National Parks As I know them
based on 5 votes
Just a view of the national parks I have visited with pointers wherever appropriate
-
Explore locations featured in this Traveler List:
San Francisco, Shenandoah National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Everglades National Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Honaunau, Haleakala National Park, Keystone, Badlands National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Mosca, Rocky Mountain National Park, El Yunque National Forest, Zion National Park, Nevada, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Fruita, Gunnison, Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park
- Category: Best of
-
Traveler type: Culture, Sightseeing, Active/Outdoors, Never been before
-
Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Families with small children, Families with teenagers, Large groups, Students, Budget travelers, Active/adventure, Tourists
- Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Tags:
|
|
1. Golden Gate National Recreation Area
|
|
| Great views but very very touristy. Since I have family there and have visited it thrice now it's no longer my favourite place :-( Okay to do once. |
|
|
2. Shenandoah National Park
|
|
| Have done part of the Skyline Drive in winter. We saw some deer, enjoyed the winter sky and some views. |
|
|
3. Mesa Verde National Park
|
|
| Very unique in the way it showcases history. Enjoyed the tours to Cliff palace and Balcony house. Go early if u want to get in the tour to Long House as well. Spend two days if u want to take in all the viewpoints with some hikes. |
|
|
4. Everglades National Park
|
|
|
It's a nice park with a little bit of tropical feel to it. Have done some boardwalks and 2 worth mentioning are the Anhinga trail and Gumbo Limbo trail. Anhinga trail has a lot of wildlife - gators, turtles ... and Gumbo Limbo trail has huge trees and is like being in the woods. Both are short and can be done within 2-3 hours. |
|
|
5. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
|
|
|
Very different, dyanamic and full of geography in action. Especially if u get to see live lava, that seals the place in your memories forever!!!!
We did all the viewpoints of Crater Rim Drive, hiked the Kilaeua Iki trail (2-3 hours) - takes u through rainforests and crater but is paved through the forest.
In the afternoon we hiked about 4 miles from the Chain of Craters road to see lava. |
|
|
6. Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
|
|
| U get to see Hawaiian TIki god sculptures, beautiful sea turtles and experience great snorkeling. It's a 2-3 hour visit. |
|
|
7. Haleakala National Park
|
|
| Lovely colors, unique lanscapes and some hiking in solitude. Has a spiritual aura to it. A suggestion for a strenuous day hike is going down the Sliding Sands trail and hiking up the Halemauu trail. U get to see the endangered silversword plants. The other side of the park - the Kipahulu side has the oheo gulch and the Pipiwai trail leading through a rainforest to impressive Waimoku falls |
|
|
8. Mount Rushmore National Memorial
|
|
| While the monument is impressive and so is the history it symbolizes, what takes u by surpirse is the beauty of the Black Hills which surround it. Nearby Custer state park also has great wildlife, lakes and scenic drives. |
|
|
9. Badlands National Park
|
|
| The lodging in Badlands National park is beautiful and peaceful while being cheap with amazing views of the Badlands and lots of rabbits to observe. We loved the badlands but many of our friends did not. U have to see it in twilight - dawn or dusk when the lights of the badland scenery comes out. They believe the weird geographical area to have been an ocean bed many years ago. |
|
|
10. Yellowstone National Park
|
|
|
This is more than just a national park. It is A wonder of Planet Earth. Great in every aspect. The canyon colors and hot springs provide great photography opportunites, the mountains and the valley have good hiking, the pools and colors make u go WOW and waiting for the geysers to erupt and watching them go off beats any theatre experience hands down. O how did I miss all the wildlife ... It's like life - inroganic and organic is gushing from the wonder that is yellowstone. While we were there, the unpredicted eruption of Giant geyser upto 250 ft was the highlight of the trip. We also witnessed Grand Geyser eruption, great fountain geyser, Old faithful and Riverside geyser. |
|
|
11. Grand Teton National Park
|
|
|
Great mountain and lake scenery and wildlife. This is where we saw moose and a calf which we missed in yellowstone. DIdn't spend long due to time constraints. |
|
|
12. Great Sand Dunes National Monument
|
|
| It is what it is sand dunes amidst mountains. So has a bit of both. Hiking in the dunes, hiking up mountains to waterfalls and if u r lucky a beautiful stream running amidst dunes. The park provides opportunities for 4 WD and easy to very hard backcountry camping. |
|
|
13. Rocky Mountain National Park
|
|
|
This is the park I know best :-) Hiking in mountain country to high altitude lakes, waterfalls, in land where snow reigns even in high summer where wildlife (elk, bighorn sheep and moose which have made a comeback) stop traffic in many seasons. |
|
|
14. El Yunque National Forest
|
|
| A tropical rainforest with many hiking opportunties. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
I spent a day at Zion. We did the zion canyon scenic highway and the mt. carmel highway stopping at viewpoints etc. Also did a bit of riverside walk. The zion lodge is at a great location and lawns in front are great for mid afternoon relaxation. Mt Carmel tunnel was great too. |
|
|
16. Lake Mead National Recreation Area
|
|
| Lake Mead Cruises are the only authorized boat tours in the area. This is a neat way to enjoy Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. |
|
|
|
|
|
| We spent a day at Arches, hiked Park Avenue trail, The windows including Turret Arch, Devils garden trail to Tunnel and Pine tree arches. In the evening we did the hike to Delicate Arch and loved it though it was crowded. |
|
|
|
|
|
| We did the dead horse point state park and then drove the road from visitors center to grand view point and to upheaval dome. We enjoyed al lthe sights and views and vistas and also did a hike to mesa arch - highly recommended. All this took us half a day. |
|
|
|
|
|
| We drove to the needles area in the evening from Moab. there is an arch right by the roadside on the way. Needles district was beautiful and we drove till Elephant Hill and Big Spring Canyon Overlook. Elephant hill trip is highly recommended. |
|
|
20. Colorado National Monument
|
|
| Spent a few hours and drove the road and enjoyed all the viewpoints. |
|
|
21. Curecanti National Recreation Area
|
|
| We walked down the Pine Creek trail and did the Murrow Point tour which was totally worth it because we spotted a black bear in the creek. It also got out of the water and entered the woods. Otherwise this is just a different way to enjoy the Black Canyon.A few of the pictures I took turned out quite similar to Zion Canyon. |
|
|
22. Black Canyon National Park
|
|
| While the canyon itself is impressive, you could stop at one viewpoint and declare done. The north rim and south rim are very similar and overall the park is a good stopover when driving from Denver to south colorado (Ouray, Telluride etc) We spent 2 afternoons at the park and did two hikes in the south rim - Oaks Flat Loop and Werner Trail. Not much crowds and soem nice campsites. |
|
Compliment lifeisbeautiful
lifeisbeautiful
A compilation
