By now you’ve probably heard about the staffing crisis gripping Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the nation’s other national parks.

On February 14, the National Park Service (NPS) , or about five percent of its total workforce. The move generated headlines in and , and over the weekend, dozens of recently fired NPS workers penned heartfelt essays on social media about losing the jobs they loved.

“I am the toilet scrubber and soap dispenser,” a fired NPS ranger named Brian Gibbs . “I am the open trail hiked by people from all walks of life. I am the highlight of your childā€™s school day.”

ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų reached out to the NPS for comment, but did not hear back by the time this story published. The Ģż“The NPS is assessing our most critical staffing needs for park operations for the coming season and is working to hire key positions. The NPS is committed to protecting public lands, infrastructure, and communities while ensuring public access.ā€

The workforce upheaval stems from the Trump Administration’sĢż, which in 2024 employed approximately 3 million people (not including the military). In January, the administration announced a hiring freeze on all federal agencies, and offered buyouts to government workers willing to resign. Since then, almost every wing of the U.S. government has been impacted by the belt tightening.

But the Park Service cuts are the ones that will impact the summer vacation plans of millions of Americans. ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų spoke to NPS experts and former employees about the staff changes to see how they will impact daily life at America’s favorite vacation destinations. We asked these experts whether park visitors will be able to see a difference when they hike on trails, arrive at visitor centers, or use the restroom.

The answer? You bet.

“Expect fewer services, less help, and fewer projects like trails or construction getting fixed,” says Kristen Brengel, the senior vice president of government affairs at the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA),Ģża non-profit advocacy group for the NPS. “You’ll need to lower your expectations.”

Which NPS Workers Were Cut?

Over the weekend, the NPCA tracked the layoffs and spoke to NPS staffers who lost their jobs. According to Brengel, the current cuts impacted all 63 U.S. national parks and all 433 areas managed by the Park Service. The cuts did not target specific jobs, she said, but were “indiscriminate.”

“We’ve heard from wildlife biologists, archaeologists, even wastewater treatment operators who were let go,” Brengel said. “We’re talking about people with incredible expertise losing jobs. It will throw some parks into a tailspin.”

Rather than target specific positions, the cuts impacted employees with “probationary” status, a designation given to federal employees for the first year of their employment in a position. the New York Times, the strategy was in-line with the Trump Administrations’ plan to dismiss the 200,000 or so federal workers with this designation.

The letter sent to laid-off employees read like a termination notice for low performance, according to the Times. ā€œThe department determined that you have failed to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for continued employment because your subject matter knowledge, skills, and abilities do not meet the departmentā€™s current needs,ā€ read the letter distributed to some NPS staff.

Brengel points out that not every probationary worker is new or unqualified. Some veteran NPS workers were given the status after they were promoted to managerial positions; it was also given to seasonal NPS employees who had recently been hired to year-round positions.

“The ripple effect of these firings will be felt immediately,” she said. “It’s going to be a huge brain drain to lose a lot of these positions.”

Gibbs, 41, is one such employee. Prior to taking a full-time position at Iowa’s Effigy Mounds National Monument, which is managed by the NPS, he had spent four years working as a seasonal interpretive ranger at Glacier National Park. Interpretive rangers help visitors understand the cultural significance of an area.

Gibbs took that expertise to his job at Effigy Mounds, where he managed educational programs for kids, among other jobs. “At such a small monument I wore many hats,” he told ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų. “On the day I got fired I was creating a program to take kids snowshoeing in the park.”

What Services Will Be Lost?

It may take several weeks to determine which services will be eliminated at each park. Brengel and others have told visitors to expect to encounter long lines, overflowing trash cans, unkempt bathrooms, and other drop-offs in service caused by a lack of manpower. One anonymous NPS employee told Politico to . Brengel said that major construction projects started in 2024, such as trail maintenance or road paving, are likely to be left unfinished.

In the days since the layoffs, fired NPS employees have shared their storiesā€”and the jobs the NPS is losingā€”with local and national media.

A worker named Olek Chmura told that he’d no longer pick up trash and scoop up feces at Yosemite National Park.

The New York Times interviewed multiple NPS workers impacted by the cuts, among them Helen Dhue, a park guide at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park in Brownsville, Texas, and Stacy Ramsey, a river ranger in Arkansas’ Buffalo National River. that she writes warnings for the general public when parts of the river are dangerous. ā€œIf no one is there to educate, it increases the risk of someone getting hurt on the river,ā€ Ramsey told the Times.

an anonymous NPS ranger in California who wrote about his termination on Facebook. “I honestly can’t imagine how the parks will operate without my position,” he said. “I am the only EMT at my park and the first responder for any emergency.”

, 16 of the 17 supervisor positions at Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park were axed. At Shenandoah National Park, trail maintenance workers and fee collectors lost their jobs.

Gibbs’s job at Effigy Mounds was focused on education. He developed classroom programs, took schools on tours of the area when they arrived on field trips, and also visited local schools to discuss the cultural significance of the park.

Effigy Mounds preserves 200 or so prehistoric earthworks that were built by pre-Columbian people. Some of the mounds are in the shapes of birds and bears.

Gibbs was one of two employees at Effigy Mounds to be let go. Just seven rangers remain, he said.

“Educating kids about the cultural resources at Effigy Mounds will come to a stop, and schools visiting will have to self-guide at the park,” Gibbs told °æ³Ü³Ł²õ¾±»å±š.Ģż“Kids and families are the ones who are going to lose out.”

What About the NPS Hiring Freeze?

Not all of the NPS news on Friday was bad. The Trump Administration published a memo from the federal hiring freeze to bring back some seasonal workers for the spring and summer.

The move allows the NPS to hire back 5,000 or so seasonal employees, whose jobs were rescinded in January when the freeze was announced across all federal agencies.ĢżMost parks rely heavily on seasonal workers, and each year the NPS hires between 7,000 and 8,000 of them to help during the busiest periods.

The reaction to the news was mixed.

ā€œExempting National Park Service seasonal staff from the federal hiring freeze means parks can fill some visitor services positions,ā€ said Theresa Pierno, CEO of the NPCA, in a statement. ā€œBut with peak season just weeks away, the decision to slash 1,000 permanent, full-time jobs from national parks is reckless and could have serious public safety and health consequences.ā€

The timeline for hiring back seasonal workers has not been made public. According to Politico, had been granted exemptions as of February 18.

Brengal pointed out that seasonal workers might not be able to replace the full-time NPS employees who were lost in the layoffs. Some of the cut NPS workers who spoke to the NPCA were coordinators of seasonal labor, she said. For example, the 16 managers who lost their jobs at Grand Teton National Park help oversee seasonal workers.

“Seasonal workers can’t replace full-time positions,” she said.

Which Parks Have Been Hit the Hardest?

It may take until the busy summer months to assess the true impact of by Friday’s cuts on individual national parks and monuments. Brengel said that small parks with tiny staffs may suffer the worst, and that cuts there would force remaining employees to make tough choices.

“They may have to choose between keeping the visitor center open and the campground open,” she said. “These are the choices that smaller parks are going to have to make.”

But other parks are already feeling the pinch caused by the hiring freeze, layoffs, and other policy changes. , Yosemite National Park will abandon its reservation system, which was made permanent earlier this year.ĢżSources told the outlet that the park tabled the plan after the Trump Administration asked to review it.

Whatā€™s the Human Cost?

Like all mass-layoffs, the NPS cuts have upended lives and forced thousands to seek new livelihoods. Ramsey told theĢżTimes that she lost her job after spending three years working a contract position with the NPS just to get her foot in the door.

Gibbs echoed this sentiment when he spoke toĢż°æ³Ü³Ł²õ¾±»å±š.ĢżHe called his position at Effigy Mounds National Monument a “dream job,” and said that losing the position has forced his family into a dire financial situation. “We’re sad and frightened, and feel like we’ve had the rug pulled out from under us,” he said. Gibbs and his wife have a four-year-old son, and they are expecting a second child this year.ĢżGibbs said that his wife had to skip a monitoring appointment with her doctor after the family’s health insurance was terminated. “We feel frozen about what our next steps are,” he said.

The cuts have prompted action in some communities. Over the weekend, at Joshua Tree and Yosemite National Parks. On Tuesday, February 18, NPS workers and their friends and families just outside Rocky Mountain National Park, to protest.

Should You Visit a National Park this Summer?

The sources we spoke to still encouraged Americans toĢżvisit National Parks this summer, despite the cuts. Yes, trails may be closed, parking lots may be messy, and lines may be longer than normal.

Instead, Gibbs said NPS visitors should do advanced homework before traveling to see which trails closed, and which services are limited. Reconsider trips deep into the backcountry, since manpower for lifesaving or rescues may be diminished. And stay on the trails.

“Know that there’s probably going to be a disruption in safety and resource protection,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs and Brengel urged visitors to have patience and understanding with the NPS employees who are manning the parks. Brengel said visitors should consider saying “thank you” to NPS rangers.

“Think about what a difficult time it must be for them, knowing that they may be next on the chopping block,” Brengel said. “They are going to be stretched thin, but they are the heroes for sticking it out.”

The post National Park Visitors Should ā€œLower Your Expectationsā€ This Summer appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

The Southwest always seems to me like a bit of a fever dream. The countryā€™s deepest canyons, wildest buttes, and broadest deserts spread here from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, offering a landscape so unlike any other in the country, you might think youā€™ve left earth altogether. It is a hot, inhospitable territory that demands respect, but it is also outrageously beautiful, with rock outcroppings that seem painted in shades of red and white, blooming cacti, and shifting dunes that undulate like waves onto the horizon.

The easiest and most efficient way to explore the Southwest is by car, bouncing from one breathtaking adventure to the next, so Iā€™ve created seven different road-trip itineraries, one in each state of this stunning slice of our nation. Iā€™ve driven the majority of these routes, while the remaining few are on my list of dream adventures. And each of these has something for everyoneā€”beaches, sand dunes, cliffs, rivers, hikes, bike rides, fishing holes, and more.

Set your playlist, and pack the sunscreen. Here are the seven best road trips in the Southwest.

1. Nevada

Las Vegas to the Valley of Fire

Distance: 175 Miles
Duration: 3 days

The obvious, and most common, road trip from Vegas would be to beeline straight for the Grand Canyon, but you do not want to overlook the suite of public lands that rings Sin City. The fun begins just 20 miles west of downtown Las Vegas at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a 195,000-acre park that is internationally known for its multi-pitch rock climbing, though my epic adventures here have been of other types.

My favorite way to explore Red Rock is by road bike, pedaling the 13-mile Scenic Drive through the heart of the park. The road has one-way traffic and a big shoulder, so thereā€™s plenty of room, and youā€™ll have both long-range and up-close views of the surrounding red sandstone cliffs and canyons. has bike rentals (from $40 a day). If you show up in the summer, do your adventures early in the morning before the heat gets unbearable.

Next skirt around the south side of Las Vegas for 70 miles to Lake Mead National Recreation Area, home to the massive Hoover Dam. I like Lake Mohave, a shallow, narrow reservoir below Hoover that follows the original path of the Colorado River through a series of canyons. If youā€™re looking for a full-day (or multi-day) adventure, paddle a piece of the 30-mile Black Canyon National Water Trail, which begins at the base of the dam and ends in Arizona, passing beaches, hot springs, and side canyons.

Only boaters with commercial licenses can launch below the dam, so hook up with , which offers DIY rentals and shuttles or guided trips throughout the water trail. Or for a quicker adventure, drive directly to Willow Beach, and paddle two miles upstream to Emerald Cave, a narrow side canyon with clear, shallow water below 75-foot sandstone walls (tours from $139 per person; rentals from $80 per boat).

has tent sites and RV sites in the hills above the sandy beach from $45 a night.

Driving north, you can stop at Valley of Fire State Park, Nevadaā€™s largest state park at 46,000 acres, where red and pink sandstone cliffs and canyons fill the valley, the walls popping out of the tan, scrubby dirt. Catch the area at sunset and you could think the whole valley is on fire. The park is full of short, scenic trails for hikers. The 3.3-mile loop takes in iconic features, from a narrow slot canyon to the sinuous Fire Wave, where the striped sandstone seems to flow like water.

Snag a campsite at one of the two from $10.

2. Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park to Capitol Reef National Park

Distance: 125 miles
Duration: 3 days

Itā€™s tempting to try to hit all of Utahā€™s national parks in a single trip, but youā€™d have to cover more than 1,000 miles and spend more time in your vehicle than on the trails. Instead, focus on this slice of Utah by driving the 122-mile Scenic Byway 12, which connects Bryce Canyon National Park with Capitol Reef National Park, hitting Grand Escalante National Monument in the middle. I drove this route last fall and was in constant awe of its beauty and diversity, as we cruised through sandstone tunnels at one point, then climbed to an aspen forest at another.

Pick up Highway 12 in the small town of Panguitch, about 50 miles east from Interstate 12, and keep driving east to Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce, known for its hoodoos (sandstone spires that rise from the valley floor) is one of the countryā€™s smallest national parks at just 35,835 acres, which means you can see a lot in a short amount of time. Combine Queenā€™s Garden Trail with Navajo Loop Trail for a that begins on the rim of the canyon, then drops into the belly, passing hoodoos, arches, and tall cliffs.

Heading north, Highway 12 moves through the heart of the massive Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a 1.9-million-acre park with expanses of slick rock and sandstone canyons stretching all the way to the horizon. I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days in the monument, scrambling down slot canyons and bushwhacking through the heart of a broad canyon before reaching the lush Escalante River. Itā€™s beautiful but unforgiving terrain that delivers plenty of solitude. Drive the unimproved dirt Hole-in-the-Rock Road (high-clearance two-wheel drive vehicles are usually OK) 33 miles south to the Dry Fork Slots to hike a through Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons, where the passage narrows to about a foot wide at certain points, and scrambling is mandatory. Too adventurous? Try hiking to , a 6.5-mile loop through a smooth canyon that ends at a 124-foot waterfall.

Thereā€™s plenty of camping and lodging around the town of Escalante. , inside the monument, offers seven primitive sites ($10 a night) with no frills. Or go upscale and snag a cabin or Airstream at , a camping-and-cabin resort with a drive-in movie theater, pool, and food truck (cabins from $175 a night).

