Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. News

20 dreamy U.S. sunset spots travelers say you need to see

Where to catch the best sunsets in America

Puerto Escondido
Puerto Escondido Crisoforo Gaspar Hernandez via Unsplash / Unsplash

New data collected from premium car rental company, SIXT, revealed 20 of the best spots across the U.S. to watch the sunset, ranking over 200 locations by popularity and environmental quality. The newly published research, which analyzed data based on search trends, social media data, and air quality metrics like pollution and visibility, found some top sunset locations that might surprise you. These top locations offer vivid views, from Virginia to Hawaii. These sunset destinations were also considered based on general search interest, independent of sunset-related terms.

Calcite Springs in Wyoming ranked #1 in the nation for sunsets, delivering a show of deep canyon blues, golden skies, and crystal-clear air. Coming in second place was another west-coast destination: Skagit Valley, Washington. Skagit Valley draws over 10,000 monthly Google searches and delivers stunning sunset views. From early July to late September, this top destination offers an untouched, peaceful feel to watch the sun go down. Two Hawaii destinations are ranked in third and fourth place: Kilauea Crater and Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Kilauea Crater, located on the Big Island, offers a dramatic sunset view, delivering a hidden gem for travelers visiting between April and September.

Recommended Videos

Other top rankings in the top 10 for best sunset spots in the U.S. include:

  • Ranked #5: Jenne Farm, Washington
  • Ranked #6: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
  • Ranked #7: Penn Cove, Washington
  • Ranked #8: Au Stable Light Station, Michigan
  • Ranked #9: Paradise Meadow, Washington
  • Ranked #10: Inspiration Point, Wyoming

Ranking in spots 11 through 20 are several other destinations in Wyoming, Michigan, Hawaii, and Virginia.

Emily is a Features Writer at The Manual, where she specializes in food, beverage, and travel content. She focuses on weaving… Read Full Bio
Carl Friedrik and Williams F1 launch limited-edition luxury travel collection
Carl Friedrik

Shopping for the frequent flyer, motorsport enthusiast, or person who seems to have everything? Holiday gift-giving is never easy—especially for the person who already seems to have more than they want or need. Luckily, Carl Friedrik has us covered this year with the launch of its limited-edition collaboration with Williams Racing, which brings together luxury travel essentials and racing heritage for a gift that’s anything but ordinary.

Inspired by Williams’ racing heritage and F1’s 1990s golden era, the new Grove Collection brings a vintage, motorsport twist to travel pieces that people use every day. Fronted by 1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill, this collection features rich chestnut leather, vintage-inspired racing stripes, and Williams’ signature “Forward W” logo, making each piece a standout gift for travelers who appreciate thoughtful design and a little racing history.

Read more
The Art of Doing Nothing in Kyoto
the art of doing nothing in kyoto hanami street

My first trip to Kyoto was an exhausting three-day bender. I rose at 5 a.m. to see the sunrise from Fushimi Inari, spent a small fortune Ubering between temples, and probably snapped a terabyte’s worth of photos of geiko, monks, and monkeys. I departed the ancient city with the nagging feeling that I had simultaneously seen everything and nothing—a regret akin to rushing through a magnificent dinner.

When I returned this past summer with my girlfriend, I kept in mind Kipling’s advice to the traveler: “The first condition for understanding a new country is to smell it.” With the UNESCO sites safely ticked off, I wanted to savor Kyoto slowly. Mornings in coffee shops with a book. Afternoon strolls through Gion to admire art, watches, and antiques. Dinners at out-of-the-way izakaya, perhaps followed by nightcaps at bars recommended by waiters. Like a Heian roué, I would lounge, loiter, and lollygag my way through Kyoto.

Read more
Canyon de Chelly: A Beautiful Place With a Powerful and Tragic History
Peter Horan

From the rim of Canyon de Chelly, the view is almost impossibly beautiful. Sheer red sandstone walls plunge hundreds of feet toward a green ribbon of cottonwood trees and cultivated fields. Ancient stone dwellings cling to narrow ledges high above the canyon floor. It’s the sort of landscape that makes you reach for your camera before you’ve even begun to understand what you’re looking at.

But Canyon de Chelly is much more than another spectacular Southwestern landscape. People have lived here for nearly 5,000 years, and unlike most of the great archaeological sites of the Southwest, this is still a place where families live, farm, and maintain deep connections to their ancestral homeland. It’s also the setting for one of the most tragic chapters in American history.

Read more