Ranking series of “America’s Best Ecotourism Destinations” were released today.

Whether it is strolling along a beach in California or spotting alligators in the Everglades, traveling is an exciting experience. Caught up in all of this excitement though, few people stop and think about the impact they are having on the environment and the local communities they are visiting. In response to the carelessness of many tourists and money-sucking tourist magnets, a movement known as “ecotourism” is becoming increasingly popular. The staff at RAVE Reviews is a fan of both sustainable living and traveling. It just made sense to find the best Ecotourism destinations that people can sustainably visit and enjoy.

Ecotourism is essentially sustainable travel that focuses on supporting untapped natural beauty instead of massive tourist machines. No more buying overpriced souvenirs in Times Square and throwing the plastic wrapping on the ground. Ecotourism would have you animal spotting along Virginia’s Birding and Wildlife Trail, or maybe even immersing yourself in a Native American living history experience at Colorado’s Indigenous Roots LLC. This ranking plans out the perfect ecotourism road trip across the country. For convenience, RAVE also included recommendations for activities and lodging near each destination.

In determining which destinations to feature, the experts compared reviews from sources across the internet and took into account multiple factors such as the number of eco-tourist attractions in the region, availability of eco-lodging near the destination, degree of community support for ecological initiatives, and if the destination made sense in the routing of the trip.

The full list of featured destinations includes:

Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Georgia

Asheville, North Carolina

Chicago, Illinois

DownEast Acadia, Maine

Half Moon Bay, California

Hawley Earthfest, Pennsylvania

Indigenous Roots LLC, Colorado

Kasha-Katuwe National Monument, New Mexico

Lake Erie, Ohio

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, New York

Portland, Oregon

The Everglades, Florida

The Ozarks, Missouri

Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail, Virginia

Washington D.C., District of Columbia

World Birding Center, Texas

Yellowstone National Park, California

Yosemite National Park, California

Zion National Park, California

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