9 Ideal Destinations For A 3-Day Weekend In The Northern United States

The Northern United States covers serious geographic range: Pacific Northwest coastline, the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, the Great Lakes, and the New England coast. A three-day weekend in any of the nine destinations below delivers a different experience: glacier viewing in Montana, Space Needle and Pike Place in Seattle, lake country in Idaho, tidewater glaciers in Alaska, badlands in North Dakota, Lake Superior shipping in Duluth, Acadia trails in Maine, New York City, and Vermont covered bridges in Woodstock.

Glacier National Park, Montana

Glacier National Park covers 1 million acres of northern Montana along the Canadian border and receives about 3 million visitors per year. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (as part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park with Canada). Of the 150-odd glaciers that existed when the park was established in 1910, fewer than 30 active glaciers remain, and park scientists expect most to be gone by 2030. The 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass with hiking trailheads, and Many Glacier on the east side offers the most accessible glacier viewing.

Seattle, Washington

Seattle's iconic landmarks are familiar from movies and TV: the Space Needle (built for the 1962 World's Fair on a "Century 21" theme), Pike Place Market (which opened in 1907, making it one of the oldest continuously operating farmers markets in the US), and the original Starbucks store (opened 1971, still serving coffee at Pike Place). The Space Needle's 520-foot observation deck offers views of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains. Discovery Park on the Puget Sound offers hiking, beach access, and tide pool exploration. Chihuly Garden and Glass at Seattle Center displays the installations of Washington's own Dale Chihuly.

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Coeur d'Alene sits in Idaho's northern panhandle between Montana, Washington, and British Columbia, at the northern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene. The lake has 109 miles of shoreline and supports sailing, kayaking, bass fishing, and summer swimming. The 3,300-foot Floating Boardwalk at the Coeur d'Alene Resort is the world's longest floating boardwalk and offers a dramatic walk over the lake. The resort's golf course features a floating green, one of the few in the world.

Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Alaska's Kenai Peninsula is the most accessible major Alaskan wilderness experience from the lower 48, reachable by a 3-hour drive from Anchorage. Seward, the peninsula's main port town, is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. Day boats from Seward run six to eight-hour tours past tidewater glaciers where Holgate Glacier and Aialik Glacier calve into the Pacific Ocean. Wildlife sightings typically include humpback whales, orcas, Steller sea lions, sea otters, and tufted puffins. Homer at the peninsula's southern end sits on the Homer Spit, a 4.5-mile gravel bar that juts into Kachemak Bay. Rustic cabins and yurts handle most accommodations outside the main towns.

Medora, North Dakota

Medora, North Dakota sits at the edge of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, with Theodore Roosevelt National Park to the north and the badlands terrain spreading out across the region. The park preserves the cattle ranch landscapes where a young Theodore Roosevelt spent time in the 1880s after his wife and mother died on the same day in 1884. Roosevelt later credited the experience with shaping his conservation policies as president. The park's wildlife includes bison, pronghorn antelope, wild horses, and elk. In town, the Medora Musical runs throughout the summer season at the Burning Hills Amphitheatre with an outdoor show on Roosevelt and North Dakota history.

Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth sits at the western tip of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in North America by surface area. The port of Duluth-Superior is the world's largest inland freshwater port, handling ocean-going cargo ships brought in through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway. The Aerial Lift Bridge, a 1905 lift bridge that raises to let ships pass, is one of only a few of its kind. Canal Park is the main downtown waterfront area, with the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center next to the shipping channel. The Superior Hiking Trail north from Duluth covers 310 miles along the Lake Superior shoreline to the Canadian border, with waterfalls including Gooseberry Falls along the way.

Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island in coastal Maine is the main gateway to Acadia National Park, one of the most visited national parks in the US. Acadia covers 47,000 acres across Mount Desert Island, the Schoodic Peninsula, and several offshore islands, with 158 miles of hiking trails, 45 miles of historic carriage roads (built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and now closed to cars), and the 1,530-foot summit of Cadillac Mountain. From October through March, Cadillac Mountain is the first spot in the continental US to see the sunrise each morning. Bar Harbor itself has a historic waterfront downtown with schooner tall-ship tours, seafood restaurants, and the Abbe Museum (a Smithsonian-affiliated museum focused on the region's Wabanaki peoples).

New York City, New York

New York City barely needs description. The usual three-day hit list: Times Square, Central Park, the Empire State Building, and a Broadway show. For something beyond the tourist circuit, the 1920s Prohibition-era history is well preserved: Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side, established 1925, still serves lunch counter classics. The 59th Street Bridge (the Queensboro) offers the Great Gatsby-era views across the East River. Speakeasy-themed bars in Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side hide behind unmarked doors and password entry systems. Museums, food, and neighbourhood walks easily fill three days.

Woodstock, Vermont

Woodstock, Vermont (not to be confused with Woodstock, New York, site of the 1969 music festival) is a central Vermont village anchored by the Village Green. The Norman Williams Public Library, housed in an 1885 Victorian Romanesque building, is one of the most striking small-town libraries in New England. Three covered bridges in and around town include the Middle Covered Bridge, spanning the Ottauquechee River right in the village. Billings Farm and Museum, one of the oldest working Jersey dairy farms in the country, operates as both a functioning farm and a living-history museum. Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park next to Billings Farm is the only national park focused on American conservation history.

Nine Weekends, One Region

Pick a destination by what you want to see, not by brand. Glacier National Park and the Kenai Peninsula are once-per-lifetime wilderness trips for anyone who can swing the logistics. Seattle, NYC, and Duluth deliver city trips at different scales. Coeur d'Alene and Bar Harbor handle lake-and-ocean beach culture. Medora, Woodstock, and the Kenai backcountry hand over the small-town experience. Three days is enough for any of these, though most reward a longer stay.