The catalog
All places
Every place in the Hidden Current catalog, filterable by category and by whether you can lawfully go there.
Filter by category, or by access if you are trying to find places you can actually walk into. Every page states access first, and a closed site carries no directions.
Showing 15 of 98 places.
The Desert Hidden Between These MountainsIn a Colorado valley between two mountain ranges rise the tallest sand dunes in North America, built by wind, water and ancient lakes.
Lake Nyos: The Lake That Released a Deadly Cloud in One NightOn the night of August 21, 1986, Cameroon's Lake Nyos released a cloud of carbon dioxide that killed 1,746 people in nearby villages as they slept.
Ruby Falls: The Waterfall Hidden Inside Lookout MountainIn 1928, a crew blasting an elevator shaft into Lookout Mountain broke into a sealed cave and found a hidden waterfall. It was named for Ruby Lambert.
Thor's Well ("the drainpipe of the Pacific")On Oregon's coast, a hole in the rock seems to swallow the Pacific. Thor's Well is only about 20 feet deep, but at high tide it's a spectacular sight.
Lost Lake, Oregon: The Lake That Drains Into a Hole Every SummerEvery summer, Lost Lake on Oregon's Santiam Pass drains away through holes in its own lakebed, leaving a meadow. Every fall and winter, it fills again.
Lost River, Indiana: The River That Disappears UndergroundIn southern Indiana, the Lost River sinks into the limestone and flows underground for at least 23 miles before rising again near Orangeville.
Lake Kaindy: The Sunken Forest Drowned by an EarthquakeIn Kazakhstan's Tian Shan, an earthquake-triggered landslide dammed a gorge and drowned its spruce trees. Their bare trunks still rise from Lake Kaindy.
Devil's Kettle: The Minnesota Waterfall That Seems to VanishAt Devil's Kettle on Minnesota's Brule River, half the waterfall drops into a hole and seems to vanish. Flow measurements show the water rejoins the river.
Racetrack Playa: The Mystery of Death Valley's Moving RocksOn Death Valley's Racetrack Playa, rocks slide across the lakebed leaving long trails. In 2013, researchers finally saw wind-driven ice sheets move them.
Devils Hole: The Desert Cave Where a Rare Fish SurvivesDevils Hole is a warm, flooded cavern in Nevada whose bottom has never been found, and the only wild home of the endangered Devils Hole pupfish.
Mono Lake: The Underwater Towers Los Angeles Left High and DryMono Lake's tufa towers grew underwater where springs met salty lake water. After Los Angeles began diverting its streams in 1941, the lake fell 45 feet.
The Wave: Arizona’s Lottery-Only SandstoneThe Wave is a ribbed swirl of Jurassic Navajo Sandstone near the Arizona-Utah border. Only 64 hikers a day get permits, all drawn through BLM lotteries.
Kinzua Viaduct: The Bridge a Tornado Tore ApartThe Kinzua Viaduct in Pennsylvania was briefly the world’s tallest railroad bridge. In 2003, an F1 tornado toppled 11 of its 20 towers in under 30 seconds.
Blood Falls: Antarctica’s Rust-Red GlacierBlood Falls in Antarctica’s Taylor Valley seeps iron-rich brine from under Taylor Glacier. When it meets oxygen, the iron oxidizes and stains the ice red.
The Boiling River: The Amazon’s 200-Degree StreamPeru’s Boiling River runs hot for 6.3 km through the Amazon, averaging nearly 203°F at its hottest. Fault-fed hot springs heat it, not a volcano.