Gin is currently writing a lot of entries about our wonderful road trip that took place during summer 2013, and she asked me to share with you my favourite National Parks we’ve visited as an introduction to the series. Here is my contribution, I hope you will enjoy it. If you want to see more of these pictures, I invite you on my blog, Seeingthrough35mm.
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#10 Pictured Rock National Lakeshore, Michigan.
It is situated in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It sits along the shore of the great Lake Superior. Pictured Rock had gotten the name from its colourful cliffs. My understanding of how the colours have come to be is rather simplified: water leaches out the minerals within the rocks, these include limonite, manganese, copper and iron among others. When the water evaporates, and the minerals became oxidised, streaks of colour are left behind.
The lakeshore also boasts lush vegetation and an impressive stretch of sand dunes, the information centre explained that loggers had to drag timber up the steep side of the dunes and drop them down the other side onto boats to be shipped away. There are beautiful pebbles on the lakeshore, as well as innumerable fossils to be found.
#9 Grand Teton, Wyoming.
The lesser known neighbour of the Yellowstone National Park. It has the iconic jagged peaks, and beautiful lakes and rivers. If you are visiting in the summer, be sure to bring plenty of mosquito repellent and antihistamine tablets, as the mozzies here are ferocious, and some happen to carry the rather unpleasant West Nile virus.
#8 Grand Canyon, Arizona.
It is one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations, a true American icon. The canyon itself is indeed Grand, as canyons go, it is the biggest we’ve come across. I have seen it described somewhere as “a geologist’s wet dream”.
It is certainly one of the most photographed parks, with iconic view points all over the rim trail. However, due to its popularity, it is almost impossible to find affordable lodging near it, even 6 month in advance. We over heard a lady saying that she had booked her room in the hotel in Grand Canyon 17 MONTHS in advance!!
#7 Antelope Canyons, Arizona.
These are not part of the National Park Service. However, they are so incredibly beautiful, it is difficult not to mention them. These canyons are part of the Navajo Parks, gotten its name from the herds of pronghorn antelopes that used to roam in this region. The gargantuan Navajo sandstones, carved out by water over millennia, resulted in these enchanting curves. During certain times of the day, the sunlight hits the crack on top of the canyon at just the right angle, beams of light are cast into the canyon, giving it the extra ethereal quality. It is a very popular destination for photographers.
#6 Zion, Utah.
This National Park offers many unique hiking experiences, they range in lengths and difficulties. However, even the most inexperienced hikers can find trails that suit their ability. The pleasant hike along the bottom of the Zion Valley offers incredible sights. We soon discovered that the view changed dramatically with each twist and turn. The colours of the rock after some rain contrast dramatically with the green cottonwood trees and blue sky. Not to be missed.
#5 Arches, Utah.
No prizes for guessing what this park is famous for!
This is one of the smaller National Parks, but still packs plenty of staggering features. There are petroglyphs on rock faces, as well as some incredible trails such as the Devil’s Garden. Thousands of unique rock formations stand in this Park, including the State Symbol of Utah, the Delicate Arch.
#4 Canyonlands, Utah.
This incredible National Park is made up of several distinct districts: Island in the Sky, the Needles District, The Maze and Horseshoe Canyon Unit.
Island in the Sky is accessible by car, and has several short and pleasant hikes, you can see some truly spectacular views along the trails. The other districts offer geologically distinct landscapes, more challenging hikes, rafting on Colorado River and its tributaries and much, much more!
#3 Yosemite, California.
This was the first National Park we had visited in the US, and its top placing was not shaken until our final few parks, yet it still occupies the top three position!
As soon as we entered the park, we were greeted by El Capitan’s imposing granite rock face. The sheer rock was surrounded by alpine vegetation and beautiful flowering meadows. The park has countless waterfalls, crystal clear pools, breath-taking hikes (literally), and abundance of wildlife.
Yosemite spans over 3000 square kilometres, is one of the biggest National parks. Each region of the park offers distinct features. One can view the entire Yosemite Valley and Half Dome at Glacier Point, see giant sequoia at Mariposa Grove, hike on Tuolomne Meadows, and visit the beautiful Mono Lake just outside of its East entrance.
#2 Bryce Canyon, Utah.
By now you might have noticed a pattern—Utah is really good with rocks!
Out all the phenomenal rock formations, the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon take the crown.
I hear you ask: What on Earth is a ‘hoodoo’?
