Off-the-Grid Places in the U.S you can still visit



by   |  VIEW 2013

Off-the-Grid Places in the U.S you can still visit

If you have a car, a picnic basket and an open mind, there are plenty of places to explore close to home. Best of all? Most of them are off the beaten track, so you can keep your social distancing intact.

  • Paint Mines Interpretive Park, Colorado
Thirty miles east of Colorado Springs lies one of El Paso County's most unique sites: a 750-acre swath of prairie, badlands, and striped hoodoos and spires.

Thanks to oxidized iron, the spires have the most beautiful colourful bands. The area is also rich in Native American history.

  • The Sailing Stones of Racetrack Playa, California
What would cause a 700-pound stone to zigzag its way some 800 feet across a California desert? Turns out it is not that much of a mystery - every winter, wind pushes them across a thin layer of ice that forms on the playa.

However, the trails are still an amazing site to visit.

  • Thor's Well, Oregon
Thor's Well is notorious among Oregonians, and for good reason. Also known as the Drainpipe of the Pacific, the mysterious sinkhole swallows sea water in violent gulps.

The phenomenon is best caught at high tide—but don't get too close.

All it takes, is a little courage

  • Kauapea Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
Although it is not really a “secret” anymore, Kauai's Kauapea is a near-empty 3 000 foot stretch of private, palm shaded shore.

It has a lack of proper parking but if you can get past the steep, strenuous, 15-minute unmarked trek, it will be well worth your while. Swimming conditions vary day to day and the strong surf and current isn't suitable for novices.

  • Peek-a-Boo Gulch, Utah
Nine miles north of Kanab, along Utah's rugged Hole-in-the-Rock Road, you will happen upon the entrance to Peek-a-Boo Gulch. The narrow slot canyon—often referred to as "Antelope Canyon without the crowds"—calls for a moderate hike.

Once inside, hand and foot cut-outs help you navigate the canyon's awe-inspiring sandstone walls.

  • Goblin Valley State Park, Utah
You may not be able to travel to Mars anytime soon, but Utah's Goblin Valley State Park, with its maze of eroded sandstone formations rises out of dusty red bedrock in a surreal, movie-like manner, will make you feel like you have.

You no longer have to travel from the comfort of your arm chair with these and other off-the-grid Places in the U.S you can still visit.