Driving 65 miles further north on Highway 12, youā€™ll climb Boulder Mountain through Dixie National Forest before hitting the town of Torrey and Capitol Reef National Park. Here, youā€™ll find historic fruit orchards, sandstone domes, and more canyons than you could ever hope to explore. Start your journey with , a 3.4-mile out-and-back that crosses broad sections of slickrock before ending at a 125-foot-wide natural arch. Or hook up with and go canyoneering, dropping into the belly of narrow canyons deep inside the park ($300 for the first person).

For a longer adventure, check out our sister publication’s “.”

3. Colorado

Colorado National Monument to Rocky Mountain National Park

Distance: 310 miles
Duration: 3-5 days

Colorado offers a ton of incredible scenery, and this particular road trip takes you from the desert canyons of Colorado National Monument to the high alpine terrain of Rocky Mountain National Park. The diversity of adventure is off the charts, too, with opportunities for sandstone-heavy hikes, big mountain-bike descents, and whitewater rafting.

Start near the western border of the state, at Colorado National Monument, a 20,000-acre park with sheer cliffs and vertigo-inducing sandstone towers. Just driving the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive is worth the price of admission, with near-constant views of the canyon below, including of the massive Independence Monument, a 450-foot tall sandstone pillar.

But youā€™ll definitely want to get out of your car and explore this monument by foot. The Devilā€™s Kitchen is an easy, 1.2-mile out-and-back that gives you the chance to scramble over boulders and explore narrow sandstone channels. Get up close to Independence Monument on the , a 5.2-mile point-to-point that meanders past some of the monumentā€™s most recognizable rock formations, including the set of rounded pillars dubbed the Coke Ovens and a tower known as the Kissing Couple, because it looks like two people entwined.

After exploring the monument, head east for 25 miles to the town of Palisade, where you can tackle a piece of the , a 32-mile mostly downhill piece of singletrack that drops 6,000 feet off the rim of the Grand Mesa into the edge of downtown. The trail has multiple access points, so you donā€™t have to bite off the entire distance. has shuttles and rentals starting in March (check then for prices).

Head 75 miles northeast to Glenwood Springs to spend the night at , which has van-life sites on the Colorado River (from $112 a night) as well as glamping tents and cabins (from $179 a night). You can book a half-day on the Colorado, which includes the 1.5-mile-long class III Shoshone Rapids (from $75 per person), or just soak in one of the 17 different pools at , where each tub is tailored to a different temperature (from $44 per person).

When youā€™re refreshed, or worn out, drive northeast for 125 miles through to Rocky Mountain National Park, one of the most popular national parks in the country (4.1 million visitors in 2023). Donā€™t worry, most of those visitors enter through the Estes Park side, while youā€™ll access the park on the much-less crowded Grand Lake entrance. I remember, on a trip with my kids, seeing a moose in the valley near Grand Lake and marveling that we were the only people on the trail at the time.

Head to the for a choose-your-own-adventure sort of hike. For a short jaunt that packs a big punch, hike the three-mile out-and-back Green Mountain Trail up to Big Meadow, which in the summer is full of wildflowers and hosts the occasional moose. Or if you really want to get after it, combine the Green Mountain Trail, Tonahutu Creek Trail, and Hayach Lakes Trail for a 17-mile out-and-back that culminates at Hayach Lake, a natural pool that sits at 11,000 feet in elevation in the shadow of the craggy Nakai Peak. Turn it into an overnight if you like, choosing among multiple backcountry campsites along the way ($36 fee for a ).

For a longer adventure, check out our sister publication’s “.”

4. Texas

San Antonio to the Gulf

Distance: 250 miles
Duration: 3-5 days

Texas is big, so you need to narrow your focus for a road trip here, because getting from point A to point B can sometimes take you all day. This particular route starts with some urban exploration in San Antonio and ends on one of the longest undeveloped beaches in the country. In between are quiet swamps, beach campsites, and plenty of paddle trails.

San Antonio might not seem like the perfect place to start an adventure trip, but the cityā€™s 15-mile River Walk, expanded in the late 1990s, has served as an inspiration for other similar projects ever since and itā€™s still one of the coolest urban bike rides you can do. Five miles of the path cruise through downtown, but the best biking is just south of town in the , an eight-mile linear park that connects historic missions, grasslands, and wildflower meadows, all protected as the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park.

After spinning around San Antonio, drive east towards the Gulf of Mexico, making a pitstop at Palmetto State Parkā€”a small stretch just 25 miles east of San Antonio, thatā€™s home to the sort of tropical jungle youā€™re more likely to find in Floridaā€”complete with dwarf palmettos blanketing the forest floor. If you bring your own boat or paddleboard, you can slide along the languid San Marcos River, or explore Palmettoā€™s small Oxbow Lake. Hiking trails lead through swampy marshes with light-green water filling the forest floor. If youā€™re not in a hurry, pitch a tent in the parkā€™s ($12 a night) before heading to the beach.

Head south on Highway 183 to Mustang Island State Park, which separates Corpus Christi Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. The park protects five miles of Gulf-facing coastline, and has 50 drive-up where you can pitch a tent on the beach ($13 a night, first-come, first-served).

The beach is the obvious draw here. The Gulf is typically calm and warm, although some people are known to surf during hurricane swells. But the park also has more than 20 miles of marked paddling trails that traverse the western edge of the island, weave through islands in Corpus Christi Bay, and offer shallow water for fishing for redfish and speckled trout. runs daily guided trips (from $90 for two people) and rentals (from $50).

If you need more beach (and who doesnā€™t?) scoot 15 miles down the coast to Padre Island National Seashore. If you have a 4WD vehicle, you can down-island for up to 60 miles until you leave the crowds behind. The national seashore is a hot spot for birding, with 380 different species reported, thanks to the islandā€™s location on a major migration route. Look for the endangered piping plover or the super colorful painted bunting.

5. New Mexico

Taos to the Bisti Badlands

Distance: 275 miles
Duration: 3-5 days

I havenā€™t spent enough time in New Mexico. Or seen enough of it. The last time I was there, on a fly-fishing trip, I couldnā€™t bring myself to leave the Taos area. So many fish, so many green chili dishes. But I regret my solitary focus, because the state has much to offer. This particular road trip delivers a variety of adventure and landscapes that Iā€™m convinced only New Mexico has.

The trip begins with a bang by rafting a tumultuous section of the Rio Grande, just 30 miles southwest of Taos. Different run options offer a variety of adventure, but the classic is a 17-mile portion through the Rio Grande Gorge, also dubbed the Taos Box because it is walled by black basalt cliffs. The trip brings a full day of whitewater action, with a six-mile section of non-stop class II and III rapids known as The Racecourse. If the weather is warm enough, you can swim in a few pools along the way, and good guides will point out petroglyphs on the rock walls. Book your trip with and youā€™ll get hot fajitas for a riverside lunch (from $110 per person).

Spend the night at the wellness retreat of Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa, where the natural springs feature arsenic, Lithia, soda, and iron, all minerals thought to have healing properties (from $239 a night).

Keep heading southwest to , a super volcano that erupted 1.2 million years ago, creating a 14-mile-wide circular depression that has evolved into a lush basin full of creeks and meadows. Think of Valles Caldera as a mini Yellowstone, complete with hot springs, wildlife-viewing opportunities, and broad grasslands. A large elk population calls the caldera home (look for them in the meadows during early morning and evening), and keep an eye out as well for prairie dogs and coyotes. The Valle Grande Exploration Trail is a short, .8-mile walk through a prairie to a manmade pond that served as a watering hole when the area was a private cattle ranch. The South Mountain Trail is a bit more involved, taking you four miles up a narrow valley and to the top of South Mountain, where youā€™ll enjoy a view of the entire basin.

Youā€™ll only be 20 miles west of Bandelier National Monument, which protects 33,000 acres of canyons and mesa that were the Ancestral Puebloansā€™ home until 1550. They used blocks of soft volcanic rock to build homes at the bases of cliffs, carving additional rooms into the walls themselves. Hike the 1.4-mile Pueblo Loop Trail to see some of these archeological sites first hand. Youā€™ll even get to climb ladders into some of the rooms carved into the side of cliffs. Grab a campsite at the monumentā€™s ($20 a night, reserve up to six months in advance).

Itā€™ll add some mileage, but you need to cap this road trip off with a walk on the moon, or at least, as close as most of us will ever come to walking on the moon. The , in northwestern New Mexico, are loaded with some of the strangest rock formations you will ever see, with cap stones and some massive cliffs actually in the shapes of manta rays, all rising from rolling taupe shale hills. The Bisti Badlands are part of the BLMā€™s 60-square-mile Bisti/De-Na-Zen Wilderness Area, which has no formal trails or paved roads. The De-Na-Zin parking area, off county road 7500, will give you access to the dry Bisti Wash, which you can hike into the heart of the badlands to see all of the weirdness for yourself.

6. Arizona

Grand Canyon to Monument Valley

Distance: 250
Duration: 3-5 days

I spent most of my youth believing Arizona was a desert wasteland, but in recent years Iā€™ve had the chance to turn that around with some of the stateā€™s wonderful signature adventures. Yes, much of Arizona is desert, but it is no wasteland. Itā€™s a vibrant landscape full of life and adventure. Iā€™ve driven ATVs across the desert, biked lonely gravel roads near the border of Mexico, and ridden a mountain bike into a cactus on the outskirts of Scottsdale. In short, I love Arizona, and as much fun as Iā€™ve had in that state, I still have so much to discover. The following road trip meanders through Northern Arizona, beginning in Grand Canyon and connecting a few waypoints that I still need to tick off my bucket list.

You could argue that all adventure trips in Arizona need to feature Grand Canyon National Park, and I wouldnā€™t disagree, so weā€™re hitting that 6,000-foot-deep ditch first. Also, Grand Canyon Village is just 1.5 hours from Flagstaff, so itā€™s a logical first stop. Is the Grand Canyon crowded? Yes. But the vast majority of visitors stick to a few scenic overlooks. The last time I was at the South Rim, I lost the crowds after hiking about a mile on the . But youā€™re going to do a lot of hiking on this road trip, so consider biking The Hermit Road, which hugs the south rim of the canyon for seven miles from the village, offering copious views along the way. The best part? Itā€™s closed to private vehicles from March through November. rents cruisers (from $30).

Try to get a room at , an iconic national park lodge if there ever was one (from $391 starting in March). Or snag a coveted site at , which is first-come, first- served.

Heading north for 130 miles, youā€™ll hit the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, a 280,000-acre geological wonder of buttes, canyons, and cliffs that tends to get overshadowed by its grand neighbor. Still, you may have seen photos of the swirling pink and tan sandstone layers of rock in the Coyote Buttes known as The Wave. Itā€™s a stunning scenic reward that requires a tough hike through the desert. Accessing the Coyote Buttes requires a ($6). Grab one four months in advance, or try your luck with the daily lottery.

If you canā€™t score a permit, try hiking the 1.2-mile out-and-back through White Pocket. There are no marked or maintained trails in the monument, but cairns will guide you through more wavy sandstone features. Wherever you hike, look towards the sky for the endangered California Condor, which are hatched and released in the monument each year. And bring (or rent) a 4WD vehicle, as there are no paved roads inside the monument. Grab a site at the BLMā€™s , which views a cluster of sand-white buttes ($12 per site, first come/first serve).

Roughly 100 miles east, near the border of Utah, sits the 91,696-acre , a broad valley where 1,000-foot-tall sandstone towers rise abruptly from the earth. You can see some of the most iconic features, the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte, from the visitor center, but youā€™ll want to hike the Wildcat Trail, a four-mile loop that wraps around the West and East Mitten Buttes. Itā€™s the only self-guided trail open within the park, so to explore any more requires hiring a local Navajo guide with . A number of operators run auto tours of the 17-mile scenic loop road within the park, but consider booking a stargazing tour, also with Monument Valley Tribal Tours, that focuses on nighttime photography, framing the buttes within the context of the Milky Way and surrounding stars (from $95).

7. California

So Cal Coast to Mojave Desert

Distance: 300 miles
Duration: 4-5 days

Because this is a collection of road trips through the Southwest, Iā€™m focusing on Southern California, as the terrain in the area is more complementary to the Southwest vibe than, say, that of Californiaā€™s Redwood National Park or Yosemite Valley.

This trip starts on the coast and ends with the dunes in the Mojave Desert, so thereā€™s plenty of sand along the way, as well as big rocks, desert camping, and hiking. Keep the L.A. fires in mind when youā€™re traveling to Southern California. Hopefully the worst of that fire will be in the rearview by the time you make this trip, and while this route steers clear of the burn areas, the disaster has impacted residents throughout the region. Be considerate.

Californiaā€™s coast is loaded with state parks, but San Onofre State Beach has a rugged character thatā€™s hard to match, with cliffs rising directly from the beach and whales and dolphins often spotted in the water. If you fancy yourself a worthy surfer, you can paddle into the lineup at the world-famous Trestles break on the north end of the park, which has been ground zero for Southern Californiaā€™s surfing culture since the 1940s. The park offers beginner breaks, too. In fact, San Onofre has one of the more gentle waves in Southern California. offers beginner lessons at the San Onofre Bluffs Beach, which is flanked by 100-foot cliffs (from $100 per person).

Try to score a site at the (reserve up to six months in advance, starting at $45 a night) or San Mateo Camp, a couple of miles inland.

Leave the beach and head east, making a pit stop at the sleeper destination Anza-Borrego Desert State Wilderness, an often overlooked member of Californiaā€™s crowded public-lands portfolio. The park is packed with palm oases, slot canyons, and after a wet winter, fields of wildflowers. Stretch your legs on the , a three-mile out and back that begins near the parkā€™s visitor center and climbs up a canyon, ending at an overlook of a palm oasis (currently recovering from a previous wildfire) with a seasonal waterfall.

Continuing east for 60 miles, and youā€™ll wrap around the Salton Sea to hit Joshua Tree National Parkā€™s southern entrance (if youā€™re tired or showing up late, look for free campsites on BLM land between I-10 and the parkā€™s entrance). Spring is a great time to visit the park, as the temperatures are manageable, and the local cacti and Joshua Trees for which the park is named could still be sprouting flowers. Lace up your hiking boots and hit the trails. The easy 1.4-mile is a no-brainer loop that delivers you to a natural arch, with plenty of opportunity to scramble on sandstone boulders along the way. For a birdā€™s-eye view of the park, climb the 5,456-foot Ryan Mountain via its and for a vista stretching clear to the 11,000-foot San Gorgonio Mountain. I tried running to the top of Ryan Mountain the last time I was in the park, but the 1,000-foot elevation gain got the better of me.

