website
  • Marshall Forest: A loblolly pine-shortleaf pine forest believed to have originated following an intense fire at about the time the Cherokee Indians were forcibly removed to Oklahoma. 34.250898°N 85.195375°W
  • Okefenokee Swamp: One of the largest and most primitive swamps in the country. 30.616667°N 82.316667°W
  • Panola Mountain: The most natural and undisturbed monadnock of exposed granitic rock in the Piedmont biophysiographic province. 33.635278°N 84.170278°W
  • Wassaw Island: Only barrier island in Georgia with an undisturbed forest cover. 31.9003°N 80.9822°W
  • Wade Tract Preserve: Old growth longleaf pine savanna. 30.75°N 84°W

Hawaii

  • Diamond Head: Towering exposed basaltic cinder code, located within the middle of Honolulu’s urban core.
  • I’ao Valley: Eroded volcanic pinnacles covered in vegetation and surrounded by a lush rain forest.
  • Kanaha Pond: A brackish water bird refuge.
  • Ko’olau Range Pali: Faulted, eroded mountain range is the remnant of a shield volcano.
  • Makalawena Marsh: Located in Kekaha Kai State Park, site supports endangered birds such as the Hawaiian stilt.
  • Mauna Kea: 11,000 foot mountain is the world’s finest example of a shield volcano.
  • North Shore Cliffs: Contains steep, eroded volcanic cliffs.

Idaho

  • Big Southern Butte: A 2,500 ft Rhyolitic dome that rises over the Eastern Snake River Plain. It illustrates the scope and dimensions of Quaternary volcanism in the western United States. 43.401389°N 113.023889°W
  • Big Springs: The only first-magnitude spring in the country that issues forth from rhyolitic lava flows. 44.500278°N 111.255278°W
  • Cassia Silent City of Rocks: Monolithic landforms created by exfoliation processes on exposed massive granite plutons. 42.076026°N 113.701676°W
  • Crater Rings: Two adjacent and symmetrical pit craters that are among the few examples of this type of crater in the continental United States. 43.1907°N 115.8597°W
  • Great Rift of Idaho: A tensional fracture in the Earth’s crust. 43.46167°N 113.56278°W
  • Hagerman Fauna Sites: Contains the world’s richest deposits of Upper Pliocene age terrestrial fossils. 42.7906°N 114.9448°W
  • Hell’s Half Acre Lava Field: Fully exposed pahoehoe lava flow. 43.5°N 112.45°W
  • Hobo Cedar Grove Botanical Area: An outstanding example of pristine western red cedar forest. 47.0911°N 116.127°W
  • Menan Buttes: Contains outstanding examples of glass tuff cones, which are found in only a few places in the world. 43.6°N 111.5°W
  • Niagara Springs: Least developed of the large springs discharging into the Snake River from the Snake River plain aquifer system. 42.85778°N 114.87639°W
  • Sheep Rock: Horizontally layered lavas that represent successive flows on the Columbia River Basalt Plateau. 45.191651°N 116.67132°W

Illinois

  • Allerton Natural Area: Contains a now-rare example of the ecosystems in Illinois stream valleys, with bottomland and upland forests in minimally disturbed condition. Part of Robert Allerton Park. 39°59’53″N 88°39’00″W
  • Bell Smith Springs: Part of the Shawnee National Forest, Bell Smith Springs contains excellent examples of sharply dissected sandstone substrates and their associated ecosystems. Stream erosion and mass wasting have created landform examples representative of the area. 37°31’7″N 88°39’22″W
  • Busse Forest Nature Preserve: Historic preserve of mesic and dry-mesic upland forest, one of the best examples in the eastern Central Lowlands bio-physiographic province. Part of the Cook County Forest Preserve District. 42°02’32″N 88°00’12″W
  • Forest of the Wabash: Part of Beall Woods State Park, the site includes minimally disturbed bottom- and up-land forests along the Wabash River, including a major example of the region’s remaining oak-hickory forest. 38°21’31″N 87°49’30″W
  • Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve: Fults Hill is the region’s best and least disturbed example of loess hill prairies. 37°58’39″N 89°48’02″W
  • Funks Grove Nature Preserve: Transitional site between oak-hickory forest prevalent in the region and the western edge of the eastern mesophytic association. A now-rare example of the area’s virgin forests. 40°21’49″N 89°06’52″W
  • Giant City Geological Area: A part of Giant City State Park, the Geological Area is characterized by joint-bound sandstone blocks of the Pennsylvanian age, with examples of gravity sliding. It also contains extensive flora, including sugar maple-dominated mesic forests and oak-hickory and xeric oak woodlands. 37°36’18″N 89°11’18″W
  • Heron Pond – Little Black Slough Nature Preserve: Largest remnant of cypress-tupelo swamp in the state, containing alluvial, colluvial and lacustrine sedimentation and a heron rookery. 37°22’01″N 88°57’00″W
  • Horseshoe Lake: Home to a wide range of flora, including mature bald cypress, and fauna, including migrating waterfowl and overwintering Canada geese. Part of Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area. 37°08’56″N 089°21’18″W
  • Illinois Beach Nature Preserve: The site is a part of Illinois Beach State Park, and contains a wide range of savanna, prairie, wetland and beach ecosystems, as well as numerous endangered species. 42°25’02″N 87°48’42″W
  • LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area: Part of the Shawnee National Forest, the Ecological Area provides habitat for diverse vegetation, representing plants from throughout the state, including 40 rare species. 37°35’N 89°25’W
  • Little Grand Canyon: A large box canyon with vertical overhanging walls, containing a wide range of ecosystems, including sandstone, oak-hickory forest and prairie. The area is known for its wide range of snakes that hibernate in its seasonal habitats. Located in Shawnee National Forest. 37°41’11″N 89°23’54″W
  • Lower Cache River Swamp: The swamp is a remnant fragment of a once-extensive ecosystem, providing habitat for large trees, including three that hold the records for the largest of their respective species. 37°04’01″N 89°10’22″W
  • Lusk Creek Canyon: Part of the Shawnee National Forest, Lusk Creek Canyon was formed by stream erosion and mass wasting through lower Pennsylvanian sandstone. The site includes two major forest ecosystems and numerous endangered plant species. 37°31’08″N 88°32’24″W
  • Markham Prairie: The largest high quality undisturbed prairie in the state and one of the largest in the area, Markham is a remaining fragment of a once-widespread ecosystem. Containing a mixture of sand prairie and tallgrass prairie, it also includes an undeveloped lakebed and beach ridges. 41°36’25″N 87°41’16″W
  • Mississippi Palisades: Contains cliffs, caves, and valleys illustrative of palisades topography, as well as extensive animal and plant habitat. Located in an eponymous state park. 42°08’18″N 90°09’32″W
  • Volo Bog Nature Preserve: Classic example of northern quaking bog, providing a habitat for numerous unusual and rare plant species. 42°21’06″N 88°11’10″W
  • Wauconda Bog Nature Preserve: Furthest south example of mature bog in the state, with a regionally unusual biotic community. 42°15’14″N 88°07’49″W

