Travel + Leisure names 'hypnotic' destination the most beautiful in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Travel + Leisure recently released a list of the most beautiful places across the United States, with two national parks in the Pacific Northwest making the cut.

The list, which was published in March, includes locations in every state from “stunning desert scenery to gorgeous beaches.”

According to the outlet, the most beautiful place in Oregon is Crater Lake.

“Crater Lake is evidence of the tectonic activity that's eternally shaping the planet,” Travel + Leisure explained. “A long-ago eruption formed a giant caldera, which, over time, filled with rain and snow. The gradual result is a deep lake—the deepest in the country, in fact, at 1,943 feet—with intense blue waters and fantastic clarity. Crater Lake's idyllic mountain setting atop the Cascade Range makes it even more hypnotic.”

Crater Lake National Park was founded May 22, 1902, aiming to preserve the area's natural and cultural resources.

According to the National Park Service, a Native American connection to the area can be traced back before the eruption of Mount Mazama, with archeologists discovering sandals and other artifacts buried under layers of ash from the eruption around 7,700 years ago.

NPS notes there is little evidence that Mt. Mazama was a permanent home for people. Instead, the area was a temporary camp site.

DON'T MISS: Crater Lake closing to swimmers, boaters for 3 years starting in 2026

In Washington, the most beautiful spot is Hurricane Ridge within Olympic National Park, Travel + Leisure said.

“This mountainous area within Olympic National Park packs the best features of Washington state—snowy peaks, glassy lakes, grazing black-tailed deer in steep meadows, and thick evergreen forests—into one enchantingly alpine package,” Travel + Leisure said.

According to NPS, Hurricane Ridge is the most easily accessible mountain area in the Olympic National Park, which received the national park designation in 1937.

NPS notes eight contemporary tribes of the Olympic Peninsula - the Makah, Quileute, Hoh, Quinault, Skokomish, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, and Lower Elwha Klallam -- have lived in the area since time immemorial and continue to have strong relationships to the land and water in the national park.

"Life at Hurricane Ridge is shaped by wind and snow," NPS says. "Winds gusting over 75 miles an hour buffet the ridge, lending the name 'Hurricane.' The 30-35 feet of snow that falls annually lingers into summer, shaping life year-round. Its weight challenges trees: its persistence maintains open meadows. As you explore, look for evidence that snow truly sculpts this landscape."

Other spots on Travel + Leisure's list include Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, which Travel + Leisure named the best tourist destination, Badlands National Park in South Dakota, which was named an underrated hidden gem, and Yosemite National Park in California, named best for families.