Aside from the BLM land near the south entrance, the park has six with sites you can reserve up to six months in advance. Theyā€™re all good.

Still want more desert? Great, because youā€™re heading 70 miles north of Joshua Tree into the heart of the Mojave National Preserve, 1.6 million acres of dunes, cliffs, and cactus that somehow only gets half a million visitors a year. You have to hike the , a 45-square-mile expanse that will have you thinking youā€™re in the Sahara. The popular three-mile Kelso Dunes Trail will take you to the top of the tallest mound, which rises 650 feet.

Also, the easy, mile-long Lava Tube Trail provides access to an actual lava tube, where the sun pours in through a ā€œsky lightā€ in the stone. Wherever you explore, keep an eye out for the desert tortoise, a threatened species that lives in the Mojaveā€™s valleys and moves slowly through the heat. The preserve has three developed campgrounds. Try to reserve a spot at , which has potable water ($25 per night).

Graham Averill is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų magazineā€™s national-parks columnist. Heā€™s been in love with road trips since he read Jack Kerouacā€™s On the Road at age 17. His longest road trip to date was a month-long romp through the Southwest with his wife and twin then four-year-olds. Recently, he wrote about bucket-list golf courses, the best hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, and the nine national parks that will need timed-entry reservations this year. One of the weirdest places heā€™s ever slept for a story was a renovated lookout tower in the middle of the ocean.

The post The 7 Best Road Trips in the Southwest appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Planning spring break is high pressure. You only get a one-week respite from school or work, and the timing, late March or early April, makes it tough to find a location with consistently good weather. Those months could offer spring ski conditions or prime surf weatherā€”or not.

More than a few times, Iā€™ve had to pivot at the last minute, having thought it would be warm enough for family surfing on the Outer Banks for spring break and then found temperatures in the low 50s. We moved our vacation further south.

Yes, south is the operative word. So relax, because Iā€™ve found seven national-park units in the Southeast and Southwest that offer gorgeous landscapes, many daysā€™ worth of adventures, and just-about-guaranteed warm weather for the perfect spring break trip.

1. Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

Best for: Swimming, Camping, and Contemplating History

Average Temperatures in March and April: Highs from mid 70s to mid 80s

Cumberland Island is wild. The largest barrier island off the coast of Georgia, Cumberland is a 17-mile-long, 36,000-acre swath of pristine beaches, tall dunes, maritime forests, fresh lakes, and marshy canals. Even though the Carnegie family once owned the island, and descendants still have some private property, Cumberland protects almost 10,000 acres of federally designated wilderness. The only way to reach the island is by a 45-minute ($20 one way) or private boat, and once youā€™re there the only way to get around is by foot or bike on hiking trails and 50 miles of sandy roads.

The island has no stores, so bring everything youā€™ll need, and be prepared to pack it all back out. Youā€™ll see some ruins from a Victorian-era mansion built in 1884 as a winter home for Thomas Carnegie, as well as the remnants of a freedmenā€™s community of former slaves. You may spot members of the colony of feral horses that still roam the island, which are likely descendants of the horses brought over by the British during the War of 1812.

As for beaches, Cumberland offers 15 miles of undeveloped sand and dunes facing the Atlantic. For solitude, keep heading north away from the docks until you reach a patch of sand thatā€™s too far for day-trippers to claim. Itā€™s tough to find this much raw beach on the East Coast, so soak it in. The Atlantic is rough, but fine for swimming. Stay out of the marshes on the west side of the island, as theyā€™re popular hangouts for alligators.

Where to Stay: is an all-inclusive hotel operating in one of the Carnegiesā€™ former vacation homes (from $895 a night), but most visitors . Sea Camp has bathrooms and showers and allows fires (from $22 a night). Stafford Beach is more remote, requiring a three-mile hike from the docks, and it, too, has bathrooms with showers (from $12 a night). Book your spot early, up to six months in advance.

2. Big Bend National Park, Texas

Best for: Hiking, Biking, Climbing, Canoeing, Stargazing

Average Temperatures in March and April: Low to high 70s

The 800,000-acre Big Bend National Park has been a spring-break destination for decades. My mother-in-law still talks fondly about spending college spring breaks camping there during the 1960s.

Late March and early April are the busiest times to visit the park. But ā€œcrowdedā€ is a relative term; I hit the place a few years ago at the end of March and never felt overwhelmed or discouraged by other visitors, mainly because the park and its neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park are so large. I hiked, rode my bike, camped, and enjoyed the ā€œFar West Texasā€ vibe of it all.

The Big Bend landscape is straight out of a Western, with its vistas of canyons, the towering Chisos Mountains, and big stretches of rocky desert. Itā€™s a great place to explore by boot, bike, or boat, an ideal multi-sport national-park trip.

Hikers should tackle the 5.5-mile out and back Window Trail, which descends 1,000 feet from the Chisos Trailhead, at 5,400 feet elevation, through Oak Creek Canyon to a sheer drop-off framed by towering cliffs. Be prepared (and take water) for the steady climb back to the trailhead. Depending on recent storms, there could be a small stream in the center of the canyon, but the trail is still navigable. Subject to changes in the water level, you can paddle a 20-mile section of the Rio Grande through Santa Elena Canyon, which narrows to 100 feet wide, with limestone cliffs blotting out the sun. The area has been in a drought for the last couple of years, so spring trips arenā€™t guaranteed, but check with for water levels and trip options (from $160 per person).

Rio Grande Angell Expeditions video by Taylor Reilly

Just outside the national park is , with its bounty of mountain biking, where you can pedal to a backcountry oasis and through a slope filled with sparkling gemstones. Regardless of what you do, at the end of the day you must soak in the historic hot springs that are carved out of the Rio Grande.

Where to Stay: Chisos Mountain Lodge inside the park has 72 rooms, a restaurant, and a general store (from $170 a night). has 60 sites up almost a mile high in elevation; make reservations up to six months in advance ($16 a night).

3. Death Valley National Park, California

Best for Cycling, Hiking, Stargazing

Average Temps in March and April: Highs from 65 to 75

It would be borderline crazy to visit Death Valley National Park in the summertime, but in early spring, the temperatures are chefā€™s-kiss perfect. Visitors in spring may also have the huge bonus of seeing the wildflowers pop off, particularly in the lower elevations, in fields of desert gold, poppies, and verbena. If youā€™re really into hitting the park during peak flower power, watch the rangersā€™ on which wildflowers are blooming throughout spring and summer.

Also cool: the park is home to one of the worldā€™s rarest fish, the Devils Hole pupfish, an endangered species found only in a water cavern in Devils Hole here. The pupfish are visible during the annual spring migration as they move within the hole seeking warmth from direct sunlight. Scientists counted 191 of them last April, the highest count in 25 years.

You donā€™t need to be a cyclist to enjoy Death Valleyā€”there are plenty of hiking trailsā€”but two wheels is a hell of a way to explore this landscape, with 785 miles of roads open to bikes. Cruise through otherworldly terrain like salt flats, expansive sand dunes, and red-rock formations, before climbing into mountains of up to 11,000 feet.

Artistā€™s Drive, a paved nine-mile one-way loop, is the parkā€™s signature ride. It climbs from below sea level to 880 feet above it, offering views of the surrounding moon-like white sands and mountains on the horizon. At the crest, youā€™ll be surrounded by pink and tan hills, which narrow to canyon-like proportions on the fun downhill to finish the loop. To give you a sense of the terrain, parts of the Star Wars franchise were filmed off this road.

Where to Stay: If youā€™re looking for nice digs, will put you in the heart of the action, and with a pool (from $507 a night). is the best developed campground in the park, with 136 sites on the valley floor and mountain views. Book up to six months in advance (from $30 a night).

4. White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Best for Hiking and Sand Sledding

Average Temperatures in March and April: 70 to 80

One of the newest national parks (established in 2019), White Sands isnā€™t huge, just 175,000 acres, but it protects half of the worldā€™s largest gypsum-crystal field. The dunes roll through the Tularosa Basin like bright white waves, creating a landscape unlike anything else on this planet. You can see the San Andres Mountains on the horizon beyond the park, but itā€™s the sloping dunes that will mesmerize you.

The eight-mile Dunes Drive scenic road delivers you into the center of the dunes from the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle, and the road also accesses the parkā€™s five different hiking trails. The Dune Life Nature Trail is an easy one-mile loop that serves as a good intro to the landscape. But if you really want to dig into the dunes, hike the five-mile , which traces the edge of an ancient lake that has been replaced by the waves of dunes. Youā€™ll climb and descend 60-foot sandy mounds throughout.

If you can time it right, hit the park on a , when White Sands is open into the night, and ranger-led programs include guided hikes. And definitely bring a sled (or buy one in the park gift shop). The dunes at the are open to sledding, and the gypsum hills behave exactly like snow slopes.

Where to Stay: There is currently no camping inside the park: its backcountry campsites are closed for rehabilitation, with no timeline as to when they will be in service. The town of Alamogordo, 15 miles east of the park, has a variety of chain hotels.

5. Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida and Mississippi

Best for Island Hopping, Swimming, Surfing, Fishing, Birdwatching

Average Temperatures in March and April: Low to mid 70s

A lot of people have discovered the Gulf Islands National Seashore. In 2023, visitation jumped 40 percent, from 5.7 million to 8.2 million people, making this unit the fifth-most-visited in the park service. People are showing up for the white-sand beaches on the mainland and for barrier islands that you can only reach by boat. The national seashore is made up of a series of parks, beaches, and islands, split between Florida and Mississippi, and all surrounded by clear, aqua-blue waters that are home to gopher tortoises, bottlenose dolphins, starfish, crabsā€¦and the 300 species of birds that migrate through the area.

The easiest island to reach is Ship, 12 miles off the coast and accessible by regular from Gulfport and Biloxi ($44 per person, round trip). Once youā€™re on the island, you can explore the historic fort, lounge on the beaches, or swim in the Gulf. The recreation area is fully developed with concessions and restrooms, so itā€™s a convenient getaway.

If youā€™re looking for something wilder, consider venturing to , an eight-mile-long barrier island protected as a federally designated Wilderness area, so there are no commercial ferries to the island and no facilities on the ground. But if you have your own boat or want to hire a charter (from $675 at ), youā€™ll find an island ringed with sugar-white sand beaches and grassy dunes, while pine trees and lagoons pack the interior. Mind the occasional alligator.

Where to Stay: The campground, on the mainland near the town of Ocean Springs, sits inside a maritime forest, with marshes and fishing docks ($25 a night, book six months in advance). Youā€™re also allowed to on the beach on a few of the barrier islands (Petit Bois, West Petit Bois, and Horn Island) inside the park, but stay off the dunes and any vegetation, donā€™t bring any mechanical devices (ie, no coolers with wheels), and be prepared for a true wilderness experience, as there are no facilities.

6. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona

Best for Boating, Swimming, Hiking

Average Temperatures in March and April: Highs from 60 to 69

Glen Canyon protects the incredible 1.25 million acres of land and water where the Colorado River pours into Lake Powell. The blue water of the lake contrasts sharply with the red and pink sandstone walls that rise directly from the edge, and the lake has countless fingers and canyons to explore by boat.

The water levels of Powell are constantly shifting, and have generally been in decline the last 20 years. Check the park siteā€™s to make sure the boat ramp or launch you have in mind is operational. The lake was low when I visited a few years ago on a biking and paddle trip, and we had to contend with some mud on the banks, but the place was no less stunning.

The Antelope Point ramp typically has the least boat traffic, so itā€™s conducive to use of kayaks or canoes. From there, you can head south on the lake for a mile and paddle into Antelope Canyon, a narrow slot canyon thatā€™s also a no-wake (no motorboating) zone. Under normal water levels, you can follow the creek upstream for about a mile. offers rental kayaks (from $75 a day). You can also launch directly from the beaches at Lone Rock Beach and Stanton Creek and explore the lake surrounding those alcoves.

Off the water, an easy 1.25-mile hike leads to one of the overlooks at , where the Colorado River takes a drastic turn around a massive sandstone escarpment.

Where to Stay: All inside the recreation area are first-come, first-served. Lees Ferry Campground has 54 sites, potable water, and restrooms ($26 a night). Lone Rock Beach has primitive sites on a sandy beach right next to the water ($14 per night).

7. Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument, Arizona

Best for Overlanding, Hiking, and Seeking Solitude

Average Temperatures in March and April: High 50s to mid 60s

The Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument is primitive. This Northern Arizona park has no facilities, no campgrounds, and no paved roads. Instead, visitors are treated to the sights of 1 million acres of expansive plateaus, rugged canyons, and Mojave Desert, all traversed by a series of unimproved dirt roads and hiking trails. In other words, this monument is ideal for self-contained overlanding. I spent three days cruising Grand Canyon-Parashant in a side-by-side with a rooftop tent, while hiking and biking at various spots throughout, and was as mesmerized by the solitude as the grandeur of the landscape.

If you have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, the monument is yours to explore. The park service details an 80-mile adventure to that cruises through a variety of terrain, from cattle fields to ponderosa forests, and ends on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. If you choose this route, youā€™ll also have the chance to get out and stretch your legs on the Burnt Canyon Trail, an easy three-mile out-and-back on a grassy road bed that leads to a big view of the western edge of the Grand Canyon. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Mount Charleston, just outside of Las Vegas.

I took a roundabout, multi-day route to reach , with its long view into the Canyon, and an optional side hike down to the water. The last seven miles to Whitmore Point drop 1,500 feet over rocky, rutted terrain that was super fun to bomb on a mountain bike. The fastest way to this perch is a 50-mile traverse from Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse.

Where to Stay: Primitive camping is allowed throughout the monument, but if youā€™re looking for a bit of refinement in the midst of all this rugged adventure, the has hotel rooms and covered wagons on an inholding close to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. Itā€™s only accessible by a 70-mile dirt-road drive through the national monument or an airplane (the place has its own landing strip), but once youā€™re there, youā€™ll be able to refuel your vehicle and have a damn fine dinner (starting at $172 a night).