Indiana

  • Big Walnut Creek: Contains one of the few stands in Indiana where beech, sugar maple, and tulip poplar grow on alluvial Genesee soil. 39.796749°N 86.777474°W
  • Cabin Creek Raised Bog: One of the few known inland raised bogs in the United States. It has a very rich flora including many species at or near their range limits. 40.1368101°N 85.1257457°W
  • Calvert and Porter Woods: One of the finest near-virgin remnant forests in the Tipton Till Plain of central Indiana. 40.0228369°N 86.7218275°W
  • ✓Cowles Bog: Part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, this is the sole remaining remnant of the Central Dunes where Henry Chandler Cowles performed his pioneering field studies of plant succession and species diversity. 41.6375°N 87.092222°W
  • Davis-Purdue Agriculture Center Forest: The best old growth oak-hickory forest on the Tipton Till Plain. 40.2533425°N 85.1480344°W
  • Donaldson Cave System and Woods: Located in Spring Mill State Park. A stream flows from a cave through the bottom of a gorge. 38.73022°N 86.4153307°W
  • Dunes Nature Preserve: A part of Indiana Dunes State Park. Inter-dunal wetlands and blowouts along Lake Michigan 41.660°N 87.040°W
  • ✓Fern Cliff Nature Preserve: Contains exceptional occurrences of mosses and liverworts, including a noteworthy number of rare species. 39.610985°N 86.96366°W
  • Hanging Rock and Wabash Reef: Contains an impressive natural exposure of fossilized coral reef dating from the Silurian Period some 400 million years ago. The limestone reef deposit rises 75 feet (23 m) above the river and is being undercut by it, giving the site its “hanging” appearance. 40.83°N 85.70722°W
  • Harrison Spring: A portion of the water that feeds the spring originates from Indian Creek, and then goes underground until it reaches the spring area. It produces at least three million US gallons (11,000,000 L; 2,500,000 imp gal) of water a day at an average of 18,000 US gallons per minute (1,100 L/s), enough to supply water to an average town of 12,000 38.244755°N 86.225143°W
  • Hemmer Woods: Original southwestern Indiana oak-hickory forest. 38.230768°N 87.370935°W
  • Hoosier Prairie: Part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Wetland prairie remnant of sand plains, sedge meadows, and marshes. 41.522683°N 87.457572°W
  • Hoot Woods: A relatively undisturbed, isolated beech-maple forest in which near climax conditions prevails. 39.249897°N 86.889462°W
  • Kramer Woods: The only example of a Shumard’s red oak-pin oak-hickory dominated stand of lowland mixed forest of any size in Indiana. 37.843932°N 87.137981°W
  • Marengo Cave: One of only four show caves in Indiana, public tours of the cave have been given since 1883. Tours commenced just days after the cave’s discovery by two school children. 38.37555°N 86.33993°W
  • Meltzer Woods: Contains two contrasting forest types and exceptionally large individuals of several tree species. 39.5028°N 85.6678°W
  • Officer’s Woods: One of the finest remnants of beech-maple forest south of the Wisconsin-age glacial boundary in Indiana. Contains two stands which differ slightly in composition, one of which contains an exceptionally high density of black gum.
  • Ohio Coral Reef: A classic example of a Silurian and Devonian coral community. Extends into Kentucky. Part of Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area. 38.27665°N 85.76544°W
  • Pine Hills Natural Area: A unit of Shades State Park. Deep gorges, the result of the last glacial meltwaters. 39.94276°N 87.049348°W
  • Pinhook Bog: Part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. A bog formed from a postglacial kettle moraine left behind about 14,000 years before the present by the melting of the ice sheet during the end of the Wisconsin glaciation. The acidic bog is noted for pitcher plants and other wetland species. 41.615°N 86.848333°W
  • Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest: One of the best examples of an original, undisturbed presettlement forest in Indiana. Part of Hoosier National Forest. 38.536°N 86.459°W
  • ✓Portland Arch Nature Preserve: The preserve encompasses the wooded valleys, ravines, and rocky cliffs around the lowest section of Bear Creek. The name comes from a natural sandstone bridge carved by a small tributary of Bear Creek. 40.218611°N 87.335833°W
  • Rise at Orangeville: Orangeville Rise of Lost River Nature Preserve is the second largest spring in the state of Indiana. 38.63115°N 86.55711°W
  • ✓Rocky Hollow Falls Canyon Nature Preserve: Rocky Hollow and Falls Canyon are two of a series of canyons cut into the sandstone of Turkey Run. Located in Turkey Run State Park. 39.893739°N 87.204589°W
  • Shrader-Weaver Woods: Old growth beech-maple forest with a pioneer homestead. Includes tulip, wild black cherry, and black walnut trees. 39.720309°N 85.222321°W
  • Tamarack Bog: A large tamarack tree swamp located within the Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area. 41.676361°N 85.262314°W
  • Tolliver Swallowhole: An extraordinary example of the disappearing stream aspect of karst topography. 38.616197°N 86.494599°W
  • Wesley Chapel Gulf (Elrod Gulf): Probably the largest sinkhole in Indiana. Located in Hoosier State Forest. 38.622452°N 86.521906°W
  • Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve: A southern old growth forest 37.984722°N 87.506111°W
  • Wyandotte Caves: Straddles O’Bannon Woods State Park and Harrison-Crawford State Forest. Caves began to form in the Pliocene Era, about 2 million years ago. Like most of Southern Indiana’s caves, the caves were formed when water dissolved limestone, causing hollow caves to form. 38.228056°N 86.296111°W

Iowa

  • Anderson Goose Lake: One of the few essentially natural glacial pothole lakes remaining in Iowa. 42.315556°N 93.623889°W
  • Cayler Prairie: An example of the increasingly rare virgin prairie grassland. 43.397222°N 95.243889°W
  • Cold Water Cave: An exceptional example of an extensive cave system well decorated with speleothems. 43.44111°N 91.96028°W
  • Dewey’s Pasture and Smith’s Slough: Pothole lakes created during the last glacial epoch.
  • Hayden Prairie State Preserve: A true prairie remnant. 43.4395°N 92.3831°W
  • Loess Hills: The best examples of loess topography in the Missouri River Bluffs region. 41.8013°N 95.995°W
  • White Pine Hollow State Forest: The only known remaining white pine tract in Iowa. 42.62971°N 91.11207°W

Kansas

  • Haskell-Baker Wetlands: An example of undisturbed wetland prairie. 38.916667°N 95.233333°W
  • Baldwin Woods: A unique remnant oak-hickory stand.
  • Big Basin Prairie Preserve: Excellent examples of collapse features formed by groundwater geological processes. 37.240278°N 99.9975°W
  • Monument Rocks: Pinnacles, small buttes, and spires of Niobrara formation chalk. 38.790556°N 100.7625°W
  • Rock City: A unique cluster of about 200 great spherical sandstone concretions. 39.090889°N 97.735553°W

Kentucky

Maine

  • Appleton Bog Atlantic White Cedar Stand: A large peatland with continuous forest cover and well-developed hummock-and- hollow topography.
  • Carrying Place Cove Bog: A tombolo that has been eroded by the sea.
  • Colby-Marston Preserve: Northern sphagnum bog located in a deep kettle hole, the sphagnum mat exceeds a depth of 40 feet (12 m).
  • Crystal Bog: An undisturbed, sphagnum bog considered one of the largest and finest in Maine. 46.034472°N 68.330394°W
  • Gulf Hagas: Waterfalls, cliffs, and growth of spruce-fir forest on the gorge walls give the site unusual scenic beauty. 45.4841°N 69.323°W
  • The Hermitage: One of the few undisturbed, old-growth white pine stands remaining in New England.
  • Monhegan Island: Dense, almost pure stands of red spruce and over 400 species of wildflower. 43.762222°N 69.320278°W
  • Mount Bigelow (Maine): Exceptionally scenic and wild, with some of the best summit views in the eastern United States. 45.147277°N 70.289234°W
  • Mount Katahdin: Kames, eskers, drumlins, kettleholes, moraines, and erratics provide a complete illustration of glacial geology. 45.904354°N 68.921274°W
  • New Gloucester Black Gum Stand: A small, remnant, forested swamp dominated mostly by virgin black gum.
  • No. 5 Bog and Jack Pine Stand: The only large, intermontane peatland and one of the few expansive, virgin landscapes in the northeastern United States.
  • ✓Orono Bog: A classic northern sphagnum bog. 44.86907°N 68.725668°W
  • Passadumkeag Marsh and Bogland: One of the largest, unspoiled wetlands in the state of Maine.
  • Penny Pond-Joe Pond Complex: Kettle hole bogs and ponds.

