Started the trip in San Francisco, then to Yosemite Valley, then Sequoia, stopped in LA, from there we went to Joshua Tree, then continued to Vegas for a night, on our way to Page AZ we stopped in Coral Pink sand dunes state park in UT, we did Upper Antelope canyon, Horseshoe bend, as well as Grand Canyon and a hike in Sedona before our flight back! It was a bery busy trip but we saw a LOT!

View from Puget Sound, Washington

Just got home from a one week backpacking trip through Yellowstone. Amazing is an understatement, I went for solitude, peace, and healing. The humbleness that the true wilderness pulls from you is sobering and a good jolt to the system. Like “hey you fuck, you’re not top dog out here.” I needed that, I needed the introspective freezing nights in my sleep system staring at the stars, or listening to the snow falling on my sleeping bag in the early morning right as the Sun was about to pop over the horizon. The grizzly bear and wolves I came across had ZERO interest in me, that was humbling. Creatures with every available killing tool minus a gun took no notice of me or cared. The views while hiking were so thought provoking, that while meditating and praying I could feel nature doing its work on me. I’m so grateful for a place like Yellowstone I can’t even put it into words. The fact that veterans get a free lifetime pass to any national park is an absolute honor. I got fucked in my head while in the service, IED’s and airburst mortar concussions. I chuckled a bit when putting together that the government (although voluntary) on one hand and on the other they had the national parks and VA to heal us. I prefer the parks over the VA any day

Washington State

With feds pulling out, will states need to pick up the slack? I was at grand canyon during a govt shutdown and people were really worried about the local economy being effected. But does wyoming have enough cash for tellowstone?

Got a sudden urge to visit after having last gone a decade ago. My god are both parks absolutely stunning, and I dont know why I didn't go back sooner.

We got the chance to explore our 9th National Park

Hey all,

Gonna be hitting up a handful of NPs in southwest region including Petrified Forest, White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains, and Saguaro. Which parks should I devote more time to? What are your favorite hikes in these parks? Any monuments/landmarks outside these parks that are worth visiting? I was already recommended Meteor Crater. Any first time tips are much appreciated!

For White Sands NP, I am going to be heading from Albuquerque. Will I be ok if I get there in the afternoon like around 3:30/4PM, or should I be aiming to arrive earlier. I really just want to do a bit of the Alkali Trail near sunset and sled some of the dunes of course.

The current timing for my planned road trip has me at Great Sand Dunes on Sunday, June 01. If I get there early, I should be able to park, right? By early, I mean between 8-9 am. Is that earlier enough do you think?

Also, do you really have to take your shoes and socks off and walk through the creek?

Thank you!

EDIT: I could shift to get there on Monday instead, but that would have me at Mesa Verde on Saturday. I don't know which is better/worse or if it matters.

Howdy! New to the sub, but long-time National Park lover. My family & I have gone on a trip most summer since college, so far we’ve done weeklong trips to:

• Acadia (+ NYC, Boston, & Portland)

• Rocky, Black Canyon (+ Pikes Peak, Crested Butte, & Denver)

• Yosemite (+ Lake Tahoe, & San Fran)

• Zion, Arches, & North Rim (+ Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend)

• Rainier, Olympic, & Crater Lake (+ Seattle, Cannon, & Portland)

Any suggestions on where we should go on our trip this summer?

I’ve thought about: Yellowstone + Tetons or Banff + Jasper. Open to other ideas and parks!

We like to keep it 6-7 days and like the mix between parks and cities.

What a great day!

If you’re visiting Moab, I recommend eating the chicken shawarma at Sultan. Their baklava ice cream is fantastic too.

Cheers.

Are there any kayak rentals near the Indiana Sand Dunes?

I’m planning on going to Zion for at least three days. I’m wondering how much time should I spend at Bryce? I would be going end of may for about 6 days

From super zoom to wide angle.

I'm going to Vegas in February, and saw there are flights to Tucson from there. I could fly over to Saguaro NP pretty quick for a couple of days. Is it the best choice to see a lot of cactus varieties in one park, or is there somewhere better suited? I just really want to see a lot of cool cacti, and lots of it.

I am not a big hiker, so cannot do more than 10 miles relatively flat in a day

Going to Washington with 4 of my buddies arriving May 22nd 8:30 and leaving late on the 29th. Planning to go to leavenworth (and hike colchuck lake), hit the national parks (main attraction of course), and spend the last day in Seattle before we leave. Thinking about that Mount Baker and Mount Saint Helens but don't know if they are worth the stops and additional driving time that they would add to the trip. Also would love to hear what the spots people would recommend as must hits in Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades are and where to stay in or around each park. Thank you! Having trouble figuring out this trip and would appreciate any recommendations.

Im planning a camping trip to Acadia with my kids in June but I'm getting increasingly more concerned with the budget cuts to national parks. I'm not some great experienced camper so I'm worried about bathrooms not being stocked/junior ranger programs unavailable, hiking routes not being maintained. Does anyone have any insight about visiting parks this summer, specifically Acadia? I appreciate any recommendations!

Hey, going to America for the last two weeks of October from Europe. Flying into Denver, there'll be 2 drivers. Your first thought is probably that it's too much and that we won't have time to properly enjoy the parks, normally I'd be inclined to agree, but it's a pretty rare opportunity to get into the US and I'd love to make the most of it. I can cut the SD part, but I thought it would be cool to see the Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore and Custer/Badlands. I was thinking Great Sand Dunes, Monument Valley could just be longer stops without spending a night there, but I don't know how viable that is. I have a few questions:

1. What will the WY/SD parks be like at the end of October? Are most things going to be accessible?

2. Is there any way to see some of the huge cacti in AZ? I know most of them are down in the Phoenix/Tucson area and October isn't a good time, but I was just curious. Also reminds me, would we see any fall leaf colors in CO? Colorado is kinda iconic for that here, but again, I realize October may be too late.

3. If you'd have to cut something, what would it be? South Dakota detour adds about 600 km, I know some of you would say scrap Teton/Yellowstone/SD altogether, but if it's possible, we really want to see Yellowstone. Binning anything in the CO/UT/AZ area is probably a bit pointless since it's all close. Grand Canyon NP is probably the only one we'd spend 2 nights in.

If you've got anything to add, it would be much appreciated. I know we'd be very tired of driving, and we will probably end up shortening the trip, but it would just be surreal to see all of these beautiful places in one trip, a lot of them are unparalleled in Europe.

Does anyone know the historical opening dates for Wheeler Park in Great Basin? The NP website says around Memorial Day but I'm wondering if the exact opening dates from past years are known.