Graham Averill is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų magazineā€™s national-parks columnist. Every year, he agonizes over how to maximize his kidsā€™ spring break, dragging them to campsites in Florida, beaches in South Carolina, and lakes all over the Southeast. He recently wrote about hiking in Joshua Tree National Park and his absolute favorite mountain town on the East Coast. His latest article is all about visiting national parks for free.

The post These Are the 7 Best National Parks to Visit for Spring Break appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Many of Americaā€™s 63 national parks charge an entrance fee, usually $30-$35 per vehicle or $15 if youā€™re walking or on a bike. Or you can get an for just $80. The fee covers you for seven days, and the money goes to a good cause: according to the NPS, 80 percent is used within the park, helping to improve trails, campsites, and roads, and 20 percent goes to other park sites. And there are six or so .

You can also have a national-park experience for free another way, by visiting one of the 20 national parks that donā€™t charge an entrance fee ever. Come and go as you please without dropping a dime. Many of them are among our least-visited national parks, which means you might have these landscapes to yourself.

These are the 20 national parks that are free to visit every day. If you’re wondering whether these are good ones, theyā€™re notā€”theyā€™re great ones.

1. Biscayne National Park, Florida

A coastal park located in south Florida where the mainland transitions to the Keys, Biscayne National Park is a collection of islands, mangroves, coral reefs, and open water thatā€™s largely inaccessible except by boat. While entering the park doesnā€™t cost a thing, if youā€™re bringing a boat and want to anchor at certain areas, expect a $25 docking fee on weekends and holidays.

Best Time to Visit: Summer is hot and buggy (with temps in the 90s and mosquitoes), and hurricanes are possible in the fall. Shoot for winter, when temps hover in the mid 70s and the storms and bugs are dormant.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Biscayne Bay is known for its shipwrecks, and the Mandalay, a schooner that sank in the ā€™60s, is one of the top sites, as the hull sits in shallow enough water to be seen by snorkelers as well as divers. This wreck is part of the which includes five others. Donā€™t want to spend your time underwater? Head to Boca Chita Key, also part of the park, a 32-acre island with camping ($25 a night, first-come, first-served), hiking, and a lighthouse. The half-mile trail that circumnavigates the small island leads to its beaches.

2. Channel Islands National Park, California

Channel Islands National Park encompasses five rugged islands in the Pacific Ocean about 30 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. If you ever wondered what Southern California would look like without the development and traffic, this is it. The park is full of remote beaches, steep cliffs, expansive meadows, and pristine forests.

Best Time to Visit: Summer, as the water and air temps are both in the 70s, a little cooler than most of Southern California but still warm, so you can make the most of those beaches scattered throughout the park.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: I hit Channel Islands last summer as part of a seven-day adventure cruise, but the easiest way (compared to arriving via seaplane or private boat) to reach the park is by ferry, with (day trips from $96). Get dropped off on Santa Rosa Island and hike the 12-mile out-and-back to Skunk Point, a prominent peninsula with sand dunes and cliffs jutting into the Pacific. Youā€™ll pass rare Torrey pines, a gnarled-looking, wind-twisted type of tree only found on the Channel Islands and in La Jolla on the mainland, and have copious views of the ocean and island along the way.

Or book a sea-kayaking tour with and paddle to sea caves and gaze at natural rock arches (from $145 per person).

3. Congaree National Park, South Carolina

You could say Congaree National Park is a swamp, and you wouldnā€™t be wrong, but the word doesnā€™t do the place justice. The 26,692-acre Congaree holds the largest intact old-growth bottom-wood forest in the South, boasting trophy-sized loblolly pines and cypress that rise straight from the water. The same forest has one of the tallest canopies in the eastern United States, with an average tree height of more than 100 feet.

Best Time to Visit: Avoid summer because of the sweltering heat and bugs. Winter and spring are fine, but you might as well show up in the fall when the weather is perfect, the rivers are full from seasonal rains, and the hardwoods, like tupelos and sweet gums, are popping with color.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Most of the fun in Congaree is water-based, so bring a canoe or paddle board and slowly make your way through the , a 15-mile marked ā€œpathā€ that winds through old-growth cypress. The current is mellow enough to paddle up or downstream, so you donā€™t need a shuttle.

4. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

An oasis of public land sandwiched between the bustling cities of Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley holds 33,000 acres of forest and historic farmland surrounding the Cuyahoga River. What the park lacks in towering peaks or grand vistas, it makes up for in waterways, waterfalls, and cultural significance; you can ride your bike beside the Ohio and Erie Canal, which connected the Ohio River with Lake Erie, key to the countryā€™s western expansion during the early 1800s.

Best Time to Visit: Itā€™s a four-season park (although winters can be cold and snowy), and I could make an argument for every season. Fall brings bright foliage, and spring is mild and uncrowded, but show up in summer and you can take advantage of the many farmersā€™ markets in and around the park. The Cuyahoga Valley is still a very active agricultural hub of the Midwest.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: You have to bike at least a section of the , a 100-mile crushed-gravel trail that follows the Ohio and Erie Canal. Roughly 20 miles of the Towpath sit inside the park, passing through small towns and meadows full of wildflowers, like trillium and bloodroot, with deer and foxes along the way.

5. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Want remote wilderness? Go to Alaska, then keep heading north into the Brooks Range, and youā€™ll find Gates of the Arctic, a 13,000-square-mile expanse of mountains and river valleys north of the Arctic Circle. There are no roads in Gates of the Arctic, nor a visitor center or gift shop, nor even established trails. Just herds of caribou, the glow of the northern lights, and several federally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers winding through the tundra. Ģż

Best Time to Visit: Hands down, summer has the warmest temps, as well as rivers that are full from snowmelt and a landscape that comes alive as everything from wildflowers to grizzly bears makes the most of the sunshine. Thereā€™s plenty of that, too; youā€™re so far north, you can expect daylight for up to a month at a time in the summer.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Try, if you can, to see this park from the hull of a boat. Consider paddling the Noatak, a sinuous river thatā€™s carved a broad valley through the Brooks Range. Youā€™d plan for a 10-day canoe-camping trip, with mostly calm water and a few stretches of class II rapids on the 60-mile section inside the park. Youā€™ll float past meadows full of alpine sunflowers and snow buttercups, fish for arctic char, and keep an eye out for grizzlies, wolves, and Dall sheep ( from $8,900).

6. Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri

Gateway Arch isnā€™t like other national parks on this list. Itā€™s an urban park, located in St. Louis, that was originally set aside to commemorate the cultural significance of our countryā€™s push westward. Itā€™s only 91 acres, tucked into the banks of the Mississippi River, and has the 630-foot Gateway Arch as its centerpiece. Fun fact: this is the tallest arch in the U.S. Inside the park are five miles of paved trails for walking and running along the Mississippi.

Best Time to Visit: Show up in fall or spring, when the weather is mild and the crowds are minimal.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Really, ride the tram to the top of the arch. The journey takes you through the structureā€™s hollow legs and ends at a viewing platform with a panorama of the Mississippi River and its many bridges below. The only catch? The ride will cost you $19.

7. Great Basin National Park, Nevada

It takes some effort to reach Great Basin National Park, in eastern Nevada roughly 285 miles north of Las Vegas, but once youā€™re there, you wonā€™t need to contend with crowds. Only 140,000 people a year venture to Great Basin, compared to 14 million visitors for Great Smoky Mountains National ParkĢżin 2023. Yet Great Basin has towering 13,000-foot peaks; groves of shimmering aspen as well as old-growth bristlecone pines, which are believed to be the oldest known tree species in the world; and a fascinating system of caves to explore.

Best Time to Visit: Much of the park can be inaccessible during winter, when the 12-mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, which ascends from 6,700 to 10,180 feet in elevation, is unplowed but open to skiers and snowshoers, and there are various other winter closures. So going between late spring and early fall is your best bet. Late summer will give you the best chance for snow-free trails.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: The cave tours are popular, but I say hike to the top of 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, where views of the Great Basin Desert, the only ā€œcoldā€ desert in Americaā€”the precipitation comes from snowā€”stretch in every direction for 100 miles on a clear day. Itā€™s a 6.1-mile that gains 3,000 feet, much of which is above tree line, so take it slowly if youā€™re coming from sea level. Interested in something milder? Hike the 2.7-mile , which brings you to the edges of Teresa and Stella Lakes, both pools surrounded by evergreens.

8. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee

This is the most popular national park in the country, with, as said above, some 14 million visitors annually. Fortunately, there are 500,000 acres of mountains in Great Smoky Mountains National ParkĢżfor all those people to explore, with more than 900 miles of trail that access 6,000-foot peaks, pristine trout streams, and historic farming valleys.

Best Time to Visit: Thereā€™s no bad time to hit GSMNP. The foliage goes nuts come fall, winter can bring snow and solitude, and spring is budding with renewed lifeā€¦but I like summer in the Smokies. Sure, some parts of the park are crowded, but the temperatures are perfect for splashing in the waterfalls and swimming holes.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Most visitors stick to the scenic Newfound Gap Road and its short nature trails, but I recommend hiking the 11-mile out-and-back up to LeConte Lodge, a backcountry inn on top of the 6,000-foot peak of the same name. Some sections of the trail are so exposed you use cables for safety, and youā€™ll pass through Alum Cave, a rock overhang with a long-range view into the park. If you canā€™t score overnight reservations at the lodge, purchase a sack lunch from the kitchen for a picnic in some quiet spot with a view before heading back down to the trailhead.

9. Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

An aerial view shows Hot Springs Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park, Garland County, Arkansas, in summer amid the region’s green hills. Video courtesy Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism

Forget rugged cliffs or backcountry lakes. Hot Springs National Park protects a small town that was built on top of thermal springs that attracted travelers for centuries before the area ever became a national park. Today, youā€™ll find two brick bathhouses for soaking your weary muscles and public fountains where you can fill a jug with natural spring water for drinking.

Best Time to Visit: The weather in the park is generally mild, so itā€™s a popular destination year round, but winter feels like the right time to sit in a tub of hot water.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Can relaxing be an adventure? Who cares? When in Hot Springs National Park, you sit in hot water. The Buckstaff Bathhouse has small private tubs, while the has a series of larger, Roman-style pools for group bathing as well. A man-made steam cave captures the radiant heat from the 143-degree water (from $25 per person). You can also hike the trails here and are welcome to bike on any of the paved roads and the Pullman Trail.

10.Ģż Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Katmai National Park is surely best known for its live bear cams, where you can watch massive brown bears fish for salmon from the comfort of your office chair. But this 4-million-acre park in Southern Alaska is more than just an internet sensation; itā€™s a playground of lakes, rivers, and mountains, with an active volcano.

Best Time to Visit: Show up in July when the temps approach 70, and the brown bears are actively hunting for fish.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Try to get a campsite or lodge room at the float-plane accessible (make reservations starting January 5, $18 per campsite per night) on the edge of Naknek Lake, and hike the 1.2-mile out and back to Brooks Falls, where the parkā€™s most popular bear cam catches grizzlies poking around the water for salmon. Donā€™t worry, the hike ends at an overlook a safe distance from the action.

11. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

The heart of Kenai Fjords is the Harding Icefield, a 700-square-mile sheet of ice that has shaped Alaskaā€™s Kenai Peninsula by leaving glaciers and carving fjords. Visitors to the park have 600,000 acres of fjords to paddle, many trails to hike, and innumerable icy crevices to explore, with Ģżoptions available.

Best Time to Visit: Technically, Kenai Fjords is open year round, but winters are cold and snowy, and the only way into the park is by fat bike, XC skis, or dogsled. Show up from June through August and the trails are open to hikers, the roads are clear, and wildlife is most visible, as animals actively look for food.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: This is your chance to explore a glacier in all its shrinking glory. A paved road leads to the edge of Exit Glacier, which forms the tail end of the Harding Icefield. From here a system of trails explores the valley carved by the glacier, offering a variety of views. Hike the 8.2-mile out-and-back , a strenuous climb through cottonwood forests and meadows, then above a tree line ridge that stops at the edge of the massive expanse of ice.

12. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska

Kobuk Valley is one of the least-visited units of the national-park system (just over 17,000 people made the trip in 2023), but thatā€™s more a reflection of the parkā€™s location north of the Arctic Circle than its landscape, which is a mix of rivers and sand dunes that are populated by a hell of a lot of caribou traveling along the Kobuk River. No roads lead into Kobuk Valley, so most visitors arrive via . The other option would be a very long paddle in.

Best Time to Visit: Shoot for June or July, when youā€™ll enjoy nearly 24 hours of light every day, blooming wildflowers like the herbaceous locoweed, and temperatures in the mid 60s. Or show up in August when the caribou begin their migration through the park.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: With no established trails or campgrounds inside the park, you need to be self-sufficient. Most people show up to camp in the 25-square-mile Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, or paddle and fish for salmon and whitefish along the 61 miles of the Kobuk River within the parkā€™s borders. Either way, keep an eye out for caribou, which look like lean reindeer.

13. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Much like Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark has no roads leading into the park and is typically accessed by small plane. But make the effort and youā€™ll see 4 million acres of quintessential Alaskan terrain with 10,000-foot peaks, backcountry lakes, glaciers, and wild rivers, all about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Best Time to Visit: Itā€™s Alaska, so summer will give you the longest days and warmest weather of the year. The brown bears are active too, filling up on salmon running up the rivers, so it can be a once-in-a-lifetime thrill seeing them (from a safe distance).

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Catch a to Crescent Lake and spend your time on a boat, fishing for sockeye salmon, which fill the lake in July during their annual migration, or lake trout. Bring your binoculars too, as the lake is a hub for brown-bear activity during the summer.

14. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky

Most national parks wow you with whatā€™s above ground, but Mammoth Caveā€™s secret sauce lies beneath the dirt; the park protects the largest cave system in the world, with more than 400 miles of mapped passages.

Best Time to Visit: Mammoth might be the truest year-round park in the system, as the temperature in the caves is a consistent 54 degrees through every season. But visit in the fall and the hardwoods above ground are bursting with color.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: The landscape offers plenty to do above ground, from paddling the Green River to mountain biking the parkā€™s 20 miles of singletrack, but youā€™re here for the caves. The Historic Cave Tour is the classic introduction, a two-hour guided adventure that hits the biggest rooms and tight channels alike ($24 per person). Or if youā€™re feeling adventurous, sign up for a Wild Cave Tour and crawl through tight passages that lead to lesser-seen rooms over 5.5 miles of exploration ($79 per person).