Maryland

  • Battle Creek Cypress Swamp: One of the northernmost sites of naturally occurring bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) trees in North America, and the only large stand of the trees on the western shore of Maryland. The site also contains a wide range of plant and animal life. 38.490275°N 76.590773°W
  • Belt Woods: One of the few remaining old-growth upland forests in the Atlantic Coastal Plain biophysiographic province. It is an example of upland hardwood forest dominated by tulip poplar and white oak. The Woods support a diverse bird population, including neotropical migrants. 38.90505°N 76.76304°W
  • Cranesville Swamp Nature Sanctuary: A natural bowl where cool, moist conditions yield plant and animal communities more common in northern latitudes. Extends into Preston County, West Virginia. 39.531389°N 79.481944°W
  • Gilpin’s Falls: Outcrop of undeformed early Paleozoic metavolcanic pillow basalts.
  • Long Green Creek and Sweathouse Branch: A maturing beech-tulip poplar-white oak forest.
  • Sugarloaf Mountain: An outlier to the east of the main mass of the Catoctin Mountain, or a root remnant of the ancient Appalachia land mass. 39.269208°N 77.395248°W

Massachusetts

  • Acushnet Cedar Swamp: One of the state’s largest, wildest and most impenetrable swamps, and an outstanding example of the diversity of conditions and species in the glaciated section of the oak-chestnut forest. 41.692222°N 70.959722°W
  • Bartholomew’s Cobble: Contains over 800 plant species, including North America’s greatest diversity of ferns. 42.057222°N 73.350833°W
  • Cold River Virgin Forest: Probably the only virgin hemlock-northern hardwood forest in New England, with the hemlocks and sugar maples exceeding 400 years in age. 42.646667°N 72.946389°W
  • Fannie Stebbins Refuge: The area contains the only sizeable example of Connecticut River flood plain under preservation, exhibiting many successional stages including upland and flood plain forest, swamp, marsh, ponds, and meadows. 42.039468°N 72.602584°W
  • Gay Head Cliffs: An unusual cross section of Raritan and Magothy sediments of Cretaceous age and fossil-bearing sands of Miocene and either Pliocene or Pleistocene ages that rise as much as 150 feet (46 m) above sea level, resting on the continental shelf and detached from the mainland. The center of Wampanoag native culture. 41.334444°N 70.795833°W
  • ✓Hawley Bog: Unspoiled cold northern boreal sphagnum-heath bog occupying an old shallow glacial lake basin which demonstrates bog succession from the central open water pond to the surrounding spruce-fir forest. 42.575807°N 72.890564°W
  • ✓Mt. Greylock Old Growth Spruce: This site contains three separate stands of undisturbed old growth red spruce on the northwest slopes of Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. These stands have been undisturbed for at least 150-180 years, and may be virgin. No other old growth red spruce stands are known in southern New England, while only a few comparable or better sites occur in northern New England. 42.637455°N 73.166216°W
  • Muskeget Island: The only known locality where the Muskeget beach vole is found, and southernmost station where the gray seal breeds. The area supports an enormous nesting population of herring gulls and black-backed gulls. 41.335278°N 70.304167°W
  • North and South Rivers: Classic examples of drowned river-mouth estuaries, supporting at least 45 species of fish and many species of birds. The site contains salt marsh, brackish marsh, and freshwater marsh areas. 42.1604°N 70.7141°W
  • Poutwater Pond: An undisturbed sphagnum-heath bog in southern New England, illustrating ecological succession from open water in a glacial depression to upland forest. 42.424722°N 71.83825°W
  • Reedy Meadow: The largest freshwater cattail marsh in Massachusetts. The area preserves the habitat requirements of many bird species and serves as a breeding ground for the king rail and least bittern, rare species in the region. 42.5341567,-71.0769423

Michigan

  • Black Spruce Bog Natural Area: A boreal bog forest with a stand of black spruce; illustrates the last stage of evolution in a sphagnum bog ecosystem. Although this is not a remote location, it does not have designated trails or signage. Part of Waterloo State Recreation Area. 42°18’58.00″N 84°11’46.49″W
  • Dead Stream Swamp: An extensive northern white cedar swamp, illustrating the last stage of bog forest evolution. Part of Au Sable State Forest. 44°6’0″N 84°10’12″W
  • Dukes Research Natural Area: A swamp containing undisturbed stands of cedar and mixed conifers and old-growth hardwood. Part of Hiawatha National Forest. 46°21’0″N 87°10’0.01″W
  • Grand Mere Lakes: Contains multiple low areas created by Lake Michigan’s post-glacial ancestors, illustrating aquatic to terrestrial evolution. Provides habitat for several rare species. Part of Grand Mere State Park. 41°59’35″N 86°32’59″W
  • Haven Hill State Natural Area: A small area that incorporates all forest types found in southern Michigan; plays host to over 100 bird species and 17 species of mammals. Part of Highland Recreation Area. 42°38’11″N 83°34’23″W
  • Newton Woods: One of the Lower Peninsula’s last remaining old-growth, mixed-oak hardwood forests. Part of the Michigan State University managed Fred Russ Forest. 42°0’32.7594″N 85°58’16.32″W
  • Porcupine Mountains: Contains extensive white pine and virgin northern hemlock, as well as wave-cut beaches that mark the shorelines of ancient glacial lakes. Part of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. 46°46’N 89°45’W
  • Roscommon Virgin Pine Stand: A large stand of old-growth red pine with a documented history of wildfires stretching back to 1798. Part of Au Sable State Forest. 44°6’0″N 84°10’12″W
  • Strangmoor Bog: An undisturbed example of a string bog, one of the southernmost locations of this type of bog. Part of Seney National Wildlife Refuge. 46°15’N 86°06’W
  • Tobico Marsh: A mixture of relatively undisturbed hardwood forest, open water and marshland, frequently used by migrating waterfowl. Part of Bay City Recreation Area. 43°41’51″N 83°56’11″W
  • Toumey Woodlot: One of southern Michigan’s last virgin beech-maple forests; located on the Michigan State University campus and used for ecological research. Managed by Michigan State University. 42°42’13.428″N 84°27’54.36″W
  • Warren Woods Natural Area: One of southern Michigan’s last virgin beech-maple forests. Also includes sizable individual specimens of beech, maple and sycamore. Part of Warren Woods State Park. 41°50’00″N 86°37’20″W

Minnesota

Mississippi

  • Bienville Pines Scenic Area: One of the largest protected old-growth loblolly pine stands in the region. Part of Bienville National Forest.
  • Chestnut Oak Disjunct: An isolated stand of chestnut oak.
  • Green Ash-Overcup Oak-Sweetgum Research Natural Areas: Three small parts of the Delta National Forest contain rare pristine tracts of bottomland hardwood trees. 32.766667°N 90.783333°W
  • Harrell Prairie Hill: The most representative remnants of the Jackson Prairie. Part of Bienville National Forest. 32.335833°N 89.439722°W
  • Mississippi Petrified Forest: A relatively undisturbed accumulation of ancient fir and maple driftwood that was buried in Tertiary sands. 32.52073°N 90.32296°W

Missouri

  • Big Oak Tree State Park: A rare untouched wet-mesic bottomland hardwood forest in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, it is the home of several state and national champion trees 36.655°N 89.32833°W
  • Carroll Cave: Contains a dendritic system of subsurface karst streams and tributaries.
  • Cupola Pond: One of the most ancient sinkhole ponds in the Ozark plateaus. Located in Mark Twain National Forest.
  • Golden Prairie: An unplowed remnant of the tall grass prairie ecosystem. 37.36261°N 94.15019°W
  • Grand Gulf State Park: An excellent example of karst topography, this canyon is a collapsed dolomite cave with a 200 feet (61 m) natural bridge. Water in this canyon emerges 9 miles (14 km) away in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. 36.52427°N 91.54389°W
  • Greer Spring: Spring in the Ozarks that discharges into a high quality, cascading stream. 36.786667°N 91.3475°W
  • Maple Woods Natural Area: Contains a nearly virgin sugar maple and mockernut hickory forest.
  • Maramec Spring: A natural spring, the fifth largest in the state. It has a notable trout park and a historic iron works in a privately owned park. 37.95526°N 91.53632°W
  • Mark Twain and Cameron Caves: Exceptionally good examples of the maze type of cavern development. 39.68864°N 91.33153°W
  • Marvel Cave: Includes one of the greatest drip-stone units of all the Ozark caves. 36.6675°N 93.3397°W
  • Onondaga Cave State Park: Contains an unusually large and varied number of speleothems. 38.060833°N 91.227222°W
  • Pickle Springs: Contains one of the finest Pleistocene relict habitats in Missouri.
  • Taberville Prairie Conservation Area: One of the largest remaining virgin tall grass prairies.
  • Tucker Prairie: A virgin tall grass prairie occurring within the transition zone between the oak-hickory forest and typical tall grass prairie.
  • Tumbling Creek Cave: Contains the most diverse fauna known for any cave west of the Mississippi River.
  • Wegener Woods: An essentially virgin oak-hickory-dominated forest in a condition of gradual change to a sugar maple-dominated forest.

