Places jackofalltrails Wants to Go

This Great Plains museum pays tribute to both the prosperity and tragedy of the North American fur trade.

An eccentric playboy's astounding natural history collection.

The famed poet was born in 1819 in a farmhouse built by his father.

The little-known final resting place of one of America's greatest writers.

The wooden octagon in which Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee were born can still be visited in upstate New York.

Three generations of intrepid collectors display their curious artifacts in a homemade museum right next to the caves they discovered.

World's largest porcine hairball sits in a collection maintained by Benedictine monks.

Where the famed daredevil attempted to launch himself across a canyon in a custom-built rocket.

This underground cave located in the most barren reaches of Idaho is filled with ice year-round.

Despite its name, this route in southern Utah offers a heavenly day trip.

Once a menacing challenge for trailblazers, this trail is now the most scenic drive in Utah.

This Old West eatery along America's Loneliest Road was originally a stop on the Pony Express.

This hidden gem along the Utah-Arizona border is truly worth the rugged journey.

This cave was hidden for thousands of years, storing the worldly goods of ancient Native Americans.

How a bat poo mine became a major Native American archaeological site—and connections to legendary red-haired giants.

A scenic hike in the High Sierra that ends at an old gold mine.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

Harder layers in colorful sandstone weather out as prominent “fins" and even more intricate and bizarre shapes.

Many generations of travelers have passed through the steep, smooth walls of this canyon.

The drama of nature in full effect in this Nevada State Park.

This mesmerizing and surreal landscape features intricate patterns of white and red sandstone.

An abandoned mine where dreams of quicksilver trickled away over 75 years ago.

A mountain path passes by several sprawling enclosures home to a pair of rescued brown bears.

Nevada's largest cactus collection stands outside a candy mogul's small factory.