15. National Park of American Samoa

Looking for something remote and tropical? American Samoa is a collection of seven islands located 2,600 miles south of Hawaii. National Park of American Samoa protects pieces of four of those islands, boasting tropical rainforests, steep peaks, remote beaches, and access to the surrounding ocean and coral reefs.

Best Time to Visit: Itā€™s warm year round in American Samoa, but winter can be rainy. The dry season runs from June to September, offering the best chances of good weather for hiking and clear water for snorkeling.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Tutuila, the largest island of Samoa, is loaded with hiking trails that lead through rainforests to dramatic viewpoints over the coast. If I ever get to go, Iā€™m visiting Ofu Island, which has a remote shoreline with pink sand that has been called the most beautiful beach in the world. The is amazing too, as the water is clear, the coral reefs are close to shore and packed with colorful fish, and the area hosts more than 950 species of fish.

16. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia

New River Gorge National Park packs an adventurous punch in its svelte 73,000 acres, protecting 53 miles of the class IV New River and the steep, rocky gorge around it. Rock climbing, mountain biking, whitewater raftingā€¦you can do it all inside this relatively small park.

Best Time to Visit: Summer brings the warmest weather for rafting, but if youā€™re looking to climb, show up in the fall when the humidity dissipates, temps drop, and the leaves pop.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Itā€™s hard to pick just one here, but rafting the New has to top the list. The river drops 750 feet inside the parkā€™s boundaries, unraveling in a series of III-IV wave trains, drops, and big pillows. A number of outfitters , from half-day milder water options to two-day overnight adventures.

17. North Cascades National Park, Washington

North Cascades might be close enough to Seattle for a day trip, but this landscape is a world removed from the bustling city, with high alpine terrain full of evergreen forests, craggy peaks, backcountry lakes, and more than 300 glaciersā€“the largest collection in any park outside of Alaska.

Best Time to Visit: Late June to late September has the most user-friendly weather and the best chances for snow-free trails.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Take on , a steep 9.4-mile hike from the edge of Ross Lake that passes through meadows toward sweeping views from a historic lookout tower that Jack Kerouac once lived in while working as a fire scout. On the horizon are the craggy, fin-like Hozomeen Peak and a portion of the Ross Lake National Recreation Area.

18. Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands

Protecting two-thirds of the island of St. John, Virgin Islands National Park is packed with beaches, lush mountains, and tropical rainforests. Visitors will split their time between water activities, lounging on beaches, and hiking through the hills.

Best Time to Visit: Summer can be hot and rainy and fall brings hurricanes, but winter in the Virgin Islands is delightful, with temps in the 80s and minimal rainfall.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Explore Salomon and Honeymoon Bay, dueling white-sand beaches separated by a rocky point. Snorkelers have colonies of coral reefs teeming with tropical fish to explore. Or go for a swim in Brown Bay, from a beach thatā€™s only accessible by boat or a 1.5-mile hike on Brown Bay Trail.

19. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

Situated on the Canadian border in Northern Minnesota, the 218,055-acre Voyageurs National Park is known for its series of lakes interconnected by 60 miles of canoe trails. Moose and wolves thrive inside the park, which is also a good spot for seeing the northern lights.

Best Time to Visit: Visitor centers and tour operators open in June and the lakes are busiest in the summer, but September brings changing colors and fewer crowds. The season ends quickly, though, and October can feel more like winter than fall.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: People visit Voyageurs to canoe and fish the lakes for walleye and northern pike. The larger lakes can be busy with motorboat traffic, but the smaller interior lakes are linked by a series of marked canoe trails and backcountry campsites. Paddle the 13-mile Chain of Lakes trail, which traverses four small lakes on the Kabetogama Peninsula via small creeks and short portages. Each lake has a campsite, and the park service stages boats for use by those with camping .

20. Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

One of the oldest national parks in our system, established in 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt, the 33,000-acre Wind Cave protects a landscape in transition, where the Great Plains give way to the Black Hills. Above ground, the park boasts broad swaths of grassland occupied by herds of bison and elk, but underneath that bounty of wildlife are 143 miles of mapped cave passages.

Best time to Visit: Summer is hot and thunderstorms with hail are common, while winter brings snow and sub-freezing temps. Hit Wind Cave in the shoulder seasons (spring or fall) for mild weather and to see active wildlife.

Signature ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: The only way to explore the caves is on a . The Natural Entrance tour is a good family-friendly option, as visitors experience the winding opening of the cave system before exploring some of the larger interior passages, known for walls that look like honeycombs. If you want more of an adventure, sign up for the Wild Cave tour, which will have you crawling through smaller, undeveloped passages deep down in the system ($17 per person).

Graham Averill is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų magazineā€™s national-parks columnist. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, he is fortunate enough to live within a few hours of three free national parks. He recently wrote about the best hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, his favorite mountain town, and the national park he chose as the most adventurous.

The post Entry to These 20 National Parks Wonā€™t Cost You a Dime appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Itā€™s a great year for planet-watching. In addition to this weekā€™s stellar views of Mars, stargazers can admire multiple ā€œplanet paradesā€ā€”the simultaneous appearance of several planets in the night skyā€”in 2025. Arguably the best parade of the year commences on January 18, with Venus and Saturn appearing within 2.2 degrees, or roughly two pinky-widths, of each other. The parade will continue into mid-February, with two additional planet gatherings to follow later in 2025.

Planet parades ā€œarenā€™t super rare,ā€ according to , ā€œbut they donā€™t happen every yearā€ either.

Hereā€™s how to make the most of 2025ā€™s celestial shows.

How to View a Planet Parade

First, letā€™s talk planet-watching basics. You can generally see Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury with the naked eye. Uranus is sometimes naked-eye visible, but only under the darkest skies. Neptune is too small and dim for us to see unaided. A telescope can significantly enhance your view; if you donā€™t have one, check out the public stargazing nights at your .

I use the stargazing app ($12.99 for the “plus” version) to navigate the night sky. And another astro hack: You can tell the difference between a planet and a star because the former glows steadily while the latter flickers. Some planets, like Mars, even have a noticeably pale-orange tinge.

The great thing about viewing planets is you donā€™t have to travel far. Unlike fainter interstellar sights such as the northern lights, the brightest planets are visible even in light-polluted cities. That means you could catch this yearā€™s planet parades by stargazing from your own backyard.

Here are dates of the yearā€™s major planet parades, with tips on where and when to look, plus recommendations for a handful of national parks with surreal cosmic views.

The Best Times to See the Planet ParadeĢż

Technically, this monthā€™s planet parade is already on show. Six planetsā€”Venus, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, and Marsā€”have been visible up in the sky throughout January. The parade will continue into mid-February. That said, peak observing begins this weekend, as Venus and Saturn will appear exceptionally close in the southwest sky soon after sunset on January 18, according to .

On January 21, Jupiter and Venus will become even more radiant as they climb high in the evening sky with the moon staying below the horizon until after midnight. The lack of lunar light will make it easier to spot the planets and see more stars.

Another highlight of the yearā€™s first planet parade: after sunset on February 1, Venus and the crescent moon will appear close together in the southwest sky for several hours before plummeting beneath the western horizon.

This monthā€™s spectacle will be visible each night, weather permitting, from mid-January to mid-February between sunset and 9 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time. You can use a stargazing app to determine exact timing for your location.

More 2025 Planet Parades to Watch for

Late February

Januaryā€™s interstellar gathering will be the easiest to watchā€”and therefore the one not to miss this yearā€”but a late-February parade, which will be best viewed around February 28, introduces a new twist. Mercury will join the party, creating a rare gathering of all seven of our neighboring planets in the sky at once.

But the late-February viewing will be much trickier than this week. At the end of February, all planets technically will be up at the same time at dusk, but Saturn will set soon after the sun does. It will also largely get washed out by the sunā€™s glow, which illuminates the western horizon for up to 90 minutes after sunset. Given its close distance to the sun, Neptune, which will hang near Saturn, will also be close to impossible to spot, even through a telescope.

To see this late-February planet parade, watch the western horizon right after sunset on February 28. Thatā€™s when Mercury is most visible, with the luminous planet Venus above it. Jupiter, Mars, and Uranus will be high in the south-southeast sky that night, too.

Mid-August

After February, weā€™ll have a lull in major planet gatherings until mid-August, when Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, and Mercury will simultaneously parade in the pre-dawn sky. Mercury will reach its farthest distance from the sunā€”the period when itā€™s most visibleā€”from August 19 to 20. Look for it in the pre-dawn sky on August 20.

Mercury will rise over the east horizon, with Venus, Jupiter, and the crescent moon nearly aligned over it. Saturn and Neptune will also be close together, above the western horizon, with Uranus overhead.

Best Places to View the 2025 Planet Parades

Video of skywatching in Loreto, Mexico, on January 12 by Stephanie Vermillion. This timelapse has views of Venus, which is very bright and distinguishable, and Saturn just above it and harder to distinguish from stars. The video was taken the day before the full moon, so its bright glow is washing out most stars.Ģż

The planets will be spread across the sky for most of 2025ā€™s planet parades, meaning they will not be in a straight line, but appear from east to west. For best viewing, seek a wide-open vista with minimal obstructions to the horizon; a hilltop or large field would work well. Again, since the brightest planets can be seen even in cities, you donā€™t have to travel to see them.

If you want to take your observation to the next level, however, these five national parks offer stargazing events and wide-open viewing areas for enjoying the show. See more locations and tips on what to bring here.

SOUTH: Everglades National Park

Spot the planets from the highest viewing deck in Floridaā€™s Everglades National Park. The parkā€™s 70-foot Shark Valley Observation Tower overlooks up to 20 miles of the Everglades, with open 360-degree vistas. The tower stays open 24 hours a day.

The safest way to visit this gator-country attraction at night is via the parkā€™s free ranger-led , which runs January 13, 19, 21, and February 4, 5, 18, 19, 26, and 27.

SOUTHWEST: Canyonlands National Park

Grand View Point in Canyonlands National Park made our list of best scenic viewpoints for a reason. This perch looks out upon a sweeping panorama of water-carved sandstone, and, as a Dark Sky-certified park, Canyonlands remains open 24 hours a day. The lookout lies at the southern end of Island in the Sky drive, just off the road on a paved path, with a second perch a one-mile trail away. Be careful in the winter; it can get icy. from $30 per private vehicle

WEST: Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is one of the best places in the country for stargazing and planet-watching, with lookouts open 24 hours like the panoramic promising sparkly nightscapes above. Add to your astronomical awe by attending one of several night-sky events: a free on January 18 or 25, a with telescopes on January 24, or the parkā€™s from February 21 to 23. from $15

EAST: New River Gorge National Park

In the eastern U.S., try the New River Gorge, which is also open around the clock. The recommends a handful of stargazing spots, including the New River Gorge Bridge Overlook at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, or take the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk, among other options. The main overlook at the Grandview Visitor Center is especially promising in winter, with minimal overhead foliage and expansive vistas. The park is free to enter.

MIDWEST: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

in North Dakota has all the conditions for picturesque planet-gazing: wide-open views, awestriking scenery, and minimal light pollution. The park, again open throughout the night, includes several starry-sky viewpoints. Try Riverbend Overlook to watch the constellations and planets float above the Missouri River, or hit up Painted Canyon Visitor Center to marvel at the shimmery nightscapes above the badlands. While youā€™re here, keep an eye to the northā€”when conditions align, this is a great national park to spot the northern lights.

Stephanie Vermillion is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų’s astrotourism columnist. Recent articles for ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų include this account of her three top nighttime adventures, an excerpt from her new book, 100 Nights of a Lifetime: The Worldā€™s Ultimate ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶųs After Dark; the scoop on where to find the darkest skies in North America for aurora hunting and stargazing; and nine places to see the most dazzling northern lights in decades. She is based in Cleveland.

Ģż

The post The Yearā€™s Best Planet Parade Will Be Visible Starting January 18 appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Our family trip to Maui was full of surfing, waterfall treks, and snorkeling with turtles. Catching the sunrise from the top of the 10,023-foot volcano in Haleakala National Park was supposed to be the crowning jewel. Some say itā€™s the greatest sunrise in the world. I wouldnā€™t know, though, because I forgot to make reservations two months in advance of the trip, and the only way you can see the sunrise from Haleakala is with a timed-entry permit.

These mandatory timed-entry reservations in national parks have become a hot topic the last few years. During the pandemic, when visitation to national parks soared, a few parksā€”starting with Arches in 2022ā€”responded by implementing the reservation systems, which require all visitors to get permits for specific entry times during the busy season. Since then, other park units have implemented similar systems.

I recently spent a lot of time studying national-park visitor comments online, and the reservation system was the second-most frequent complaint. But you know what was the most frequent complaint among national-park visitors? Overcrowding in parks, which leads to traffic jams and a lack of parking, not to mention more pressure on the natural resources.

The National Park System has implemented these systems as a direct response. If youā€™ve sat in near standstill traffic in Yosemite, or waited for your turn to take a photo in Glacier, then you know something has to be done to mitigate the crowds.

Iā€™m notoriously bad at making reservations for dinner a week in advance, let alone for a vacation three months down the road, so I get user frustration with the new system. But until some bright mind comes up with a better way to handle millions of people wanting to hike to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, I think weā€™re all going to have to get used to planning certain national park experiences well in advance.

Hereā€™s a look at the nine national parks that will require advance reservations for entry or on certain popular hikes in 2025.

1. Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is bringing back last yearā€™s timed-entry vehicle-reservation pilot project for the popular west side of Going-To-The-Sun Road and the North Fork area. The reservations will be required from June 13 to September 28, 2025, daily between 7 A.M. and 3 P.M.

Going-To-The-Sun Road, which is only open during the warm months, usually mid June through September, is a 50-mile-long paved byway that cuts through the center of the park, delivering visitors to the most popular trailheads. West Glacier, near Whitefish, is the western entrance of the road, and St. Mary Visitor Center is the gateway to the eastern edge of the park.

How to Get a Glacier National Park Reservation: You can make reservations starting on February 12 on on a rolling basis, 120 days in advance of desired visitation dates, starting at 8 A.M. MST. Any remaining vehicle reservations will be available at 7 P.M. MDT for next-day entry for dates throughout the season starting on June 12, 2025. Reservations require a $2 processing fee.

