Kyle Magnuson

United States of America \ Member since March 2010

#492 104 36 3

View Kyle Magnuson's profile on LinkedIn

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]

My most impressive site: Yellowstone, Machu Picchu

My proposal for a new site: 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)

Check out my website: http://completecalifornia.weebly.com/

Recent Visits
  • 0
    1
    July 30, 2025
    Unjusa: Stone Buddhas and Pagodas at Hwasun Unjusa Temple
  • 0
    1
    July 9, 2025
    Seosan Getbol: Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (Extension)
  • 0
    1
    July 4, 2025
    Hoeamsa: Hoeamsa Temple
Top 10 Missing
  1. Angkor 4.72
  2. Petra 4.61
  3. Galapagos Islands 4.60
  4. Rome 4.57
  5. Venice and its Lagoon 4.52
  6. Pyramids (Memphis) 4.51
  7. Rapa Nui 4.49
  8. Victoria Falls 4.47
  9. Tikal National Park 4.46
  10. Florence 4.45
Completed Countries

About Kyle Magnuson

Member since
March 2010
Country of Origin
United States of America
Visits
Rank
#492
WHS
104
Tentative Sites
36
Website Participation
Reviews
147
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
98 35
Locations
0
Zones
0
Reserved for members.

Reviews by Kyle Magnuson

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Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries by Kyle Magnuson

Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Mona… (Inscribed)

Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries

Many visitors to Korea visit Bulguksa or Haeinsa. Both are Buddhist treasures and provide a great introduction to Korean temples. However, too often visitors only visit Bongeunsa temple in Seoul. …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 17/12/13
Taos Pueblo by Kyle Magnuson

Taos Pueblo (Inscribed)

Taos Pueblo

On the morning of November 30th, after a short drive from Santa Fe, my wife and I reached Taos Pueblo. I knew all the particulars about price, pictures, and the …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 03/12/13
Trading Posts and Fortifications on Genoese Trade by Kyle Magnuson

Trading Posts and Fortificati… (On tentative list)

Trading Posts and Fortifications on Genoese Trade

I was surprised to find I had actually visited a site included in this nomination. During the Fall of 2007 I had the great pleasure of spending 5 days in …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 20/04/13
Edinburgh by Kyle Magnuson

Edinburgh (Inscribed)

Edinburgh

I've had the great pleasure of spending 6 months in Scotland as a student. During this amazing opportunity I spent countless days exploring every corner and side street of Edinburgh. …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 15/11/12
Summer Palace by Kyle Magnuson

Summer Palace (Inscribed)

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is a great place to spend a couple hours. The site is large enough that it seems far less busy than some of the other WHS in …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 13/11/12
Machu Picchu by Kyle Magnuson

Machu Picchu (Inscribed)

Machu Picchu

One of the greatest world heritage sites, Machu Picchu is one of the true manmade wonders. The location is stunning, and the ruins are in excellent condition. However, like the …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 13/11/12
Chaco Culture by Kyle Magnuson

Chaco Culture (Inscribed)

Chaco Culture

Chaco is one of many great archaeological sites scattered throughout the Southwest, though what makes it exceptional is the culture that emerged here and flourished over centuries. Chaco Culture is …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 15/09/12
Toledo by Kyle Magnuson

Toledo (Inscribed)

Toledo

I took a bus from Madrid to Toledo. I only had a day, but my initial doubts of making the trip were forgotten once I stepped foot in this magnificient …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 14/09/12
Cahokia Mounds by Kyle Magnuson

Cahokia Mounds (Inscribed)

Cahokia Mounds

Cahokia is worth a stop for anyone visiting St. Louis. It is a nice side trip from the city. If you are visiting the area solely for the Cahokia Mounds …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 14/09/12
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor by Kyle Magnuson

Mausoleum of the First Qin Em… (Inscribed)

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

The highlight of any trip to Xian, the world famous Terra Cotta Warriors are magnifient to behold. The only downside is the sites are relatively quick to "view" and then …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 14/09/12
Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius by Kyle Magnuson

Temple, Mansion and Cemetery … (Inscribed)

Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius

I really enjoyed my time in Qufu. While this small city is fairly off the tourist map, the Family Mansion of Confucius can get very crowded (like most China WHS). …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 13/09/12
Imperial Tombs by Kyle Magnuson

Imperial Tombs (Inscribed)

Imperial Tombs

Like others I visited the Changling Tomb. I visited China the first time in 2006, and at the time I was not even aware of Unesco. I enjoyed my time …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 12/09/12
Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings by Kyle Magnuson

Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings (Inscribed)

Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered one of the great architects of the 20th century, with a far-reaching influence and legacy of design that we encounter frequently in our own homes …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 25/07/12
Redwood by Kyle Magnuson

Redwood (Inscribed)

Redwood

Following the previous days 11 hour drive from Los Angeles, visiting Redwood National Park is a challenge because of its remote location. (5 hrs drive north from San Francisco) Nevertheless, …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 30/05/12
Everglades by Kyle Magnuson

Everglades (Inscribed)

Everglades

As I had plenty of time in Southern Florida in December 2011, I made three excursions into Everglades National Park. First I visited Shark Valley and walked more than half …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 03/01/12
Imperial Palace by Kyle Magnuson

Imperial Palace (Inscribed)

Imperial Palace

I visited the Imperial Palace in Beijing twice. Once in 2006 and once in 2007. A true exploration of the site runs about half a day. It is worthwile to …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 28/12/11
Baroque Churches by Kyle Magnuson

Baroque Churches (Inscribed)

Baroque Churches

While in Manila for a brief time, my short excursion into Intramuros was enjoyable. Like others have mentioned Manila is a chaotic city (both good and bad!) and San Agustin …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 26/12/11
Oeam Village by Kyle Magnuson

Oeam Village (On tentative list)

Oeam Village

Oeam village is a beautiful small village, whose inhabitants are largely in the 60+ range. The village is not really a tourist site, more being an actual old village which …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 13/06/11
El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area by Kyle Magnuson

El Nido-Taytay Managed Resour… (On tentative list)

El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area

The archipalego's around El Nido and Taytay are certainly of "outstanding universal value." Bacuit bay is an incredible panorama of pristine islands, teeming with biodiversity. Snorkeling anywhere in Bacuit bay …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 12/06/11
Hahoe and Yangdong by Kyle Magnuson

Hahoe and Yangdong (Inscribed)

Hahoe and Yangdong

I visited Hahoe village in June. Hahoe is probably the best preserved Joseon dynasty village in Korea. I really enjoyed my visit here. I had just recently visited Oeam and …

Keep reading Kyle Magn… 12/06/11
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