The US on TikTok: National Park Trails and LA Tacos
No American city dominates this list. Los Angeles leads with just four of the 43 places, and the rest are scattered across the country, from Alaska to Hawaii. Read together, the posts fall into two halves: western park scenery, often with a permit or a long hike attached, and casual food in Southern California, some of it family-run, with owners featured in a few of the videos.
The two most posted places are both in Montana's Glacier National Park: Grinnell Glacier, reached on a roughly 11-mile round-trip hike, and Lake McDonald, the park's largest lake. Silver Falls State Park in Oregon, with its Trail of Ten Falls, and the JW Marriott Desert Springs resort in Palm Desert also have two posts each.
Hikes that need planning
Several of the big western names come with conditions. Angels Landing in Zion requires a permit through a lottery on recreation.gov and follows a narrow ridge with anchored chains. Antelope Canyon near Page is on Navajo Nation land and can only be entered on a guided tour. Havasupai, at the bottom of Havasu Canyon, is reached on foot, by mule or by helicopter, and every camping or lodging stay needs a reservation. Grinnell Glacier gains about 1,600 feet on an exposed trail where the weather can turn.
Eating in and around Los Angeles
Asadero Los Angeles on Vine Street grills ribeye over mesquite for its gaonera taco, and the post says not to skip the guacamole. Frank n' Frank's in Chinatown makes focaccia sandwiches and stays open late on weekends, and Full Arepas by Kekally downtown runs a 2 for $20 arepa deal. In the San Fernando Valley, Dr. Hogly Wogly's has served Texas-style BBQ since 1969, with beef ribs and sweet potato pecan pie in the video. Further south in Chula Vista, Birria El Chavita serves from a residential front yard until the food sells out.
Lakes, coast and roadside stops
Clear water gets a lot of screen time. Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park has up to 60 feet of visibility, and Lake George in Mammoth Lakes is shallow enough that the post shows colorful pebbles on its bed. On the road, Forrest Gump Point frames Monument Valley from US-163; the note warns that it is an active highway, so stay in the pullouts. In Gold Bar, Washington, the Espresso Chalet has a 14-foot Bigfoot statue and views of Bridal Veil Falls, itself a 4-mile round-trip hike with 1,000 feet of climbing.
Good to know
Angels Landing needs a lottery permit from recreation.gov. Havasupai requires reservations for all camping and lodging. Antelope Canyon is entered only on guided tours. Bridal Veil Falls in Gold Bar, Washington, needs a Northwest Forest Pass to park. Knik Glacier in Alaska, about an hour from Anchorage, is usually visited on guided jet boat or monster truck tours.
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