What natural phenomena are worth a trip?
June 29, 2016 1:40 PM Subscribe
I just returned from a trip to Central Mexico, where there was much talk of how I had to come back in fall when the monarch butterflies would return. This got me to thinking of other natural phenomena that are worth a trip to go see. What are your favorites?
For the purposes of this question, let's keep it to phenomena that can be seen in limited places and for/at limited times, and that you could reasonably plan to see. So the butterflies, yes. The aurora borealis? Not guaranteed, but worth a shot. A tornado or the green flash, on the other hand, can occur in various regions across the globe and seem like they would be hard to plan to see.
For the purposes of this question, let's keep it to phenomena that can be seen in limited places and for/at limited times, and that you could reasonably plan to see. So the butterflies, yes. The aurora borealis? Not guaranteed, but worth a shot. A tornado or the green flash, on the other hand, can occur in various regions across the globe and seem like they would be hard to plan to see.
Best answer: when the atacama flowers it is supposed to be pretty - photos.
posted by andrewcooke at 1:53 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by andrewcooke at 1:53 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The best thing like this I have ever seen were icebergs in Newfoundland. I didn't even realize I cared about seeing icebergs until I saw them. We were there in May 2014 and, per one of the locals, it was a "bumper crop" that year, but they do get them every year around that time. The weather in Newfoundland in the springtime is pretty epic in general. The pictures don't even come close to doing the whole scenario justice.
posted by something something at 1:55 PM on June 29, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by something something at 1:55 PM on June 29, 2016 [7 favorites]
Best answer: The Yosemite Firefall, second week of February. During that week, the sunset hits the falls at just the right angle to cause them to glow like fire as the sun sets.
Carlsbad Caverns bat swarms, every evening from mid-April to late October.
Sockeye Salmon migration in British Columbia, Canada, in the fall, every four years. The next Salute to the Sockeye festival should be in 2018.
posted by erst at 1:56 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
Carlsbad Caverns bat swarms, every evening from mid-April to late October.
Sockeye Salmon migration in British Columbia, Canada, in the fall, every four years. The next Salute to the Sockeye festival should be in 2018.
posted by erst at 1:56 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
Here in Washington DC, we like our cherry blossoms, which peak for about a week, in early April on average.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 2:04 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 2:04 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Sand hill cranes migration in Nebraska
posted by wwartorff at 2:11 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by wwartorff at 2:11 PM on June 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Tides at the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia.
The extraordinary color and beauty of Lake Louise in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.
posted by jasper411 at 2:39 PM on June 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
The extraordinary color and beauty of Lake Louise in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.
posted by jasper411 at 2:39 PM on June 29, 2016 [5 favorites]
Best answer: --tidal bore in the Bay of Fundy (highest tides in the world) - best when the tides will be exceptionally high
--it's variable due to topography, but when flowing that direction (not always) lava hitting the ocean on the Big Island of Hawaii; otherwise, just viewing the lava flowing can pretty cool. . . it's plannable in that it's a "can you see it? y/n" question as well as helicopter tours etc.
--the giant elk herd during the late fall/winter in the National Elk Refuge at Jackson Hole
--summer wildflowers in Crested Butte, Colorado
--geysers in Yellowstone that are not "tourist" destinations - the rare and the tucked away, which are better than geysers like Old Faithful. Some are unpredictable (like Steamboat) but others are closely watched, and there are dedicated groups that keep track of them
--Christmas Island red crab migration
--annual migrations such as salmon ( and bears feeding on them), wildebeest, and sand hill cranes on the Platte in Nebraska (on preview, seconded)
--I'm not sure of the name for it (if there is one) but if you go to a high enough place such as Mauna Loa and the sun is behind you, not only can you see a kind of glory, even perhaps one called a Brocken spectre around you, but you can actually watch your shadow move due to the rotation of the earth
--a variety of astronomy phenomenon such as meteor showers or a double sunset can be pre-planned
--Though you can see it in high mountains in any part of the world when the weather is right, I would argue that making a trip into a wilderness area on your own two feet to see the precious, short time (look away for a few minutes and you can miss it!) of true alpenglow after the sun has set or right before sunrise is worth doing
--Finally, it's an ongoing natural phenomena, but it's changing ~2 cm a year: dive into the rift between the north american and eurasian plates
posted by barchan at 2:40 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
--it's variable due to topography, but when flowing that direction (not always) lava hitting the ocean on the Big Island of Hawaii; otherwise, just viewing the lava flowing can pretty cool. . . it's plannable in that it's a "can you see it? y/n" question as well as helicopter tours etc.
