Pilgrimages for Pagan Families
A pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place or shrine. Muslims visit Mecca, Christians often visit shrines to saints or sites of miracles. As pagans, we have a few well-known holy regions - such as Ireland - or sites, such as Stonehenge. However, there are also many other opportunities closer to home (regardless of where one lives). And the wonderful thing is, most of our sites are made not by man's hands but by the Mother's. Here are some wonderful opportunities for a spiritual experience for your whole family. Many are well-known, some are less so. What wonderful opportunities for pilgrimages lie in your own neighborhood? Or can you provide a first-hand experience of how visiting a holy site affected you spiritually? Please share with us!
Alaska
Mount McKinley
The native Athabascans called it Denali, or “the high one” — an apt name for North America’s tallest peak. Soaring 20,320 feet above sea level, Mt. McKinley crowns one of America’s wildest frontiers in Alaska’s Denali National Park. The first climbers conquered the mountain nearly a century ago; today nearly half those who attempt the ascent make it to the top—though close to 100 lives have been claimed by the mountain through the years.
Arizona
Barringer Meteorite Crater
The Barringer Meteorite Crater (also known as "Meteor Crater") is a gigantic hole in the middle of the arid sandstone of the Arizona desert. A rim of smashed and jumbled boulders, some of them the size of small houses, rises 150 feet above the level of the surrounding plain. The crater itself is nearly a mile wide, and 570 feet deep.
The Grand Canyon
A powerful and inspiring landscape, the Grand Canyon overwhelms our senses through its immense size; 277 river miles (446km) long, up to 18 miles (29km) wide, and a mile (1.6km) deep.
California
Yosemite National Forest
Not just a great Valley... but a shrine to human foresight, strength of granite, power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra. Yosemite National Park, one of the first wilderness parks in the United States, is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.
Colorado
Cave of the Winds
Cave of the Winds, a hidden jewel within Colorado Natural Attractions, literally makes your jaw drop in wonder and astonishment. These Colorado Caves feature geology and adventure rolled into one—a true, unique Geo|Venture! Located in scenic hills above historic Manitou Springs, this Colorado Attraction is one of America’s most important show caves and a "must-see" for all Colorado Natural Attractions. Visitors have shared in the stunning beauty of Cave of the Winds for over a century.
Seven Falls
It has been called the "Grandest Mile of Scenery in Colorado." Located in South Cheyenne Canyon, Seven Falls cascades 181 feet in seven distinct steps down a solid cliff of pikes peak granite. Crystal clear water from the southern most edges of the Pikes Peak watershed have, over the ages, carved this unique scenic masterpiece in an easily accessed location.
Idaho
City of Rocks
This unique geologic area became a landmark in 1843 for California-bound emigrants. They left wagon ruts across the landscape and their signatures in axle grease on Register Rock, Camp Rock and many others. A few granite pinnacles and monoliths are in excess of sixty stories tall and 2.5 billion years old. The smooth granite faces offer exceptional rock climbing. Today, over 500 climbing routes have been identified.
Kansas
Cheyenne Bottoms
Cheyenne Bottoms is a 41,000-acre lowland basin and is the largest fresh water marsh in the interior of the United States. It is considered the most important shorebird migration point in the western hemisphere. Each year this area attracts 45 to 90% of the North American shorebird population during spring migration. At least 320 species of birds have been recorded. The area is a critical habitat for several threatened and endangered species such as Whooping Cranes, Peregrine Falcons, Least Terns, and Piping Plovers. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes stop here on their spring and fall migrations. Visitors can drive or walk along the dikes for some magnificent birdwatching.
Monument Rocks
On the western edge of Gove County is Monument Rocks, a series of large, heavily sculpted chalk monoliths that are sometimes referred to as the Chalk Pyramids. The site has been designated as a National Natural Landmark. In eastern Gove County is Castle Rock, a chalk spire that stands by itself in the valley of Hackberry Creek, though mmediately south of Castle Rock is an extensive outcrop of chalk, capped by the younger Ogallala Formation.
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas because it represents the last significant example of the tallgrass prairie in North America! A wide variety of educational programs and tours are offered to help the public learn about the cultural and natural history of this area.
Kentucky
Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave National Park preserves the cave system and a part of the Green River valley and hilly country of south central Kentucky. This is the world's longest known cave system, with more than 367 miles explored. Early guide Stephen Bishop called the cave a "grand, gloomy and peculiar place," but its vast chambers and complex labyrinths have earned its name—Mammoth.
New York
Niagara Falls
For generations, the majestic beauty and humbling power of Niagara Falls State Park has fostered a sense of awe and wonder. Through the years, countless people have enjoyed the sparkling scenery of the falls, making the Niagara Falls vacation spot a favorite for the whole family. Writers, artists and prominent figures have also flocked to the falls to feel the spark of creativity only the park’s panoramic views can create.
Tennessee
The Lost Sea
Deep inside a mountain near Sweetwater in East Tennessee is a remarkable body of water known as The Lost Sea. Listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as America’s largest underground lake, the Lost Sea is part of an extensive and historic cave system called Craighead Caverns. The caverns have been known and used since the days of the Cherokee Indians. From the tiny natural opening on the side of the mountain, the cave expands into a series of huge rooms. Nearly a mile from the entrance, in a room now known as “The Council Room,” a wide range of Indian artifacts including pottery, arrowheads, weapons, and jewelry have been found, testifying to the use of the cave by the Cherokees. One of the cave’s earliest visitors was a giant Pleistocene jaguar whose tracks have been found deep inside the cave. Some 20,000 years ago the animal apparently lost his way in the darkness and wandered for days before plunging into a crevice far from the daylight he sought. Some of the bones are among the exhibits at the visitor center of the Lost Sea.
Utah
Fisher Towers
The Fisher Towers are one of the most outstanding scenic features of Utah's Colorado Riverway. These rock pinnacles soar above a maze of red and purple hued canyons. Visitors to the Fisher Towers Recreation Site will be rewarded with a sweeping view of the towers, Castle Rock, the cliff enclosed Richardson Amphitheater, and the Colorado River.
Zion National Park
Massive canyon walls ascend toward a brilliant blue sky. To experience Zion, you need to walk among the towering cliffs, or challenge your courage in a small narrow canyon. These unique sandstone cliffs range in color from cream, to pink, to red. They could be described as sand castles crowning desert canyons.
Wyoming
Two Ocean Pass
Straddling the Continental Divide, this mountain pass in Wyoming offers a unique aquatic phenomenon: a stream which breaks off into two tributaries, one flowing west toward the Pacific Ocean, the other flowing east toward the Gulf of Mexico, and, ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean. A fish could theoretically swim across the whole breadth of the continent via the pass — the only one of its kind in the United States.
