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All in National Park
Not many names conjure up such emotion like Death Valley does, although the valley has quite a vibrant history. Only a two hour drive from Las Vegas, this is one of the more accessible National Parks, but is only the 19th most visited. Encompassing more than 5000 square miles, the park is larger than Connecticut and is the largest U.S. National Park outside of Alaska.
In 1872 Yellowstone became the first National Park in the world, and for good reason. The natural wonders contained within the border of the park are like the greatest hits of public lands. Mountains, canyons, waterfalls, wildlife, and an assortment of geothermal phenomena let you experience the majesty of the natural wonders found within this beautiful country.
Most “normal” sand dunes are made of grains of quartz and feldspar, but these are not your average dunes. Comprised of gypsum crystals (the mineral in drywall), these unusual white dunes sparkle under the desert sun. At over 200 square miles, White Sands is by far the largest of its kind in the world.
White Sands is the newest U.S. national park.
A marvelous maze of canyons stretching across eastern Utah. Second only to the grand canyon, this massive expanse of cliffs was carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers. Three distinct districts (Island in the Sky, Needles, and the Maze) are comprised of spectacular rock formations sculpted by the force of wind and water.
Sulfuric acid from petroleum deposits deep underground aggressively eroded the ancient fossilized reef, built in the Delaware Sea by sponges and algae more than 250 million years ago, leaving behind the gigantic caverns contained within the park. An enormous variety of spectacular stalactites and stalagmites cover the caverns’ floors and ceilings.
Make sure you bring an extra memory card for your camera, because nearly every square inch of this park is picture worthy. Two thousand foot tall sandstone bluffs seem irresponsibly tall, yet millions of people make the pilgrimage to climb these cliffs every year. Towering vertical walls feel like the world’s largest tunnel is missing its ceiling. It’s easy to see how some might feel religious in such an incredible natural sanctuary.
The Grand Canyon is known worldwide and is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world, but it was not made a national park until 1919. Despite its remoteness, it is the second most visited National Park in the U.S.
Being bifurcated by Interstate 40 (and the old Rt. 66) in eastern Arizona, this is one of the most accessible National Parks in the United States. Fossilized trees from the time of dinosaurs and the Painted Desert unite to form one of the most unique parks in the country.
Between the stark palette of colors and the unusual hoodoos that cover the park, Bryce canyon is one of the most unique landscapes in the United States. The colors of these rocks have even inspired a Utah Jazz jersey. Contrasted against thick pine forests, Bryce canyon in an incredible sight to be seen. Elevation at Bryce Canyon is upwards of 8,000 ft. so temperatures are much cooler than surrounding Utah and it is not uncommon to see snow during much of the year.
Not many names conjure up such emotion like Death Valley does, although the valley has quite a vibrant history. Only a two hour drive from Las Vegas, this is one of the more accessible National Parks, but is only the 19th most visited. Encompassing more than 5000 square miles, the park is larger than Connecticut and is the largest U.S. National Park outside of Alaska.
An abundance of Joshua Trees and unusual rock formations make form a unique landscape along the confluence of the Mojave and Colorado deserts.
Sand dunes of this size are usually associated with hot arid climates, but the temperature here in the Rockies hardly ever gets above 80degrees, and these dunes receive more than 40” of snow per year. From a distance the dunes seem tiny compared to the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains behind them, but up close these mounds of sand might as well be mountains themselves. Dunes can reach up to 750ft. above the valley floor and the park contains three mountain peaks that stand over thirteen thousand feet tall.
Often overshadowed by its next-door neighbor, Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park is incredible in its own right. Jagged mountain peaks tower over verdant valleys, pristine lakes, and the mighty Snake River. This is a Rocky Mountain paradise.
South Dakota is often imagined as a droning monotony of flat prairies, but look at a topographic map of the state and you’ll see a slash cutting across the countryside, known as The Wall. The sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles expose the colorful sediments laid down over the course of 47 million years through the Cretaceous Period, during the time of dinosaurs.
This is a park for hikers. The Natural Park Service has deliberately prevented development within the park, so there are only a few miles of paved roads within the park, and that’s just to get to trailheads or the visitors center. Towering over the Chihuahuan Desert, Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas.
A monument to the western expansion of the United States. At 630ft tall, Gateway Arch is the tallest arch in the world, and the tallest manmade monument in the Western Hemisphere. Elevators inside the arch take visitors to the observation deck at the top, overlooking the city of St. Louis and the Mississippi River.
Famous cliff dwellings, villages built into the alcoves in the walls of mesas, in southern Colorado. Native American ruins are often overshadowed by those of the Inca and Maya, but here at Mesa Verde the engineering feats of the ancestral Puebloans are as inspiring as they are bewildering.
