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.
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.
A city famous for its glitz and glamour, celebrities and beach life, Los Angeles is so much more than Hollywood. Few people are aware that just beyond the urban sprawl of L.A., some amazing nature awaits. These seven beautiful national parks offer a fantastic escape from bustling L.A.
More than 40 National Park Service sites allow mountain biking, an increasingly popular outdoor adventure sport. Along with many NPS units like national monuments and national recreation areas, those include these nine amazing national parks for mountain biking.
Piles and stacks of huge boulders dominate a landscaped dotted with iconic Joshua trees. Blue skies create a vibrant contrast with the yellows and browns of the Southern Californian deserts. A park filled with life and seemingly made for adventurers, there’s a myriad of Joshua Tree National Park highlights.
In the far south of Arizona lies Saguaro National Park, America’s first national park created primarily to protect a plant species. And rightly so—even though this is a desert area, it’s plants that run the show. Pretty much all the best things to do in Saguaro National Park have something to do with saguaros, the largest cactus species in America.
Time, wind and water have chiseled these beautiful and seemingly never-ending mountains for ages, creating a landscape of rocky summits, wooded hollows, roaring waterfalls and bubbling streams. This lush environment is one of sheer abundance. Both the flora and fauna of Shenandoah National Park thrive in large numbers.