Most beautiful vacation spots to photograph

Want to make sure you have stellar photographs to fill your albums after your vacation? Choose one of these destinations, all filled with beautiful spots for photo bugs.

Grand Canyon

This breathtaking vacation spot is located in northwest Arizona. The vibrant colors and natural rock sculptures are beyond anything you would ever imagine. If you’re not a huge hiker, you can still fire off tons of shots from the south rim, the most easily accessed and visited portion of the park. If you want to go below the rim or see the other side of the canyon, you’re going to have to hike (or take a very long drive). Even the most experienced hikers sometimes have difficulty here, so be prepared with plenty of water and food. Most destinations within the canyon require at least one overnight stop, but some places can take as long as three weeks to reach on foot. Lodging, camping and restaurants are located near the south rim, but they’re almost always packed, so call ahead for reservations. The south rim is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can even snag sunrise and sunset photos without trying to duck park rangers.

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Yucatán Peninsula

When you book your trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, located in southeastern Mexico, don’t make it just a long weekend. There’s enough to do here to keep you busy for weeks, and most of it will look great in pictures. Visit nearly any locale along the Riviera Maya for luxury resorts, yachts, restaurants and more — all with fantastic views of the water and picturesque surroundings. Go snorkeling and swim near coral reefs (bring an underwater camera for those stops!) for sights you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. If you’re not afraid of heights, go zip-lining and photograph the beauty of nature from above the canopy of the trees. To see the beauty of the past and learn about a culture from long ago, visit the Mayan ruins that scatter the peninsula. Some can even be climbed on and walked through, so be sure to break out your camera for that stop.

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Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is known for its waterfalls and geysers, but there’s so much more than that for those of you with an eye for pictures! The park is filled with valleys, winding rivers, wetlands, meadows, granite formations and tons of wildlife. Plus, you just can’t leave without taking the standard giant sequoia photo — how many members of your family will it take to stretch around one of these giant monsters of the forest?

Michigan sand dunes

Looking to spend some time at the beach without all the hustle and bustle of an oceanfront town? You’ll be surprised by the beautiful beaches you’ll find along Michigan’s coastline. These towns have nearly everything you look for in a beach town, just on a smaller scale. Several of these beaches are scattered with gorgeous sand dunes — and Silver Lake Sand Dunes are some of the best. Take a dip in the lake (which looks as big as an ocean), play on the beach, climb a dune, ride a go-kart up the mound — do whatever you please, just make sure to bring your camera with you because you won’t see sights like this anywhere else.

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