The first epic national parks road trip in my series covers some of the most well-known and popular national parks and monuments in the United States. After flying into Rapid City, South Dakota and renting a car, you will start exploring almost immediately. With the Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore in the Rapid City area, you will get your first taste of America’s national parks and monuments right at the start.
If you love rough and beautiful landscapes, then Canyonlands National Park should be near the top of your list of places to visit. Within this visitor’s guide, I will outline all of the information you will need to make your visit to Canyonlands National Park a success. With information on how to get to the park, the best times to visit, the top things to do and see within the park, and resources to make your visit a success, this guide is a one-stop resource for your planning needs.
The American Southwest has some of the most beautiful landscapes in North America. From mountains, to desert, to canyons and breathtaking lakes, it really has it all. There is so much to do and see in the American Southwest that it can sometimes get a little overwhelming trying to plan a trip to see it all. Well, fear not, because we are here to help.
You could spend thousands of dollars to take a pre-arranged tour, but why spend lots of money to get pigeon-holed into a set itinerary and forced to explore on someone else’s timeline? Instead, we have put together a series of rough itineraries and planning guides that you can use to plan your own trip to explore these beautiful landscapes.
It is a marvel of the achievement of modern man. It is the taming of one of America’s mightiest rivers. A river that has sculpted such beautiful landscapes as the Grand Canyon. Constructed starting in 1931, the Hoover Dam sits on the border between the states of Arizona and Nevada and harnesses the massive power of the Colorado River to provide electricity to much of the West Coast of the United states.
Zion National Park might be the biggest adventure park of all of the national parks in the continental United States. The park is absolutely filled with big adventures of all kinds. The park has some of the most extreme hikes, and extreme views, of any park in the lower 48 states. This is what attracts millions of visitor’s a year to Zion Canyon and its what keeps them coming back again-and-again.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream land. In the summer months it is a mecca for boaters from all over the country and the world. Some people spend months camped out along-side the shores of the lake. There is no shortage of things to do in the area, so there is never a dull moment.
In this guide, I am going to give you some tips on how to get to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the best time to visit the area, some valuable resources to help plan your trip, and review some of my favorite places within Glen Canyon.
Twenty years ago, very few people had heard about Antelope Canyon. Flash forward to today and it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the American Southwest. As more-and-more people post pictures of this stunningly beautiful place on social media, the popularity of Antelope Canyon continues to grow.
No other canyon I have visited, and I have visited a lot, is illuminated as beautifully by sunlight as Antelope Canyon is. The rays of sunlight that enter the canyon make the canyon walls glow the most beautiful shades of red and orange. It is breathtaking.
If Monument Valley looks familiar to you, there is a very good reason for that. It is one of the most used locations for media of all formats. Over the decades there have been dozens-and-dozens of movies that were filmed among Monument Valley’s beautiful buttes and mesas.
If you are into grand and beautiful vistas, then you aren’t going to want to miss a stop at Horseshoe Bend in Northern Arizona. Nowhere else is the Colorado River’s sculpting of the sandstone of the American Southwest more beautiful.
Unlike some stunningly beautiful spots in this world, Horseshoe Bend is not very difficult to get to. It is a short and easy one mile hike from the roadside parking to the viewpoint, so it is something that everyone is able to enjoy. In this guide we will let you know how to get to Horseshoe Bend, when the best times to visit are, and show you some of the stunning pictures we have been able to take of Horseshoe Bend during our many visits over the years.
While Bryce Canyon may not be as big and vast as the Grand Canyon, it is every bit as beautiful. The contrast of the red sandstone spires, known as hoodoos, against the green trees and blue sky is breathtaking. As someone who loves photography, this park is undoubtedly my favorite park to photograph.
Bryce Canyon National Park also offers a lot of fun things to do for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. The park has some great hiking paths, ample biking paths, and plenty of opportunities for horseback riding. And for those who aren’t up to hiking or biking, the park offers a number of amazing viewpoints that give you postcard worthy views of the canyon.
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