Survey Reveals America’s “Soul Sanctuaries” – the Natural Places Residents Consider Their Spiritual Homes.

From volcanic overlooks to quiet woodland ponds, a poll of 3,001 Americans explores where people go to feel grounded – and what losing those places would mean.

Where is your natural spiritual home? Some places have a way of putting a bad week in perspective. A mountain makes the office politics seem smaller. A familiar stretch of water brings back someone you miss. A walk in the woods gives you an hour in which nobody expects an immediate reply.

For many Americans, there is one particular place that does this better than anywhere else. They may have visited it since childhood or discovered it during a difficult year. Either way, “favorite beauty spot” doesn’t quite cover it.

These attachments add another dimension to the destruction caused by wildfires, hurricanes, and severe flooding. When a much-loved landscape is damaged, people can lose somewhere they have long relied on for comfort, reflection, or a little breathing room.

A Mission for Michael surveyed 3,001 Americans to identify each state’s “spiritual home”: the natural place where residents feel most at peace, grounded, and connected to something bigger than themselves. The survey also asked what people would hypothetically pay each year to protect their chosen place – and how personally they would feel its loss.

Some of states’ choices were:

Hawaii’s choice, Kīlauea Overlook, is a place where the landscape rarely stands still.

The overlook faces Halemaʻumaʻu within Kīlauea’s changing summit landscape. Eruptions and collapse have repeatedly altered the area, making volcanic activity central to its character. For many Native Hawaiians, Halemaʻumaʻu is associated with Pelehonuamea, or Pele, and holds cultural significance beyond the view. Residents can find the landscape compelling while respecting that context. Time at the overlook offers an opportunity to observe the volcanic terrain and learn about the meanings attached to it.

For Coloradans, the trail to a spiritual home leads to Dream Lake. The walk to Dream Lake passes through subalpine forest and beside Nymph Lake before reaching water framed by Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain. Starting at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, the route makes the approach part of the experience. For Coloradans looking for a mountain outing, it combines a well-defined hiking destination with a natural stopping point at the lake. The forested trail, rising elevation and mountain backdrop give visitors plenty to focus on beyond their usual surroundings.

Walden Pond feels an apt choice for Massachusetts, with its long history of quiet reflection. Woodland and water surround Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau lived from 1845 to 1847 and developed the observations behind Walden. Its later preservation for public use has allowed many others to walk and spend time beside the pond. For Massachusetts residents, the literary connection adds context without dictating the experience. A visit can be as simple as a walk, a quiet stop by the water or time to think away from routine, in a place with a well-established history of reflection.

California’s answer lies high above Yosemite Valley at Glacier Point. Yosemite Valley lies more than 3,000 feet below Glacier Point, with Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the high country visible from the overlook. The viewpoint also has a place in the park’s history, including the 1903 visit by Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir. For Californians, it offers time with a landscape closely associated with the state. Standing above the valley provides an opportunity to slow down and take in its scale, whether visiting for the first time or returning.

Arizona residents found their spiritual home among the red rocks of Sedona, at Cathedral Roc. A short, steep climb leads into Cathedral Rock’s red sandstone formations, with roughly 600 feet of elevation gained in less than a mile. The route requires close attention to the ground and involves more effort than a typical overlook walk. For residents seeking an active break, that concentration can be part of the appeal. Higher up, views across Sedona’s red-rock country provide somewhere to pause after the climb and enjoy the surrounding landscape.

In Tennessee, the pull of Cades Cove is as much about the past as the scenery. Churches, cabins, barns and fields record the lives of communities that occupied Cades Cove before Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mountains surround the open valley, bringing cultural history and natural scenery into the same setting. For Tennessee residents, the cove offers a place to spend time outdoors while learning about earlier local life. A visit can include appreciation of the historic buildings and the wider landscape, giving reflection a concrete basis in the people who once made their homes here.

Montana’s choice takes us into Glacier National Park’s high country, to Hidden Lake Overlook. From Logan Pass, the route to Hidden Lake Overlook passes through alpine terrain before opening onto water below Bearhat Mountain. Mountain goats, marmots and seasonal wildflowers can add interest along the way. For Montana residents, the walk offers a clear destination within Glacier National Park’s high country. Time at the overlook provides an opportunity to take in the surrounding peaks, while the route itself encourages attention to wildlife and vegetation. The high-country setting makes the walk worthwhile for both the surroundings along the way and the view at its end.