--the giant elk herd during the late fall/winter in the National Elk Refuge at Jackson Hole
--summer wildflowers in Crested Butte, Colorado
--geysers in Yellowstone that are not "tourist" destinations - the rare and the tucked away, which are better than geysers like Old Faithful. Some are unpredictable (like Steamboat) but others are closely watched, and there are dedicated groups that keep track of them
--Christmas Island red crab migration
--annual migrations such as salmon ( and bears feeding on them), wildebeest, and sand hill cranes on the Platte in Nebraska (on preview, seconded)
--I'm not sure of the name for it (if there is one) but if you go to a high enough place such as Mauna Loa and the sun is behind you, not only can you see a kind of glory, even perhaps one called a Brocken spectre around you, but you can actually watch your shadow move due to the rotation of the earth
--a variety of astronomy phenomenon such as meteor showers or a double sunset can be pre-planned
--Though you can see it in high mountains in any part of the world when the weather is right, I would argue that making a trip into a wilderness area on your own two feet to see the precious, short time (look away for a few minutes and you can miss it!) of true alpenglow after the sun has set or right before sunrise is worth doing
--Finally, it's an ongoing natural phenomena, but it's changing ~2 cm a year: dive into the rift between the north american and eurasian plates
posted by barchan at 2:40 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The River of Raptors in Veracruz, Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of migrating raptors. yes it's on my list
posted by rtha at 2:42 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by rtha at 2:42 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Bears feeding on the summer salmon run in McNeil River State Game Sanctuary in Alaska.
posted by charmedimsure at 2:45 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by charmedimsure at 2:45 PM on June 29, 2016
Best answer: Go to the town of Narcisse in Manitoba to watch the garter snakes come out of their caves after winter hibernation and form large mating balls.
posted by nanook at 3:06 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by nanook at 3:06 PM on June 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: How about synchronized fireflies in the Smokey Mountains?
posted by Cold Lurkey at 3:15 PM on June 29, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by Cold Lurkey at 3:15 PM on June 29, 2016 [10 favorites]
Best answer: Late last September we went to visit Rocky Mountain National Park without realizing it was in the middle of the elk rut, which is basically one big tailgating party to watch some elk gather, bugle, fight and have sex.
posted by deludingmyself at 3:19 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by deludingmyself at 3:19 PM on June 29, 2016
Best answer: A place in Venezuela that gets 40,000 lightning strikes per night. Roughly three hundred nights a year, the residents on Lake Maracaibo need to shut their blinds against the light.
posted by irisclara at 3:29 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by irisclara at 3:29 PM on June 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: The silverswords on Haleakala in Hawaii (Maui) are a cool plant only found in Hawaii and flower between July and October usually. They are super threatened and you usually have to hike a ways to see them but they are pretty neat!
posted by FireFountain at 3:41 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by FireFountain at 3:41 PM on June 29, 2016
Best answer: I suggest the bioluminescent bay in Vieques. watching the bats come out in either Sydney or Austin TX. Being someplace dark for the Perseids (Northern hemisphere) or the Leonids is worthwhile. If you haven't seen the Redwoods, you should. I feel the same way about the Hoh Rainforest in Washington State. I think the Columbia River Gorge is spectacular enough to actually go see, but ymmv depending what you are used to.
posted by jessamyn at 3:59 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 3:59 PM on June 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I'm kinda reluctant to mention this because it seems like my private little secret.
Mt. Rainier has two main tourist points: Sunrise and Paradise. Got me wondering one day why they named it Sunrise, so I decided to find out.
