Capitol Reef National Park

This news story about the closure of the Scenic Drive in Capitol Reef National Park is based on an April 12, 2024, National Park Service press release. You can read …

From spring through fall, visiting the historic orchards in Fruita is one of the highlights of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. While spring brings beautiful blossoms, summer and fall offer fun fruit picking in the Capitol Reef orchards. This handy blossoms and fruit harvest calendar might help you plan your trip.

The health benefits of hiking are well known and well documented nowadays. And few things are better for a “nature bath” than going on a reinvigorating hike in a national park. These are some of the greatest day hikes in the U.S. National Park System.

If you’re a national parks lover who enjoys gardening, collecting wild edibles and foraging, you might wonder if foraging is allowed in the national parks. And, as surprising as it …

From old-growth forests to towering mountains, from rocky coasts to shimmering lakes, America’s national parks preserve all kinds of landscapes. One of the landscapes least suitable to humans, however, are …

Nearly all U.S. national parks encompass the ancestral homelands of Native American Tribes. Having lived in, or at least traveled through, these areas, they left behind plenty of archaeological artifacts …

Preserving some of America’s last remaining pristine night skies, many national parks offer amazing stargazing and Milky Way viewing opportunities. From Mesa Verde and Death Valley to Glacier and Voyageurs, these national parks have the most spectacular star-peppered night skies. “Half the park is after dark!”

From the five Utah national parks in the south to Rocky Mountain parks like Grand Teton and Yellowstone to the north, Salt Lake City is less than five hours from several epic parks. So, pack your camping and hiking gear, rent a car and go for a once-in-a-lifetime national parks road trip from Salt Lake City.

One of the best things about American national parks is their variety. From different landscapes to iconic wildlife to usually a historical aspect as well, there’s plenty to discover in these epitomes of nature conservation, especially if you have a car at your disposal.

When many parts of America are still dusted with snow and suffer from below-freezing temperatures, others begin waking up after a long winter’s rest. Spring brings with it pleasant temperatures, roaring waterfalls and unique wildlife sightings, often including baby animals frolicking in spectacular landscapes.

Many scenic highways and byways crisscross the American West, linking some of the world’s greatest national parks. A classic example of a road trip state is Utah, home to five spectacular national parks. Lined up across the southern part of the state, this quintet of Utah national parks is known as the “Mighty 5.”

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.

With their mesmerizing natural beauty and abundant wildlife, America’s national parks aren’t exactly the dream destinations of architecture lovers. At least, that’s what they think. The truth is that you can find gorgeous and photogenic buildings in national parks all over the U.S.

Wiping the sweat off your forehead, you try to catch your breath as you gaze across a landscape dominated by red rocks and sandstone hills. Towering rock pillars and enormous domes fill the view, interspersed by wide valleys and, here and there, a hardy desert bush. Your chest still heaving up and down after a short but steep climb to the overlook, you sit down and take a well-deserved sip from your water bottle.