What should I look at on Google Earth?
I opened up the Google Earth app on my phone wanting to browse random beautiful and interesting places, but it doesn't seem to have a good way to do it. (Maybe this is a limitation on the mobile app, and the desktop app is better?)
For example, if I try searching for "wetlands", it only shows me a list of maybe 10 places near my current location.
I tried searching the web too, but I mostly get "listicles" like "10 amazing places on Google Earth" but they're practically unreadable with the webpage being covered with ads.
I found Earth View Gallery https://blog.google/products/earth/most-stunning-images-from-google-earth/ and it's nice but it's just a gallery of images with no contextual information (at least when viewing on mobile). It shows me beautiful pictures but no information about where the picture is from... I would have expected it to link to the spot on Google Earth.
Anyway if you happen to have some recommended places for me to check out on Google Earth I'd love to see them! I like:
- wetland-type habitats like marshes, pond systems, mangrove swamps
- beautiful natural scenery in general
- abandoned and/or ancient architecture
But open to any interesting recommendations in general.
Edit: It does seem to be slightly better on desktop. Searching on Google Earth works better, and Earth View Gallery does link to the location on Google Earth. I wish Google Earth had like, a built-in community feature for me to check out other people's public projects.
One of my favorite things to do is go explore northern Canada. It’s so wildly remote and vast. Just start zooming in on small “towns,” random lakes and rivers, and see what semblance of streetview or photos exist in the area. Being from Michigan, it’s a mystifying feeling that technically I could just cross the border and drive up until the roads stop, not that I’d necessarily ever do that.
Nice, thanks!
I found this just randomly looking around: Queen Maud Gulf (Ahiak) Migratory Bird Sanctuary
There was a really nice photo of it in its Google Maps info, so I had to a reverse image search on it, and after some digging I found the original photographer, Chad Delany:
https://www.chaddelany.com/Arctic-and-Boreal-Forest/n-6C7CPC/i-59d25qm
And he also seems to have some cool data projects:
https://github.com/ChadDelany
I got a strange sense of dread when I realized how far north Calgary is. I already feel like Vancouver's a bit too far up there!
Check out Edmonton... Or better yet Alert, Nunavut
I thought I was the only one! I started planning a trip to Tuktoyaktuk back in early 2020 (obviously that didn’t go ahead), and in the course of doing that I found myself idly doing exactly what you say. Sometimes I’ll pan around the streets of a northern community and imagine what life must be like there.
Sometimes I’m surprised by the existence of a photo sphere or two taken by visitors, and how the level of development can vary so wildly - Old Crow in YT is a good example. They have downright modern museum thing but no obvious way to get building materials there. It’s impressive.
[Adapting a previous comment of mine from Ask MetaFilter]
It's pretty incredible what Street View has expanded to in recent years. It's not just footage from Google's cars -- pretty much anybody can upload linked 360-degree imagery now. I've got a first-gen headset for VR and have spent dozens of hours exploring places around the world in Google Earth.
For starters, Google has a page of curated tours of various places
As for standard Street View stuff, some highlights from my bookmarks:
Itsukushima Island south of Hiroshima, Japan. Start at the Daishoin temple complex nestled in the foothills near the coast, then follow the nearby hiking trail southward which has imagery leading all the way up to the observation deck at the top of Mount Misen. Includes some beautiful landscapes, autumn foliage, and another temple structure near the top you can wander around (there's even a deer!). And the views from the summit are lovely.
The hiking trail overlooking the iconic Italian village of Manarola, which continues on to the graffiti-covered Walk of Love tunnel
In the crowd jostling to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre (make sure you turn around to see the wonder they're missing!).
The Great Sphinx and Pyramids at Giza - at the base of the Great Pyramid
Hidden or hard-to-access places: Inside the clock face of Big Ben - On the hidden balcony inside the US Capitol dome - Inside Mecca's Great Mosque, and the view from inside the sacred Kaaba - inside the Well of Souls at the Dome of the Rock temple in Jerusalem
Wandering the grounds of Mont Saint-Michel in France, or the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
Legoland!
Pretty much any random street (or canal!) in Venice
Remote Pitcairn Island (population: ~50) has surprisingly extensive coverage, including the town hall and the surrounding hillsides
In the audience at the United Nations General Assembly for a speech by Pope Francis
The observation deck of the Burj Khalifa, although the ground-level views are almost as cool. Or how about hanging off the side, Tom Cruise style?
Streetside markets in central Lagos
Angkor Wat has extensive coverage
The iconic Greek island of Santorini, including the ancient ruins of Thera nearby
The gardens of the Alhambra palace in Spain
The garden and grounds of the Taj Mahal
On the rim of the Grand Canyon, hiking into it, or rafting the Colorado River
This is an amazing list, really appreciate you taking the time to put these together!
Thank you! I'm especially enjoying the glacial lakes and waterfalls :)
For marshlands, try the Pantanal, in Brazil/Paraguay. One of the largest wetlands on Earth.
Majestic!!! Thanks for sharing!
Check out Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The views of the blue water and white beaches and green trees inland. There's also Aitutaki Island if you want something even more remote.
Really lovely, thanks for sharing!
If using the desktop app (now called "Google Earth Pro" despite being free), have a look around the moon and Mars for a cool look at where robots (and humans!) have visited and learn about the landscapes there. Hadley Rille, Mount Sharp, and Jezero Crater are some fascinating places.
Ohh great suggestion! Thank you. I had no idea they included space scapes in the desktop version.
Both Chrome and Firefox have Earth View on new tab extensions, I love seeing new things and then getting lost in exploring.
Do you like large scale geologic features? There are many cool ones out there. White sands, New Mexico and the Carrizozo Volcanic Field are so close to either other and a cool yin/yang of two contrasts; Southern Iran has some impressive geology with salt domes and volcanism; the Richat structure in the Sahara; massive deformation of southern Pakistan from the Indian plate convergence; the list goes on and on. The earth is a really cool place and there are unique things almost everywhere you can look!
These are super cool, thank you for sharing!!