Montana

  • Bridger Fossil Area: Contains fossils of Deinonychus antirrhopus.
  • Bug Creek Fossil Area: Produced abundant remains of small, Cretaceous mammals. 47.68299°N 106.219193°W
  • Capitol Rock: A remnant of the once continuous blanket of Tertiary deposits that covered much of the Great Plains. 45.59584°N 104.120134°W
  • Cloverly Formation Site: Contains early Cretaceous vertebrate fossils.
  • Glacial Lake Missoula: Contains the best examples of giant flood ripples in the North American continent. 46.938889°N 114.143611°W
  • Hell Creek Fossil Area: The type locality for Tyrannosaurus rex, Ankylosaurus magniventris, and Brachychampsa fontana fossils. 46.15°N 107.48°W
  • Medicine Lake Site: An exceptional example of the processes of continental glaciation, including till, outwash, eskers, kames, and terrace deposits. 48.468056°N 104.381667°W
  • Middle Fork Canyon: An outstanding example of a canyon cut across the grain of the geologic structure by a superposed stream. 46.131701°N 111.109849°W
  • Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge: A series of relatively undisturbed, high-altitude ecosystem types representative of pre-European settlement conditions. 44.630278°N 111.781389°W
  • Square Butte: One of the best examples of banded magmatic rock in the United States. 47.476499°N 110.241999°W

Nebraska

  • Ashfall Fossil Beds: A rare example of a lagerstatten, a thick bed of volcanic ash, contains hundreds of extraordinarily complete skeletons of extinct mammals. 42.440556°N 98.148083°W
  • Dissected Loess Plains: Eroded canyons and deep valleys in loess deposits over 200 feet (61 m) thick
  • Fontenelle Forest: The largest virgin forest in Nebraska. 41.18°N 95.917778°W
  • Nebraska Sand Hills: The largest sand dunes complex in the Western Hemisphere. 42.13°N 102.19°W
  • Valentine National Wildlife Refuge: Sandhill tall grass prairie ecosystem unique to the central Great Plains. 42.493611°N 100.572778°W

Nevada

  • Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park: Site containing fossil remains of 37 of the largest forms of Ichthyosaur. 38.874722°N 117.589722°W
  • Hot Creek Springs and Marsh: An outstanding spring and wetland area that supports the relic White River springfish. 38.399437°N 115.132262°W
  • Lunar Crater: 400-acre maar thought to have been formed by a past volcanic explosion. 38.383968°N 116.069167°W
  • Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge: One of the largest and finest natural wetlands in Nevada. 40.202°N 115.493°W
  • Timber Mountain Caldera: Remnant of an elliptical caldera developed in the late Miocene and early Pliocene.
  • Valley of Fire: An outstanding example of thrust faulting. 36.456111°N 114.533056°W

New Hampshire

  • East Inlet Natural Area: Contains a black spruce-tamarack bog and a virgin, balsam fir-red spruce forest. 45.211385°N 71.110497°W
  • Floating Island: A floating heath bog in Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge.
  • ✓Franconia Notch: An old stream valley, ground to a U-shape by glacial movement. Franconia 44.1707°N 71.6881°W
  • Heath Pond Bog: A classic example of bog succession from open water to sphagnum-heath-black spruce bog. 43.759423°N 71.116465°W
  • Madison Boulder: The largest known glacial erratic in North America. 43.93329°N 71.162671°W
  • Mount Monadnock: A prominent, isolated, relict mountain. Type locality of a monadnock. 42.860833°N 72.108056°W
  • Nancy Brook Virgin Spruce Forest and Scenic Area: May be the largest virgin forest tract in the northeastern United States. A part of White Mountain National Forest.
  • Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge: Two shallow, warm water ponds, surrounded by marsh, bog and forest that support a great variety of birds. 44.377846°N 71.525937°W
  • Rhododendron Natural Area: The largest, thriving stand of rhododendron in central and southern New England. Fitzwilliam 42.7804°N 72.1889°W
  • Spruce Hole Bog: The last known kettle hole bog in southern New Hampshire. 43.126111°N 70.967778°W
  • White Lake Pitch Pine: A mature, undisturbed pitch pine and bear-oak forest. 43.8359°N 71.2089°W

New Jersey

  • Great Falls of Paterson-Garret Mountain: The Great Falls of the Passaic River and a later expansion including Garret Mountain help demonstrate how jointed basaltic lava flow shaped the geology of the area during the Early Mesozoic era through both extrusion and intrusion 40.916189°N 74.181597°W
  • ✓Great Swamp: The remnant of the bottom of Glacial Lake Passaic which was formed by the melting waters of the retreating Wisconsin Glacier at the end of the last ice age. Established in 1960 as a National Wildlife Refuge now covering 7,600 acres (31 km2), it gained landmark status in 1966, and in 1968 became the first formally designated wilderness refuge in the United States. 40.708333°N 74.466667°W
  • Manahawkin Bottomland Hardwood Forest: A 965 acres wildlife management area known for its mature bottomland hardwood forest which contains examples of American sweetgum, red maple and black gum trees. 39.685591°N 74.221745°W
  • Moggy Hollow Natural Area: This narrow ravine is where Glacial Lake Passaic, pushed by the Wisconsin Glacier found an outlet, draining to the Raritan river. It remains today a nature preserve and an example of glacial geography. 40.67351°N 74.614055°W
  • Palisades of the Hudson: Listed in New York, this dramatic geologic ridge runs along the Hudson River 40.964507°N 73.908591°W
  • Pigeon Swamp: An undeveloped state park, it holds a mix of upland and lowland hardwood forests. It was a major nesting site for passenger pigeons before they became extinct. 40.386893°N 74.473829°W
  • Riker Hill Fossil Site: Over 1,000 Dinosaur, animal and insect tracks from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic periods were discovered here in 1968 in a former stone quarry. 40.815705°N 74.326678°W
  • Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary: A 21.5-acre bird sanctuary and nature preserve which used to host annually returning herons and egrets for nesting season until they started disappearing in the late 1990s. 39.04164°N 74.76879°W
  • ✓Sunfish Pond: This glacial pond is a favorite hiking destination in Worthington State Forest, adjacent to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas mentioned the pond in his dissenting opinion in the Sierra Club v. Morton case. 41.003043°N 75.073099°W
  • Troy Meadows: The last unpolluted freshwater marsh of large size in the region. 40.846026°N 74.37928°W
  • William L. Hutcheson Memorial Forest: A 500 acres nature preserve which includes a 65 acres virgin old growth forest. It’s jointly managed by Rutgers University and the Nature Conservancy. 40.500405°N 74.567245°W

New Mexico

  • Border Hills Structural Zone: A rare example of wrench faulting outside the Pacific Coast region. 33.367226°N 104.948359°W
  • Bitter Lake Group: Saline artesian lakes that provide habitat for the only inland occurrence of a marine alga and two rare fish species. 33.456047°N 104.401621°W
  • Bueyeros Shortgrass Plains: An example of the blue grama-buffalograss prairie of the Great Plains.
  • Fort Stanton Cave: Cave containing distinctive examples of selenite needles, starbursts, and velvet flowstone. 33.499099°N 105.523798°W
  • Grants Lava Flow: One of the best examples of recent extrusive volcanism. 34.888718°N 107.993472°W
  • Ghost Ranch: Fossil site where well-preserved Coelophysis skeletons were found. 36.329789°N 106.474°W
  • Kilbourne Hole: An example of an uncommon volcanic feature known as a maar. 31.971944°N 106.964722°W
  • Mathers Research Natural Area: The best example of a shinnery oak-sand prairie community in the southern Great Plains.
  • Mescalero Sands South Dune: The best example of an active sand dune system in the southern Great Plains. 33.416122°N 103.869842°W
  • Ship Rock: An outstanding example of an exposed volcanic neck accompanied by radiating dikes. 36.6875°N 108.836389°W
  • Torgac Cave: Cave with distinctive branching stalactites and helictites, the type site of Torgac-type helictites.
  • Valles Caldera: One of the largest calderas in the world. 35.9°N 106.533333°W

