If you were to ask someone to make a list of national parks in the United States, every list would include the Grand Canyon. This is the second most popular national park in the United States, only beaten out by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visiting this wonder of the geological world, it’s easy to see why. The Grand Canyon descends more than a mile into the history of
As we passed through the southwest in the summer of 2024, we wanted to hit as many National Parks as we could. This continues the trend we started on our trip from Virginia to Quartzsite the previous fall and winter. Among the parks we visited was Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce Canyon may not have the vistas of Grand Canyon National Park or the prestige of Yellowstone. Bryce Canyon has
While touring national parks in Utah, we took the time to check out Zion National Park. Zion National Park has been the most difficult national park for us to access. This hasn’t been due to injury but a combination of popularity and designation. Getting into Zion National Park Zion National Park, for all its popularity, does not have parking available to handle all the visitors it sees day-to-day. While we
One of our destinations while we toured the Las Vegas area was the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Having toured several national parks at this point, we thought it would be an experience similar to what we’ve seen before. And in ways it was, and in others … not so much. Complaints and Concerns From the get-go, this looks like a “national park” experience. However, as soon as you
A while back, we decided we wanted to experience Las Vegas, Nevada as a family. In our research, we found there were not a lot of good opportunities to boondock around the city. However, when we discovered our “Every Kid Outdoors” pass got us into not just national parks, but also into national recreation areas. This really opened up doors for us. The door that we were most excited about
It’s no secret that we love to visit national parks. It’s also no surprise that we love to camp for free. Lucky for us, so far we’ve been able to find dispersed camping on public land pretty close to every national park we’ve visited, and Joshua Tree National Park isn’t an exception. Just as Joshua Tree National Park can be split roughly into two areas, so can its dispersed camping
Joshua Tree National Park is a park with two vastly different experiences. The park can be roughly divided into 2 “zones;” the south side and the north side. The division is roughly around Porcupine Wash. The south side of the park is not very popular, without many named attractions, as well as fewer roads. The north side of the park, at least when we visited, was perpetually crowded with parking
While we stayed at Ironwood Monument Access outside of Tucson, Arizona, we were ideally poised to visit Saguaro National Park. Saguaro National Park is another unique National Park as there are two distinct parts to one park. The park is split between the west side and the east side with Tucson, AZ sitting in between. A bit like Hot Springs in reverse. The Visitors Center at Saguaro National Park The
White Sands National Park is a hard-to-describe experience. Your eyes are telling you “snow” as you’re surrounded by miles and miles of waving, rolling dunes of pure white. However, you are not cold. In fact, being at the northern end of the Chihuahuan desert, it can be quite the opposite. Of all the National Parks we’ve been to, this is one of the most memorable. This post may contain affiliate
One of our goals on the road is to see as many national parks as possible. While passing through New Mexico, we got the opportunity to explore Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This massive complex of caves is stunning. Of the many nicknames this cave system has gotten over the years, my favorite is “The Grand Canyon with a lid on it,” and it fits. Pictures and video can’t capture its