Writing — Page 23

The highest point in Missouri at 1,772 feet, reached by an easy paved trail through the ancient St. Francois Mountains.

1.5 million acres of north-central Colorado mountains, wilderness areas, and alpine trails — one of the most-visited national forests in the country.

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre near Morrison, Colorado is one of the most striking natural formations in the country — towering sandstone monoliths that happen to double as one of the world's best concert venues.

A 70-foot waterfall in Boulder Canyon just 11 miles from Boulder — a 100-yard walk to something genuinely dramatic tucked into the canyon walls.

A year-round ice field near Idaho Springs, Colorado — a 1.5-mile hike at 11,000 feet where people ski in August and the alpine lake below is impossibly clear.

A quiet overlook park in the Kansas City area with river views and trails through cedar bluffs — one of those places locals keep to themselves.

The Gateway Arch from the St. Louis riverfront — a walk along the Mississippi that puts one of America's great monuments directly overhead.

A five-tiered observation platform in East St. Louis with the best straight-on view of the Gateway Arch and the St. Louis skyline across the Mississippi.

The Gateway Arch at dusk, seen from the riverfront — 630 feet of stainless steel that earns its place as the most successful public monument in the country.