A hoodoo is a rock spire or pillar, formed by erosion. It usually has a hard rock as the top layer, covering softer rock beneath it. The erosion is able to occur around the rocks but not from top down, so that the rocks form tall spires. In the case of Bryce Canyon, they took the idea of a single hoodoo, and multiplied it by a million, thereby increasing the amazingness exponentially!
There is a trail that leads you through the bottom of the hoodoo basin, named the Queen’s Garden, and the park claims it to be the best 1 mile hike, in the world!
#1 Yellowstone, Wyoming.
It is America’s first ever National Park, and it is not difficult to understand why. The Park has over a third of the world’s hydrothermal features, including geysers, hot-springs, mud-pools, fumidors, and not to mention, the park sits on top of the Yellowstone Caldera, which is part of the Yellowstone supervolcano. The name alone is pretty awe-inspiring!
If you, like us, are suckers for a good hydrothermal feature or two, you would absolutely fall in love with this place.
The park is a conglomerate of intense colours year round. The mineral deposits at the Mammoth hot spring, the rainbow colours of Grand Prismatic Spring, the intense green of alpine vegetation contrasting with the azure sky are just some examples. Herds of wild bison roam the park freely, as well as elks and moose. Grizzly bears and black bears casually stroll across the plains in search for berries. Yellowstone truly is the quintessential National Park, and proof, that the National Parks truly are the best idea America has ever had!
What about you ? Do you have a favourite ?
You have been to so many wonderful parks in US. I have seen a few from this list too and undoubtedly agree that Yellowstone is the best park among all. Glad to find lots of information on your blog.
There are much to see in the US, it was our pleasure to have visited this country. Thank you for visiting my little blog
Your blog is beautiful and you will find me there more often 🙂
Yes, we have been, but there are so many left to be discovered 🙂
Fabulous post and photos! Hugs.
Haha, thanks Teagan, hugs for you also
Really nice article and we have visited several of the parks you mentioned. We live only 3 1/2 hours from Glacier National Park and really enjoy the park. A vast majority of the visitors go to Lake McDonald and over the Going to the Sun road but there is much more than that. The west side of the park has some very beautiful lakes and very few people. The right side of the park borders the plains and the north end goes into a Canadian Park. So the two parks combined are called Waterton Glacier International Peace Park. Some people have referred to Glacier as the Alps of North America. So maybe there is somewhere else to put in your bucket list of places to visit. Keep taking photos and enjoy life. Jim
Thank you for all the useful information ! Glacier NP is a place we are going to visit in the future, for sure. And with all your indications, we will really appreciate it I think 🙂
coooooooooooooool 🙂
hahaha it is cool indeed, thanks 😀
You’re welcome 🙂
Ooh! We want to do this route! 🙂
We had a lot of fun along the way, you’ll enjoy it immensely I’m sure. Perhaps avoid LA…
I would add Glacier in Montana, the Badlands and Black Hills in South Dakota and the Canadian Rockies, especially Lakes Louise and Banff. We are going to Denali this summer for the first time and can’t wait.
I’m sure Denali must be amazing !
Great feature!~ thanks for bringing these natural beauties into the spotlight! Best regards! Aquileana 🙂
It’s a good summary of our road trip !
Thank you Aquileana, it was my pleasure
i have been all of them. I would add Monument Valley too. Nice post!!
We had a look at Monument valley from far away, but we didn’t fancy paying 50$ to get in 😉
Yeah, thats right national park pass does not work here but its worth to pay.
I’m hoping you were able to visit Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park. It’s actually two parks attached and are beautiful. It was our favorite to go place when we were raising our children.
I’m afraid we haven’t been to those two. But they look amazing after some googling. What a beautiful place for children to get in touch with nature!
They are beautiful, each in its own way. The sequoias are larger than those in Yosemite. However, these two parks don’t have the granite. We are so lucky to have so many National Parks in California.
Yes, California is blessed with a lot of natural wonders 🙂
What a great list! I’ve never been to the US but all of these national parks seem fantastic, especially Yellowstone, Antelope Canyon and of course the Grand Canyon. Wonderful pictures! 🙂
Thanks Nita, definitely put the US on your list, you won’t regret it! Lots of people only visit their iconic large cities, but for us the nature is its real treasure
nous les avons tous visité, mais… Yellowstone forever! <3 🙂
https://myvirtualplayground.wordpress.com/?s=yellowstone
et ici: 🙂
https://myvirtualplayground.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/beauty-ethereal-promise-divine/
Ah je suis d’accord, le Yellowstone, c’est quelque chose d’unique 🙂 Très jolies photos ! Surtout Porcelain basin.
