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 in my 20's, I provided educational services to communities throughout Los Angeles, which led to a career in Education. Today, I am a founding teacher at a middle school, where I teach United States History.

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 travelers. 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. While I'm not a completist World Heritage traveller, I certainly focus on World Heritage sites when planning. Listed below are the sites I hope to visit during the next few years.

My Flickr

Complete California

World Heritage Planning 2025-2030

Argentina/Uruguay/Brazil (9 WHS)

The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (Argentina)
ESMA Museum and Site of Memory (Argentina)
Cordoba (Argentina)
Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay)
Iguazu National Park (Argentina) *Top 100
Iguacu (Brazil) *Top 100
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Valongo Wharf (Brazil)
Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (Brazil)

Australia (7 WHS)

K’gari Fraser Island (Queensland)
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (Queensland)
Sydney Opera House (New South Wales)
Greater Blue Mountains Area (New South Wales)
Australian Convict Sites (New South Wales)
Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (Victoria)
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (Victoria)

Azores - Bermuda (2 WHS)

Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores
The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda

Baja California Mexico (1 WHS)

Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino

Botswana/Namibia (3 WHS)

Okavango Delta *Top 100
Namib Sand Sea *Top 100
Twyfelfontein

Canada - East (9 WHS)

Grand Pré
Gros Morne National Park *Top 100
Joggins Fossil Cliffs
L'Anse aux Meadows
Mistaken Point
Old Québec
Old Town Lunenburg
Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
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 *Top 100

Caribbean (4 WHS)

Historic Bridgetown (Barbados)
Morne Trois Pitons (Dominica)
Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique (France)
La Fortaleza (Puerto Rico)

China via Shanghai (3 WHS)

Classical Gardens of Suzhou
The Grand Canal
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries

China via Shenyang (1 WHS)

Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

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/South Africa via Cape Town (2 WHS)

Forts and Castles, Central Region (Ghana) *Cape Coast/Elmina
Cape Floral Region
Robben Island

Gulf States (7 WHS)

Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain)
Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy (Bahrain)
Dilmun Burial Mounds (Bahrain)
Aflaj Irrigation System (Oman)
Bahla Fort (Oman)
Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn (Oman)
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site (Qatar)

India - Western Coast, Sri Lanka & Seychelles (12 WHS)

Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai (India)
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (India)
Elephanta Caves (India)
Churches and Convents of Goa (India)
Valley de Mai Nature Reserve (Seychelles)
Sacred City of Kandy (Sri Lanka)
Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications (Sri Lanka)
Central Highlands (Sri Lanka)
Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple (Sri Lanka)
Ancient City of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)
Ancient City of Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka)
Sacred City of Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka)

Japan (9 WHS)

ICN Flight to Tokyo

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

Busan to Fukuoka Ferry

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

ICN Flight to Hokkaido

Shiretoko

Jordan (4 WHS)

Petra *Top 100
Umm al-Jimal
Um er-Rasas (Kastron Mefa'a)
Wadi Rum Protected Area

Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia (3 WHS)

Singapore Botanic Gardens (Singapore)
Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia)
The Cultural Landscape of Bali Province: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana Philosophy (Indonesia)

Mongolia (2 WHS)

Deer Stone Monuments
Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape

Nordic/Baltic Nations (8 WHS)

Visby (Sweden)
Karlskrona (Sweden)
Birka and Hovgarden (Sweden)
Fortress of Suomenlinna (Finland)
Tallinn (Estonia) *ferry from Helsinki
Struve Geodetic Arc - Tartu Observatory (Estonia)

Sweden via driving (2 WHS) *Malmö to Oslo

Grimeton Radio Station (Sweden)
Rock Carvings in Tanum (Sweden)

Northern Mexico via driving (1 WHS)

Nuevo Casas Grandes: Archaeological Zone of Paquimé

Rwanda/Zambia (3 WHS)

Memorial sites of the Genocide (Rwanda)
Nyungwe National Park (Rwanda)
Victoria Falls *Top 100

Sicily - Malta - Tunisia (11 WHS)

Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (Italy)
Mount Etna (Italy)
Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica (Italy)
Villa Romana del Casale (Italy)
City of Valletta (Malta)
Megalithic Temples (Malta)
Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (Malta)
Isole Eolie (Italy)
Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale (Italy)
Medina of Tunis (Tunisia)
Archaeological Site of Carthage (Tunisia)

Slovenia/Italy (3 WHS)

The Works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Škocjan Caves (Slovenia)
Venice (Italy) *Top 100

Thailand/Cambodia (5 WHS)

Historic City of Ayutthaya (Thailand)
The Ancient Town of Si Thep (Thailand)
Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai Forest Complex (Thailand)
Angkor (Cambodia) *Top 100
Koh Ker (Cambodia)

United Kingdom (12 WHS)

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

United States/Canada (2 WHS)

