I believe that the Midwest has some of the most diverse landscapes in America. I havent been everywhere so post some of the geographic distinctions of your region please. Everyone except Gych. :jk:

The northshore (MN) is spectacular by midwest standards. Some organization/magazine
ranked the "Great River Road" as one of the top 10 scenic drives in the US.
There is nothing in the continental US like Sleeping Bear Dunes on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan. 400Ft+ high sand dunes. Mackinac Island is an amazing place, a little like Catalina island, no motorized vehicles, but a lot less pretentious.

Here are two landscapes from Ohio...two pix threads....

East -Southeast of Dayton
The Virginia Military District (http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=6844.0)

Northwest of Dayton
Land of the Cross Tipped Churches (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com//showthread.php?t=89258)


And the Great Miami Valley...which runs south of Dayton to the Ohio....it is a bit odd for a valley as it sort or narrows and broadens and disappears altogether...sometimes one doesn't recognize being [i]in[/in] a valley at all...

Looking south..towards the Ohio....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Jeff59c/Miami%20Valley/17southagain.jpg

Looking north towards Dayton (one can see the downtown skyscrapers a bit behind a hill in the second pix)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Jeff59c/Miami%20Valley/13goodsamoverthevalley.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Jeff59c/Miami%20Valley/3anotherviewofdowntown.jpg

Probably as varied as any other region. I happen to like the variations in the west a whole lot more, though.


The midwest does run the gamut in terms of temperate geography, though. It goes from dense, subarctic forests in northern Minnesota and WI to flat, rolling plains not 200 miles south of that. It goes without saying, of course, that the Great Lakes themeselves are one of the most unique geographical features.


Other unique "mini-features" exist, (The Indiana Sand Dunes, Kettles, Eskers and other glacier hills in WI, Minnesota's lake districts, the UP/Apostle Islands, etc.)

Southern Indiana hill country is pretty neat. Its a continuation of what geographers call the "Interior Low Plateaus" into the Midwest....a complex of escarpments, knobs, high karst plains, river valleys, etc....very interesting country.

Id expect some of the Wisconsin posters would note the "Driftless Area".


@@@@@@

For Ohio, aside from the ones I posted upthread, there is the Western Reserve (the country east of Cleveland and north of Akron and Youngstown, up to Lake Erie).

This is a very distinctive cultural landscape that I, unfortunatly, do not have pix of. The Western Reserve was part of Connecticut, a sort of "New Connecticut", but was incorporated into Ohio. There are quite a few villiages with villiage greens, town halls, and white frame churches w. steeples, just like New England. The countryside is a series of low ridges and valleys, with bogs in the valleys, and is somewhat wooded, but in a different way than elsewhere in Ohio due to the land subdivision being a bid different.

Here's a few pics from www.lakesuperiorphoto.com

Minnesota
http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/circle%20tour/12.%20cliffs%20right%20before%20canadian%20border.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/circle%20tour/1%20gooseberry%20falls%20and%20bridge%20in%20mn.jpg

Michigan's UP
http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20of%20michigan%20fall%20colors/hogback%20and%20lake.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20of%20michigan%20fall%20colors/marquette%20county%20hilltop%20view.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20of%20michigan%20fall%20colors/sugarloaf%20mountain%20and%20glowing%20lake%20superior.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20of%20michigan%20fall%20colors/sugarloaf%20mountain%20view%20of%20hogback.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20ghost%20towns/u.p.%20ghost%20towns-%20quincy%20smelter%20side%20view%20from%20across%20the%20river.JPG

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/grand%20sable%20dunes%20mi/grand%20sable%20dunes%20late%20evening%20at%20logslide%20overlook.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/pictured%20rocks/grand%20portal%20point%20cave%20in-%20may,%20200.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/keweenaw%20mi/keweenaw-brockway%20mountain%20view%20of%20hills%20in%20summer.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20sunsets/sunrise%20over%20sugarloaf.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/keweenaw%20mi/keweenaw-brockway%20mountain%20overlooking%20lake%20superior.JPG

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/pictured%20rocks/pictured%20rocks%20cliffs-%20large%20cliff%20panoramic%20with%20shawn%20.JPG

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/pictured%20rocks/pictured%20rocks-%20twelvemile%20beach%20.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/porcupine%20mountains/porcupine%20mountains-%20lake%20of%20the%20clouds%20past%20peak.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20sunsets/lake%20superior%20sunset%20on%20canadian%20side.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20winter/lake%20superior%20'iceberg'.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/lake%20superior%20waves/presque%20isle%20black%20rocks%20and%20waves.jpg

http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/upper%20peninsula%20waterfalls/tahquamenon%20falls%20in%20october%20from%20a%20higher%20vantage%20point.JPG

My two favorite Minnesota scenery pics:

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/6654/lakesuperior21ay.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/8288/lakesuperior30jz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Midwest landscapes are certainly more diverse than I think a lot of outsiders realize, at least in that it's not just flat land everywhere, which is what others probably think.

