In your opinion, what is the most beautiful US state?

Strictly geographically speaking - if you remove disgusting humans - then Arizona, California, New Mexico, West Virginia

California

Lol r1! I agree with you on West Virginia in the east.

California ,then Utah

I'll go with WA State. Rainforests. soaring mountains, islands, water everywhere. Vineyards and a Tuscany feel on east side of state.

Just for pure diversity of beauty, it's stunning. You get all the green that California lacks, and the mountains that Oregon lacks. Add the water and beaches and islands, and it's my top pick. I can't stand to be land-locked, though.

CA.

Hawaii.

California -- but I'm a little biased. Oregon is gorgeous as well. Maine, Utah.

Arizona

Alaska

Oregon, and I say that as a Washingtonian. Utah is a close second. Between Crater Lake, the scenic coastal corridor, and the sand dunes out east, Oregon is the best mix of beauty and low population density. But avoid Cannon Beach, ew. California would be #1 if it weren't for the masses of people at all the state and national parks.

R5, all the green that California lacks?

Have you ever been there?

[quote]all the green that California lack

Yes, R12. LA is in a very lush, green part of the world.

What's with all the people picking desert states like Arizona?

California. You'd be hard pressed to find something that beats Highway 1 below San Francisco through Central CA. It has everything- deserts, mountains, oceans, giant forests.

AZ, UT, NM, OR, WA and HI all great. ME was my favorite of the eastern states. I will say that driving through Arkansas, I was surprised at how beautiful the Ozarks area was.

California, Hawaii, Vermont, New Mexico and parts of Texas

Hawaii

California, Hawaii and Tennessee (Smokey Mountains are heavenly). Have been to 32 States so far but this thread has given me ideas for future road trips, I'm really itching to get back out there. Hurry up 💉

[quote]California. You'd be hard pressed to find something that beats Highway 1 below San Francisco through Central CA.

No one refers to any part of California that Highway 1 passes through as "Central California." Central COAST, yes.

R13, are you aware that California is not just Los Angeles? Ever been to the Redwoods? The Sierra Nevadas? Kern River?

To be fair, all that rain does make the western half of Washington turn up 50 shades of green. Yeah, parts of every state are green but I couldn’t get over the lushness of WA, especially as we drove all over the Olympic peninsula. That was something else.

R20 The greenest part of WA is imo is the North Cascades. I was disappointed by the Olympic peninsula, but I've only ever been in the summer. My favorite part of WA is the Columbia river region with it's dry gorges and turquoise water.

Michigan is beautiful with all the Great Lakes. It also has very nice forests, rivers.....etc... here’s the pictured rocks shoreline area of Lake Superior :

R21 I have only seen it from the train between Seattle and SF (highly recommended if anyone has the time for a long train ride) and I've always wanted to go back and explore it in more detail.

Washington and Montana for me.

New York!!

Can only speak about the states I've visited—

Hawaii

California

Vermont

Colorado

Not Pennsylvania, though it has its areas.

I would include New York...the beaches of the Hamptons and Montauk...NYC is a beautiful city...the Adirondacks are beautiful...the Finger Lakes region is lovely...as is much of the Hudson Valley

r13 desert states can be quite beautiful.

r13 the mountains outside Las Cruces, New Mexico. I use to climb this mountain almost every morning to see this view.

The desserts are beautiful and a real novelty for those of us who didn't grow up near one. I feel like a lot of us prefer something different to what we grew up in. I remember reading once that people from dry, warm places draw heaven as a tropical garden with lots of rain and water. People from cold, wet climates draw heaven as sunny, beachy, palm trees. One of the sweetest things I've ever seen was a child seeing hail stones for the first time during a downpour in the Grand Canyon. Their little faces lit up like they had won a million dollars. As someone from a rainy climate it reminded me to stop moaning about the weather.

[quote]The desserts are beautiful

Especially in Italy.

North Dakota. Open spaces. Wheat fields. Distant horizons. Puffy clouds. Straight roads.

North Dakota was a pleasant surprise for me r33

California.

I love Maine. The quaint little towns, the rocky coast, the stunning fall foliage.

Another vote for Oregon/ Washington. Maine for the east.

We live in an incredibly stunning country.

R22, Michigan looks lovely. When this pandemic is over, Isle Royale National Park and the upper peninsula is on my list of places to travel to within the country.

Hawaii

I've been to 49 of the 50 states (except Alaska). I have found unbelievable beauty in every one of them.

What I love about Texas is it’s big enough for crap cities AND lovely nature places.

Texas, Texas, Yeehaw!

Nevada, but I find the desert beautiful.

No state is 100% beautiful. Even the glamour states have a huge proportion of endless flat farmland, or forests that are very nice but you never see anything but forests and clearings.

But of all the glamour states I think California wins, because it has the most variety. Whatever you like, whether it's beaches, mountainous coasts, unique forests, deserts, mountains, alpine scenery or green meadows* dotted with oaks, California has it.

Georgia is really pretty. Mountains, forests, Savannah, the beach, farmlands and the Okeefenokee Swamp. Atlanta isn't ugly either

R36, Maine was a pleasant revelation. I had never seen so many pretty lakes and ponds in all of my life.

Hawaii

Nawth Kehlahna. We have to push all the hillbillies out and make it the first gay state.

Hawaii is stunning, as is California. NY has such great variety. Alaska is incomparable. Nevada and Arizona are amazing too. And there's also Maine and Georgia and North Carolina. The USA is truly blessed with so many natural resources. All that said, I'm gonna vote for Utah. It's gorgeous, peaceful, serene. It surprised me with its splendor.

Another vote for Alaska.

I know most people won't believe this, but there is nothing like Central New Jersey (Princeton) in the spring. The song line "a garden bursting into life" pops into my head when I think about it. Flowering trees everywhere.

If I could vote for a region it would be the pacific northwest including British Columbia. If not, perhaps the state of Washington.

What R44 said. I've been to at least parts of all 50 states, and all over California; nothing compares to the variety of California, and the truly epic nature of much of its beauty.

It depends on what you think is beautiful. Personally, I think California is because it has such diversity from north to south. It has everything mountains beaches rich farmlands and forests and even deserts. I also love Hawaii. It is just gorgeous.

Hawaii--such different environments in such a small place. The trouble with California is that yes, you have the Pacific Coast Highway, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, etc. but a lot of it is dull high desert (much of the area near LA) or dull sprawlburgs built on what is basically desert (greater LA), not to mention the boring Central Valley. Hawaii has few places that disappoint. Oregon has some great beauty near the Coastal range but it and Washington State are dull as dust as you go East. Texas is just endlessly dull as dust---places like Hill Country that used to be a respite from this are now just crappy tourist traps. Maine and Vermont, OTOH, are really beautiful, along with NH once you get N of Concord .

New York really has everything: skyscrapers,statues, mountains, beaches, rivers, falls.

Alaska, hands down.

Hawaii, duh.

California.

I’ve been to 36 states - there was something beautiful in all of them. However to me Hawaii stands out. I’ve been 6 times and the scenery is spectacular-with rugged coastlines , volcanos and tropical flowers. I can’t wait to go again.

OP have you been to the Anza Borrego desert? Pretty spectacular.

Top 4, in order:

Hawaii

California

New Mexico

Alaska