I agree about the Black Hills. See my message in this old thread about my visit there. And read the poem that I gave a link to.

Mesa Verde gave me similar feelings.

To really appreciate these places, you've got to get a bit off the beaten track, and find a place to sit quietly and soak up the atmosphere. At Mesa Verde, for example, my most memorable experience was sitting and watching the buzzards (turkey vultures) return to their roosting places at sunset. And watching the colors on the cliffs change as the sun sank lower in the sky.