The United States is one of the best places in the world to learn, practice and perfect your landscape photography skills. You and your camera really are spoiled for choice thanks to an abundance of beaches, rainforests, mountains, deserts, canyons, oceans, lakes and urban cityscapes. Our own journey from beginners to pros was mostly made in America, and we’re excited to share some of our favorite photo spots in the US with you.
In this guide we show you our photos from some of the most stunning places you can visit in the United States, and we hope to inspire you to plan your next photography trip!
Our Experience
We traveled the world non-stop from 2018-2024, and we were lucky enough to spend many months driving around the US. Our priorities were national parks, road trips, quaint rural towns and major bucket list cities. And we were blown away by the sheer volume of dramatic, striking or beautiful landscapes available in America for aspiring photographers. A few years later, we’ve had our photos published in travel books and we sell our photos from around the world in our very own print store.
In the photos above, Mark is hiking in the Grand Canyon and Kristen is hiking at The Wave. There are still so many places we’re yet to visit in the US, so this guide is only partially complete and we’ll come back to update it when we capture more stunning photos. But for now, here are the most beautiful places we’ve taken photos in America so far, listed in alphabetical order. Read more about us.
1. Acadia, ME
Acadia is filled with short but steep hikes leading to mountain summits overlooking lakes, rolling hills covered in trees and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s one of our favorite national parks on the East Coast, and we highly recommend visiting in the first week of October for peak fall foliage colors. We took the photo above at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse at sunset.
READ: Fun things to do in Acadia
2. Alabama Hills, CA
If you ever find yourself passing through Lone Pine in California, give yourself an hour to see Mobius Arch and the Alabama Hills. We tried a sunrise but the sky didn’t do us any favors. However, it’s definitely one of our top “hidden gem” photo spots in the US because you can see Mt Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 and barely anyone knows it exists. We took the photo above with our drone.
3. Artists Bluff, NH
One of the classic New England fall foliage road trip photo spots is at Artists Bluff summit overlooking Echo Lake in Franconia Notch State Park. We’ve hiked the short trail twice and it’s been packed both times because it’s so popular. We highly recommend giving yourself an extra 45 minutes to hike the full loop which includes Bald Mountain, trust us, it’s worth it.
READ: How to hike Artists Bluff NH
4. Bethesda Terrace, NY
We could have included a dozen NYC photo spots in this guide because it’s one of the world’s most iconic cities. Bethesda Terrace is one of a few we just had to include. We lived in New York and we must have seen at least 10 marriage proposals at the romantic terrace and fountain in Central Park. You’ll have to arrive very early if you want a people-free photo like ours above!
READ: Where to visit in Central Park
5. Black Hills, SD
South Dakota’s Black Hills region is one of the most underrated places we’ve visited in America. We’ve spent 10 days exploring the likes of Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Badlands, Wind Cave, Spearfish Canyon and Devils Tower. There’s so much to do for the whole family, and we’re confident you’ll fill your camera’s SD card if you visit in fall when green and golden leaves light up the granite hills.
READ: South Dakota road trip itinerary
6. Bryce Canyon, UT
The US is filled with unique and striking landscapes, but Bryce Canyon’s amphitheater is up there with the most intriguing. Our advice is to spend a full day from sunrise to sunset exploring the viewpoints and hikes inside the canyon. But the one thing you can’t miss as a photographer is the spectacular amphitheater sunrise, which glows a deep red color at dawn.
READ: Top Bryce Canyon photo spots
7. Cannon Beach, OR
Oregon’s coastline is littered with photogenic sea stacks and Cannon Beach’s Haystack Rock is one of the most famous. Being on the West Coast means sunset is the best time of day for you to photograph the rocks, ocean and beach right there in the heart of the small town. We enjoyed a dramatic sunset with lots of clouds.
8. Death Valley, CA
Contrary to what its name might imply, Death Valley is actually one of the more attractive national parks we’ve visited. As photographers, we love the diverse range of terrain types like sand dunes, salt flats, mountains, desert and canyons. You can watch sunrise at Zabriskie Point, sunset at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and even try astrophotography at Rhyolite Ghost Town.
