These Were the Most Searched for Views in America in 2022

It’s been a wild year for travel, and, subsequently, travel-related searches picked up a lot in 2022. Everyone was ready to get back out there. Though, few end-of-year reports or studies will be able to tell that story as succinctly as Google’s recently-released annual Year in Search.

One subcategory of note, and an interesting inclusion, is the Top Scenic Spots of 2022 — or, rather, per Forbes, a ranking of the most coveted views in the U.S. based on searches on Google Maps. It’s provides us with not only a snapshot of what Americans were curious about this year, but also a little insight into what’s to come in 2023 (though I suspect, as Laura Begley Bloom points out, our unrelenting pursuit of the perfect Instagram shot probably plays a role here, too).

That said, there are a number of landmarks that you probably wouldn’t presume to find in the top 10, or on this list at all. Case in point: Dumbo — Manhattan Bridge View in Brooklyn is listed at number one. It’s an undisputedly great view, but number one? Maybe I’m just a jaded New Yorker, but have ya’ll ever been to the Pacific Northwest? The Colorado Plateau? Any of the national parks? The Adirondacks, maybe? Hell, there are even better views of New York City in New York City! But I digress.

Below, the most searched-for view in America in 2022:

1. Dumbo: Manhattan Bridge View – Brooklyn, New York
2. Golden Gate View Point – Mill Valley, California
3. Bellagio Fountain – Las Vegas
4. Statue of Liberty View Point – New York City
5. Horseshoe Bend – Page, Arizona
6. Great Smoky Mountains Railroad – Bryson City, North Carolina
7. Gatlinburg SkyBridge – Gatlinburg, Tennessee
8. Pennsylvania Grand Canyon – Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
9. Beverly Hills Sign – Beverly Hills, California
10. Glacier Point – Yosemite Valley, California

Another thing worth noting here is that there is actually a difference between “most searched” and “top trending.” As a representative from Google explained to CNN, “‘trending’ queries are the searches that had a high spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2022 as compared to 2021.”

So, in short, these places weren’t blips in search…which is probably something to bear in mind come time to lock 2023 travel. As in, if you were hellbent on securing a picture of yourself in front of the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo for the grid in the New Year? Rest assured won’t be the only one.