Kyle Magnuson Profile

I live and work in Los Angeles, California, though I am originally from the Midwest. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in History at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and a Master's degree in Teaching (Social Studies) from the University of Southern California (USC). As an undergraduate I completed coursework in China, Scotland, and Korea. As a member of AmeriCorps, I provided educational services to communities throughout Los Angeles. Today, I am a founding teacher at Alliance College-Ready Middle Academy, where I teach a Humanities Course: The History and Identity of the United States.

I have contributed an overabundance of information to the country page and forum for South Korea. I consider Korea to be one the great rewards for world heritage travellers. Firstly, a high number of accessible WHS reachable by efficient public transport. Secondly, excellent interpretation and management of each site, including translation. Lastly, the public awareness and domestic interest in world heritage in Korea is exceptional, including world heritage themed festivals and campaigns for aspiring nominations.

I often travel plan and create lists/goals regarding future trips. Currently, I aspire to visit all 50 U.S. states, every World Heritage site in the United States (excluding Papahanaumokuakea for now), six continents, and surpass 125 world heritage sites by June 18th, 2026. That would be my last day of my 40th year, as the following day I will turn 41.

My Flickr

Complete California

World Heritage Planning 2023-2026

Argentina/Uruguay/Brazil (8 WHS)

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (Argentina)
Cordoba (Argentina)
Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)
Iguazu National Park (Argentina)
Iguacu (Brazil)
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Valongo Wharf (Brazil)
Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (Brazil)

Australia/Singapore (6 WHS)

Sydney Opera House (New South Wales, Australia)
Greater Blue Mountains Area (New South Wales, Australia)
Australian Convict Sites (New South Wales, Australia)
Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (Victoria, Australia)
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (Victoria, Australia)
Singapore Botanic Gardens (Singapore)

Azores-Portugal (1)

Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores

Canada (2 WHS)

Old Québec
Rideau Canal

Canadian Prairie Provinces (4 WHS)

Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Dinosaur Provincial Park
The Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks

Caribbean (4 WHS)

La Fortaleza (Puerto Rico)
Morne Trois Pitons (Dominica)
Historic Bridgetown (Barbados)
Blue and John Crow Mountains (Jamaica)

Central Mexico (4 WHS)

Camino Real
Guanajuato
San Miguel de Allende
Querétaro

Costa Rica (1 WHS)

Guanacaste Conservation Area

France (9 WHS)

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier
Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
Chartres Cathedral
The Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange
Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
Maison Carrée de Nîmes
Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments

Ghana (1 WHS)

Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions

Gulf States (3 WHS)

Al Ain (UAE)
Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain)
Pearling, testimony of an island economy (Bahrain)

Japan (8 WHS)

National Museum of Western Art (Le Corbusier)
Shrines and Temples of Nikko
Hiraizumi Temples and Gardens
Mount Fuji
Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

Busan to Fukuoka Ferry

Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region
Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution
Yakushima

Nordic/Baltic Nations (5 WHS)

Visby (Sweden)
Karlskrona (Sweden)
Birka and Hovgarden (Sweden)
Fortress of Suomenlinna (Finland)
Tallinn (Estonia)

Northern Mexico (1 WHS)

Nuevo Casas Grandes: Archaeological Zone of Paquimé

Slovenia/Italy (3 WHS)

The Works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Škocjan Caves (Slovenia)
Venice (Italy)

United Kingdom (10 WHS)

Kew Gardens
Westminster
Tower of London
Maritime Greenwich
Blenheim Palace
Stonehenge
City of Bath
Great Spa Towns of Europe
Frontiers of the Roman Empire
Durham Castle and Cathedral

United States (1 WHS)

Alaska: Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek

Travel Plans [Country List]

California - United States of America Last Update 28.07.23 84 WHS Visited 126 Reviews 85 WHS Rated 40 TWHS Visited

Visited Sites Kyle Magnuson

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Legend

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Recent Reviews Kyle Magnuson

Willemstad

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 31-Dec-22

Having 4 days and 4 nights in Curaçao allowed my wife and I ample time to explore Historic Willemstad and the island as a whole. Using Els' neatly compiled list of 18 representative sites across the already well described districts, I explored the island by morning (car) and after lunch I explored Willemstad (on foot). Renting a car proved useful (if expensive), it allowed us to easily visit Curaçao's National Parks, Ramsar Wetlands (Flamingos!), Caves, Plantations, and best beaches.

Read On

Plantations in West Curacao (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 26-Dec-22

Despite my downward vote for the "The Plantations in West Curaçao" tentative site, this reflects more my support for a transnational nomination rather than several dozen individual nominations. I visited the Savonet and Knip plantations (the later is closed indefinitely) in December 2022. I did a self-guided tour of Savonet. White columns with a fist grasping a broken chain of bondage are located in several locations in West Curaçao and commemorate events preceding, during, and after the 1795 Slave Revolt.

Read On

Petrified Forest National Park (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 28-Nov-22

I revisited the park in November 2022, exclusively exploring the "Painted Desert" North Entrance area of the park (after allocating more time via the South Entrance in 2010). Hiking the easy, yet rewarding Painted Desert Rim Trail (1.2 miles) from Tawa Point to the Painted Desert Inn/Kachina Point is an essential experience during the magical hour before sunset. The Painted Desert Inn (built 1937-1940) just off the original alignment of Route 66 is a historic gem of Pueblo Revival Architecture, which includes designs from Mary Jane Colter (also known for her 'Parkitecture' properties at the Grand Canyon). The Painted Desert Inn is a National Historic Landmark.