New York

  • Albany Pine Bush: Protects a pine scrub forest that occupies an area of periglacial dunes.
  • Bear Swamp Preserve: A 310-acre (1.3 km2) Nature Conservancy preserve including a pond and surrounding swamp and woodland. It is recognized for its great laurel tree population. 42°28’27″N 74°03’34″W
  • Bergen-Byron Swamp: A 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) swamp that was the first National Natural Landmark to be designated. It is managed by the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society. 43°05’29″N 78°01’36″W
  • Big Reed Pond: An undeveloped fresh water lake where the Montaukett tribe lived until the mid-19th century. It is connected to Montauk County Park. 41°04’40″N 71°54’38″W
  • Chazy Fossil Reef: The oldest known fossil reef on earth, with numerous Ordovician fossils demonstrating faunal succession.
  • Deer Lick Nature Sanctuary: A 398-acre (1.61 km2) Nature Conservancy preserve, containing 80 acres (0.32 km2) of old growth forest. It is known for its wildlife and its gorges which highlight the Onondaga Escarpment. 42°25’16″N 78°54’20″W
  • Dexter Marsh: A 1,350-acre (5.5 km2) wetland marsh located at the Eastern end of Lake Ontario. It is a popular fishing and trapping area as well as a migratory bird layover. 43°59’04″N 76°04’07″W
  • Ellenville Fault-Ice Caves: The largest open fault system in the United States results in ice caves which keeps ice year round and creates a cooler microclimate for more northern plants. Now part of Sam’s Point Preserve. 41°40’19″N 74°20’51″W
  • Fall Brook Gorge: An excellent example of Upper and Middle Devonian rock formations. 42°46’32″N 77°49’43″W
  • Fossil Coral Reef: An abandoned limestone quarry, it contains a well preserved Middle Devonian coral reef along with rare tabulate and rugose corals, crinoids, gastropods, and trilobites.
  • Hart’s Woods: Contains a pristine stand of beech-maple forest, a climax forest dominated by the American beech and sugar maple which covered most of the Northeastern United States when it was settled. 43°05’52″N 77°24’43″W
  • Hook Mountain and Nyack Beach State Park: A portion of the Palisades Sill in proximity to the Hudson River within two adjacent state parks. 41°07’26″N 73°54’43″W
  • Iona Island Marsh: An island and marsh in the Hudson River which is a bird sanctuary and part of Bear Mountain State Park. 41°18’14″N 73°58’38″W
  • Ironsides Island: A rocky island in the Saint Lawrence River managed by The Nature Conservancy. Serves as a rookery for great blue herons. 44°23’46″N 75°51’02″W
  • Lakeview Marsh and Barrier Beach: Adjacent to Southwick Beach State Park, this 3,461-acre (14.01 km2) marsh is protected by a barrier beach from Lake Ontario, unlike nearby Dexter Marsh. 43°46’08″N 76°12’14″W
  • Long Beach, Orient State Park: A 2.5-mile (4.0 km) sand spit beach within a state park at the end of Long Island, demonstrating plant succession from salt marsh to maritime red cedar forest. 41°07’46″N 72°15’59″W
  • McLean Bogs: A small acidic kettle bog managed by Cornell Plantations which is part of Cornell University. It is used for scientific research on the lichens and their methane gas production.
  • Mendon Ponds Park: A 2,500-acre (10 km2) county park known for its birdwatching and its unusual glacial geology, including kettle holes, eskers, kames, and a floating sphagnum moss peat bog known as the Devils Bathtub. 43°02’00″N 77°34’00″W
  • Mianus River Gorge: A preserve known for its old growth climax hemlock forest and the Mianus River. The core area was the first land purchase deal by The Nature Conservancy. 41°11’09″N 73°37’17″W
  • Montezuma Marshes: A 7,000-acre (28 km2) National Wildlife Refuge containing one of the best examples of undisturbed swamp woodlands in New York or New England. It is a major stop for migratory birds. 42°58’N 76°44’W
  • Moss Island: An igneous intrusion in the Erie Canal with the Little Falls at one end. It became an island when locks were built so boats could avoid the 40 ft (12 m) falls. It is known for its extremely large 40-50 feet (12-15 m) glacial potholes created by retreating glaciers as well as being popular with local rock climbers. 43°02’23″N 74°50’54″W
  • Moss Lake Bogs: An 83-acre (340,000 m2) glacial kettle lake which filled with melt water and rain. Over time, sphagnum moss has grown over the open water, turning it into an acidic bog. It is managed by The Nature Conservancy. 42°23’55″N 78°11’05″W
  • Oak Orchard Creek Marsh: The marsh contains a state reserve, Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area, and a national reserve, the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, both of which are known as major stopover points for migratory birds. It was created by a partial blockage of the Oak Orchard River by glacial drift and an outcrop of limestone and dolomite known as the Lockport formation which forms the Niagara Escarpment. 43°08’06″N 78°22’15″W
  • Palisades of the Hudson: A line of dramatic 350-foot (110 m) cliffs of the Palisades Sill along the west side of the lower Hudson River. 40°57’52″N 73°54’31″W
  • Petrified Gardens: This private park preserves an area of ancient stromatolites in a fossilized ancient Cambrian reef. Stromatolites “were first recognized, discovered, and interpreted in North America” here in 1922. The park, which is now closed, was a childhood inspiration for Stephen Jay Gould. 43°04’59″N 73°50’40″W
  • Round Lake: Part of Green Lakes State Park, this lake is a rare meromictic lake is surrounded by a well preserved mesophytic forest 43°02’56″N 75°58’23″W
  • Thompson Pond: A 75-acre (300,000 m2) glacial kettle pond and surrounding 507-acre (2.05 km2) nature preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy. It is the source of Wappinger Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River that drains much of Dutchess County. It is known for its calcareous bogs, distinct from the acidic bogs found elsewhere in the Northeast. 41°57’40″N 73°40’43″W
  • Zurich Bog: A sphagnum bog managed by the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society. 43°08’41″N 77°03’02″W

North Carolina

  • Bear Island: Dune movement has created a dynamic landscape of outstanding scenic beauty. Bear Island is the principal attraction of Hammocks Beach State Park. 34.631944°N 77.145556°W
  • Goose Creek State Park Natural Area: An excellent example of a gently sloping mainland undergoing rapid ocean transgression. 35.473611°N 76.913889°W
  • Green Swamp: The largest and most unusual mosaic of wetland communities in the Carolinas. The Nature Conservancy manages the site as the Green Swamp Preserve. 34.09321°N 78.29925°W
  • Long Hope Creek Spruce Bog: One of the rarest plant communities in North Carolina. The still forming Elk Knob State Park is adjacent to the privately owned NNL, and the state has a long-term goal to acquire the site. 36.381101°N 81.645663°W
  • Mount Jefferson State Park: One of the best remaining examples of oak-chestnut forest in the Southeast. The State Park was redesignated a State Natural Area. 36.400833°N 81.462778°W
  • ✓Mount Mitchell State Park: Mount Mitchell is the highest mountain in the eastern half of the United States at 6,684 feet (2,037 m). 35.770278°N 82.263333°W
  • Nags Head Woods and Jockey Ridge: Illustrates the entire series of dune development and plant succession. Jockey’s Ridge State Park encompasses the southern portion of the NNL, and The Nature Conservancy’s Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve encompasses the northern portion. 35.961944°N 75.634167°W
  • Orbicular Diorite: Site contains an unusual plutonic igneous rock consisting of hornblende, pyroxene, and feldspars.
  • Piedmont Beech Natural Area: One of the best examples of mixed mesophytic forest in the eastern Piedmont of North Carolina. The natural area is located within William B. Umstead State Park. 35.853889°N 78.742778°W
  • Pilot Mountain: A classic monadnock that harbors disjunct vegetation from the Blue Ridge region. It is a core component of the greater Pilot Mountain State Park. 36.340138°N 80.474224°W
  • Salyer’s Ridge Natural Area: A rare example of mature loblolly pine forest in process of succession towards a deciduous forest. The natural area is located within the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Smith Island: A barrier island complex representing one of the least disturbed areas remaining on the Atlantic Coast. The island complex is protected as part of Fort Fisher State Recreation Area and Baldhead Island State Natural Area.
  • ✓Stone Mountain: The best example of a monadnock in North Carolina. It is the principal attraction of Stone Mountain State Park. 36.393611°N 81.043333°W