When I arrived in the pre-dawn darkness I could see, with binoculars, strings of headlamps winding up towards the summit. Nice!
The weather was perfectly clear. Perfectly. This is important.
What transpired as the sun came up was Nature simply showing off.
First, starting from the summit, bright hot pink flowed slowly down the glaciers. That was amazing and had the show ended there, it would have been worth the all-nighter. But this was just the opening act.
As raging pink painted the lower reaches of the mountain, the summit was bathed in molten gold, as if Zeus had spilled his own crucible. It gradually poured down the slopes in the same fashion as the pink had done.
It was beyond breathtaking. Sunrise, indeed.
Don't tell anybody. Let's keep this to ourselves, ok?
posted by trinity8-director at 4:46 PM on June 29, 2016 [17 favorites]
Mt. Rainier has two main tourist points: Sunrise and Paradise. Got me wondering one day why they named it Sunrise, so I decided to find out.
When I arrived in the pre-dawn darkness I could see, with binoculars, strings of headlamps winding up towards the summit. Nice!
The weather was perfectly clear. Perfectly. This is important.
What transpired as the sun came up was Nature simply showing off.
First, starting from the summit, bright hot pink flowed slowly down the glaciers. That was amazing and had the show ended there, it would have been worth the all-nighter. But this was just the opening act.
As raging pink painted the lower reaches of the mountain, the summit was bathed in molten gold, as if Zeus had spilled his own crucible. It gradually poured down the slopes in the same fashion as the pink had done.
It was beyond breathtaking. Sunrise, indeed.
Don't tell anybody. Let's keep this to ourselves, ok?
posted by trinity8-director at 4:46 PM on June 29, 2016 [17 favorites]
Another vote for the bioluminescent bay in Vieques. It was magical!
posted by LaBellaStella at 4:49 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by LaBellaStella at 4:49 PM on June 29, 2016
Best answer: Manatees crowding the spring heads of Florida in winter.
posted by saladin at 4:55 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by saladin at 4:55 PM on June 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
I went to Thailand to wear my Dark Side of the Moon tee shirt during a solar eclipse... plan to dig it out again next August 21st
posted by tinker at 5:34 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by tinker at 5:34 PM on June 29, 2016
The terrifying but beautiful hot springs all over Yellowstone, many of which are crazy colors.
posted by a strong female character at 5:41 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by a strong female character at 5:41 PM on June 29, 2016
Snowmobiling through Yellowstone in the winter cannot be missed if you can handle cold. The buffalo like to hang out on the roads (snowmobiling is only allowed on tours) so you get some cool close ups. And it is breathtaking.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:13 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:13 PM on June 29, 2016
Best answer: Grey whales migrate every winter to 3 lagoons in Baja California to give birth. Some whales seem to enjoy coming alongside the small boats containing viewers, allowing themselves to be touched. Others show off near the boats, jumping and slapping the water. Access is heavily regulated to protect the whales and lagoons.
posted by Homer42 at 8:18 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by Homer42 at 8:18 PM on June 29, 2016
The leaves changing color in the fall in New England is limited to places where there are trees. :) People do plan trips to view them.
posted by Bruce H. at 8:55 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by Bruce H. at 8:55 PM on June 29, 2016
Not just New England, the Skyline Drive here in Virginia has spectacular fall plumage, as does probably just about anywhere along the Appalachians. Bruce H. is right, people plan trips here, too; picking the right time is tricky, there's usually about a 2-week window for the best colors.
posted by MoTLD at 10:24 PM on June 29, 2016
posted by MoTLD at 10:24 PM on June 29, 2016
Whale sharks during feeding season (off Western Australia, but they're in other places too).
posted by superfish at 4:12 AM on June 30, 2016
posted by superfish at 4:12 AM on June 30, 2016
Best answer: There is an International Sky Dark Park in the northernmost point of the lower peninsula of Michigan. http://www.midarkskypark.org/
Lake Natron in Tanzania.
posted by RogueTech at 4:46 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Lake Natron in Tanzania.
posted by RogueTech at 4:46 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: A big seabird colony. In the UK that might mean Skomer or Flamborough Head for puffins and other auks, or Bass Rock for gannets, but it could be penguins in Antarctica, or albatrosses in the southern oceans; there are lots of places with birds in the thousands or tens of thousands.
