Scenic viewpoint

<h2 id="locations">Locations</h2>
<p>Many viewpoints are larger, having <a href="/facts/Parking_area/MW9oDgTm">parking areas</a>, while some (typically on larger <a href="/facts/Highway/2nxmEmgX">highways</a>) are off the road completely. Viewing points may also be found on hill or mountain tops or on rocky spurs overlooking a <a href="/facts/Valley/gKmvE6L1">valley</a> and reached via a <a href="/facts/Hiking_trail/QYlDjNm7">hiking trail</a>. They may be protected by railings to protect the public or be enhanced by a <a href="/facts/Viewing_tower/RuBt6tNb">viewing tower</a> designed to elevate visitors above the surrounding terrain or trees in order to offer <a href="/facts/Panoramic_view/Klwoc8lk">panoramic views</a>.
</p><p>Overlooks are frequently found in <a href="/facts/National_park/otRgEoQ3">national parks</a> and in the U.S. along <a href="/facts/National_parkway/uEBHIgNP">national parkways</a> such as the <a href="/facts/Blue_Ridge_Parkway/JUXL1x82">Blue Ridge Parkway</a>, which has numerous individually named overlooks for viewing the <a href="/facts/Blue_Ridge_Mountains/pagAHWBG">Blue Ridge Mountains</a> and their <a href="/facts/Valley/gKmvE6L1">valleys</a>. Other overlooks are next to <a href="/facts/Waterfall/CDyaLQIQ">waterfalls</a>, especially since mountain roads tend to follow <a href="/facts/Stream/S5he7Cuo">streams</a>.
</p><p>Many overlooks are accessible only by <a href="/facts/Trail/QYlDjNm7">trails</a> and <a href="/facts/Boardwalk/E5q26tGm">wooden walkways</a> and <a href="/facts/Stairs/mmBBnteX">stairs</a>, especially in ecologically sensitive areas. These overlooks are often wooden decks, which minimize the impact on the land by reducing the need to disturb it for <a href="/facts/Construction/58eqDhy9">construction</a>.
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<h2 id="history">History</h2>
<p>The word viewpoint is from 1856, but it was thought to have been used as a physical sense in 1858. From time on, many scenic viewpoints have since become <a href="/facts/Tourist_attraction/MVHeCkMd">tourist attractions</a>, with numerous vistas inscribed as <a href="/facts/UNESCO_World_Heritage_Site/6AbWWKV4">world heritage-listed</a> natural sites.
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<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scenic overlooks.

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Observation_Point_(disambiguation)/AYvDSAoh">Observation Point (disambiguation)</a> for specific places called "Observation Point"</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Observation_deck/ucMKLNSB">Observation deck</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Observation_post/mgWWgX9Q">Observation post</a></li>
<li><i><a href="/facts/Stratum_Pier/PyzudGxN">Stratum Pier</a></i> by artist Kendall Buster</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>These terms are more commonly used in North America. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>These terms are more commonly used in North America. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Scenic viewpoint open-in-new

Scenic viewpoint