Zion National Park
We did a quickie visit to Zion on our first Big Trip in 2016. On our second Big Trip, we had more time to explore and really get to know Zion. It’s a magical place, and because of that, it’s...
Tag: national park
Grand Canyon North Rim
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is visited by only 10% of all Grand Canyon visitors. It’s a 24-mile hike across rim-to-rim, but driving from the South Rim Visitor Center to the North Rim Visitor Center it’s 212 miles!...
Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park is one of the least visited National Parks in the entire system. Sure, it’s a million miles from nowhere (but really, not far from Las Vegas or Salt Lake City), but the remoteness means no crowds. Seriously,...
Badlands National Park
We moved an hour east to a little campground in Interior, SD, for a night to more easily access Badlands National Park than we could from Custer. Interior is a funny little town with not much to offer, but that...
Rocky Mountain National Park
We visited Rocky Mountain National Park on our first Big Trip, in 2016. Due to road closures and trail conditions, we weren’t able to experience the park nearly as much as we had planned, so look for an update here...
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Where we stayed We kind of ended up visiting Black Canyon by accident! Read about our time in Montrose, CO in this post. What we did Black Canyon National Park is more about driving than hiking. We drove through the...
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park does not offer extensive hiking; it is mostly about the views and tours of the ancient cliff dwellings. We did a few short hikes and one of the scenic drives, stopping at overlooks to ogle the artifacts. We did not tour any...
Canyonlands National Park
As we surveyed the vista at the first overlook at Canyonlands National Park, we said to each other “this is my new favorite park.” Canyonlands is enormous; we were in the main Island in the Sky section, with arches, domes, and the...
Arches National Park
Arches National Park is a geologist’s wonderland. On our first visit, we got there early, perhaps too early for good photography, but early enough to beat the crowds at our first couple stops. This is Delicate Arch, which you may...
Capitol Reef National Park
Had you heard of Capitol Reef National Park? We hadn’t until we started researching our first Big Trip, and much like another National Park we didn’t know, it was a treat. The park is named for a white domed rock...