Seattle is a city shaped by water, mountains, and innovation. Its skyline, dominated by the Space Needle, tells only part of the story. Beneath it lies a vibrant mix of neighborhoods, each with its own character. Seattle was the birthplace of grunge music and remains a stronghold for independent arts. The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), located at the Seattle Center, celebrates the city’s creative spirit with exhibits on everything from Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix to science fiction and gaming.

Tonto National Forest covers a large area of central Arizona, stretching across desert lowlands, rugged mountains, pine forests, and river corridors north and east of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Its varied elevation creates several distinct landscapes within one forest, from saguaro-filled Sonoran Desert to ponderosa pine country around the Mogollon Rim.

Moraine Lake is a glacial lake in Banff National Park, Alberta, surrounded by the peaks of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Its turquoise water is fed by glacial meltwater, while dense coniferous forest covers the lower slopes around the shoreline. The lake sits in a high mountain basin reached by a winding road from the Lake Louise area. Its setting within the Canadian Rockies places it among alpine landscapes of steep peaks, glaciers, rock faces, and mountain valleys.

Cape Peninsula is the mountainous, coastal region extending south from Cape Town into the Atlantic Ocean and False Bay. Its landscape combines Table Mountain, rocky headlands, sandy beaches, forests, and open fynbos-covered slopes. Table Mountain National Park runs along much of the peninsula, protecting the mountain chain and coastline from Signal Hill to Cape Point.

Twizel is a 40 minute drive from Mt. Cook Village. Nearby is Mount Cook National Park and Lake Ruataniwha.