One of those islands where the wildlife is incredibly tame; again, Skomer for the puffins. Alternatively, Cousin in the Seychelles, for tropicbirds, noddies and fairy terns; or the Galapagos. And no doubt other places around the world.
You could try one of the places where bird migration is concentrated by geography, and thousands of birds of prey can be seen passing overhead, like Israel, or Batumi on the Black Sea, but although it’s an amazing natural phenomenon, I don’t know how much visceral appeal it would have for a non-birder.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 5:10 AM on June 30, 2016
One of those islands where the wildlife is incredibly tame; again, Skomer for the puffins. Alternatively, Cousin in the Seychelles, for tropicbirds, noddies and fairy terns; or the Galapagos. And no doubt other places around the world.
You could try one of the places where bird migration is concentrated by geography, and thousands of birds of prey can be seen passing overhead, like Israel, or Batumi on the Black Sea, but although it’s an amazing natural phenomenon, I don’t know how much visceral appeal it would have for a non-birder.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 5:10 AM on June 30, 2016
Best answer: The Maritime Provinces: +1 to Newfoundland icebergs. Honestly wouldn't recommend the Bay of Fundy tides or tidal bore, but maybe tidal tourism just isn't my thing. Not sure about the timing, I think the whales are there all summer, but zodiac whale tours in Tadoussac are really all that and a bag of potato chips. I made eye contact with a whale, it changed my life no exaggeration.
On the other side of North America, I would add the red tide in San Diego (bioluminescence + surfers!) and wildflower blooms in Death Valley or anywhere in the CA desert, really.
posted by athirstforsalt at 5:36 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
On the other side of North America, I would add the red tide in San Diego (bioluminescence + surfers!) and wildflower blooms in Death Valley or anywhere in the CA desert, really.
posted by athirstforsalt at 5:36 AM on June 30, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: It's not such a time-limited phenomenon but if you go to Volcano National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii, you can see Kilauea erupting! Dine at the restaurant at Volcano House so you can drink a cocktail on the rim of an exploding volcano and feel like James Bond.
posted by skycrashesdown at 7:43 AM on June 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by skycrashesdown at 7:43 AM on June 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
Best answer: FYI, Northern Lights can be planned for, to a degree. They work on a 12 year cycle (I think) and there are websites that track when and where and how likely they are to appear any day. My wife and I did a trip to Iceland in March a few years back and got an insanely amazing show (greens, purples, oranges!) but it took a couple nights before we got a really good one.
Also, cherry blossoms in Tokyo are unbelievable near the peak. D.C. is nice, but in Japan they take it pretty damn serious and there are whole areas devoted to it. It's hard to convey in photos the experience of seeing all those trees sagging like they are covered in a heavy, glowing cotton candy.
Someone mentioned the Yosemite Firefall - I would warn you that it lasts about a minute at sunset, only occurs for about a week a year and if the conditions are wrong you get nothing. It's great if you are into photography, but people get pretty competitive over that one little area where the view/photos are the best.
I grew up in the Berkshires and if the year is going to be a good one, the foliage can be really overwhelmingly beautiful. A great year only happens once every 5-10 years, but it can usually be planned in advance and lasts for a few weeks.
In Hawaii you can plan to see lava flowing into the ocean on an early morning (pre-sunrise) boat. I tried that and failed (the boat broke down) and tried seeing it from a helicopter (which sucked). I think the boat would be much better if you get the chance, but it is kind of a schlep and you need to wake up at like 2 am.
Speaking of sunrise, there are a lot of amazing sunrise views - Easter Island Moai in silhouette, Macchu Picchu in the morning fog, most mountain tops, etc.
Probably the luckiest thing I've ever seen is a wildebeest crossing the Mara river. They build up in force and eventually one brave wildebeest starts to cross then thousands parade across the river to get to the other side. It is a seasonal thing and I just happened to be in a jeep that pulled up 3 minutes before they started crossing. It is a crazy, thundering event that is probably not predictable enough but unbelievable worth it if you have the luck to see it.