In 2025, visitors can still access the park at the East Entrance of Going-To-The-Sun Road without a reservation, but entry might be restricted at certain times without advance notice if the road becomes too congested. You can visit the beautiful Two Medicine Valley, also on the east side of the park and with its own entrance, without a reservation. If you lack a reservation and donā€™t want to trek 100 miles to the east side of the park, vehicles can drive Going-To-The-Sun Road from the western entrance as far as Apgar Village, which is two miles inside the parkā€™s west entrance.

Backup Plan: If you have a reservation for lodging, camping, transportation, or a commercial activity, you can access the park within the intended service area of Going-To-The-Sun Road without making a timed-entry reservation as long as you can show proof of that booking.

If you donā€™t have a reservation, you can enter the park before 7 A.M. or after 3 P.M. Or take your chances and enter the park through the eastern entrance of Going-To-The-Sun Road, remembering that access might be restricted due to overcrowding on the road. Better yet, head to the east side of the park to Two Medicine Valley, which is full of trails leading to ice-blue backcountry lakes and towering peaks. The 9.6-mile hike to passes waterfalls and ends on the shore of the lake, which is flanked by the Continental Divide.

2. Arches National Park

Arches is bringing back its previous timed-entry reservation pilot program from 2022 to be used from April 1 to October 31, 2025, although this year you will not need reservations between July 7 and August 27. The program is a continuation of a reservation system that began as a direct response to Archesā€™ increased popularity; the park had seen a 73 percent rise in visitation from 2011 to 2021. Timed entry reservations will be required between 7 A.M. and 4 P.M. daily.

How to Get an Arches National Park Reservation: Reservations are released three months in advance in monthly blocks, so April reservations open on January 2, May reservations open February 1, June reservations open March 1, and so on. Tickets can be reserved at at 8 A.M. MST beginning January 2. Beginning March 31, additional next-day tickets will be released at 7 P.M. MST each evening. Cost for booking a reservation is $2. No tickets will be available at the park visitor center. Once you have a reservation, youā€™ll have a dedicated one-hour window to enter the park.

Backup Plan: You donā€™t need a reservation if you have camping, tour, or special-use permits.

You can also enter the park before 7 A.M. or after 4 P.M. without a reservation. Canyonlands National Park is only 27 miles southwest of Arches, and makes for a superb alternative if you canā€™t get inside Arches.

3. Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park has a two-tiered reservation system that, frankly, has confused a lot of people in the past couple of years. Still, it proved effective for mitigating crowds, so the park is bringing it back for 2025. Reservations will be required beginning May 23 through Oct. 14 or Oct 20 depending on the specific reservation you get.

Two types of reservations are available: one is a permit for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which will also include access to the rest of the park, with reservations required from 5 A.M to 6 P.M.. The other is a permit for what is known as ā€œthe rest of the park,ā€ excluding this corridor, with reservations needed from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. daily. Bear Lake Road reservations are required from May 23 to October 20, but ā€œthe rest of the parkā€ reservations are only necessary from May 23 to October 14. Why the distinction? The Bear Lake Road area is the most popular section of the park thanks to its collection of picturesque lakes and relatively easy hikes.

How to Get a Rocky Mountain National Park Reservation: You can get reservations through one month in advance, so reservations for June (and the last week of May) will be released at 8 A.M. MST on May 1. Reservations for July will be released June 1 at 8 A.M. MST. The park will also hold 40 percent of the permits for next-day reservations, releasing those at 7 P.M. MST the night before. The only cost for a reservation is a $2 process fee. Visitors with a reservation will have a dedicated two-hour window to enter the park.

Back Up Plan: The Bear Lake corridor is awesome, and the deeper you go on the trails in that area, the better it gets. But Rocky Mountain is a big park, and with the ā€œrest of the parkā€ reservation window so narrow (9 A.M. to 2 P.M.) thereā€™s plenty of time to enter the park before or after those hours and still experience the iconic landscape. Driving Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the U.S., topping out at 12,183 feet, is memorable all on its own. But I say set your alarm for an early wake up so you can hit the park before 9 A.M. and head to the Longā€™s Peak Trailhead for the 8.4-mile hike to Chasm Lake, a calm pool at the base of Longā€™s Peak where youā€™ll see a picture perfect view of the mountainā€™s 1,000-foot granite walls.

4. Zion National Park

You donā€™t need reservations to enter Zion National Park in 2025, but you will to hike to Angels Landing. The extremely popular hike leads to one of the most photogenic spots in the entire park: a narrow, rocky perch hovering 1,500 feet above the Virgin River. Reservations are required year round and released in a seasonal lottery beginning two months in advance of your intended hike. Next-day permits are also released, on the day before your intended hike.

How to Get a Reservation to Hike to Angels Landing: All reservations are released on . Youā€™ll enter the lottery and pick seven ranked days and times when you want to tackle Angels Landing. You can register for up to six people in the lottery. If you win the lottery, permits are issued on the 25th of the month that you registered.

Lottery-permit applications are $6 and if you score a reservation, the cost is another $3 per hiker. The park also releases last-minute permits for next-day hikers. The lottery opens at 12 MST and closes at 3pm MST each day. The same fees apply. The confirmation email from recreation.gov serves as your permit.

Backup Plan: Getting a reservation is the only way you can hike to the end of Angels Landing, but no permit is necessary to hike the up to Scout Lookout, a 4.5-mile out and back that encompasses most of the same trail, missing only the final push along the knife-edge ridge to Angels Landing. But youā€™ll still get to hike along the Virgin River and through the breezy Refrigerator Canyon, and end with a great view of Zion Canyon from Scout Lookout.

5. Shenandoah National Park

No reservations are necessary to enter Shenandoah National Park, but you do need a permit to hike any of the several routes up the parkā€™s signature peak, Old Rag, which is topped by a granite outcropping with a 360-degree view. After a two-year pilot program, Shenandoah National Park has made the Old Rag day-use permit system permanent. Youā€™ll need a day-use ticket from March 1 to November 30. A limit of 800 permits are allotted each day.

How to Get a Permit to Hike Old Rag: Every member in your hiking party needs a permit. Tickets are $2, purchased at . Half of the tickets are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis and the other half are open for grabs five days in advance. The permits are good from 12 A.M. to 11:59 P.M. of the date of your hike.

Backup Plan: Old Rag isnā€™t the only summit inside Shenandoah. The 3,514-foot Maryā€™s Rock, which requires no permit (only Old Rag does), is topped by a granite outcropping with a gorgeous view west into the pastoral Shenandoah Valley. You can reach the summit via a variety of trails, from an easy 1.5-mile out and back to an arduous that includes a slice of the Appalachian Trail. Ģż

6. Haleakala National Park

You donā€™t need a reservation to enter Haleakala National Park, a 33,265-acre gem on the island of Maui, but if you want to see the sunrise from the summit of its central 10,023-foot active volcano, youā€™ll need to plan ahead and get a permit. Reservations are necessary to enter the Summit District of the park from 3 A.M. to 7 A.M. daily. The system has been in place since 2017 because catching the sunrise from the top of this volcano is supposedly a transcendent experience.

How to Get a Reservation to See the Sunrise on Haleakala: Reservations can be made on up to 60 days in advance of your desired day. All permits are released at 7 A.M. HST daily on a rolling basis. For those with less foresight, 50 permits are released 48 hours in advance on a rolling basis, but donā€™t count on scoring one: only 150 cars are allowed into the park during sunrise each day. You can only get one sunrise reservation per three-day period.Ģż

Backup Plan: I tried to get last-minute reservations for sunrise on my recent family trip to Maui but had no luck. Instead, we showed up for sunset. Was it as transcendent as a sunrise? I canā€™t compare the two, but it was gorgeous and we didnā€™t have to wake up at 2 A.M. to drive into the park. If youā€™re dead set on experiencing the sunrise but canā€™t get an advance reservation, consider booking a couple of nights in the Summit Districtā€™s Each booking comes with a sunrise permit. Snag a campsite up to 30 days in advance. Sites are $5 per night, with a three-night maximum.

Hiking the Summit District is a delight even if you canā€™t catch a sunrise. My family spent our time poking around easy trails, but the is an 11-mile point-to-point that drops through the volcanoā€™s crater, traveling through rust-red and black lava rock terrain that many describe as otherworldly.

7. Yosemite National Park

For the last couple of years, Yosemite has gone back and forth with timed-entry reservations: mandating and enforcing them, then taking the system away, then bringing it back. In 2024, the park introduced a Peak Hours Plus system for spring, summer, and fall that required reservations from 5 A.M. to 4 P.M.

The park hasnā€™t announced its plans for 2025 yet. But we do know that youā€™ll need reservations from February 8 to February 23 on weekends because of the mass appeal of Horsetail Falls, which at that time of year glows when sunlight hits it. You need an even if you donā€™t want to see Horsetail Falls. Weā€™ll update this article with ³Ū“Ē²õ±š³¾¾±³Ł±šā€™s 2025 plans when they are released.

How to Get a Reservation to See Horsetail Falls: Half of the reservations for the February Horsetail Falls were released in November of 2024. The other half will be released two days in advance of the target weekends at 8 A.M. PT on recreation.gov. So if youā€™re trying to get tickets for February 23, you can get reservations on February 21 at 8 A.M.. Thereā€™s a $2 reservation fee.

Backup Plan: If you want to see Horsetail Falls in its winter glory on a weekend, you need to score a reservation. Thereā€™s no way into Yosemite on a February weekend without that permit. Or you can hit the park on weekdays in February when no reservations are required.

If you make it inside the park in February and are looking for something else to do, head to the Bridge Pass Ski Area, which offers downhill skiing and is a hub of groomed and ungroomed cross-country trails. The is a 8.3-mile ski through meadows with a dramatic view into Yosemite Valley.

8. Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park did not require entrance reservations in 2024, but did require reservations for visitors wanting to drive Cadillac Summit Road from May 22 to October 27. The park has not announced its reservation plans for 2025, although Cadillac Summit Road permits are expected to be part of the management plan again.

How to Get a Cadillac Summit Road Permit: Last year, permits were required to drive the road from sunrise until sunset. The park released 30 percent of the permits 90 days in advance on on a rolling basis, while 70 percent of permits were released at 10 A.M. EST two days prior to desired dates. There was a $6 processing fee regardless of when you get the reservation.

Backup Plan: Youā€™ll need to score a reservation if you want to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain during the day time, but thatā€™s not the only good view inside Acadia. Check out Great Head, a 145-foot tall summit with a dramatic view of Acadiaā€™s beaches and coast, via this adventurous .

9. Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier is the latest park to enter the timed-entry reservation game, introducing a pilot permit system last year for vehicles accessing the park via either the Paradise Corridor and Sunrise Corridor. Reservations were needed daily from 7 A.M. to 3 P.M. from May 24 through September 2 for the Paradise Corridor and July 3 to September 2 for the Sunrise Corridor. The park is still evaluating the results of that pilot program and has not yet announced plans for 2025. Weā€™ll update this article when information is available.

How to Get a Reservation to Mount Rainier National Park: Advance reservations are made available on , and a small amount of next-day reservations are issued at 7 P.M. PT the day before on a rolling basis. A $2 processing fee is required for each reservation.

Backup Plan: If you canā€™t score a reservation, try entering the park before 7 A.M. or after 3 P.M. Also, visitors with camping, lodging, or wilderness permits donā€™t need a timed-entry reservation. Also, if you enter Sunrise Corridor on foot or bicycle, you donā€™t need a reservation. If youā€™re , State Route 410 (Sunrise Road) climbs 3,650 feet in 20 miles from the park boundary to Sunrise, an overlook sitting at 6,400 feet in elevation that offers a big view of snowcapped Rainier and the surrounding valley.

Graham Averill is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų magazineā€™s national parks columnist. He still regrets not scoring reservations for the sunrise in Haleakala National Park, and knows he needs to be better at planning ahead for such adventures. He recently wrote about the yearā€™s (best) worst national park reviews; surviving a hurricane in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina; and his choice for the country’s best state for adventures.

The post Timed-Entry Reservations Return to Our National Parks This Year. Here’s the Scoop. appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Described as ā€œAmericaā€™s best idea,ā€ the National Park System was established in large part to protect the nationā€™s most precious landscapes, from the deepest canyons to the tallest peaks. Some of the parks are so dang beautiful, theyā€™ve been known to make people contemplate their own existence.

But not everyone traveling to a national park is moved to existential enlightenment. Some visitors come away angry, frustrated, or disappointed, and they turn to the internet to express themselves. Recently, for my annual end-of-year wrap up of the worst national-parks reviews,ĢżI spent an unhealthy amount of time perusing visitor comments on national parks on Google Maps, Yelp, and TripAdvisor to find the best of them.

I learned a few things in the process. I learnedĢżthat a lot of people donā€™t like the timed entry and reservation systems that many parks have put in place to combat overcrowding. Like, a lot of people; I saw thousands of complaints on that topic. Also, the general lack of parking gets people fired up.

I discovered some really interesting and funny one-star (out of a possible five stars) reviews that spanned quite a spectrum, from someone complaining about the weather (apparently Canyonlands is too hot and sunny) or questioning humanityā€™s fascination with nature in general (to this person, Joshua TreeĢżis just a load of big stones).

Here are my favorite bad national-park reviews of 2024. As ever, we nod to , grandmaster collector of such information, which, as autumn lit up the multitude of colors in the national forest of Vermont, noted this doozy: ā€œNot a memorable place to go.ā€

(Note: Some reviews below were edited for brevity, but I left spelling errors and grammar mistakes intact.)Ģż

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park protects 500,000 acres of mountains, rivers and historic farmland that is widely recognized as the most biodiverse landscape in North America. But not everyone loves it.

ā€œThis is the Walmart of national parks.ā€ ā€”Google Maps

ā€œA terrible experience! This national park is the largest and most popular park in the middle of the United States and famous for their beers (sic). Every staff of the park told us that beers (sic) were everywhere. However, this park was really disappointing that I did not see any beer (sic). I only saw many turkeys and one foxā€¦[S]ummer might not be a good time to visit here because beers (sic) or other wild animals could hide in trees and bushes.ā€ā€”Google Maps

2. Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada

This 3.4 million-acre park, straddling California and Nevada, is known for its deep canyons, salt flats, and ghost towns. The first commenter reviewed it without ever having been there.