I'm from Dayton... Jeff's pretty much got that landscape covered, so I won't bother addressing it.

I haven't been in Madison for all that long, so my exploration of Wisconsin has been somewhat limited, but here are a few nice landscapes I've seen so far:

Baraboo Hills (or Baraboo Range, not sure which term is used more commonly)
http://www.pbase.com/piggiston/image/50894975.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/piggiston/image/50894983.jpg

Devil's Lake
http://www.pbase.com/piggiston/image/50895196/large.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/piggiston/image/50895196/original.jpg)

Bluffs on the Mississippi River (border with Iowa)
http://www.pbase.com/piggiston/image/50116576.jpg

Rolling landscape nearby
http://www.pbase.com/piggiston/image/50117367.jpg

And of course, the Dells
http://www.pbase.com/piggiston/image/51031517.jpg

I heard Ise Royale in Lake Superior is pretty amazing. I guess Door County
is called the "Cape Cod of the Midwest" not sure it's quite the same, but it probably nothing like it in most states in the region.

My top ten scenec landscapes in wisconsin...i love all state's hidden beauties...im glad they put a state park and national park service in to preserve them.
WI

Its crazy that so much of wisconsin is either flat or hilly with tons of cows and barns then you get to arrive at these places...

1.Apostle Islands Nat'l Lakeshore..
http://www.obnu.com/aerial%20apostle%20islands.jpg
2.Cave Point Co. Park
http://www.dannyburk.com/images/cave-point-3.jpg
3.Perrot State Park
http://www.cantbeatfun.com/Wisconsin/Perrot/big/cliff1.jpg
4.Horicon Marsh (a little fact- is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States)
http://www.wisconsinbirds.org/iba/sites/images/HoriconHorizon.jpg
5.Wisconsin Dells
http://koransky.com/Trip/History/NorthernMidwest/Dells.jpg
6.Wyalusing St. Park
http://math.arizona.edu/~fang/photo/wisconsin_4.jpg
7.thousands of forests and lakes up north
http://www.wisconsincountyforests.com/images/timmshi.jpg
8.Kettle Moraine has a quite interesting landscape formed by the debris the glaciers left behind as they retreated(melted).
http://minsterr1.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/golfslide2.jpg
9.Milwaukee has a nice landscape filled with cliffs and valleys covered by several buildings and indusrties and homes
http://www.creativepd.com/milwaukeestockimages/cityscapes/msmkefromsouthshorepark0629lg.jpg
10. Southwest wisconsins numerous amount of valleys and hills...alot have to deal with the wisconsin and mississippi rivers meeting.
http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/FieldImages/MidwestDrainageDriftless.jpeg


otherwise out of wisconsin, my favorite landscapes are in north up of michigan..the thousand lakes of minnesota and the random southern indiana.

also i like the flatlands in the plains...endless miles of just flat terrain...

and honestly the worst part of the wisconsin landscapes is in the southeast part...and thats what most people see lol...so go figure

Although the Midwestern landscapes lack the drama of the Mountain states, I agree that most outsiders don't realize the variety of our region. My favorite areas include:

1. the rolling farmland of Wisconsin between Madison and Mpls-St. Paul. Even driving on I-94 you get great views of a rolling landscape with interesting outcroppings of rock. But its even better if you can drive on county or state highways in SW Wisconsin (between LaCrosse and Madison).

2. North Shore of Lake Superior: Highway 61 from Duluth northward is a great drive, with bluffs overlooking the great lake. Attractions like Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls make it all the more interesting.

3. Driving along the Mississippi River between Dubuque, IA and Prairie Du Chien, WI. Its been several years since I've driven this area but I recall that it includes a combination of rolling farmland, high bluffs overlooking the river and scenic little towns.

