Best State Reserve
The Peterhof State Museum-Reserve near St Petersburg is a vast Russian landmark encompassing palaces and gardens developed by Peter the Great in 1703. It’s notable for its spectacular Baroque and Rococo architecture and renowned fountain system – one of the largest and most complex in the world. The...
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park protects a long, forested wetland in Collier County in southwestern Florida. Its strand swamp, sloughs, marl prairies, and upland habitats support a notably diverse assemblage of native orchids, bromeliads, royal palms, alligators, black bears, and Florida pant...
Broken Kettle Grasslands State Preserve is a protected natural area located in the Loess Hills of Plymouth County, Iowa. It is recognized as the state's largest contiguous native tallgrass prairie, preserving an ecosystem characterized by deep loess soils and undulating ridges. Managed primarily by...
China Cove is a small, rocky inlet located within Point Lobos State Natural Reserve near Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The cove is distinguished by its clear, vivid turquoise water, which stands out against the surrounding granite cliffs and cypress trees. A steep staircase allows visitors to acces...
The Pavlovsk State Museum-Reserve is a significant historical site located just outside St. Petersburg, Russia. It encompasses the estate of Paul I’s former summer residence, offering visitors access to remarkably preserved palace rooms and sprawling gardens developed over centuries. The reserve inc...
Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve is a 218-acre protected natural area located in Lucas County, Ohio. The preserve is ecologically significant for maintaining one of the finest remaining wet prairie and oak savanna ecosystems in the Midwestern United States. Its landscape is characterized by poorl...
Whalers Cove is a small, sheltered inlet within Point Lobos State Natural Reserve near Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. In the mid-19th century, the cove served as a base for shore-based whaling operations conducted by Portuguese immigrants. Today it is part of a protected marine area with an underwat...
The Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park safeguards a significant portion of Florida’s native dry prairie ecosystem. This expansive preserve represents one of the largest remaining examples of this habitat in the United States. Its designation as an International Dark Sky Park highlights exceptiona...
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park encompasses a vast Florida savanna wetland area spanning 21,000 acres. It’s notable for maintaining a free-ranging herd of American bison and horses, remnants of historic livestock populations. The park provides critical habitat for diverse wildlife including wadin...
The Chatkal State Nature Reserve safeguards a significant portion of Uzbekistan’s Tian Shan mountain range. It protects varied landscapes – forests, meadows, and high peaks – supporting unique plant and animal life found nowhere else. The reserve is vital for biodiversity conservation and research,...
Bigelow Cemetery Prairie State Nature Preserve is a protected natural area in Madison County, Ohio, conserving a remnant of the Darby Plains tallgrass prairie ecosystem that once covered extensive portions of west-central Ohio before agricultural conversion. The site is one of several pioneer cemete...
Zaamin State Nature Reserve is a protected area located in the Jizzakh Region of Uzbekistan, situated within the western Tian Shan mountains. Established to conserve the region's mountain ecosystems, it protects extensive juniper forests alongside diverse flora and fauna. The reserve's rugged terrai...
Point Lobos Blowhole lies within Point Lobos State Natural Reserve near Carmel, California, one of the most ecologically rich protected stretches of the US Pacific coastline.
The Nuratau State Nature Reserve is a protected area located in the Nuratau Mountains of Uzbekistan, spanning the Jizzakh and Navoiy regions. Established to preserve the region's unique montane and semi-desert ecosystems, the reserve shelters a variety of distinct flora and fauna. It is particularly...
Lower Amudarya State Biosphere Reserve, established in 2005 across Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, protects vital wetlands supporting diverse flora & fauna including the critically endangered Saiga antelope and numerous migratory bird species.
Surkhan State Nature Reserve in southern Uzbekistan protects diverse riparian habitats along the Surkhan River and surrounding mountains, safeguarding species like the striped hyena and various birdlife.
Hisar State Reserve in Kazakhstan protects globally important breeding grounds for the Dalmatian pelican and white-winged black tern within a vast wetland ecosystem.
Big Basin Prairie Preserve is an 1,800-acre geological and biological reserve located in Clark County, Kansas. The preserve is named for the large sinkhole, Big Basin, and features St. Jacob's Well, a notable spring-fed pool of water in the center of the basin. It serves as a protected area for nati...
Hayden Prairie State Preserve is a protected tallgrass prairie in Howard County in northeastern Iowa. The approximately 240-acre site preserves one of Iowa's largest remaining examples of largely unplowed native prairie and has been designated a National Natural Landmark. Its plant community include...
Clay Prairie State Preserve is a 40-acre protected natural area located within Clay County, Iowa. Dedicated for conservation in 1985, the preserve safeguards a surviving segment of native tallgrass prairie that has developed on flat, poorly drained glacial till. The landscape is dominated by big blu...
Hoosier Prairie State Nature Preserve is a 1,500-acre protected ecological area located in Lake County, Indiana. Officially established as a nature preserve in 1977, it maintains a rare, transitional landscape where tallgrass prairies, oak savannas, and marshlands intersect. The sandy soil of the re...
Five Ridge Prairie State Preserve is a 990-acre natural area located in the Loess Hills of Plymouth County, Iowa. The landscape is characterized by steep ridges and rugged topography formed by wind-deposited silt. It maintains a mix of tallgrass prairie and bur oak woodland, serving as an important...
Cedar Hills Sand Prairie State Preserve is a geological site in Black Hawk County, Iowa, notable for its dry sand prairie ecosystem and glacial topography, dedicated as a state preserve in 1985.
Rolling Thunder Prairie State Preserve is a 26-acre natural area in Warren County, Iowa, notable for its rugged, steep terrain and protected native tallgrass habitat.
Ames High Prairie State Preserve is a 20-acre protected tallgrass prairie in Story County, Iowa, dedicated in 1978 to safeguard its unplowed native sod and diverse plant life.
The Suzak State Nature Reserve is a protected area within Uzbekistan’s Syr Darya Valley. It encompasses significant wetland ecosystems crucial for numerous migratory birds, most notably the Dalmatian pelican – one of the world's rarest wading bird species. The reserve supports diverse wildlife and p...
Nestor Stiles Prairie State Preserve is a protected tallgrass prairie in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, dedicated to preserving a vital fragment of native grassland ecosystem.
Anderson Prairie State Preserve is a native tallgrass prairie in Pocahontas County, Iowa, notable for its pristine sedge meadow and diverse butterfly populations, officially protected in 1983.
Kalsow Prairie State Preserve in Iowa is a historically significant 160-acre tract of unbroken tallgrass prairie, protected in 1954 as one of the state's first prairie preserves.
Steele Prairie State Preserve in Iowa protects a 200-acre remnant of mesic tallgrass prairie, notable for its deep-rooted native grasses and diverse summer wildflowers.
