MattPayne's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Colorado Springs, Colorado

Garden of the Gods

Strange red rock formations that have been attributed to a higher power for hundreds of years.
Kayenta, Arizona

Burger King Navajo Code Talkers Display

Hidden inside this Arizona fast food franchise is an in-depth exhibit on the famed WWII counterintelligence program.
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado's Airplane Restaurant

This Boeing KC-97 tanker is now a restaurant for aviation lovers.
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum

Victorian "Fancy Craft" Hair Wreaths and Relics.
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Loretto Chapel

Wedding chapel's mysterious spiral staircase said to be miraculously constructed.
Manitou Springs, Colorado

Manitou Cliff Dwellings

These faux-cliff dwellings allow visitors to climb around on a replica archaeological site.
Manitou Springs, Colorado

Rainbow Falls

Hidden beneath a bridge, this waterfall is known for the large amounts of graffiti painted on its base.
Manitou Springs, Colorado

Manitou Mineral Springs

There are eight natural springs around town, each with a slightly different taste.
Manitou Springs, Colorado

Manitou Incline

This super steep hike ascends 2,000 feet in less than a mile.
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Old Gold Camp Road Tunnels

The haunted reputation of these abandoned Colorado train tunnels is probably not helped by the terrifying spiked fence.
Cascade, Colorado

Pikes Peak Summit House

Thanks to a quirk of elevation this gift shop produces magic doughnuts that are found nowhere else on Earth.
Cañon City, Colorado

Royal Gorge Bridge

The highest bridge in America was built for an almost unnervingly small amount of money.
Alamosa, Colorado

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

When ecosystems collide in the arid Southwest.
Moab, Utah

Upheaval Dome

This raised bulls-eye visible from space was the subject of an intense geologic controversy.
Moab, Utah

Landscape Arch

The fifth-longest natural arch in the world, and the longest outside China.
Aspen, Colorado

Maroon Bells

Despite being one of the most photographed vistas in the Rockies these twin peaks are rightfully known as the "Deadly Bells."
Nathrop, Colorado

St. Elmo Ghost Town

This nearly abandoned town was once a thriving mining community until a series of fires.
Redlands, Colorado

Independence Monument

For over a century, it has been a tradition to raise a flag at the top of this 450-foot sandstone pillar on the 4th of July.
Marble, Colorado

Marble Mill Site Park

The site of a defunct mill, that once supplied marble for the construction of the Lincoln Memorial.
Halchita, Utah

Forrest Gump Point

The location where the iconic movie character declared it was time to go home.
Castle Valley, Utah

Fisher Towers

These tall, red sandstone pinnacles outside Moab are often forgotten amid their more famous neighbors.
Nageezi, New Mexico

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

A phenomenal assembly of pueblos in New Mexico is the most complete example of ancient ruins north of the border.
Monticello, Utah

Newspaper Rock

One of the world’s largest collections of petroglyphs records 2,000 years of human activity.
Monticello, Utah

Church Rock

Oddly shaped rock formation, misassociated with a nearby utopian community.