4. the lake country of Northern Minnesota: although its relatively flat and thickly wooded, driving up around Brainerd/Nisswa/Walker/Bemidji (Hwy 371) is always enjoyable due to the sheer number of lakes located up there.

http://www.rapidsriders.net/gallery/albums/River-in-Question/mankato_river.jpg


Waterfall near Mankato, Minnesota.

Love the thread... btw... keep going.

I own a cabin about 10 miles from leech lake in northern MN, ill post a pic from my porch sometime soon.

I heard Ise Royale in Lake Superior is pretty amazing

Yes it is. I went backpacking on Isle Royale once, and it is indeed different. The spectatcular view is from a fire tower on top of the central ridge, over the lake to the Sleeping Giant, rising over the watery horizon... over at Thunder Bay.

The whole UP is pretty special, actually. But in a sense one of the distinctive things of the three "Upper Great Lakes States"..Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, is the large amount of smaller glacial lakes...all three states have this "feature"...though you see it a bit in Norhtern Indiana and Northern Illinois (the lakes in Lake County) too.

The shores of Lake Superior near Grand Marais, MN
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/dmg1mn/0e6fa1cc.jpg

Split Rock Lighthouse
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/dmg1mn/d1719bd1.jpg

Illinois' major landscape.

http://www.topshot.com/dh/pix/cornfield.jpg

:badnews:

http://images2.pictiger.com/images/19/064717528265e3f290a611493b594c19.jpg (http://www.pictiger.com/)


View from my cabin.

I love Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

Here are some from Wisconsin. Fall in the Midwest is awesome...especially around the Mississippi River.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/674/z17yb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/826/z24ta.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/483/z44yy.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/7986/z32ah.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^Wow, I didn't realize how hilly it gets up there. Those trees in the last pic are gorgeous. :eek:

Iron Range near Hibbing, MN
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/dmg1mn/313aeb0f.jpg

People would be suprised how geographically varied the midwest really is. Most people think its all flat. The Great Lakes region a wonderful landscape.

..there is that Appalachian part of Ohio, too....maybe thats not really "Midwest", though its in a Midwestern state...

Illinois' major landscape.

True. But really, I've found some interesting pictures of various parts of Illinois over the years that I never knew existed, even in the Chicago metro. I'll try and find some later.

wisconsin also has these wierd plateau/rock thingys..in the middle of nowhere that jet to about 500ft in the air.
http://www.uwec.edu/bawdent/geog491/Website%20Files/millbluff1.jpg
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/millbluff/images/bluffs-.jpg

rock island illinois is neat.
southern illinois is actually pretty diverse in landscapes..
Shawnee National Forest is my favorite
http://scenicus.com/IL/p/shaw.jpg
http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu/~ahous/Photography/Fall2002/little-falls.jpg
or the cypress swamp..ouu
http://www.compass-points.com/iom_images/HeronPond.jpg
http://illinois.sierraclub.org/Shawnee/gallery/heronpond/cypressS1BB.jpg

doesnt seem like thats in illinois ...but it is hiding!

The midwest does have alot of diverse landscapes...its just very hidden...compared to the west in which the landscapes are practically shown on a map...

wisconsin also has these wierd plateau/rock thingys..in the middle of nowhere that jet to about 500ft in the air.
http://www.uwec.edu/bawdent/geog491/Website%20Files/millbluff1.jpg
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/millbluff/images/bluffs-.jpg
Where are those? I need to compile a list of Wisconsin landscapes to visit someday.

Where are those? I need to compile a list of Wisconsin landscapes to visit someday.

I'm not entirely sure where the rocky outcroppings you see in that photo are, but I can tell you that if you drive up or down I-94 through Wisconsin you will see plenty of this sort of feature. I love that stretch through Wisconsin - the state definitely has a lot of things going for it when it comes to interesting and unique scenery.

yeah he's right its on I-94 just past the wisconsin dells near the town of Mauston or so. Thats actually caused by the glaciers along time ago. Wisconsin used to be an ocean, and the glaciers sketched out the weird landscapes we have.

http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/projects/geoweb/participants/dutch/geolwisc/geostops/GranddadBluff.HTM


On top of granddad bluff looking at lacrosse and minnesota in the distance.

rock island illinois is neat.
southern illinois is actually pretty diverse in landscapes..
Shawnee National Forest is my favorite
http://scenicus.com/IL/p/shaw.jpg
http://www.atmos.uiuc.edu/~ahous/Photography/Fall2002/little-falls.jpg
or the cypress swamp..ouu
http://www.compass-points.com/iom_images/HeronPond.jpg
http://illinois.sierraclub.org/Shawnee/gallery/heronpond/cypressS1BB.jpg

doesnt seem like thats in illinois ...but it is hiding!

