Why go
The Appalachians, Great Plains and Rocky Mountains offer a clearer way to understand the mainland than a list of state boundaries. Farther west, the Great Basin, Mojave Desert and Pacific ranges introduce further contrasts. Start with the landscape you want to explore, remembering that Alaska and Hawaii have their own geographic settings.
The full story
The Atlantic coastal plain rises inland toward the wooded Piedmont and Appalachian Mountains. Beyond them lie the Great Lakes and Midwest, while the Mississippi–Missouri river system runs through the continental interior. Farther west, the Great Plains stretch toward the Rocky Mountains. The western landscape then breaks into mountain ranges, basins and deserts. The Great Basin and Mojave contrast with the Sierra Nevada and Cascades near the Pacific. These changes also help explain broad differences in climate, from the dry Southwest to wetter coastal Oregon and Washington. Alaska lies beyond Canada, with environments ranging toward subarctic and polar conditions. Hawaii consists of volcanic islands in the central Pacific. Yellowstone adds another volcanic setting within the Rockies. Thinking in these regional contrasts helps narrow a countrywide wish list into places that share a meaningful landscape or geographic theme.