READ: Death Valley day trip itinerary
9. Delicate Arch, UT
Arches National Park has a handful of special photo spots like The Windows, Double Arch and Landscape Arch. But they all pale in significance once you see Delicate Arch standing tall at the rim of a deep bowl-shaped depression. And you simply must see Delicate Arch at sunset. It’s one of the best sunsets we’ve seen in the US and we can’t wait to do it again with our upgraded camera gear.
READ: Hiking Delicate Arch for sunset
10. Emerald Bay, CA
We spent almost a week in Lake Tahoe in 2022 and we left with some of our all-time favorite photos from the US. It’s just one of those places you go and can’t stop clicking the shutter on your camera. Our favorite spots include hiking trail summits, rocky shorelines and beaches and piers. But the one place you can’t miss is the mesmerizing Emerald Bay at sunrise.
READ: Fun things to do in Emerald Bay
11. Fire Wave, NV
Valley of Fire State Park near Las Vegas is a relatively unknown but unmissable place to visit in the American southwest. The park is filled with amazing photo opportunities, but there are two standout spots you should’t miss. One is Mouse’s Tank Road (#24 in this guide) and the other is Fire Wave, which you can see above. We hiked to the stunning Fire Wave for sunrise and had it entirely to ourselves.
READ: How to hike Fire Wave Trail
12. Flume Gorge, NH
The Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch is a hugely popular fall foliage stop. You’ll take lots of great photos in the gorge, but for us the best photo spot is Flume Covered Bridge. You might have to wait a while to get a photo with no people in it, but it’s well worth being patient. We’ve got our photo of the bridge hanging on our wall at home.
READ: Visiting Flume Gorge for the first time
13. Golden Gate Bridge, CA
If you were asked in a quick-fire quiz to name any bridge in the world, there’s a good chance you’ll say the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It’s that iconic. And it also makes for a superb US photo spot. Our favorite vantage points include Marin Headland, Marshall’s Beach and Alcatraz which you can see in our sunset photo above. Next time, we’d love to do a foggy sunrise.
READ: Best Golden Gate Bridge viewpoints
14. Grand Canyon, AZ
Some of the places in this list are very specific, but with the Grand Canyon it’s impossible to be specific. The whole thing is extraordinarily photogenic, so you just have to turn up with a camera and point it towards the gigantic chasm. With that said, we recommend hiking the beginning of South Kaibab Trail for sunrise and Hopi Point for sunset. Plus, Yavapai Point is a great spot any time of day.
READ: Visiting Grand Canyon South Rim for the first time
15. Grand Teton, WY
We’ve been to most of the popular US national parks and many of them are incredible for photography. But Grand Teton just has something special that makes us want to go back for more. Our advice is to spend two mornings in Grand Teton so you can do Mormon Row one day and Schwabacher Landing the next.
READ: 2 days Grand Teton itinerary
16. Horseshoe Bend, AZ
This enormous and striking U-bend in the Colorado River called Horseshoe Bend is located in Page, Arizona. It’s often an afterthought when people take a tour of Antelope Canyon, but we think Horseshoe Bend should be considered as the major attraction. We’ve done sunrise and sunset here, and they were both amazing.
READ: Horseshoe Bend at sunrise and sunset
17. Kanab, UT
The town of Kanab itself isn’t one of the best photo spots in America. But nearby there’s a bunch of great places to visit with your camera, like Moqui Sand Caverns, Toadstool Hoodoos, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Red Canyon Slot and Belly of the Dragon which you can see in our photo above. The tunnel alone is a good frame, but take a subject along with you to create a fun silhouette.
READ: What you can’t miss in Kanab UT
18. Lake Placid, NY
At the heart of New York’s Adirondack Mountains lies the four-season adventure resort of Lake Placid. We’ve taken some fantastic photos in the Adirondacks, but our favorites are the ones you can get by looking back at Lake Placid from the Whiteface Mountain area. Either take the gondola to Little Whiteface or drive the auto road up Whiteface Mountain.
READ: Top things to do in Lake Placid NY
19. Leavenworth, WA
Have you been to Bavaria in southern Germany? Well, Leavenworth is America’s “Bavarian Village” and it’s uniquely picturesque. But if you really want to take things to the next level in Leavenworth, you simply must hike the exceptionally beautiful Enchantments Trail. It’s no joke at nearly 20 miles, but it’s one of the best and most visually stunning day hikes we’ve ever done.
