Wild Dirt

The Upper Peninsula feels like a world apart. Rugged cliffs drop into Lake Superior, waterfalls tumble through dense forests, and night skies blaze with stars and sometimes the northern lights. This is Michigan's wild side, where the parks are remote, raw, and unforgettable.

At the top of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, three parks showcase the best of the north. Petoskey's sandy bays, Wilderness's dark skies and endless shoreline, and Cheboygan's lighthouse views all capture the spirit of "Up North." Here, the air is cooler, the nights are brighter, and the lakes feel as wide as the horizon.

White Sands National Park in New Mexico is a mesmerizing natural wonderland that boasts gleaming white gypsum dunes stretching across 275 square miles of the Tularosa Basin. The undulating dunes create a unique landscape that seems plucked from another world, offering visitors an otherworldly experience.