World's Most Impressive Natural Wonder

[Dypsisdean]

PhoenixBob's touching "Memorial" to Mikey Edwards got me thinking. I could relate to Mikey as he peered into the Grand Canyon for the first time. I have been fortunate to see many wonderful things in my life, but none compare to standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Thanks Bob for giving Mikey the same feeling I can still remember to this day.

It is truly one of those places where a photo doesn't come close to capturing the moment. Here's the only link that approached. Grand Canyon Photos

What would you nominate as the world's most impressive natural wonder/vista? And, have you been lucky enough to have seen it in person?

[DoomsDave]

Grand Canyon has to be a contender, that's for sure.

I've seen it a number of times, and the wonder never fades. The sheer size, the colors, the way it stretched off in all directions, the way you can watch hawks soaring below you, but still almost a mile over the canyon floor.

First-timers fall silent, like that busload of German tourists in 1998 when I visited with my parents.

They piled out of the bus, sprichen Deutsch, and then . . .

Silence.

Then, a gasping whisper, "Mein Gott!"

Says it all.

[John Case]

Opinions have it (not mine) that the most panoramic view is obtained at the top of Mt. Kilamajaro.....14000 ft above the African rift plains.....the 2nd most panoramic is at the top of Mt. Diablo, 3900 feet above a view of the San Joaquin Valley looking south, the Sutter Buttes looking North, Half Dome in Yosemite to the West....this one I can vouch for.

Of course, these are all opinions with which $4.00 you can make a down payment for a coffee at Starbucks.

The Grand Canyon is unique certainly!

[John Case]

Living in CA provides you with a number of impressive sights.......no one I know is ever disappointed with the entrance to Yosemite Valley, Death Valley in the spring can be breathtaking, but nothing on the scale of the Grand Canyon but some very impressive sights nonetheless.

[DoomsDave]

And, let's not forget the Golden [expletive!] GATE

[Dypsisdean]

And, let's not forget the Golden [expletive!] GATE

Dave,

Let's not forget the word "natural."

[DoomsDave]

And, let's not forget the Golden [expletive!] GATE

Dave,

Let's not forget the word "natural."

Natural?

Compared to what?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[DoomsDave]

How about Niagra, the water that thunders?

[Kim]

Watching a group of lions stalk and take down a wildebeest would have to be one of the most breathtaking dramas I've watched. That is not on the same physical scale as viewing the Grand Canyon or Yosemite Valley. I've hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon a couple of times, and to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite a couple of times, which deepens, or heightens the experience,you might say. I'd like to tell you about the view from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, but I was suffering from high altitude cerebral edema and could not see it very clearly. Diving the Blue Hole in Belize was a magnificent experience. Walking through a forest of giant redwoods is humbling. Watching lava flow in Hawaii is incredible, and watching new beaches being formed by waves pounding the new lava day after day. But there are many natural wonders on earth I've yet to see -- calving glaciers in Alaska, trekking the Himalayas to gaze up at vast peaks, the splendor of Victoria Falls, Iguazu Falls, Niagara Falls, the Amazon, the giant baobab forests in Madagascar. The world is filled with amazing wonders to see, how could I possibly pick a single one?

[bgl]

Right, picking one would be tough. Having been to both Niagara Falls and Victoria Falls - they are both very impressive. What heightened the Victoria Falls experience was the fact that because of a civil war in Zambia, right across the river, the place was pretty much deserted, which was a unique experience in itself. Not to mention, being allowed up in the cockpit of the Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount (yeah, this was many years ago!) on approach, and seeing the falls in the distance. Flying over the island group of Spitsbergen, 800 miles from the North Pole, at midnight in bright sunshine (in the month of June) may not be something that's normally thought of as being a "natural wonder" but it sure seemed that way at the time. Or seeing the Northern lights fill up the winter sky in Northern Norway.

And yes, standing 2-3 feet away from 2000 degree (F) lava a few miles away from here is pretty incredible as well!

And lots more to see!

[Dypsisdean]

A sight I took (and have taken) for granted my entire life was close to a spiritual awakening for some visitors of mine from the midwest. They had never left a small area surrounding their place of birth in Oklahoma. After a long drive they arrived after dark to stay for a week at my place near the coast in SoCal. The family was filled with anticipation to see the Pacific Ocean the following morning. They had only seen small lakes and rivers before.

Their reaction when I drove them to the top of a seaside bluff to look out on the expanse was something I didn't expect. They literally couldn't believe their eyes. And they sat and stared for hours every day they were in California, and never missed a sunset. It did "re-instill" in me what an awesome wonder the Pacific Ocean really is. But for me, growing up on and in the ocean, it had become as commonplace as the sky - an incredible wonder in its own right.

[Tropicgardener]

The Great Barrier Reef does it for me.........all 2300km of it !!!.....and it is right on my doorstep

[John in Andalucia]

World's Most Impressive Natural Wonder? To me, that would not rule out a "wonder of nature". Volcanoes, I believe, are the most uniquely awesome, naturally occurring wonders on our planet.

[amazondk]

Driving across the continental divide on the Going to Sun Highway in Glacier National Park, Montana is one of the most spectacular places I have ever been. I have crossed the divide quite a few times in my life and have always been taken a back by the shear beauty of the place. There is a point here in Manaus with a fantastic view of the meeting of the waters where the black water of the Negro River meets the muddy Solimóes river coming from Peru and forms the Amazon River proper. This point is being turned into a park. It about 100 meters above the river level and at this point one can get a feeling for the immensity of the Amazon River the forest and land that it embraces. This point today has a microwave tower. At this point buriel urns of the precolombian inhabitants have been found I imagine that the earlier residents held the place in great respect. I guess any spectacular natural feature of the Earth can only be appreciated in person.

dk

[palmmermaid]

I've been to a coupleof the places mentioned - Going to the Sun Road, Niagra Falls, the Grand Canyon. Of those, the Grand Canyon wins. I've been there twice. The first time I was in high school and we visited the South Rim. I took the mule ride down to the bottom and back up - truly awe-inspiring, even for a know-it-all high school girl.

The second time was a few years ago at Toroweep. I was on a horse back trip and we ended up at the North Rim. My horse's front feet were right on the edge of the canyon. It was pretty awesome! One of my best memories.

Some of the other places - Great Barrier Reef, Angel Falls, the Kalahari and Sahara, and all of Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania- are on my list. I would also love to visit the Great Rift Valley.

[Dave-Vero]

BBC has a story on an ocean trench near Tonga that swallows entire volcanoes. But you can't readily see the place and of course volcano-swallowing takes a while.

I'd like to do a tour of the New Caledonian flora. Amborella, the most primitive living flowering plant, other primitives, palms, whatever. Or do an Australia-South Africa cycad tour.

[Kim]

Ocean trenches swallowing volcanoes, that one gets my vote!