Kyle Magnuson

United States of America \ Member since March 2010

#503 104 41 3

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 the Republic of 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

Next Trip December 2025: The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda

Next Trip March 2026: La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site in Puerto Rico

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World Heritage Planning 2025-2035

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 Portugal (1 WHS)

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

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 (3 WHS)

  • Historic Bridgetown (Barbados)
  • Morne Trois Pitons (Dominica)
  • Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique (France)

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

Mongolia (2 WHS)

  • Deer Stone Monuments
  • Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape

Nordic/Baltic Nations (9 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 *Malmö to Oslo

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

Train from Oslo

  • Bryggen (Norway)

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

Southern Spain (4 WHS)

  • Historic Centre of Cordoba *Top 100
  • Caliphate City of Medina Azahara
  • Cathedral, Alcazar and Archivo de Indias in Seville *Top 100
  • Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzin, Granada *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]

My most impressive site: Yellowstone, Machu Picchu

Recent Visits
  • 9
    6
    July 10, 2025
    Korea - Summer 2025: Ancient Mountain Fortresses in Central Korea, Capital Fortifications of Hanyang, Changdeokgung …
  • 4
    1
    June 19, 2025
    Southeast Asia - Summer 2025: Bali Subak system, FRIM Selangor, Melaka and George Town ...
  • 5
    0
    Dec. 15, 2024
    Spain - Christmas Season 2024: Mudejar Architecture of Aragon, Palau de la Musica Catalana & …
Top 10 Missing
  1. Angkor 4.72
  2. Petra 4.62
  3. Rapa Nui 4.62
  4. Galapagos Islands 4.60
  5. Rome 4.58
  6. Venice and its Lagoon 4.52
  7. Pyramids (Memphis) 4.51
  8. Ancient Thebes 4.51
  9. Victoria Falls 4.48
  10. Tikal National Park 4.46
Completed Countries

About Kyle Magnuson

Member since
March 2010
Country of Origin
United States of America
Visits
Rank
#503
WHS
104
Tentative Sites
41
Website Participation
Reviews
151
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
101 40
Locations
92
Zones
0
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Kyle Magnuson

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Hawaii Volcanoes (KJM)

Hawaii Volcanoes (Inscribed)

Volcanic Features & Kilauea Iki Trail

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 …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 25/01/22
Cabo Pulmo National Park (Gulf of California)

Gulf of California (Inscribed)

Cabo Pulmo National Park (Between La Paz & Cabo San Lucas)

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 …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 25/12/21
Yellowstone (KJM)

Yellowstone (Inscribed)

The Story of Yellowstone

Yellowstone has survived for 150 years. Mineral exploitation, logging and poachers were the most serious threats between 1872 and 1916. In the 'The Act of Dedication' (1872), Yellowstone was "set …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 27/10/21
Glacier Montana (KJM)

Waterton Glacier Internationa… (Inscribed)

Alternative Visiting Experience

Visiting the park between June 15th and June 17th, the season was still early. The Going-to-the-Sun Road was not cleared fully, but more importantly for my visit, I would have …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 27/09/21
University of Virginia (KJM)

Monticello (Inscribed)

The Jefferson Dilemma

Having booked my tickets online well in advance for Monticello and making sure I had ample time in Charlottesville (both preferable), I felt this might be an interesting first stop …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 14/09/21
Poverty Point (KJM)

Poverty Point (Inscribed)

Mound Builders: Poverty Point

A hunter-fisher-gatherer society of this size would have required a highly skilled group of people to sustain the community. During my visit, there was a Atlatl (spear-thrower) demonstration. After taking …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 30/08/21
Monroe School (Civil Rights Movement)

Civil Rights Movement Sites (Nominated)

Freedom Struggle

If you want to better understand this nomination and grasp the broad collection of sites related to the Civil Rights Movement, start in Alabama.

Alabama (Birmingham)

While touring the 16th …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 28/08/21
Moravian Bethlehem (KJM)

Moravian Church Settlements (Inscribed)

Moravian Bethlehem: Historic District

Starting our tour at the "Moravian Museum of Bethlehem - 1741 Gemeinhaus" we learned about the industrious and comparatively forward-thinking Moravian Community at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Our tour guide was a …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 26/08/21
Thomas Jefferson Buildings (KJM)

Thomas Jefferson Buildings (On tentative list)

Poplar Forest

While visiting Poplar Forest, I was struck by the absurdity of an extension called "Thomas Jefferson Buildings", this is not to hold judgement on the components themselves. I would be …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 24/08/21
Hopewell (KJM)

Hopewell (Inscribed)

Mound Builders: Hopewell

I visited Hopewell Culture National Historical Park - Mound City (early evening) and Newark Earthworks - Great Circle (just after sunrise). Besides what I explored, Seip Earthworks is considered and …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 21/08/21
Taquile Island - Lake Titicaca (KJM)

Lake Titicaca (On tentative list)

Taquile Island

Visual Review: Flickr Album

In this short mostly visual review, I want to highlight the landscapes of Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian side. From Puno, the Uros Floating Isles and …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 02/07/20
Rural Temples of Cuzco (KJM)

Rural Temples of Cusco (On tentative list)

Sistine Chapel of the Andes

The Church of San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas, the "Sistine Chapel of the Andes" was mostly lost to me in 2009. Its hard to appreciate such a structure without information …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/08/19
Mount Vernon (KJM)

Mount Vernon (On tentative list)

Association with Washington is Too Strong

Mount Vernon simply cannot be separated with the man and its not what the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association want regardless. As stated on the official website, "The Mount Vernon Ladies' …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 25/04/19
Carlsbad Caverns (KJM)

Carlsbad Caverns (Inscribed)

Carlsbad Without the Caverns?

Government Shutdown: Review

After the uproar of the 2013 government shutdown which laster 16 days, the National Park Service developed a contingency plan that allowed many national park service sites …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 29/12/18
Monastery of Alcobaça (KJM)

Monastery of Alcobaça (Inscribed)

Masterpiece of Cistercian Gothic Art

This was the first monastery we visited on our road trip to Coimbra. It certainly was not a disappointment as the day was ideal for these rural small town monasteries. …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 07/09/18
Monastery of Batalha (KJM)

Monastery of Batalha (Inscribed)

Workshop of the Portuguese Monarchy

For me this was the most exceptional Monastery in Portugal. The whole structure is photogenic, well-kept, and simply a lovely place to explore. The weather during my visit was perfect, …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 06/09/18
Cultural Landscape of Sintra (KJM)

Sintra (Inscribed)

The Romantic Architecture of Sintra

My trip to Sinta was blessed with triumphs and (unavoidable?) pitfalls. I planned early based on reviews in our community that a day trip was not enough. Moreover, staying one …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 01/09/18
Convent of Christ in Tomar (KJM)

Convent of Christ in Tomar (Inscribed)

A Temple of Five Centuries

My last monastery in Portugal, therefore its inevitably the least interesting. That's not to say that it was not a worthwhile site to visit. Nor is this convent lacking its …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 28/08/18
Portugal Pavilion in Lisbon (KJM)

Alvaro Siza's Architecture (On tentative list)

Portugal Pavilion in Lisbon (Expo 1998)

On my last night in Portugal I had booked a hotel in Lisbon, near the airport, just South of Vasco da Gama Bridge. This area is known as Parque das …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 22/08/18
Monastery of the Hieronymites in Lisbon (KJM)

Belem (Inscribed)

Associated with the 'Age of the Discovery'

Both the monastery and the Tower of Belem were busy, I assume because many visitors flow into Lisbon off the massive cruise liners. With the Monastery line wrapping along much …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 22/08/18
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