ā€œHaven’t gone yet, will go soon, sounds hot tho.ā€ā€”Google Maps

ā€œDon’t go, nothing to seeā€¦.The rock formation is not that great, quite dusty, hot, etc. Feels like an open pit mine. The only use case I can see is if you want to ā€¦ test yourself or your car AC.ā€ā€”Google Maps

3. Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana

Designated a national park in 2019, Indiana Dunes protects dunes and forest on the edge of Lake Michigan, all less than 50 miles from downtown Chicago. But apparently the park has some policies on parties.

ā€œCan’t grille, can’t smoke, can’t drink, can’t play loud music…who wants to just sit on sand.ā€ā€”G“Ē“Ē²µ±ō±š Maps

4. Redwood National and State Parks, California

This collection of state and federally protected parks houses the worldā€™s tallest trees, with landscapes spanning from rugged coastlines to thick interior woodlands. Tree color may be a subjective thing.

ā€œCalifornia sucks so I donā€™t know why I was surprised when I was very disappointed. The trees arenā€™t as big as everyone says and theyā€™re not red either, terrible name. The National park should just sell the land and turn the trees into paper.ā€ā€”Google Maps

5. Joshua Tree National Park, California

One of my personal favorite units in the park system, Joshua Tree is home to gorgeous desert landscapes full of boulders that attract climbers and gawkers alike.

ā€œItā€™s just a load of big stones. If you go make sure to take a packed lunch and drinks, youā€™ll certainly thank me.ā€ ā€”TripAdvisor

6. New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia

The newest unit to be granted full park status, New River Gorge is a multi-adventure playground with world-class paddling, rock climbing, hiking, and mountain biking. Other than thatā€¦

ā€œIf you hike or like white water rafting, this is a great place. Otherwise, not much else to do.ā€ā€”Google Maps

7. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

I havenā€™t visited Dry Tortugas yet, but itā€™s on my list because these islands west of the Florida Keys offer some of the most remote spits of land in America, with beautiful snorkeling and paddling. Some feel waterlogged though.

ā€œI paid full price for only 1% of land??? Park is literally 99% water….. my shoes got wet too like what????? More like the NOT dry Tortugasā€ā€”Google Maps

8. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Couple the tallest sand dunes in North America with long-range views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and youā€™ve gotā€¦

ā€œThe only reason people go here is to buy a piece of fudge or a T-shirt. That’s about it. This is literally a dumping area for the fine sand used to make volleyball courts. The funniest thing to do here is simply people watching. They act like they never seen dirt before.ā€ā€”Google Maps

9. Everglades National Park, Florida

Everglades protects the largest wilderness east of the Mississippi. This review is close to being a haiku.

ā€œNo cocodrilos.

no crocodiles seen

money is lost.ā€ā€”Google Maps

10. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

This national park encompasses the 14,000-foot peak Mount Rainier, which also happens to be an active volcano. The duality of the situation is driving one visitor crazy.

ā€œThey market this place as a beautiful mountain paradise full of pastoral hikes and woodland creatures but at the same time remind you it is ready to kill you and your entire family and surrounding towns without a moment’s hesitation. Come here if you want to be gaslit by a mountain.ā€ā€”Yelp

11. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Picture alpine lakes set beneath craggy, 13,000-foot peaks, and youā€™ll have an idea of the scenery within Grand Teton National Park. Meh.

ā€œI’ve seen better in video games smh. Mother nature better step it up.ā€ā€”Google Maps

12. Sequoia National Park, California

Californiaā€™s jointly managed Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are famous for their groves of giant Sequoia trees, a species that only grows on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The drive in to reach them is irking some visitors.

ā€œA road that is truly too long and windingā€¦I’m still recovering from the tiredness and motion sickness of the 5 hours driving around tight curves.ā€ā€”TripAdvisor

13. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

I recently decided that Capitol Reef is the countryā€™s most underrated park for adventure. It has arches, canyons, domes, rock climbing, and gravel rides galore. One reviewer seems to be upset that the park didnā€™t take enough of his money.

ā€œTHIS PLACE SHOULD NOT BE A NP. Itā€™s beyond mids and a waste of taxpayers money. Doesnā€™t even have a fee station to support itselfā€¦Protect the land no doubt but either charge everyone that comes through or make it a monument.ā€ā€”Google Maps

14. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most visited parks in the country, with more than 4 million people clamoring to experience it annually. The park is so popular that management deemed a timed-entry system necessary to mitigate crowds. A visitor was not psyched.

ā€œWhat kind of communist came up with this system and why? I thought I lived in America, land of the free …. For all the Americans that didn’t even protest at all, thanks for nothing.ā€ā€”Yelp

15. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

North Dakotaā€™s Theodore Roosevelt National Park is one of the lesser-visited of our national parks, shown in the annual listings as attracting 750,862 visitors, when each in the top five attracts over 4 million (and Great Smoky Mountains NP receives over 13 million). So maybe itā€™s unsurprising that one visitor mixed it up with a different park.

ā€œMaybe I missed it but I didnā€™t see his face in any of the cliffs or mountains. Probably erosion. Time for a touch up.ā€ā€”G“Ē“Ē²µ±ō±š Maps

16. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho

Is there a landscape more dynamic than what you find inside Yellowstone National Park, where water boils and shoots into the sky like the fountains in Las Vegas?

ā€œWater bubbling out of the ground. Wow.ā€ā€”Google Maps

ā€œSame thing (e.g. geysers) everywhere. I got bored the second day.ā€ā€”G“Ē“Ē²µ±ō±š Maps

17. Yosemite National Park, California

³Ū“Ē²õ±š³¾¾±³Ł±šā€™s granite peaks, valleys, and mountains might have captivated Ansel Adams, but nobody ever mentions how uncomfortable nature is, do they?

ā€œAll the hikes are uphill, and you’re practically climbing cliffs. I got soaked by several incredibly large waterfalls just by standing at the bottom.ā€ā€”Google Maps

18. Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Dubbed ā€œthe land of stone and light,ā€ Badlands holds 224,000 acres of vast prairie and striking geological formations that seemingly rise out of nowhere. That didn’t satisfy this reviewer.

ā€œNot enough mountain.ā€ ā€”Google

Ģż19. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

This national park is known for its deep, steep gorge and rugged terrain, and it has a savvy reviewer who wants it all to himself.

ā€œJK. Itā€™s the best spot in CO. I went one star so that everyone stays away and keeps it this way!ā€ā€”G“Ē“Ē²µ±ō±š Ģż

Graham Averill is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų magazineā€™s national parks columnist. He has complained about many ridiculous things during his life, but never once looked at the Teton Range and thought ā€œvideo games are cooler than that.ā€ See also his recent articles on ten yearsā€™ worth of awful reviews on the revered Grand Canyon, or what makes the perfect mountain town, loving surfing and surf towns, and why he plays golf two days a week and thinks about it even more.

The post The Worst National-Parks Reviews of the Year appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

The Grand Canyon is stunning. At ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų, weā€™re in love with that giant ditch, and chances are, you are, too. This river canyon, measuring 278 miles long, roughly 10 miles wide, and in places more than a mile deep, is unlike anything else in the country. Artists paint pictures of it. Musicians write songs about it. Scientists read the history of North America in the layers of its rock walls. The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, with other standouts like Mount Everest and the aurora borealis.

Iā€™ve been fortunate enough to explore the Grand Canyon a handful of times, trekking from rim to river within the national park and exploring lesser known aspects beyond park boundaries. The beauty and sheer volume of the ditch gets me every time. Some people are moved by the quiet of the landscape or the depth, which can be awesome in the literal sense of the word, but personally, Iā€™m struck by the time it took the Colorado River to carve through all those layers of rock.

Weā€™re talking about 6 million years of slow, steady work, which seems like forever, but that timeframe is just a blink when you stack it up against the two-billion-year-old layers of rock inside the canyon. Staring into the Grand Canyon is like staring at time itself. How can you not ponder the brevity of your own time on this planet here?

But not everyone is impressed. Lately, on a notion, I dug into online reviews of our most famous river gorge and found a decadeā€™s worth of angsty complaints, with people moaning about everything from the weather to the lack of trees.

Here, and always with a nod to the classic , are the (best) worst reviews of the Grand Canyon, one of the most magnificent natural landmarks in the world:

ā€œA great example of uncontrolled erosion leaving a dangerous and ugly scar on an otherwise beautiful forest. The park service personnel were nice and friendly, however. We probably need a dam to stop erosion and refill this hole.ā€ ā€”Yelp

ā€œI would really love help understandin[sic] what is so grand about a canyon.ā€ā€”Yelp

ā€œWent to the Grand Canyon this past week and let me tell YOU it’s a big ole waste o[sic] time! There was dirt EVERYWHERE and the hiking trail was too long! Also where are the vending machines?? And nowhere to charge my phone! It’s way too deep to even see the bottom! ā€¦Grand Canyon more like grand blandyon.” ā€”Yelp

ā€œThere is nothing there! It looks like California’s drought that I am dreading of. Easy place to commit murder. Just push the dude over the cliff.ā€ ā€”Yelp

ā€œOnce you have been to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon is a joke, and I’m an Arizona native. There are no animals, no greenery, no clear blue streams… just a muddy river, rock, and sheer cliffs. You’ll go ā€˜oohā€™ and ā€˜ahhā€™ for 30 seconds.ā€ā€”Yelp

ā€œI have been to Yellowstone twice, with buffalo herds walking near my car, an entire elk herd passing me when I went hiking, bald eagles so big I thought it was Jurassic Park, bears twice, and even a wolf trying to steal a baby buffalo and the standoff among a herd. And at the Grand Canyon? A hole. A very, very large hole.”ā€”Yelp

ā€œ[P]retty much all of the really awesome things you could potentially do in the Grand Canyon are basically off-limits for a day tripper:

• Hike down to the Colorado River. You need a minimum of two days. Yes, people have done it in one day before, but many have also died trying, and the park service does everything short of an outright ban to discourage anyone from attempting it [too quickly], for good reason.
• Raft down the Colorado River with spectacular canyon walls towering over you on either side. You need a minimum of seven days.
• Follow a stream down a narrow side canyon and see waterfalls and springs. This is a multi-day backpack from the rim or accessed from the river during a rafting trip (see above).

ā€œI just don’t understand why they won’t build a road, aerial tramway, elevator, or SOMETHING that gives easier access to the canyon’s depths?ā€ ā€”Yelp

ā€œDude seriously itā€™s just a big hole in the ground and itā€™s all dirt. No shade trees, nothing interesting at all. Honestly, the desert is all just dirt so that was no surprise but the way everybody talks about the Grand Canyon I thought thereā€™d be some stuff to do thereā€¦. Oh yeah thatā€™s rightā€¦you can walk around on the dirt and look at the giant gaping hole in the ground and take pictures of the dirt. Big whoop.ā€ ā€”TripAdvisor

ā€œIt was pretty cool I guess, the canyon. A bit much though. Maybe less canyon next time would be better if you guys can fix that.ā€ā€”TripAdvisor

ā€œDon’t go in early October. We was[sic] expecting sunshine like in las vegas where we was[sic] staying. We got there we had rain. You could not actually see the canyon. Was covered in fog so a wasted journey.ā€ā€” Google Maps

ā€œGrand Canyon? More like average canyon. Seen better.ā€ ā€”Google Maps

ā€œNot that big, bad weather, bad food, too many people. Also why would they put so many trees everywhere. Terrible design, just terrible.ā€ ā€”Google Maps

ā€œWORST wonder of the world! ā€¦. Only a big hole in the ground.ā€ā€”Google Maps

ā€œVery underwhelming experience. Totaly [sic] an overrated location. Cluster of ugly looking rocks and a gorge that runs for miles. Boring is an understatement. Don’t waste your time visiting.ā€ā€”TripAdvisor

ā€œNot much different from pictures. Besides, the views are about the same everywhereā€¦the only reason to go to GCNP is to be[sic] see one of the Seven Wonders in the world. But after gazing at the canyon for 3 minutes from the rim, you have seen it all.ā€ ā€”TripAdvisor

ā€œNo lift, no real chapel, no real movie theatre… You really know how to make a hole in the ground a hole in the ground.ā€ ā€”TripAdvisor

ā€œLook, donā€™t get me wrong, the views were ok. However, I just find it unacceptable that in this day and age wifi was non-existent. I had lots of good photos but was unable to Snapchat them!ā€ā€”TripAdvisor

ā€œI guess I was seeking some sort of deep existential revelation that so many of my friends experienced, but I got nothing. I planned on spending a few days here but left after five hours.ā€ ā€”TripAdvisor

From the author: Despite what you may have gathered above, the Bright Angel Trail was one of the greatest hiking experiences of my life. I do agree with the reviewer above that you donā€™t want to try it it one day. For most, that is folly or worse. But as for the hike itself, itā€™s a panoply of views all the way, and it opened my eyes to what space could be.

Graham Averill is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų magazineā€™s national-parks columnist. Heā€™s visited the Grand Canyon many times and never had an existential revelation there, either. But thatā€™s probably his fault, not the canyonā€™s. Heā€™s also never left a bad review on TripAdvisor or Yelp. Graham recently covered ā€œThe 9 Wildest Golf Courses in America,ā€ Ģżā€œ9 Most Underrated National Parks for Incredible Fall Foliage,ā€ and ā€œ8 Surf Towns Where You Can Learn the Sport and the Culture.ā€ His essay ā€œThis Is What Itā€™s Like to Live in Asheville After Hurricane Heleneā€ was an on-the-ground account of experiencing the life-changing natural disaster.

The post The Grand Canyon Is One of Our Most Beloved National Parks. These Reviewers Beg to Differ. appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

United States President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate two-term North Dakota governor Doug Burgum to lead the U.S. Department of the Interior, the office that oversees a huge swath of public lands.

Burgum, 68, is a close ally of the fossil fuel industry, but during his time in politics he has also championed outdoor recreation and technology aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

On Thursday, November 14, Trump told attendees at a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club about his intention to nominate Burgum. The news was first .

ā€œI wonā€™t tell you his nameā€”it might be something like Burgum,ā€ Trump told guests on Thursday. Burgum was one of the attendees of the event. ā€œActually, heā€™s going to head the Department of Interior, and heā€™s going to be fantastic,ā€ Trump continued.

