Almost everywhere in Jackson Hole, you can enjoy spectacular views of the towering Teton Range. However, there are a number of locations that are especially great for sunrise viewing, many also offering excellent wildlife watching opportunities. If you’d like to see the sunrise at Grand Teton, I recommend going to one of these places.
While wildlife encounters when hiking are absolutely unforgettable, sometimes it’s better—or best—to see animals from the safety of your car. Although I’m a huge advocate for leaving your vehicle and exploring a park on foot, more often than not, you simply have to drive to see a park properly. Luckily, there are several epic wildlife drives in the national parks.
If you’d like to put on your paleontology hat, learn about prehistoric fossils and dinosaurs, and maybe even look for them yourself, the national parks and monuments in this post can’t be beat. From Badlands and Petrified Forest to several Fossil Beds National Monuments, they’re the absolute best National Park Service sites for fossil hunting.
One of the largest animals in North America, the massive moose is an imposing sight, especially when you see one while hiking. Many of America’s northern national parks are home to moose; these parks offer the best chances to spot them in the wild.
The Pacific Northwest is home to roaring waterfalls, verdant wildflower-filled valleys and moss-covered rain forests, but also shimmering alpine lakes, enormous glaciers and massive volcanoes. Mount Rainier National Park combines all of that, making it a hiker’s dream destination.
A major city in southern Arizona, Phoenix is a gateway to the national parks of the Southwest. On a road trip from the Arizona capital, you can visit several of America’s most famous parks, including Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree and Saguaro.
Home to giant glaciers, countless cascades, stunning lakes, jagged peaks and lots of wildlife, the North Cascades are a camper’s, hiker’s, backpacker’s and kayaker’s dream destination. These are the best things to do in this magnificent mountain wilderness in northern Washington State.
It’s impossible to exaggerate the magnificence and sheer vastness of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Situated in the heart of the Colorado Plateau and bisected by both the Colorado and Green Rivers, this wild park protects literally hundreds of canyons, and countless spires, mesas, buttes and arches.
When hiking in Saguaro National Park, you get to see iconic saguaro cacti, the “sentinels of the desert”, from up close. You’ll walk among them, underneath them and past them, on the way admiring multi-armed saguaros, baby saguaros hiding in the shade of a nurse tree, and other regional desert flora.
One of America’s most diverse regions, the Pacific Northwest (PNW) is home to massive volcanoes, pristine temperate rain forests, high desert plains, sea stack-lined coasts and spectacular mountain ranges. In this post, I talk about the many must-visit Pacific Northwest national parks and offer a couple of suggested road trip itineraries.
Are you ready to swap out your dress shoes for hiking boots and add a backpack to your wedding day wardrobe? Elopements and small weddings in national parks have become increasingly popular recently. Check out the best national parks to elope to or get married at!
Watching a sunrise in Shenandoah National Park is one of the five absolute highlights in this magnificent park in central Virginia. It’s incredibly easy to do, too. Skyline Drive winds its way across the crest of the Blue Ridge, cutting across the park from north to south, lined with more than 70 overlooks. These are the best viewpoints and mountaintops to see the sunrise in Shenandoah.
There’s always been a close historical link between America’s presidents and its national parks, from the creation of Yellowstone National Park to the Antiquities Act and many national park sites related to the presidents themselves. There are over 30 presidential national parks, dedicated to presidents like Washington, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, JFK, Eisenhower and more.
One of the most iconic marine animals in the world, orcas (or killer whales) live in every ocean on the planet. In the United States, they’re a common sight along the West Coast, especially in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Check out these top national parks to see orcas in the wild.