Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley needs 3 days: hiking to the base of Yosemite Falls, the tallest in North America with a 739-meter total drop, on one, taking in El Capitan -the 900-meter granite monolith that draws the world's best climbers- from El Capitan Meadow on another, and cycling through the Valley to Tunnel View, the park's most photographed overlook, on the third. May-September is best, when the highest mountain roads are open (several close for snow in winter). It's expensive only due to lodging logistics, since national park entry itself is affordable. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was the first territory in the world legally protected specifically to preserve nature, when Abraham Lincoln signed its protection in 1864, laying the groundwork for the US national park system.