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 2024-2030

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 (5 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)

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 (5 WHS)

Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain)
Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy (Bahrain)
Aflaj Irrigation System (Oman)
Bahla Fort (Oman)
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site (Qatar)

India - Western Coast & Seychelles (5 WHS)

Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Elephanta Caves
Churches and Convents of Goa
Valley de Mai Nature Reserve

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 (2 WHS)

Singapore Botanic Gardens (Singapore)
Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia)

Mongolia (2 WHS)

Deer Stone Monuments
Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape

Nordic/Baltic Nations (6 WHS)

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

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

Spain (5 WHS)

Works of Antoni Gaudí
The Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona
Mudejar Architecture of Aragon
Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain
Vizcaya Bridge

Sweden via driving (2 WHS) *Malmö to Oslo

Grimeton Radio Station
Rock Carvings in Tanum

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
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 20.12.24 96 WHS Visited 138 Reviews 91 WHS Rated 45 TWHS Visited

Visited Sites Kyle Magnuson

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Recent Reviews Kyle Magnuson

Gulf of California

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 04-Dec-24

On my 3rd road trip to Sonora, Mexico from Los Angeles I decided to reserve a boat tour to Isla San Jorge, part of the 'Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California' world heritage site. During previous visits I had primarily focused on El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve. Typically each trip was 4 days and we always entered and departed Mexico from the Lukeville Port of Entry in Arizona. On the way to the border, you will drive through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the location being quiet far from population centers, you can expect a relatively quick border crossing. November through March are all excellent times to visit, I would avoid the Summer.

Read On

Beijing Central Axis

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 30-Jul-24

With the Beijing Central Axis joining the World Heritage List, I want to focus on what is newly inscribed. Therefore, in this review I will not include any information about the Old Beijing City Section of Tonghui Canal, the Forbidden City, or the Temple of Heaven. Additionally, I will not focus on sites within the boundaries (primarily after 1949) which do not contribute to the OUV. The Imperial Palace boundary is the moat, therefore plenty of buildings associated with or adjacent to the Forbidden City were previously not inscribed.

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Capital Fortifications of Hanyang (T)

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 29-Apr-24

Since this nomination expanded, I thought I would write a review specifically for Bukhansanseong (about 12 km wall length). I visited Bukhansanseong (Mountain Fortress) in the Summer of 2008. I spent the whole day hiking in Bukhansan National Park and visited multiple gates (there are 13 gates total). I researched the route and I was keen to walk much of the fortress before making my way to the parks famous granite peaks. The terrain is more challenging than Namhansanseong Fortress (built earlier 1624-1626). Bukhansanseong was built rapidly (less than a year) and the design utilized the physical terrain.

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Guanacaste

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 30-Mar-24

I dedicated 3 days to exploring the Area de Conservación Guanacaste in March 2024. Every day we made sure to arrive at the park gate when it opened at 8am (pay attention to which parks are open each day). Our logic was - do the hike in the morning (avoid peak temperatures), higher potential of spotting wildlife, and to finish in time for a late lunch. In the end, we felt we succeeded as we arrived to all parks between 8:00 and 8:30 in the morning, the heat was not uncomfortable, and we did indeed spot plenty of wildlife. Access to each park was reserved in advance online, with the exception of the Junquillal Sector.

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Guanajuato

Kyle Magnuson California - United States of America - 08-Jan-24

Clearly, based on the reviews thus far there is no need to go into the magic of Guanajuato! The music of the Callejoneada, the beautiful plazas (personal favorite, Plaza de San Fernando), Teatro Juarez, and the University steps each offer their own reward. The numerous historic Churches are noteworthy, though I would highlight Templo de San Francisco and the surrounding small streets 'Manuel Doblado' and 'Del Campanero' as particularly worthwhile areas to explore. Based on the glowing reviews here, I determined 4 days in Guanajuato would be ideal, considering there would be some closures on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. The festive holidays only added to the city's beauty

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Profile Data

Name: Kyle Magnuson
Country: California - United States of America
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 20.12.24: Mudejar Architecture of Aragon

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

Redwood 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

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

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

Par force hunting landscape 3

Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro 3

Querétaro 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

Hopewell 2.5

Mafra 2.5

Nice 2.5

Poverty Point 2.5

Skogskyrkogarden 2.5

New Lanark 2

Camino Real

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon

Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau

Qhapaq Ñan

Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Works of Antoni Gaudí

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 2024-2030

Visited Sites Kyle Magnuson

Legend

Recent Reviews Kyle Magnuson

Gulf of California

Beijing Central Axis

Capital Fortifications of Hanyang (T)

Guanacaste

Guanajuato

Profile Data

Recently Visited WHS

2 Countries Complete

Visited WHS

Reviewed WHS

Visited TWHS

Reviewed TWHS

Top 50 Missing Sites

Top 200 WHS