READ: How to day hike The Enchantments
20. Letchworth, NY
Little known Letchworth State Park in western New York will always be one of our favorite photo spots in the US because it’s not far from where Kristen grew up. We’ve been countless times, but it took us four attempts to get a sunrise as vibrant as the one we got in the photo above. Along with Great Bend Overlook, there are also three powerful waterfalls to capture so don’t forget your filters.
READ: Visiting Letchworth State Park for the first time
21. Manhattan Bridge, NY
We think the Manhattan Bridge View from Washington Street in Dumbo, Brooklyn has to be up there with the best photo spots in NYC. It’s near impossible to have this place to yourself because it’s not just an amazing traditional photographers’ location, it’s also immensely popular for social media users. We arrived at dawn for the photo above and still had to be very patient.
READ: Best photo spots in NYC
22. Mesa Arch, UT
If you pushed us to give you our top US sunrise recommendation for photographers, Mesa Arch would right up there in the conversation. We arrived way before sunrise but the small area in front of the arch quickly filled up with cameras and tripods, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time. It’s a truly magical experience!
READ: Mesa Arch sunrise photography guide
23. Mount Hood, OR
The iconic photo of Mount Hood is taken from the back side of Pittock Mansion in Portland. The west facing slopes of the snow capped stratovolcano glow a dim pink color at sunset, so try to time your visit for dusk. We’d hoped for a better sunset but the view overlooking Mt Hood was far better than we expected, so overall it was a win.
24. Mount Rainier, WA
There’s a handful of places you can visit in the US where you can nonchalantly point and click your camera to take home amazing photos. Mount Rainier is one of those places and it’s Kristen’s favorite national park. The best part is that all the top photo spots are on hikes, so it’s a double win. If you’re into both hiking and photography in equal parts, you need to visit Mt Rainier.
READ: Amazing hikes in Mt Rainier
25. Mouse’s Tank Road, NV
Remember earlier when we showed you Fire Wave in Valley of Fire? Well, here’s the other unmissable photography location in the park. Mark took this photo with Kristen as the subject and it’s been published in Gestalten’s Great American Roadtrip. Park in the lot near Rainbow Vista Trailhead and cross the road to reach this awesome hidden photo spot.
READ: What you can’t miss at Valley of Fire
26. Multnomah Falls, OR
Both the Washington and Oregon sides of the Columbia River Gorge have countless stunning waterfalls. We could have included at least 5 other specific waterfalls from which we have amazing photos, but Multnomah Falls is the iconic landmark waterfall in the area. If you’re up for a hike, climb up next to Multnomah and continue to Dutchman, Wiesendanger and Ecola Falls.
27. New York Skyline, NY
When we moved to NYC, the first thing we did with our cameras was head up the observation decks to see the legendary New York City skyline from above. We love Top of the Rock because you can see all of Manhattan’s skyline, and with soft light at sunset the view is magnificent. This has to be considered as one of those truly unmissable US photo spots.
READ: Best observation deck views in NYC
28. North Cascades, WA
National parks with rugged and dramatic mountains like Glacier and Rocky Mountain take all the plaudits, which leaves the beautiful North Cascades to go under the radar. You get similar topography with mountains and lakes (on a much smaller scale) but you don’t have to deal with the crowds. Our two favorite photo spots are on Maple Pass Loop and Blue Lake which you can see in our photo above.
29. Olympic, WA
We were blown away by Olympic’s diversity from a photography perspective. It has mountain hikes, rainforests, rapids, beaches and lakes but you’ll need at least 3 days to drive the loop so you can make the most of its natural features. The summit of Mt Storm King, Hoh Rainforest, Rialto Beach and Staircase Rapids (pictured above) are our favorite photo spots in the park.
30. Sedona, AZ
Yes, we are classifying Sedona as an entire entity as one of the best photo spots in the US because the whole red rock landscape is simply magical. Whether you’re an aspiring photographer or a veteran, you could spend a week framing photos non-stop in Sedona and still barely scratch the surface. We have too many favorites to list here, but the photo above shows our sunrise from Chimney Rock.