Alaska: Glacier Parks / Wrangell-St. *Top 100
Canada: Tr’ondëk-Klondike

Yucatán Peninsula Mexico via train (6 WHS)

Sian Ka'an
Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza *Top 100
Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal
Historic Fortified Town of Campeche
Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque *Top 100
Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche *Top 100

Travel Plans [Country List]

California - United States of America Last Update 20.01.25 98 WHS Visited 147 Reviews 95 WHS Rated 45 TWHS Visited

Visited Sites Kyle Magnuson

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Legend

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Recent Reviews Kyle Magnuson

Joshua Tree National Park (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 09-Feb-25

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Joshua Tree National Park may qualify for world heritage status on its own, but the possibility of something far greater has been proposed to World Heritage USA and not only by me. I break down the protected lands in the links near the bottom, which by the way have expanded significantly since the creation of the biosphere reserve in 1984. Moreover, newly designated areas of the Mojave have greatly improved the connectivity of these diverse habitats and protected lands.

Read On

Rosenborg Castle (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 05-Feb-25

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Copenhagen remains without a world heritage site, though that may change in a few years. Rosenborg Castle would have been a prime candidate if it was put forward in the mid-1990's. However, today as a standalone monument? Despite its merits, a new approach is needed.

I would propose a Dutch Renaissance Castles of Denmark nomination centered on Rosenborg Castle and Frederiksborg Castle. In fact, the Dutch architect Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger was a favorite architect of Christian IV and played a significant role in both Rosenborg and Frederiksborg.

Read On

Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau NHP (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 03-Feb-25

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Consideration of a future Heritage of the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian People) nomination, Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau NHP would be a major component. It is past due the United States alongside local stakeholders in Hawaii put forward a serial nomination that represents the rich cultural heritage of Hawaii

Read On

Walled City of Manila (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 26-Jan-25

My first thought when exploring the fortifications and the Colonial heart of Manila was this must be difficult to preserve. The vegetation seemed like it was overtaking the ruins. Moreover, some parts of the fortifications were crumbling or collapsing in on itself. Considering other climate factors such as total rainfall in a year, Intramuros has unique challenges to address before producing a nomination dossier. My visit to Manila was May 2011 and perhaps the conservation within the historic district has improved.

Read On

Vizcaya Bridge

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 31-Dec-24

During our planned stay in Bilbao, the Gran Hotel Puente Colgante in Portugalete (adjacent to the bridge) was too appealing to ignore. With the Portugalete station nearby and the very useful Barik card (which also works for the Vizcaya Bridge), choosing Portugalete instead of central Bilbao turned out to be an excellent choice for us.

We visited the platform just before sunset on our first day and the views were incredible. The vibrations you feel when the gondola is moving might startle some visitors

Read On

Profile Data

Name: Kyle Magnuson
Country: California - United States of America
Ranking: 796
Most Impressive: Yellowstone, Machu Picchu
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 7) Grand Canyon National Park (cultural criteria)
Website: website

Recently Visited WHS

Update 20.01.25: Route of Santiago de Compostela

10 Best Missing

2 Countries Complete

Republic of Korea . United Arab Emirates .

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

Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau 4.5

Redwood 4.5

Works of Antoni Gaudí 4.5

Yosemite National Park 4.5

Edinburgh 4

Everglades 4

Great Smoky Mountains 4

Guanacaste 4

Guanajuato 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

Al Ain 3.5

Beijing Central Axis 3.5

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 Flats 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

Royal Joseon Tombs 3.5

San Miguel de Allende 3.5

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple 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

Vizcaya Bridge 3.5

Willemstad 3.5

Aranjuez 3

Baekje Historic Areas 3

Baroque Churches 3

Belem 3

Cahokia Mounds 3

Forth Bridge 3

Gaya Tumuli 3

Hwaseong Fortress 3

Imperial Tombs 3

Independence Hall 3

Jongmyo Shrine 3

Kronborg Castle 3

Lima 3

Monticello 3

Moravian Church Settlements 3

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon 3

Par force hunting landscape 3

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro 3

Querétaro 3

Roskilde Cathedral 3

San Antonio Missions 3

Seowon, Neo-Confucian Academies 3

Carlsbad Caverns 2.5

Drottningholm 2.5

Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen 2.5

Hopewell 2.5

Mafra 2.5

Nice 2.5

Poverty Point 2.5

Skogskyrkogarden 2.5

New Lanark 2

Camino Real

Qhapaq Ñan

Route of Santiago de Compostela

Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

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 2025-2030

Visited Sites Kyle Magnuson

Legend

Recent Reviews Kyle Magnuson

Joshua Tree National Park (T)

Rosenborg Castle (T)

Pu'uhonua o'Honaunau NHP (T)

Walled City of Manila (T)

Vizcaya Bridge

Profile Data

Recently Visited WHS

10 Best Missing

2 Countries Complete

Visited WHS

Reviewed WHS

Visited TWHS

Reviewed TWHS

Top 50 Missing Sites

Top 200 WHS