North Dakota

Ohio

  • Arthur B. Williams Memorial Woods: A remarkably pristine remnant beech-maple forest 41.562282°N 81.426792°W
  • Blacklick Woods: An outstanding example of relatively undisturbed, old-growth beech-maple and swamp forest communities 39.937222°N 82.807778°W
  • Brown’s Lake Bog: One of the few well-preserved, virgin boreal acid bogs remaining in a region where wetlands have been drained for agricultural use. 40.6809°N 82.0624°W
  • Buzzardroost Rock, Lynx Prairie, The Wilderness: Supports many rare or uncommon species and it has an almost 50- year history of scientific observations. 38.759381°N 83.407013°W
  • ✓Cedar Bog: An excellent example of a marl swamp. Part of Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve. 40.059444°N 83.795556°W
  • Clear Fork Gorge: Clearly illustrates evidence of stream reversal due to the Wisconsin glacier. Located in Mohican State Park. 40.610982°N 82.286827°W
  • Clifton Gorge: Exemplary of interglacial and postglacial canyon-cutting into the dolomites of the Niagara Escarpment. Part of Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve. 39.793903°N 83.831525°W
  • Crall Woods: A near-virgin remnant of maple-basswood-beech forest-type. 41.028219°N 82.434376°W
  • Cranberry Bog: The only known bog of its type in existence. Part of Cranberry Bog State Nature Preserve. 39.931545°N 82.468232°W
  • Dysart Woods: One of the finest remaining examples of the white oak forests of eastern Ohio. Managed by Ohio University. 39.9846°N 80.9976°W
  • Fort Hill State Memorial: Excellent outcrops of Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian sedimentary bedrock and a natural bridge. 39.1131°N 83.4063°W
  • Glacial Grooves State Memorial: Very large limestone glacial grooves. 41.616304°N 82.70652°W
  • Glen Helen Natural Area: Includes a waterfall that carved a large travertine bowl around its pool. 39.804125°N 83.881697°W
  • Goll Woods: One of the best remaining examples of an oak-hickory dominated forest in Ohio. Part of Goll Woods State Nature Preserve. 41.554294°N 84.361738°W
  • Hazelwood Botanical Preserve: Highly detailed study of the site’s plant ecology was published in 1929. Managed by the University of Cincinnati.
  • Highbanks Natural Area: A forested bluff overlooking the Olentangy River. 40.143889°N 83.028333°W
  • Holden Natural Area: A complex of three natural areas.
  • Hueston Woods: A noteworthy example of beech-maple climax forest that has never been cut. Located in Hueston Woods State Park. 39.5725°N 84.741389°W
  • Mantua Swamp: Contains many different wetland communities. 41.280278°N 81.211389°W
  • Mentor Marsh: Consists of marsh vegetation, aquatic plants, swamp and bottomland forest, and upland forest. Part of Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve. 41.729164°N 81.305492°W
  • Serpent Mound Cryptoexplosive Structure: A structure of undetermined origin exposed by differential erosion. 39.033333°N 83.4°W
  • Tinker’s Creek Gorge: Contains a virgin oak-hickory and virgin beech-maple-hemlock forest. 41.365°N 81.609722°W
  • White Pine Bog Forest: The only remaining near-virgin remnant white pine boreal bog in Ohio.

Oklahoma

  • Devil’s Canyon: Known for several different mesic plants in a diverse environment of oak woodland/tall prairie grass and eastern deciduous forest 35.363333°N 98.341667°W
  • McCurtain County Wilderness Area: A 14,087 acres (57.01 km2) wilderness nature preserve since 1918. It is an excellent example of a xeric upland oak-pine forest 34.281971°N 94.696655°W
  • Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge: A 32,000-acre (130 km2) National Wildlife Refuge, it is a critical habitat for 75% of the endangered whooping crane population. 36.750314°N 98.224259°W

Oregon

  • Crown Point: Promontory in Columbia Gorge 45.5395°N 122.24422°W
  • Fort Rock State Monument: Volcanic tuff ring 43.372°N 121.074°W
  • Horse Ridge Natural Area: Western juniper woodland on Bureau of Land Management property. 43.924°N 121.039°W
  • John Day Fossil Beds: Contains a remarkable sequence of very diverse fossils. 44.555833°N 119.645278°W
  • The Island: Native juniper savanna on an isolated plateau at the confluence of the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. Part of Ochoco National Forest. 44.558489°N 121.277143°W
  • Lawrence Memorial Grassland Preserve: An excellent illustration of “biscuit and scabland” topography. 44.950889°N 120.7988834°W
  • Newberry Crater: Atypical shield volcano in Deschutes National Forest. 43.689194°N 121.254889°W
  • Mount Howard-East Peak: Contains botanically diverse montane grassland habitats and populations of endemic and rare plant species. 45.260987°N 117.178778°W
  • Round Top Butte: Exceptional native bunchgrass habitat. Located on Bureau of Land Management land. 42.5277551°N 122.68381°W
  • Willamette Floodplain: A bottomland interior valley grassland floodplain. Part of William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge. 44.364°N 123.23°W
  • Zumwalt Prairie: Largest contiguous remaining tract of bunchgrass prairie in the nation. 45.54°N 117.09°W

Pennsylvania

  • Bear Meadows Natural Area: The area contains a bog surrounded by steep mountains, in an enclosed valley that has been poorly drained for thousands of years. 40.406111°N 77.173889°W
  • ✓Box Huckleberry Site: A 10-acre natural area which preserves a rare colony of box huckleberry over 1,000 years old. 40.406111°N 77.173889°W
  • Cook Forest State Park: A 8,500-acre (3,440 ha) state park notable for its spectacular stands of old-growth Eastern White Pine and Eastern Hemlock, many from around 1644. 41.323611°N 79.163889°W
  • Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area: This 100-acre peninsula is formed by a meander in the Youghiogheny River. It is a good example of a late successional forests in the Allegheny Mountains 39.867555°N 79.498229°W
  • Ferncliff Wildflower and Wildlife Preserve: The vegetation within the Ferncliff Wildflower and Wildlife Preserve is an excellent example of a mixed mesophytic forest that occupies the valleys and ravines of the oak-chestnut forest region. 39.78259°N 76.24274°W
  • Florence Jones Reineman Wildlife Sanctuary: Contains a 3,100-acre diverse ecological community. 40°16’0″N 77°16’0″W
  • ✓Pine Creek Gorge: Known as the “Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania”, a deep gorge carved by glacial meltwater. The maximum depth of the canyon is 1,450 feet (442 m) at Waterville, near the southern end. At Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks, the depth is more than 800 feet and from rim to rim is approximately 4,000 feet (1200 m). Protects 160,000 acres. 41.271667°N 77.326944°W
  • Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: A sanctuary on a Blue Mountain ridge, known as an excellent vantage point for hawk migrations. 40.640833°N 75.992222°W
  • Hearts Content Scenic Area: An old-growth white pine forest of 120 acres (49 ha). 41.691°N 79.254°W
  • Hemlocks Natural Area: Features numerous old growth hemlock trees. 40.238418°N 77.641379°W
  • ✓Hickory Run Boulder Field: A 16.5-acre landscape of sandstone boulders, which were formed approximately 20,000 years ago. 41.036111°N 75.683889°W
  • Lake Lacawac: A 52-acre glacial lake surrounded by a hardwood conifer forest. 41.382289°N 75.292078°W
  • McConnells Mill State Park: Protects 2,546 acres of the Slippery Rock Creek gorge, including several waterfalls. 40.926667°N 80.19°W
  • Monroe Border Fault: An upland along the Delaware River, the area features a variety of exposed rocks from different geological ages. 40.579756°N 75.197556°W
  • Nay Aug Park Gorge and Waterfall: Located in an urban park, it features a rock-strewn, heavily wooded gorge. 41.401389°N 75.642778°W
  • Nottingham Park Serpentine Barrens: A 651-acre county park on one of the largest outcrops of serpentine in the eastern US, which creates a savanna-like habitat with a number of unusual flora. 39.740507°N 76.039112°W
  • Presque Isle State Park: A 3,112-acre (1,259 ha) sandy peninsula stretching into Lake Erie. 42.163056°N 80.100833°W
  • Reynolds Spring and Algerine Swamp Bogs: Contains two bogs of 1,302 acres and 84 acres, which are surrounded by thick oak and pine groves. 41.550902°N 77.497481°W
  • ✓The Glens Natural Area: 2,845 acres of old growth forest, with many trees exceed 100 feet (30 m) in height. Twenty two separate named waterfalls are located in the area. 41°19’34″N 76°16’46″W
  • Snyder Middleswarth Natural Area: A hemlock, pine, and oak forest located on 500 acres (202 ha). 40.81°N 77.283056°W
  • Susquehanna Water Gaps: Millions of years of erosive rock create impressive landforms of unique geologic heritage and outstanding natural beauty, as the Susquehanna River cuts through five ridges of the Appalachian Mountains north of Harrisburg. 40.520918°N 76.978867°W
  • Tamarack Swamp: An acidic kettle pond bog. 41.989°N 79.555°W
  • Tannersville Cranberry Bog: A 1,000-acre kettle lake fen. 41°2’24″N 75°18’21.6″W
  • John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum: Protects a tidal marsh of 350 acres (142 ha) located in an urban environment. 39.885866°N 75.262356°W
  • Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas: 4,131 acres of old growth forest on the Allegheny Plateau. 41.645°N 78.941°W
  • Titus and Wattsburg Bogs: A peatland of 125 acres located near the shore of Lake Erie. 41.943388°N 79.763107°W
  • Wissahickon Valley: Protects an urbanized tributary of the Schuylkill River, which features a gorge and thick woodlands. 40.016056°N 75.205744°W

