Jessica Mendoza's 16 Watery Wonders of the Western United States

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16 Places

Two-time Olympic medalist and sportscaster Jessica Mendoza has always been passionate about the great outdoors. Drawn by the scenic beauty and active lifestyle, Jessica’s family relocated to Oregon to spend as much time as possible exploring the state’s many natural wonders.

Explore Jessica’s list of her favorite awe-inspiring water features in the great American West.

Yachats, Oregon

Thor's Well

On the Oregon coast there is a natural hole that seems to be draining the sea.

Calhan, Colorado

Paint Mines Interpretive Park

Wondrous sandstone hoodoos where Native Americans collected clay for pottery, 9,000 years ago.

larkspurtile

Added by larkspurtile

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Hanging Lake

Crystal clear lake with a shoreline of travertine located in a Colorado canyon.

Added by michaelmecseri

Yosemite National Park, California

Horsetail Fall's Firefall

Under the right circumstances, this waterfall in Yosemite briefly turns a luminescent fiery orange.

Dylan

Corbett, Oregon

Multnomah Falls

A roaring, awe-inspiring double cascade of icy water flows through woodland Oregon like something out of a Tolkien novel.

canuck

Added by canuck

San Francisco, California

Labyrinth at Land’s End

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

Crater Lake, Oregon

Crater Lake

The deepest lake in the United States, and once the site of epic destruction that lives on in legends.

canuck

Added by canuck

Mammoth Lakes, California

Devils Postpile National Monument

Towering basalt columns, a creation of fire and ice.

Tre

Clackamas County, Oregon

Bagby Hot Springs

Hollowed out cedar log tubs set in an ancient towering forest.

jamesb

Added by jamesb

Homestead Crater

This geothermal hot spring hides beneath a slowly growing mineral dome.

Added by gailberg

Tillamook, Oregon

Octopus Tree of Oregon

No one knows how this Pacific Northwest spruce tree came to have so many trunks.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Sequoia National Park, California

General Sherman

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

Humboldt County, California

Avenue of the Giants

One of the most scenic stretches of road in America winds between some of the country's oldest trees.

journeylism

Added by journeylism

Sisters, Oregon

Clear Lake

The trunks of 3,000 year-old trees lurk beneath the surface of this crystal clear lake in Oregon.

Added by Rachel Gould

McKenzie Bridge, Oregon

Sahalie Falls

Rushing water plunges over a 100-foot drop created by an ancient lava flow at this majestic waterfall.

Added by marcusdgilmer

Port Angeles, Washington

Olympic Hot Springs

Rustic natural hot springs in the deciduous rain forest.

Added by pantone292

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