Places Sputnicktatorship Wants to Go

High plateaus and beautiful waterfalls frame this ecologically significant nature preserve.

A faux desert landscape in the middle of the jungle that sprouts oases during the rainy season.

This massive mushroom has spent centuries eating its way across a huge swath of Oregon.

Two massive rock outcroppings on the Oregon coastline.

A volcanic fissure over two miles long and up to 70 feet deep.

Formerly secret, precariously perched boulders.

The eerie remnants of an ancient forest were hidden under the sand for centuries.

The second largest waterfall by volume in the U.S., Willamette Falls is outdone only by Niagara in the amount of water that is pushed northward.

This lake in the Cascades lives up to its name, disappearing down a hole every spring.

One of the world's oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens.

The fragmented remains of a massive public bath connected to the city's water supply.

Monasteries on rock pillars, once accessible only by frayed ropes.

A room in New York City that contains 250 cubic yards of dirt.

Amazing and mysterious Neolithic settlement on Scotland's Orkney Islands.

This 29-ton granite ball spins around at the slightest touch thanks to a scientific phenomenon.

The land is full of geologic eye candy, such as otherworldly spires, mushroom-shaped hoodoos, and prehistoric fossils.

This mysterious, medieval cathedral remains unbuilt but fiercely protected.

Despite finally receiving electricity in 1970, this tiny town is now deserted.

The abandoned village of Skarð aptly illustrates the idiom "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

This remote island village was in danger of depopulating completely until a tunnel was built to connect it to the rest of the world .

This isolated structure beckons adventurers with sublime views of the Faroe Islands.

This isolated island is often capped by its own fluffy cloud.

The mysterious, fantastical woodland inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings."

The largest lake in the Faroe Islands seems to be held hundreds of feet above sea level thanks to an optical illusion.