The 8 Best Eco-Friendly Vacations You Can Take in the U.S.

While some destinations are just starting to get into the eco-tourism trend, others have put preservation and restoration as their first priority for quite some time. And in some cases, it’s not just the work of the National Park Service that’s on display.

“A trip to The Ted Turner Reserves two southern New Mexico ranches is one of the most special experiences in the U.S.,” says sustainable travel advisor Rose O’Connor. “Ted has two large private ranches—which together encompass over 500,000 acres—near the town of Truth or Consequences that can be explored when staying at one of his three accommodations, Sierra Grande, Ladder, or Armendaris.”

“This is some of the most beautiful land in the United States and is a living testament to Ted’s decades-long commitment to rewinding and ecosystem restoration,” O’Connor explains. “When exploring the area with a private guide—which is included in some stays—you can see herds of roaming bison, elk, and pronghorn. Many other species that had been long extinct in the area—like the Mexican grey wolf, the Bolson tortoise, and bighorn sheep—have been reintroduced to the land through the work of the Ted Turner Endangered Species Fund. Their resurgence has had dramatic regenerative effects on the entire ecosystem, and now the land there is amongst the most ecologically healthy in the U.S.”