South Dakota’s selection, Bear Butte Summit Trail, belongs to a landscape with deep and continuing sacred significance. Bear Butte remains a place of prayer and ceremony for numerous Indigenous nations. Known as Mato Paha to the Lakota and Noahvose to the Cheyenne, the mountain’s significance extends well beyond its summit view. Prayer cloths and other offerings reflect continuing relationships with the site. For other South Dakota residents, visiting thoughtfully means moving quietly and leaving those offerings undisturbed. Respect for the people who come here for ceremony is a central part of appreciating this sacred landscape.

For Virginia, a spiritual home takes the shape of Natural Bridge’s great limestone arch. A large limestone arch stands above the creek at Natural Bridge, formed through erosion and collapse of a former cavern. The setting also has a long human history, including Monacan connections and later ownership by Thomas Jefferson. For Virginia residents, the site combines a striking geological feature with an opportunity to learn about those different histories. Time beneath the bridge offers a close appreciation of its scale and the surrounding landscape, providing an engaging break outdoors.

New Mexico’s choice lies beneath the surface: the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns. Underground rock formations fill the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns, creating an extensive chamber beneath New Mexico’s dry surface landscape. Stalactites, stalagmites and other features give visitors detail to observe as they move through the cavern. For residents, the visit offers an experience quite different from an open-air desert walk. Time in the chamber can be absorbing and unhurried, with the size of the space and variety of formations providing both geological interest and a clear break from routine.

What would Americans pay to protect their sanctuary?

How much would you give to protect a place you couldn’t imagine losing? The survey asked Americans what percentage of their annual salary they would be willing to contribute to save their favorite natural place from destruction.

The average amount Americans said they would be prepared to pay to protect their spiritual home indefinitely was 13,151. These are hypothetical answers, rather than pledges or predictions of what people would actually spend. Still, the question gives a sense of how strongly some respondents value the places they chose.

Peace and quiet lead the way – but memories matter, too

Asked what most connects them to their natural spiritual home, 35% chose the calm it brings and the chance to escape everyday pressures.

That was the most common answer, although the remaining responses show how personal these attachments can be. Some people go for perspective; others return because a place holds memories they cannot find anywhere else.

• Feeling part of something bigger than themselves: 16%
• Important memories of family or friends: 13%
• A sense of awe or wonder: 12%
• Support during a difficult period: 8%
• A connection to childhood or roots: 6%
• Something that represents what they love about their state: 6%
• A reflection of religious or spiritual beliefs: 4%

The relatively small share choosing religious or spiritual beliefs also gives context to the phrase “spiritual home.” For many respondents, the connection appears to be rooted in everyday experiences: feeling calmer, remembering someone, or finding room to think.

Getting outside is a regular habit for some – and an occasional lifeline for others

Knowing which place helps you feel better and finding time to visit it are two different things.

Asked how often they had deliberately visited a natural setting to support their mental or emotional well-being over the past year, respondents reported a wide range of habits:

• At least once a week: 15%
• A few times a month: 18%
• About once a month: 17%
• A few times during the year: 22%
• Once: 9%
• Never: 19%

The most common individual answer was a few visits during the year. For these respondents, time in nature was an occasional choice rather than a standing appointment. Others made it a much more regular part of life.

What sends people looking for comfort outdoors?

Everyday stress was the most frequently listed reason, with 36% saying that stress or feeling overwhelmed had prompted them to seek comfort in nature.

The other experiences ranged from persistent worries to major personal upheavals:

• Grief or the loss of someone close: 11%
• Loneliness: 10%
• A relationship breakdown: 8%
• Work pressures or burnout: 8%
• Worries about money: 5%
• A health concern: 5%
• A major life decision or change: 5%

A familiar path cannot resolve a breakup or answer a worrying email. But it can provide somewhere to spend time with those feelings without having to keep up a conversation or explain why you are quiet.

Some feelings are easier to show away from an audience

One of the survey’s more revealing findings concerned privacy. 48% said they had gone to a natural place to express emotions they felt unable to show around other people. 43% said they had not.

That gives these landscapes a role that a vacation photograph rarely captures. A place someone remembers for its beautiful view may also be somewhere they cried, grieved, or finally allowed themselves to acknowledge a difficult day.

For those respondents, being outdoors offered something beyond scenery: room to feel without having to account for it.

Losing the landscape would feel personal

When asked how they would feel if their spiritual home were permanently lost or seriously damaged, 69% said it would represent a very or fairly significant personal loss.

“A place can become important to us through years of ordinary visits – a walk with someone we love, an afternoon when we needed to clear our heads, or time alone during a difficult period,” says Anand Meta, LMFT, Executive Director at A Mission for Michael. “What stands out in these findings is how personally people feel those connections. Protecting a landscape also helps preserve somewhere people return to for comfort, memories, and a sense of belonging.”