But probably my favorite natural events is from my childhood - when the fireflies are out in force. I remember this happening around June in the Berkshires, but you might be able to figure out when and where they are coming. There's nothing quite like it, a silent and beautiful natural show as hundreds of tiny lightbulbs flicker on and off, building to a frenzy over an hour or so, then slowly disappear.
posted by lubujackson at 10:38 AM on June 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
Also, cherry blossoms in Tokyo are unbelievable near the peak. D.C. is nice, but in Japan they take it pretty damn serious and there are whole areas devoted to it. It's hard to convey in photos the experience of seeing all those trees sagging like they are covered in a heavy, glowing cotton candy.
Someone mentioned the Yosemite Firefall - I would warn you that it lasts about a minute at sunset, only occurs for about a week a year and if the conditions are wrong you get nothing. It's great if you are into photography, but people get pretty competitive over that one little area where the view/photos are the best.
I grew up in the Berkshires and if the year is going to be a good one, the foliage can be really overwhelmingly beautiful. A great year only happens once every 5-10 years, but it can usually be planned in advance and lasts for a few weeks.
In Hawaii you can plan to see lava flowing into the ocean on an early morning (pre-sunrise) boat. I tried that and failed (the boat broke down) and tried seeing it from a helicopter (which sucked). I think the boat would be much better if you get the chance, but it is kind of a schlep and you need to wake up at like 2 am.
Speaking of sunrise, there are a lot of amazing sunrise views - Easter Island Moai in silhouette, Macchu Picchu in the morning fog, most mountain tops, etc.
Probably the luckiest thing I've ever seen is a wildebeest crossing the Mara river. They build up in force and eventually one brave wildebeest starts to cross then thousands parade across the river to get to the other side. It is a seasonal thing and I just happened to be in a jeep that pulled up 3 minutes before they started crossing. It is a crazy, thundering event that is probably not predictable enough but unbelievable worth it if you have the luck to see it.
But probably my favorite natural events is from my childhood - when the fireflies are out in force. I remember this happening around June in the Berkshires, but you might be able to figure out when and where they are coming. There's nothing quite like it, a silent and beautiful natural show as hundreds of tiny lightbulbs flicker on and off, building to a frenzy over an hour or so, then slowly disappear.
posted by lubujackson at 10:38 AM on June 30, 2016 [3 favorites]
Death Valley had a super bloom this year (previous super blooms were in 1998 and 2005).
Next year's total eclipse (linked by tinker) should be worthwhile.
We partly planned our trip this fall so we'd see the Grand Canyon under the full moon; we'll also be at Great Basin, Capitol Reef, and Bryce Canyon National Parks when the moon and sun will set around the same time, which should allow for as many hours of dark skies as we can stand (late September at that altitude: I expect to get cold).
Coincidentally we'll be in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks for the elk rut mentioned a couple times above. We didn't plan around it initially but we did change our lodging (for one of the nights in Yellowstone) to get a different experience of it once we knew it was happening.
posted by fedward at 12:25 PM on June 30, 2016
Next year's total eclipse (linked by tinker) should be worthwhile.
We partly planned our trip this fall so we'd see the Grand Canyon under the full moon; we'll also be at Great Basin, Capitol Reef, and Bryce Canyon National Parks when the moon and sun will set around the same time, which should allow for as many hours of dark skies as we can stand (late September at that altitude: I expect to get cold).
Coincidentally we'll be in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks for the elk rut mentioned a couple times above. We didn't plan around it initially but we did change our lodging (for one of the nights in Yellowstone) to get a different experience of it once we knew it was happening.
posted by fedward at 12:25 PM on June 30, 2016
How about synchronized fireflies in the Smokey Mountains?
They're also in Malaysia.
posted by Rash at 11:24 PM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
They're also in Malaysia.
posted by Rash at 11:24 PM on July 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by amnesia and magnets at 1:51 PM on June 29, 2016 [5 favorites]