Rhode Island

  • Ell Pond: This kettle hole is surrounded by a swamp of red maple and Atlantic white cypress with steep granitic monadnocks. There is a rare mix of both hydrophytic and xeric plants. 41.505331°N 71.782908°W

South Carolina

  • ✓Congaree River Swamp: The most extensive, mature cypress-gum swamp and bottomland hardwood forest complex in the State and a sanctuary for wildlife. Part of Congaree National Park. 33°47’N 80°47’W
  • ✓Flat Creek Natural Area and 40 Acre Rock: Contains the largest remaining undisturbed granitic flat-rock outcrop in the Carolina Piedmont. Flat-rock vegetation is in good condition, including 13 rare or endemic species and 20 other species characteristic of these outcrops. Flat Creek Dike is one of the thickest in eastern North America at 1,123 ft (342 m). Part of 40 Acre Rock Heritage Preserve. 34°40’8″N 80°31’38″W
  • Francis Beidler Forest: One of the last large virgin stands of bald cypress-tupelo gum swamp in the United States, with five major community types providing for a rich diversity of species. 33°14’N 80°21’W
  • John de la Howe Forest: An old-growth stand of oak-pine forest protected against fire and timbering since 1797, and one of the best remaining examples of this type of forest in the Piedmont. 33°56’N 82°24’W
  • St. Phillips Island: This barrier island is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) in length and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. It is unique among the barrier islands of Georgia, South Carolina and northern Florida, because it exists in a nearly undisturbed state with minimal development and past consumptive use; it is also unique to the entire Atlantic Coast for the pronounced multiple vegetated beach dune ridges found here. 32°17’N 80°37’W
  • Stevens Creek Natural Area: Pleistocene relict ecosystem harboring flora considered unusual for its combination of plants in this southern location due to unique microenvironmental conditions. Part of Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve. 33°50’39″N 82°13’27″W

South Dakota

  • Ancient River Warren Channel: A channel cut by the Ancient River Warren during the Ice Age.
  • Bear Butte: A cone-shaped mass of igneous rock standing alone 1,300 feet (400 m) above the surrounding plains. 44.475833°N 103.426944°W
  • Bijou Hills: An excellent example of an erosional remnant of soft clays and shales capped by a channel sandstone and quartzite. 43.517778°N 99.147222°W
  • Buffalo Slough: Excellent examples of a prairie pothole with native emergent vegetation, and a native bluestem prairie. 43.874308°N 96.939013°W
  • The Castles: Steep-walled, flat-topped buttes standing 200 to 400 feet (61 to 122 m) above the surrounding prairie. 45.527583°N 103.170965°W
  • Cathedral Spires and Limber Pine Natural Area: An excellent, rare example of joint-controlled weathering of granite. 43.841111°N 103.544444°W
  • Cottonwood Slo45°31’39.3″N 103°10’15.5″W – Google Maps
  • ugh-Dry Run: A completely undisturbed wetland complex including potholes, streams, shallow open water, lakes, and marsh. 44.957077°N 97.193497°W
  • Fort Randall Eagle Roost: A prime winter roosting area for bald and golden eagles.
  • Lake Thompson: Contains a large undisturbed and unmanipulated marsh, an outstanding waterfowl breeding and resting area. 44.285°N 97.461944°W
  • The Mammoth Site: One of the largest concentrations of mammoth remains in the United States. 43.42471°N 103.48313°W
  • Red Lake: One of the largest remaining natural and unmanipulated prairie pothole lakes. 43.726352°N 99.22518°W
  • Sica Hollow: Displays many facets of natural history. 45.741944°N 97.2425°W
  • Snake Butte: Illustrates one of two types of sand calcite deposits in the world.

Tennessee

  • Arnold Engineering Development Center Natural Areas: Contains an extremely rare virgin swamp forest and a pristine example of an open marsh.
  • Big Bone Cave: Cave where giant ground sloth bones were discovered. 35.7726°N 85.557°W
  • Cedar Glades: The largest and best remaining example of the cedar glade community. 36.07366°N 86.31151°W
  • Conley Hole: One of the most spectacular and outstanding examples of a pit cave in the United States.
  • Cumberland Caverns: Two interconnecting caves at least 27 miles (43 km) in extent. 35.669167°N 85.680833°W
  • Dick Cove: A near virgin forest 35.227839°N 85.955392°W
  • Grassy Cove Karst Area: One of the nation’s best illustrations of karst development and underground drainage 35.856787°N 84.926373°W
  • The Lost Sea: Cavern system that includes the largest known underground lake in the country. 35.535556°N 84.431111°W
  • May Prairie: Largest and best relict prairie remaining in Tennessee. 35.450232°N 86.022274°W
  • McAnulty’s Woods: Only known example in western Tennessee of the upland forests of the Mississippi Embayment
  • Piney Falls: Contains a rare virgin mixed mesophytic forest stand.
  • Reelfoot Lake: Mosaic of habitats formed as a result of the New Madrid earthquake, 36.388889°N 89.388889°W
  • Savage Gulf: A virgin forest. 35.259°N 85.789°W

Texas

  • Attwater Prairie Chicken Preserve: Contains the only significant segment of gulf coastal prairie. 29°40’08″N 96°16’00″W
  • Bayside Resaca Area: Located in Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, contains an excellent example of a resaca. 26°13’45″N 97°20’50″W
  • Catfish Creek: One of the few remaining undisturbed riparian habitats in the western Gulf Coastal Plain 31°54’27″N 95°54’09″W
  • Caverns of Sonora: Contains unusual formations, such as bladed helictites and coralloid growths 30°33’18″N 100°48’44″W
  • Devil’s Sinkhole: A deep, bell-shaped, collapsed limestone sink. 30°00’57″N 100°12’31″W
  • Dinosaur Valley State Park: The only known source of distinct and full-grown sauropod footprints. 32°14’46″N 97°48’48″W
  • Ezell’s Cave: Houses at least 36 species of cave fauna.
  • Enchanted Rock: A classic illustration of a batholith and of the exfoliation process. 30°29’46″N 98°49’12″W
  • Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge: Contains outstanding examples of the unique oak-hickory forest associations called cross timbers. 32°50’36″N 97°28’38″W
  • Greenwood Canyon: A rich source of early Cretaceous mammalian fossils.
  • High Plains Natural Area: One of the best developed, least disturbed natural shortgrass climax communities remaining in the Great Plains. Part of Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. 34°55’10″N 102°06’40″W
  • Little Blanco River Bluff: An unspoiled example of the limestone bluff communities of the Edwards Plateau.
  • Longhorn Cavern: State park contains an outstanding example of cave features formed during the phreatic phase of development. 30°41’04″N 98°21’03″W
  • Lost Maples State Natural Area: An excellent illustration of Edwards Plateau flora and fauna. 29°48’28″N 99°34’15″W
  • Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge: Saline lake beds, and shortgrass grama grasslands characteristic of the high plains. 33°57’19″N 102°46’37″W
  • Odessa Meteor Crater: Contains two meteorite impact craters. The largest is 550 feet (170 m) in diameter. 31°45’25″N 102°28’45″W
  • Palo Duro Canyon State Park: Spectacular canyon that is an excellent example of a landform created by running water. 34°59’05″N 101°42’07″W
  • Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge: A living museum of the lowland forested area of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. 26°05’07″N 98°08’04″W
  • Natural Bridge Caverns: A multilevel cavern system containing unusual speleothems and intricate helictites. 29°41’32″N 98°20’34″W
  • Cave Without a Name: Contains rare and nationally outstanding examples of speleothems. 29°52’45″N 98°38’31″W

Utah

  • Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry: A possible predator trap that now contains over 15,000 Jurassic dinosaur fossils. 39.32282°N 110.689509°W
  • Joshua Tree Natural Area: The only Joshua tree forest in Utah and the northernmost stand of tree yuccas in the country.
  • Little Rockies: Exposures of intrusive plugs or stocks with associated sills, dikes and laccoliths, all of which were first studied, described and named there.
  • Neffs Canyon Caves: An excellent example of a cave formed by the capture of a surface stream