Read On

Hawaii Volcanoes

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 10-Jan-22

For all visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the visitor center is a smart first stop to get information about current eruptions. During our exploration of the park, there were eruptions occurring, but the distance was significant. My camera captured the dramatic scene, but I regretted not bringing my binoculars. We spent 1.5 days in the park and there was certainly still more to see. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was reminiscent to me of both Yellowstone National Park (Steam Vents and Sulphur Banks) and Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes (Thurston Lava Tube).

Read On

Gulf of California

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 03-Dec-21

We visited this world heritage site over a period of 8 days. One recommendation (based on your own resources), spend a bit more with established tour companies to get a more full experience of the major components that make this enormous natural WHS unique. We primarily used "Cabo Adventures" and they are professional and offer basics like sunset tours to more serious excursions to places like Cabo Pulmo National Park. It is also possible to rent your own vehicle, but it's not an absolute requirement, since there is a bus system that connects Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Loretto, and pretty much the whole Baja Peninsula for reasonable prices. I will return to other components of this WHS in the future, it's so expansive and vast that it will be rewarding to return.

Read On

Profile Data

Name: Kyle Magnuson
Country: California - United States of America
Most Impressive: Natural Sites: El Pinacate (Mexico), Gulf of California (Mexico), Jeju Volcanic Island (Korea), Everglades (US), Grand Canyon (US), Hawaii Volcanoes (US), Olympic (US), Redwoods (US), Yellowstone (US), Yosemite (US)
Proposal: Native/Indigenous Sites in the United States: (1) Ancestral Lands of the Diné: Canyon de Chelly & Monument Valley (2) Coso Rock Art Historic District (3) Heritage of the Hawaiian Kingdom (4) Rock Art of the Chumash People (5) Sinagua Cultural Landscape 6) Southwestern Utah: Canyonlands and Bears Ears Cultural Landscape
Website: website

Recently Visited WHS

Update 28.07.23: Willemstad

Visited WHS

Rating Stats

Great Wall 5

Machu Picchu 5

Yellowstone 5

Chaco Culture 4.5

El Pinacate 4.5

Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings 4.5

Grand Canyon 4.5

Gulf of California 4.5

Hawaii Volcanoes 4.5

Imperial Palace 4.5

Istanbul 4.5

Mesa Verde 4.5

Redwood 4.5

Yosemite National Park 4.5

Edinburgh 4

Everglades 4

Great Smoky Mountains 4

Jeju 4

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor 4

Mexico City and Xochimilco 4

Olympic National Park 4

Paris, Banks of the Seine 4

Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries 4

Segovia 4

Sintra 4

Taos Pueblo 4

Teotihuacan 4

Toledo 4

University of Coimbra 4

Waterton Glacier International Peace Park 4

Central University City Campus of the UNAM 3.5

Changdeokgung Palace Complex 3.5

Convent of Christ in Tomar 3.5

Cuzco 3.5

El Escurial 3.5

Getbol, Korean Tidal Flat 3.5

Gyeongju 3.5

Haeinsa Temple 3.5

Hahoe and Yangdong 3.5

Macao 3.5

Mammoth Cave 3.5

Monastery of Alcobaça 3.5

Monastery of Batalha 3.5

Mount Taishan 3.5

Namhansanseong 3.5

Qhapaq Ñan 3.5

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple 3.5

Silk Roads 3.5

South China Karst 3.5

Southern Öland 3.5

Statue of Liberty 3.5

Summer Palace 3.5

Temple of Heaven 3.5

Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius 3.5

Versailles 3.5

Willemstad 3.5

Works of Antoni Gaudí 3.5

Aranjuez 3

Baekje Historic Areas 3

Baroque Churches 3

Belem 3

Cahokia Mounds 3

Forth Bridge 3

Hwaseong Fortress 3

Imperial Tombs 3

Independence Hall 3

Jongmyo Shrine 3

Kronborg Castle 3

Lima 3

Monticello 3

Par force hunting landscape 3

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro 3

Roskilde Cathedral 3

Royal Joseon Tombs 3

San Antonio Missions 3

Seowon, Neo-Confucian Academies 3

Carlsbad Caverns 2.5

Drottningholm 2.5

Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen 2.5

Mafra Palace, Convent and Royal Hunting Park 2.5

Nice 2.5

Poverty Point 2.5

Skogskyrkogarden 2.5

New Lanark 2

Reviewed WHS

Visited TWHS

Reviewed TWHS

Top 50 Missing Sites

Bagan
Chicago School of Architecture
Ciudad Perdida, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Concordia
Dilwara Temples at Mt Abu
Dzongs of Bhutan
El Nido Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area
Kaieteur National Park, Iwokrama Forest and the Kanuku Mountains
Klondike and the Gold Rush Trails
Laas Gaal
Lake Titicaca
Major Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright
Nan Madol
Okavango Delta
Plain of Jars / Sites Mégalithiques de la province de Xieng Khouang
Silk Roads
Sistema Vial Andino/Qhapaq Ñan
Svalbard
Torres del Paine National Park
Ur

World Heritage Site

for World Heritage Travellers

Kyle Magnuson Profile

World Heritage Planning 2023-2026

Visited Sites Kyle Magnuson

Legend

Recent Reviews Kyle Magnuson

Willemstad

Plantations in West Curacao (T)

Petrified Forest National Park (T)

Hawaii Volcanoes

Gulf of California

Profile Data

Recently Visited WHS

Visited WHS

Reviewed WHS

Visited TWHS

Reviewed TWHS

Top 50 Missing Sites

Top 200 WHS