Officially known as Torla-Ordesa, this tiny Northern Spain town is nestled high in the Spanish Pyrenees and serves as the primary gateway to the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, Spain’s first national park. It is part of the larger Ordesa-Viñamala Biosphere Reserve, which was given UNESCO designation in 1977.

St. Magdalena is a small village located in the rolling hills and valleys of the Dolomites, a sub-range of the Alps in northeastern Italy. The town is named for the famous Santa Maddalena church, a late gothic-style structure with an ornate interior painted by artist Johann M. Pescoller. The church’s picturesque location at the foot of the Ruefen Mountain makes it a prime spot for photos.

Wanaka, New Zealand, is home to Mount Aspiring National Park, named for one of the country’s highest peaks. Straddling the southern end of the Southern Alps, the park is not only a hiker’s dream, but also a movie fan’s — parts of it were used in filming the “Lord of the Rings” series.

Srinagar, located on the banks of the Jhelum River near the Himalayas, is only the capital of the Jammu and Kashmir region during the summer, from May until November. During the winter months, its higher elevation (5,700 feet) makes the weather much too severe and difficult to access, and the capital moves to Jammu.

Standing 14,023 feet above sea level, Colorado’s Wilson Peak is more than just the highest point in San Miguel County. The picturesque peak, just outside of the resort town of Telluride, is also somewhat of a cultural fixture, appearing on Coors Light beer cans, in Jeep ads, and even in the Quentin Tarantino movie “The Hateful Eight.”

Wengen, located in the Swiss Alps, is one of the few entirely car-free communities remaining around the world. The idyllic Alpine village is accessible only by the mountain-climbing cog railway. It’s known for its quaint wooden cottages, picturesque Belle Epoque hotels, and ample ski slopes.

In 1964, the charming resort town of Innsbruck, Austria, was in the midst of one of its longest snow droughts to date. The Austrian army was called in to carve ice out of the mountainsides and to carry snow — sometimes by the individual basket load — in order to fill out luge and bobsled tracks and ski slopes to host the 1964 Winter Olympics.

One of Canada’s most picturesque mountain lakes, Lake Louise is located within Banff National Park, which became Canada’s first national park in 1885. The lake’s namesake town, home to just 700 people, is also the country’s highest-elevation town at 5,052 feet above sea level.

Gatlinburg is the unofficial gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains. Situated on the eastern edge of Tennessee, Gatlinburg offers a convenient location for those who want to explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and features many attractions that take advantage of the mountainous terrain: downhill skiing, whitewater rafting, and over 600 miles of hiking trails.

Writer Mable Dodge Luhan traveled from New York to Taos, New Mexico, in 1918, and was captivated by its people and the stunning Sangre de Cristo Mountains surrounding the town. Luhan decided to remain there, influencing other artists such as author Aldous Huxley, painter Georgia O’Keefe, and photographer Ansel Adams to join her and laying the groundwork for the prominent artist community Taos is still known for today.

The charming lakefront town of Hallstatt is known for its beautiful baroque architecture set against stunning views of the Austrian Alps. It’s also home to the world’s oldest salt mine, which began organized production between 2100 and 800 BCE. In 1997, the town and its historic mine were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Located in the foothills of the Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen, Morocco, is perhaps better known as “the Blue Pearl.” The Jewish refugees who settled here during the Spanish Inquisition painted buildings in the town varying shades of blue, which has spiritual significance in Jewish traditions. The blue began to attract tourists when the town became part of a popular backpacking circuit in the 1960s.

The Peak 2 Peak Gondola in Whistler, British Columbia, reaches 1,430 feet above ground at its highest point, earning it the Guinness World Record distinction of being the world’s highest cable car above ground. Connecting Whistler and Blackcomb peaks, the cable car offers 360-degree views of the stunning mountain scenery.

Nestled within Canada’s national park of the same name, Jasper was incorporated as a municipality in 2001. Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, providing visitors with 4,247 square miles of wilderness to explore. Located in western Alberta, the park offers rugged adventurers access to backcountry trails, mountain summits, alpine meadows, winding rivers, and pristine lakes.

After the railroad that once passed through Leavenworth re-routed its rails in the 1920s, this town in central Washington state lost much of its population. But in the 1960s, it was remodeled to resemble a Bavarian village, taking advantage of its natural alpine beauty among the Cascade Mountains, and is now a popular tourist attraction.

Shirakawa-go — a picturesque mountaintop village located in the central Gifu prefecture of Japan — is beloved for its peaceful, isolated location. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, the village is dotted with traditional thatched-roof houses that are ideal for shedding the region’s heavy snowfall.

Ouray, Colorado — a historic former mining outpost nestled in the San Juan Mountains — is perhaps better known today as the “Little Switzerland of America.” An hour’s drive from glitzy Telluride, Ouray offers a setting reminiscent of the Swiss Alps — with imposing peaks, steep trails, and even nearby hot springs.

The luxurious alpine village of Gstaad and its glitzy chalets beckons the rich and famous from around the world during ski season. It’s one of the most expensive destinations in the Swiss Alps and has attracted the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, and Princess Diana.

Carved out of the Laurentian Mountain range, Quebec’s Mont-Tremblant consistently ranks among the top ski resorts in eastern North America. Renowned for its slopes, Mont-Tremblant also features a charming pedestrian village with cobblestone steps, Swiss-style lodges, and a town square complete with a giant fireplace.

The mountain resort town of Chamonix, in the French Alps, was home to the first Winter Olympics in 1924. The event was originally called the Winter Sports Week and drew just over 10,000 paying spectators. It was only in hindsight, during the a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Lisbon in 1926, that the Chamonix games were retroactively recognized as the first Olympic Winter Games.