Vermont

  • Battell Biological Preserve: A pristine, climax, New England forest.
  • Barton River Marsh: A large, shallow, freshwater marsh considered one of the best in New England.
  • Camel’s Hump: Supports the second largest extent of alpine-tundra in Vermont. 44.319547°N 72.886328°W
  • Cornwall Marsh: The largest unbroken red maple swamp in Vermont. 43.915926°N 73.186342°W
  • Franklin Bog: A cold, northern sphagnum-heath bog.
  • Fisher-Scott Memorial Pines: An old-growth stand of white pine.
  • Gifford Woods: An old-growth, northern hardwood, climax forest. 43.6762°N 72.8109°W
  • Little Otter Creek Marsh: Considered the best large expanse of marsh land in Vermont
  • Lake Willoughby Natural Area: The deepest lake in Vermont and one of the most significant and scenic examples of glacial erosion in the northeast. 44.751944°N 72.062778°W
  • Molly Bog: A classic, early successional, cold northern bog.
  • Mount Mansfield: Contains a virgin, red spruce- balsam fir forest, extensive alpine tundra, and rare arctic flora not found elsewhere in the northeast. 44.543947°N 72.81431°W
  • Chazy Fossil Reef: The oldest known occurrence of a biologically diverse fossil reef in the world. 44.8528°N 73.34°W

Virginia

  • Butler Cave-Breathing Cave: Two major cave systems that contain a 40-foot (12 m) waterfall, a natural bridge, unusually fine crystalline formations, and an underground lake. Access is managed by the Butler Cave Conservation Society.
  • Caledon Natural Area: One of the best examples of oak-tulip poplar-dominated virgin upland forest in the country. 38.3525°N 77.132778°W
  • Charles C. Steirly Natural Area: A small, essentially virgin stand of climax bald cypress-water tupelo swamp forest. 37.050833°N 76.981111°W
  • Grand Caverns: Contains unique shield formations as well as draperies, flowstone, stalactites and stalagmites. 38.260278°N 78.835278°W
  • ✓Great Dismal Swamp: A remnant of the original Great Dismal Swamp. 36.640876°N 76.451797°W
  • Luray Caverns: A cave ornately decorated with cascades, columns, stalactites, stalagmites and pools. 38.664306°N 78.483806°W
  • Montpelier Forest: A mature forest dominated primarily by tulip poplar and spicebush, located on the grounds of President James Madison’s Montpelier estate. 38.219722°N 78.169444°W
  • Rich Hole: An outstanding example of a “cove” hardwood forest. 37.871389°N 79.638333°W
  • Seashore Natural Area: Contains parallel dunes that are densely wooded with two distinct forest types of semitropical character. 36.906111°N 76.015278°W
  • Virginia Coast Reserve: Relatively undisturbed barrier island-lagoon complex. A refuge for migratory shorebirds, waterfowl and colonial nesting birds. 37.4163°N 75.689°W

Washington

  • Boulder Park and McNeil Canyon Haystack Rocks: The most illustrative examples of glacial erratics in the United States. 47.878611°N 119.801667°W
  • Davis Canyon: One of the largest and least disturbed examples of antelope bitterbrush-Idaho fescue shrub steppe remaining in the Columbia Plateau. 48.243775°N 119.751774°W
  • Drumheller Channels: Illustrates the dramatic modification of the Columbia Plateau volcanic terrain by late Pleistocene catastrophic glacial outburst floods. Includes Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. 46.975°N 119.196389°W
  • Ginkgo Petrified Forest: Thousands of logs petrified in lava flows. Part of Ginkgo/Wanapum State Park. 46.948889°N 120.002778°W
  • Grand Coulee: An illustration of a series of geological events. 47.766667°N 119.216667°W
  • Grande Ronde Feeder Dikes: The best example of basalt dikes, the congealed feeder sources of the Columbia River basalt plateau.
  • Grande Ronde Goosenecks: A 1,500-foot (460 m) deep canyon that follows a tortuous path along meanders.
  • The Great Gravel Bar of Moses Coulee: Largest and best example of a pendent river bar formed by catastrophic glacial outburst floods that swept across the Columbia Plateau. 47.458333°N 119.8°W
  • Kahlotus Ridgetop: The best remaining example of the Central Palouse Prairie grassland subtheme.
  • Mima Mounds: A prairie containing unusual soil pimples of black silt-gravel. 46.89°N 123.05°W
  • Nisqually Delta: An unusually fine example of an estuarine ecosystem. Includes Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. 47.108611°N 122.703056°W
  • Point of Arches: An outstanding exhibit of sea action in sculpturing a rocky shoreline. A unit of Olympic National Park. 48.2464503°N 124.7002419°W
  • Rose Creek Preserve: The best remaining example of the aspen phase of the hawthorne-cow parsnip habitat type in the Columbia Plateau. Managed by The Nature Conservancy.
  • Sims Corner Eskers and Kames: The best examples in the Columbia Plateau of landforms resulting from stagnation and rapid retreat of the ice sheet during the last glaciation. 47.825°N 119.366667°W
  • Steptoe and Kamiak Buttes: Isolated mountain peaks of older rock surrounded by basalt, rising above the surrounding lava plateau. 47.0325°N 117.298611°W
  • Umtanum Ridge Water Gap: Geologic formation that illustrates the processes of tectonic folding and antecedent stream cutting. 46.85°N 120.544444°W
  • Wallula Gap: The largest and most spectacular of several large water gaps through basalt anticlines in the Columbia River basin. 46.044444°N 118.946667°W
  • Withrow Moraine and Jameson Lake Drumlin Field: The best examples of drumlins and the most illustrative segment of the only Pleistocene terminal moraine in the Columbia Plateau 47.6875°N 119.624722°W

West Virginia

  • ✓Bear Rocks and Allegheny Front Preserve: The best example of a plateau within the Appalachian Plateaus Province. Supports a diverse and distinct ecological community. Located within the Monongahela National Forest and operated by The Nature Conservancy.
  • Big Run Bog: Located within the Monongahela National Forest, contains a high-altitude northern spruce bog.
  • Blister Run Swamp: A high-altitude balsam fir swamp located in Monongahela National Forest.
  • Canaan Valley: Protects a boreal forest. Located in Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. 39.126667°N 79.378056°W
  • Cathedral State Park: Features a cool, dense hemlock forest. 39.326667°N 79.538056°W
  • Cranberry Glades Botanical Area: A bog forest, shrub thicket, and open glade in Monongahela National Forest. 38.203056°N 80.266389°W
  • Cranesville Swamp Nature Sanctuary: A natural bowl where cool, moist conditions yield plant and animal communities more common in northern latitudes. Extends into, and primarily located in, Garrett County, Maryland. Operated by The Nature Conservancy. 39.531389°N 79.481944°W
  • Fisher Spring Run Bog: Contains a spruce bog. Located in Monongahela National Forest.
  • Gaudineer Scenic Area: A virgin red spruce forest in Monongahela National Forest. 38.628056°N 79.8425°W
  • Germany Valley Karst Area: A unique intermountain karst area. 38.765°N 79.39°W
  • Greenville Saltpeter Cave: Protects the largest saltpeter cave in the state.
  • Ice Mountain: Supports a rich collection of boreal vascular plants. Operated by The Nature Conservancy. 39.363333°N 78.466944°W
  • Lost World Caverns: Cave contains pedestal-like stalagmites. 37.8326°N 80.4469°W
  • Organ Cave System: Largest cave in West Virginia. 37.718056°N 80.436944°W
  • Shavers Mountain Spruce-Hemlock Stand: An old-growth stand of red spruce and hemlock trees. Part of Monongahela National Forest.
  • Sinnett-Thorn Mountain Cave System: Cave system with waterfalls and deep pits.

Wisconsin

Wyoming

  • The Big Hollow: A large wind eroded deflection basin. 41.313209°N 105.721307°W
  • Como Bluff: A ridge noted for multiple significant fossil discoveries from the late Jurassic of the Mesozoic Era. 41.881384°N 106.076217°W
  • Crooked Creek Natural Area: A rich source of fossils of Early Cretaceous land vertebrates.
  • Red Canyon: A canyon exposing a number of sedimentary formations as well as 10,000 years of human habitation. 42.672087°N 108.658175°W
  • Sand Creek: The most spectacular examples of cross-bedded sandstone and “topple blocks” in North America. NNL area extends across Colorado border. 40°59’49″N 105°46’14″W
  • Two Ocean Pass: A pass located on the continental divide. Here, at a place called Parting of the Waters, North Two Ocean Creek splits into its two distributaries which form the headwaters of Pacific Creek and Atlantic Creek. Waters from these two creeks ultimately flow the Pacific and Atlantic ocean drainages, respectively. 44.04293°N 110.17495°W