READ: Unmissable things to do in Sedona
31. Shenandoah, VA
Skyline Drive is one of the most scenic roads you can drive on the East Coast. It twists, turns, rises and falls along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains through the entire 105-mile length of Shenandoah National Park. Along the way you can hike fun trails and admire far reaching views. But our favorite photo spots are on the unique and picturesque Old Rag Trail.
32. Smugglers Notch, VT
We bought a drone years ago and we’ve barely had chance to use it because there are so many restrictions and limitations. But every now and then, we do get the opportunity to fly and it really does give us a unique photography perspective. One such place is Smugglers Notch in Stowe Mountain Resort. The notch is beautiful to drive through, but it’s even better from above.
33. Stowe, VT
The small mountain resort of Stowe, Vermont is one of our favorite places to visit in New England during the fall. It’s got a bunch of great hikes, awesome breweries and stunning fall foliage photo ops. The most iconic fall photo in town is of Stowe’s white community church (which you can see above), and it’s best taken from a viewing area next to Salon Salon on Mountain Road.
READ: Top things to do in Stowe VT
34. The Wave, AZ
If you’re a photographer who’s interested in unique topography, you simply must apply for an elusive Wave permit. We’ve seen a good portion of the world’s most famous landmarks and landscapes, and we have to say The Wave is up there with the most mind-boggling places we’ve ever seen. It’s impossible not to take home incredible photos!
READ: Essential guide to hiking The Wave
35. Tunnel View, CA
Yosemite National Park is up there with the most spectacularly beautiful national parks in America and Tunnel View is one of it’s most iconic photo spots. Drive up to Wawona Tunnel for an elevated east facing vista looking directly through Yosemite Valley towards El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls and Half Dome in the distance. It’s magnificent.
READ: Top photo spots in Yosemite
36. Valley View, CA
We’re not done with Yosemite yet! Our other favorite place to take photos in Yosemite is close to Tunnel View and it even faces the same direction. However, the Valley View vista is at ground level so the towering granite domes and walls look more imposing. And you have the Merced River in the immediate foreground, which makes for sensational photography. Which is your favorite view?
READ: 1-3 days Yosemite itinerary ideas
37. Watkins Glen, NY
We’ve hiked the Watkins Glen State Park gorge trail at least 10 times. But we’ll never forget the first time we saw the immensely beautiful scene at Rainbow Falls, which looks like something you’d see in a Lord of the Rings movie (think Rivendell). If you like taking long exposures with water, you’re going to love Watkins Glen.
READ: Hiking the Watkins Glen gorge trail to Rainbow Falls
38. Woodstock, VT
Vermont is filled with quaint towns, covered bridges, rural farms and far too many delicious foods to taste. In the fall foliage season, all of these things are amplified and places like Woodstock explode with tourists. For us, Woodstock is the quintessential New England town and it’s arguably the most photogenic. So grab your camera and get out exploring the area!
READ: Top things to do in Woodstock VT
39. Yellowstone, WY
We’ve been to Yellowstone three times and we could keep going back every year. There’s so much to see and do, and the different seasons provide completely contrasting experiences. We could list a dozen photo spots, but at a push we’d say Artist Point, Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook and Morning Glory Pool are our favorites. You’ll definitely need backup batteries and SD cards for your camera.
READ: What you can’t miss in Yellowstone
40. Zion, UT
What comes to mind when you hear Zion National Park? We’re betting it’s hiking trails, and you’d be right to do so because hikes there are out of this world. But Zion is also exceptionally photogenic, so don’t forget your camera! Our favorite photo spots include Zion Canyon Overlook summit, Canyon Junction Bridge and Angels Landing summit at sunrise (yes, we did summit for sunrise!).
READ: Unmissable hikes in Zion
More from the US
- 50 popular US vacation spots
- 50 amazing hikes in the US
- 30 bucket list road trips in the US
- 20 awesome US national parks
Interested in photography? Head over to our travel photography page to see more from us.
We hope this inspires you to get out and explore more of the US with your camera!
Don’t forget you can buy many of the photos in this guide in our travel prints shop, and please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.