The midwest does have alot of diverse landscapes...its just very hidden...compared to the west in which the landscapes are practically shown on a map...


Wow...When I lived in Mississippi there were a lot of those bald cypress trees that grow in swamps and bayous...I had no idea they grew this far north!

And yes the Great Lakes is an excellent landscape. In fact I prefer the diversity of the midwest over the general mountain ranges anyway. People just think the Midwest is a flat cornfield but it is far from that. I am very impressed by the pics, likely the best I've seen of the Great Lakes scene. Continue to post pictures, please.

Google'd mn north shore and found this...


http://gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/images/full/minnnorthshore1.jpg

More of Michigan's diverse scenery (googled):

Tahquamenon Falls in winter:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mqt/webpics/snowpics/Big/Tahquamenon%20Falls%203.jpg

Isle Royale:
http://www.nps.gov/tourism/Summer2001en/sum13.gif
http://www.kgcphoto.com/Isle%20Royale%20National%20Park/Isle-Royale-2005_2707.jpg

Pictured Rocks:
http://ncgsa.unl.edu/photos/michigan/PicturedRocks.jpg
http://www.jcu.edu/philosophy/gensler/up2/images/30.jpg

Saginaw Bay:
http://www.glcclub.com/mphotos/sagbay-lg.jpg

Sleeping Bear Dunes:
http://www.repamerica.org/mi/SleepingBear.jpg

Hiawatha National Forest:
http://www.danasresort.com/images/summer02/20020726_Dcp_1163_Hiawatha.jpg

Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains:
http://www.dannyburk.com/images/lake-of-clouds-sunrise-purp.jpg
http://www.lakesuperiorphoto.com/porcupine%20mountains%5Cporcupine%20mountains-%20lake%20of%20the%20clouds%20past%20peak.jpg

Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan, Lower Peninsula:

http://www.msstate.edu/dept/GeoSciences/CT/TIG/WEBSITES/LOCAL/Summer2003/Fessenden_Lisa/sl_bear_3.JPG

http://www.findlocalcoupons.com/wallpaper/graphics/57_big.jpg

Grand Haven,MI (Lower Peninsula)
http://www.bergoiata.org/fe/Paysages-divers/Grand%20Haven%20Inner%20and%20South%20Pierhead%20Lighthouse,%20Michigan.jpg

Saugatuck Dunes, Southwestern Michigan
http://www.f4ac.com/wallpaper/graphics/beach_dunes.jpg

^ That Grand Haven shot is breath-taking.

^^I agree

That's one of many lighthouses in the state. If I remember correctly, we have more lighthouses than any state. Many of them have been decommissioned as lighthouses, though, and now act as museums or historic sites.

^ Yep, Michigan has 116 lighthouses.

http://www.northernmichigan.com/public/Lighthouses/
http://www.michiganlights.com/lightlist.htm
http://www.michiganlighthouse.com/gallery.html

http://www.mikebartonphoto.com/Michigan/Charlevoix/Lighthouse/Gallery1/images/Ch_Light5_lrg.jpg

http://www.photography-plus.com/Lighthouse_small/GrandHaven_small.jpg

http://www.repamerica.org/mi/Lighthouse.jpg

http://www.manistique.com/bus/lenon/images/natureslight.jpg

devils lake is neat this is a neat rendering of what it looks like
http://www.manifold.net/images/gallery/Devils_Lake_State_Park_WI.jpg

I love the whitefish dunes beach in door co...but the tides are intiminating
http://www.epiicenter.com/photography/us-wisconsin/images/whitefish-dunes.jpg

bayfield county up their by all the indian reservations is peaceful not to far away from home.
http://people.cornell.edu/pages/jrn7/smallpics/landscape/wisconsin/marengoheadwaters.jpg

lots of rafting up north in all hundreds of rivers in n. wisconsin
http://www.medepalma.com/Paulspage/rafting.jpg

Michigan lighthouses are amazing....they locate them in perfect settings...its some unique architecture also

All of these pictures were taken last Fall in Northern Wisconsin...