The Interior Department oversees the lion’s share of federal landsā€”approximately 500 million acresā€”and manages the agencies National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service, among others. The agency has a massive impact on open spaces, trails, and campgrounds used for outdoor recreation.

Burgum has a track record of promoting outdoor recreation in his policies as governor. In May he created North Dakorta’s Office of Outdoor Recreation. Alongside the creation of the office, Burgum gave $1.2 million in grants for the building of trails.

“From the sales and service of boats, RVs and ATVs, to hunting and fishing gear, bicycles and skis, outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of our stateā€™s economic well-being,” he said in a release in May.

The Interior Department also decides whether or not to lease public lands out for industrial uses, such as logging, mining, or oil extraction. And Burgum’s nomination signals the Trump Administration’s intentions to pursue its “” campaign slogan.

Burgum, who briefly challenged Trump for the Republican nomination, has strong ties to the oil and gas industry. During his 2016 campaign for North Dakota governor, he accepted in campaign contributions from oil executives. He maintains a close with Harold G. Hamm, the chairman of Continental Resources and one of the figures responsible for North Dakota’s massive shale-oil industry.

InĢżApril, Burgum helped organize a fundraising dinner for Trump with some of the wealthiest oil executives in the country. The Washington Post,ĢżBurgum told attendees that Trump would stop President Biden’s “attack” on the oil and gas industry.

Burgum, himself a billionaire, has also been a vocal critic of the policies of President Joe Biden to raise barriers around the extraction industry. In 2023 he lambasted the to raise the cost of oil and gas leases with the Bureau of Land Management. “By raising costs for oil and gas producers who want to develop minerals on federal lands, BLM will drive away producers and drive up energy costs for consumers,” he said in a release. “We should be selling energy to our friends and allies instead of buying them from our adversaries.”

But Burgum has also , and in 2021 he set a target for North Dakota to hit carbon neutrality by 2030. Burgum’s strategy for this goal has been pursuing carbon capture-methodsā€”specifically into the state via a massive pipeline, and then storing the gasses in abandoned oil-and-gas wells to keep them from entering the atmosphere.

Groups championing the environment and public lands reacted to Burgum’s nomination on Friday morning. In a statement provided to ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų,ĢżThe Wilderness Trust said it would work with the incoming administration to acquire and protect vulnerable lands.

“The Wilderness Land Trust has successfully added to designated wilderness through direct action under every administration since we were founded 32 years ago, including during President Trumpā€™s first term during which we transferred over 4,000 acres totaling $8.5M in value to be added to wilderness and public lands,” a spokesman said in a release. “Just as we always have, the Trust will work with Mr. Burgum and the incoming administration.”

Other groups were less diplomatic. In a statement provided to ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų, David Seabrook, interim president of environmental group the Wilderness Society, said that Bergum “has spent years undermining common-sense environmental and public health safeguards like the National Environmental Policy Act.”

“Public lands are beloved and vitally important to people in this country. The first Trump administration treated these places like theyā€™re meant to be dug up, drilled or sold off for profit,” Seabrook said in the statement. “Gov. Burgumā€™s long track record of pushing for unchecked fossil fuel development sends a loud signal about which path they will take this time around.”

If approved, Burgum would replaced interior secretary Deb Haaland, who was chosen by President Biden in 2020.

Want more of °æ³Ü³Ł²õ¾±»å±šā€™s news stories?

The post Trump Will Nominate North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as Interior Secretary appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Thereā€™s a solid chance youā€™ve never heard of Capitol Reef National Park. Or maybe youā€™ve heard of the park, but as a destination it hasnā€™t cracked your top-ten bucket list, so youā€™ve never made the long trek to Southern Utah to experience its goods. I was in that same boat myself until last month.

Iā€™ve criss-crossed Utah countless times in the last 30 years, hitting every other national park in the state, but I only recently had the joy of gazing out at my surroundings in Capitol Reef. Two days knocking out short day hikes throughout the park left me craving more.

The problem, which is also a blessing, is location. Surrounded by more famous destinations, Capitol Reef is often overlooked. Sure, people trek from all over the world to Utah on national-park road trips, but the vast majority are visiting Arches and Zion. Maybe Canyonlands or Bryce if they can squeeze in an extra day. Yet Capitol Reef is beautiful, and it might be the most adventurous unit in the entire national-park system.

If youā€™ve heard of Capitol Reef at all, itā€™s probably because of its orchards, which are pretty damn cool. Starting in the late 1800s, settlers from the Church of Latter-Day Saints planted thousands of apple, cherry, peach, and pear trees in the Fremont River Valley, which is now within the boundaries of the national park. Many of those historic orchards are still thriving within the parkā€™s boundaries, and the National Park Service is working on an to keep the fruit blooming for years to come. You can even pick fruit from orchards with U-Pick signs and self-pay stations.

But listen, thereā€™s a lot more to Capitol Reef.

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.

ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Intel

The park covers 241,904 acres of prime slickrock desert, encompassing the Waterpocket Fold, a nearly 100-mile-long uplift that has eroded into a cornucopia of cliffs, arches, natural bridges, and monoliths. The landscape is so remote and so rugged that the Waterpocket Fold area was the in the continental U.S. Today that landscape still feels remote and adventurous.

ā€œThis was the spot that made me fall in love with Utah,ā€ says Mike Hinkle, owner of Capitol Reef ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Company, who moved to the area to work as a guide more than two decades ago. ā€œPeople say itā€™s in the middle of nowhere, but the landscape is unique, and it doesnā€™t feel like Disneyland. Youā€™re not waiting in line to get on the shuttle. Youā€™re not sharing a trail with 1,000 other people. Youā€™re out there.ā€

Capitol Reef is 60 miles long and six miles wide, bigger than Zion and Arches combined but with a fraction of the visitors. The park is divided into three distinct sections.

• Most visitors stick to the central portion of the park, the Fruita Historic District, where Highway 24 offers easy access to the Visitor Center, day hikes, and a front-country campground.
• Cathedral Valley occupies the northern section of the park, where mostly unmaintained dirt roads lead to domes and backcountry campsites.
• The southern part of the park, the Waterpocket District, is just as remote, full of dirt roads and narrow canyons and long hikes where you have to huff across miles of desert for grand views.

It is a park that delivers both for those who want a scenic drive/short hikes and backcountry-seekers, with a diversity of adventure that ranges from backcountry bike rides to roadside trad climbs.

ā€œItā€™s a mix of the same rock you see in Zion and Arches,ā€ Hinkle says. ā€œCapitol Reef has its arches and cliffs and waterways that make it the same kind of rock features, but because it sees less people, we can actually guide technical adventures here.ā€

Here are the best ways to explore Capitol Reef National Park.

Day Hikes in Capitol Reef National Park

You can access the majority of front-country day hikes along Highway 24, which runs through the middle of the park and the Fruita Historic District. Here are three gems you can hit without driving on dirt to reach the trailheads.

Cassidy Arch Trail

If the park has a signature trail, itā€™s , a 3.4-mile out-and-back to the celebrated stone arch, which forms a 125-foot-long bridge on the edge of a cliff high at the top of the Grand Wash Canyon. Itā€™s classic desert scenery, skirting the edge of red sandstone cliffs and crossing acres of slickrock.

Grand Wash Trail

Starting from the same trailhead as Cassidy Arch, the gives day hikers a taste of the slot-canyon landscape without the common inherent dangers of mandatory rappels and flash-flood potential. The three-mile out-and-back meanders through a canyon with 200-foot walls that gradually narrow as you hike towards the center of the gorge. The hiking is flat and sandy, and after a mile, youā€™ll reach the skinniest point of the canyon, roughly 20 feet wide, a slot canyon but not constricted. This trail is an easy yo-yo hike thatā€™s great for families with small children.

Hickman Natural Bridge

This 2.1-mile passes through stands of junipers and cottonwoods as well as clusters of sand dunes, and lets you see the remnants of a granary built by the Fremont people, an indigenous culture that predates the Navajo and Ute. The crescendo is the sandstone Hickman Bridge, 125 feet tall and 133 feet across.

This is a moderate hike, gaining just under 500 feet in elevation, but if you want more, add on the , which branches off from Hickman Natural Bridge Trail near the trailhead on Highway 24. Itā€™s a 1,100-foot climb over 1.3 miles to the Rim Overlook, where you can stand on the edge of a cliff and peer 1,000 feet into the valley below.

Bike Rides in Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef is a bikerā€™s dream. Highway 24 and the eight-mile Scenic Drive passing through dramatic rock formations offer mellow options for road cyclists and e-bikers, but if you really want to see the park on two wheels, hit the system of unpaved roads that traverse the backcountry, offering stellar views and solitude.

For truly hardy bikepackers, the burly 70-mile loop through the delivers you into some of the most remote corners of the park. Itā€™s full of steep climbs and sandy or muddy wash crossings that can be tough to navigate with skinny tires, so Iā€™d opt for a fat-tire mountain bike for this one. Also, thereā€™s no water along the route, so youā€™ll need to carry enough for two to three days. But if youā€™re prepared, youā€™ll have this broad valley, which is loaded with towering sandstone outcroppings that reminded the original explorers of massive churches, to yourself. There are also six primitive campsites at the Cathedral Valley Campground (first come/first serve, free) roughly halfway through the loop, letting you break up the 70 miles into two days.

Canyoneering in Capitol Reef National Park

Guided canyoneering trips are prohibited inside Arches and Zion National Parks, but not here. Professional outfitters with commercial permits are allowed to guide rock climbing and canyoneering trips within Capitol Reef National Park. Unless you have the proper equipment and experience (flash floods are a concern in tight canyons that can drain water from even small storms), go with a guide.

Cassidy Arch Canyon Ģż

This is the most dramatic canyon within the park. Itā€™s also one of the more technical, with eight rappels (more rappelling than hiking) on the journey through the sandstone subway. The adventure starts with a 150-foot drop through Cassidy Arch itself. Itā€™s an airy descent as you lower from the sunny edge of the arch into the shadows of the canyon below. The rappels get shorter as you descend through the canyon, but youā€™ll drop through the center of two other natural bridges along the way. offers full-day trips through Cassidy ($300 for the first person, $125 per additional person).

For those looking for a self-guided canyoneering adventure with easy access, venture into , a 9.5-mile point-to-point starting at the Chimney Rock Trailhead on Highway 24 and running to where Highway 24 crosses the Fremont River. Itā€™s not an official trail and the route is unmarked, but youā€™ll find cairns along the way. Nor is it a technical descent, as the dry falls that need to be negotiated have bypass trails, removing the need for ropes. It is an adventurous hike, though, with scrambling, some narrow slot sections, and a mandatory crossing of the Fremont River towards the end of the journey. Carry plenty of water and only attempt this trek if that description sounds like something you can handle.

Sheets Gulch

offers a more remote nine-mile trek through narrow, textured Navajo sandstone walls before opening up to banks of Douglas firs. Itā€™s an out-and-back, so make sure you turn around with plenty of daylight left.

In case you want to spend a couple of days exploring Capitol Reefā€™s signature narrow passages, two other popular slot canyons, Burro Wash and Cottonwood Wash, are located in the same area.

Rock Climbs in Capitol Reef National Park

For decades, climbers mostly neglected Capitol Reef, but in the last few years the sandstone cliffs and boulders have received more attention, though they are still not as busy as Southern Utah hotspots like Bears Ears National Monument. Youā€™ll find crack climbs on steep Wingate sandstone cliffs and collections of sandstone boulders both inside and outside of the parkā€™s boundaries.

You need a day-use permit (free), which you can get at a self-serve kiosk at the Visitor Center, to climb or boulder within the park. Also, using white chalk is prohibited (use tan chalk instead), and first ascentionists can only use traditional removable protection in the rock rather than placing bolts for sport climbs. No climbing within 100 feet of rock art or prehistoric structures, nor on any arches or natural bridges.

Summers are hot, so consider Capitol Reef a fall-through-spring climbing destination. The approaches can be long, too, so bring water regardless of the season.

The Fruita Area, which is accessed by Highway 24 shortly after entering the park from the west, has the largest concentration of established climbs and boulders. Most of the established climbs are tough (5.10 or harder) but the unfortunately-named is a moderate trad 5.8 up a 50-foot wall via a wide crack thatā€™s close to the road (bring hand-sized cams). Hundreds of established and potential boulder problems exist in the Grand Wash area of Fruita. (V2) is the classic, up a 15-foot sandstone rock via a sit start to pockets and jugs, with a walk-off topout.

Grab a copy of if youā€™re looking for other options.

Where to Stay in Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef has one of the coolest campgrounds in the park system: the 71-site Fruita Campground near the Fremont River Valley sits in an actual desert oasis surrounded by fruit trees planted by the Mormon pioneers of the 1880s. The facility can handle everything from tents to RVs, though there are no sewage, water, or electrical hookups (from at $25 a night, and make your up to six months in advance).

I found dispersed camping outside the western border of the park on Fishlake National Forest just off Highway 24 near the town of Torrey. The camping is free, but there are no facilities.

Head down Highway 12 towards Boulder, Utah, and youā€™ll find developed campgrounds in Dixie National Forest at Singletree Campground and Pleasant Creek Campground. Capitol Reef has an Ģżwith locations of alternative camping options surrounding the park.

The gateway town of Torrey has plenty of hotel solutions as well. is the closest to the parkā€™s western entrance, with accommodations that range from Conestoga wagons to hotel suites (from $119).

Where to Eat in Capitol Reef National Park

Torrey (pop. 257), which sits just outside the parkā€™s western border, may be small, but it has plenty of restaurants to keep you satisfied. The Wild Rabbit Cafe has great coffee and breakfast (I like the burrito) that uses local eggs. Hunt and Gather is more of a fine dining option, using as many local ingredients as possible. Head to the next town over (Bicknell) for Curry Pizza, which melds Indian cuisine with pizza.

I left the area marveling at its wonders, while I wondered why the hell it took me so long to come here.

Graham Averill is ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų magazineā€™s national-parks columnist. Visiting Capitol Reef for the first time, and falling in love with it, makes him wonder what other hidden gems heā€™s been missing within the park system.

Want more of °æ³Ü³Ł²õ¾±»å±šā€™s travel stories? .

For more by this author, see:

The 10 Best Bike Towns in America, Ranked

The post Why Did It Take Me Forever to Get to Capitol Reef? And What Other National-Park Gems Have I Been Missing? appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.