In its heyday, Historic Route 66 was the most popular road to the west, both for traveling families and migrants, and it still is to some extent. “America’s Main Street”, as it’s often called, still brings road trippers to many of the best national parks in the Midwest, Southwest and California.
Although it’s one of the smallest U.S. national parks, you’ll find lots of things to do in Pinnacles National Park. It’s both a worthwhile weekend trip destination from California’s largest cities and the perfect stopping point on longer road trips, a quiet park that offers beautiful scenery and fun outdoor activities.
On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, an act including the provision to re-designate White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico as White Sands National Park, which is the 62nd national park in the U.S.
From easy hikes along the Bryce Canyon rim to strenuous adventures in the heart of Bryce Amphitheater, there are a handful of hiking trails in Bryce Canyon National Park that can be combined to create fun, longer loops.
Washington, the Evergreen State, is a destination that offers endless adventures. Encompassing the rugged Pacific coast, unspoiled temperate rain forests, numerous glaciers, and the waterfalls and volcanoes of the Cascade Range, the three national parks in Washington State are world-class outdoor playgrounds.
Approaching through the San Luis Valley, you might at first think that the rolling sand dunes set against the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains are some kind of fata morgana. The opposite, however, is true. This landscape, however surreal it may look, is actually real.
Capitol Reef is a great place to get away from the crowds that overrun other nearby parks like Zion, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon. It offers you the chance to enjoy wonderful desert scenery in solitude, go on hikes without running into hundreds of other hikers, and to explore both Native American and Mormon pioneering sites.
See the Rocky Mountains, towering sand dunes, deep canyons and countless Native American archaeological sites in these amazing national parks Near Denver, Colorado: Rocky Mountain, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde and Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
From car camping in the Haleakala Summit cloud belt or next to the lapping waves of the Pacific Ocean to wilderness camping deep in the crater, there are a few different camping locations in beautiful Haleakala National Park, Maui.
A UNESCO World Heritage site in southern Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park protects a huge collection of Ancestral Puebloan sites, including dozens of cliff houses and a few really impressive cliff-side ruins. Here’s how you can spend an active and educative day at Mesa Verde.
Featuring various lake activities, such as boating and fishing, as well as fantastic wildlife viewing, great hiking, breathtaking Quinault Rain Forest scenery, and some beautiful waterfalls, the many things to do in the Quinault Valley will keep you busy for a day or two. This is easily one of my favorite places in Olympic National Park.
The westernmost national park in the lower 48 states, Olympic National Park is a pristine wilderness unlike any other on earth. Often called “three parks in one”, its ecological variety is of such magnitude and importance that the park is both an International Biosphere Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Whether you’re hiking solo, with a partner or as part of a group, it’s important to adhere to the written and unwritten hiking guidelines. This hiking etiquette is the best way to show respect for both others and nature, act as a steward of the land, and simply set a good example.
It may be the season when trees go dormant, bears hibernate and people cozy up near fireplaces, but winter also provides some amazing outdoor fun. If you’re up for a snowy adventure, America’s national parks offer everything from winter wonderlands and wildlife viewing to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.