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/9732/11lw.jpg

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/2622/28il.jpg

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/2015/34ll.jpg

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/7627/48ur.jpg

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/4950/54hf.jpg

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/6576/69ak.jpg

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/4128/72yf.jpg

those pictures are amaaaaaazing! where was the fourth one down....
wisconsin has so many hidden beauties with in it...thats probably why we dont have so many high rises lol.

those pictures are amaaaaaazing! where was the fourth one down....
wisconsin has so many hidden beauties with in it...thats probably why we dont have so many high rises lol.

Thank you! :)

The fourth picture down was a natural land bridge my girlfriend (at the time) and I found while trekking along trails above the infamous sea caves of Northern Wisconsin/Bayfield area.

Getting there was quite a hassle... we had to drive on numerous back-roads based on a map an old man drew for us on a napkin at a coffeeshop in Bayfield. Once we ran out of road, we hiked the trails for about five miles or so and came across this amazing spot in the land. I wanted to traverse the "bridge" but my girlfriend didn't want me to fall the 100 feet or so to the water below.

haha, i am like that, i like to go to the extreme for pictures just to get the best shot. Thats an amazing land bridge i plan on going up to bayfield sometime in 2006.
heres some of my pictures from door county *lots of sunsets*
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1165/door74sx.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/241/door89mw.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/4465/door53pv.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/8153/door46xs.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/6057/door39jo.jpg
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/976/door28up.jpg

Photos from Ken Harmon, and I hope he doesn't mind me posting these.

All are from Northern Minnesota.

http://www.infionline.net/~bwca3/arrowhead_photos_html/arrowhead_photos/cariboulakefogboat.jpg

http://www.infionline.net/~bwca2/arrowhead_photos_html/arrowhead_photos/brulefallstelewinter.jpg

http://www.infionline.net/~bwca/arrowhead_photos_html/arrowhead_photos/tettlake.jpg

http://www.infionline.net/~bwca/arrowhead_photos_html/arrowhead_photos/mountain.jpg

http://www.infionline.net/~bwca/arrowhead_photos_html/arrowhead_photos/roselakesunrise.jpg

http://www.infionline.net/~bwca/arrowhead_photos_html/arrowhead_photos/partrgf.jpg

http://www.infionline.net/~bwca/arrowhead_photos_html/arrowhead_photos/carbgby.jpg

Those pictures are fantastic UWMilwaukeeJay! The last one has got to be my favorite though... what's that in the background, Penninsula State Park?

And wow on those last shots Sirus... wow.

yeap, penninsula...i get up to door about 5 times a year... wow amazing minnesota pics whats the river in that one shot? or is that a long lake

South Dakota is part of the Midwest< I think. How about Mt. Rushmore,
The Badlands, all that amazing terrain in the western edge of SD.
I've never been there but I'd like to see more photos, if someone
has some to post. I guess there is an area of Nebraska that looks
sort of like the Mesa strewn deserts of Arizona, anyone know about
it? Thanks

yeap, penninsula...i get up to door about 5 times a year... wow amazing minnesota pics whats the river in that one shot? or is that a long lake


the caption said Mountain Lake, so lake it be. Creative name huh?

Here historybuffer:

North Dakota

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ne/usnd8456.jpeg

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ne/usnd8457.jpeg

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/np-rockies/thro8680.jpeg

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/np-rockies/thro0595.jpeg

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/np-rockies/thro8682.jpeg

South Dakota

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ne/ussd8439.jpeg

Bad Lands

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/np-rockies/badl0589.jpeg

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/np-rockies/badl0583.jpeg

Nebraska

Scotts Bluff Nat. Monument

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ne/usne6756.jpeg

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ne/usne6748.jpeg

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ne/usne6746.jpeg

I just have one word to say: WOW

Sirus, those Minnesota and Dakota pics are great!

Here's some more from Wisconsin starting with a few from Devils Lake
http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/486869127QuLlHX_ph.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/453889090GFJzEh_ph.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/39757805MsjHCQ_ph.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/376591730gwJeAa_ph.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/466907453dtLQpX_ph.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/172702588EYFgyQ_ph.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/172701990HbkQOA_ph.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/402387132tAANtz_ph.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/78266955_f518308e09_b.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/83098392_ed0a30ac9d_b.jpg

http://www.boomspeed.com/paule17/25624782_7fca7f51d5_o.jpg