Great post!! Great pictures! Many of these are on my bucket list but some I’d never heard of. Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for commenting. The NPs are fantastic, we are very envious of you guys living in the US with all this amazingness right at your doorstep! 🙂
It’s funny. Americans tend to forget the beauty we have in our own country. So easy to want to visit Europe since there’s so much history and a variety of cultures to experience. I try to balance and do both. Enjoy/discover here but check out abroad. Sounds like you and Gin do plenty of the same. 🙂
That’s the way to go. We were very impressed with America, although there were a couple of things that took some getting used to: the tipping culture, and the variation in tax between states, on literally everything! Once we made peace, it was a very pleasant trip indeed 😛
Sooo true! Tipping culture is always such a problem for me because I never want to appear to be an elitist American when I travel abroad. But it’s so normal and expected here, that it’s hard to break out of feeling like a cheapo. And the difference in states… Taxes, rules, even regional dialects and differences… It can be quite confusing for visitors, I can imagine.
I love hearing this stuff since it’s fun to hear another perspective 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it here! Now you guys have to make it to Florida and tour all the beaches! 🙂
The US are so big, it’s difficult to visit everything. It’s a bit like assuming Europeans have been to every European countries 😀 We are always attracted by foreign destinations, but sometimes, there is a lot to enjoy not so far away 🙂
Well said 😉
I haven’t been to many national parks in the US, but of the few I’ve visited my favorite is Denali in Alaska. I’m bookmarking this blog post, definitely want to visit some of the ones you mentioned. 🙂
There are too many for us to visit them all in one sitting, Alaska is on the list.
Hope you’ll be able to visit some of the others, they are pretty great! 🙂
So many people are mentioning Denali NP, it must be incredible !!
Excuse me?!?!?!? Where’s Acadia on that list?!?? You’ll just have to come back and visit…and while in the US, drop into see us in Connecticut. 🙂
Hahaha I’m deeply sorry for missing Acadia, we didn’t have time to visit it. Top 10 list is a bit tough to make, it should probably be top 20 or 30! There are so much to see, very envious of you guys living in the US.
Sounds good, we’ll hold you to that, always wanted to go to Connecticut 😀
Acadia is on our wish list (and say hi to you as well :p)
We are visiting Yosemite in December. I hope it won’t be way too cold to do some hikes. Thanks for this post. I’d love to visit a few or all of them if possible!
I think Yosemite Valley will be alright, I not sure about Tuolomne Meadows which is situated at a higher altitude…
Thanks! I am looking forward to doing some hikes there. Thanks for the excellent post!
Darwinontherocks is correct about access to the higher altitudes in December. The Tioga Pass Road will likely be closed as well as the road to Glacier Point. However, the scenery in the Valley is likely to be superb and uncrowded. If you want to know about Yosemite, Google Michael Frye, a local professional photographer who has an excellent blog. If you are a photographer and have a smartphone and/or tablet, get his app. You won’t be sorry.
Thanks! I will surely look him up. Do you know his blog’s name?
Sure, here is the link: http://www.michaelfrye.com/landscape-photography-blog/ I’ve been to a couple of his workshops at Yosemite and he is very good.
Thanks Robin!
Amazing photos thanks for sharing this guide! 🙂
Thank you very much, glad you like it. The list is by no means exhaustive, there are so many incredible places in the US
I have been to 6 of those. The North Cascades and Olympic NP are also worthy. I haven’t been to the various Rocky Mountain parks but Glacier would rank high on my list along with the Tetons and Yellowstone.
We’ve not been to those, was quite short on time. This list is by no means exhaustive, just what we’ve visited 🙂
Sorry I keep adding comments to your post! Here’s another area to consider next time: the Northern Plains across the top of the Midwest. The post is a little quirky, but you can see the route.
https://lexklein.wordpress.com/2014/08/30/a-northern-plains-menagerie/
I’ve never heard about it ! the cattle looks very special the longhorn cattle ! Thanks for sharing the link 🙂
As you know from following my blog, I’ve traveled the world a bit, but a few years ago, I started taking at least one trip a year to a national park in my own United States. They are truly magnificent and I really should feature some of those in my blog as well as the more far-flung destinations! Thanks for reminding me of my own country’s allure! (Our favorites have been Glacier, Zion and Bryce, Acadia, and … too many, I guess!)
I second that, you should definitely feature more from the National Parks!
Wonderful selections. There is so much to see here. But, you know, the two states with the most amazing natural beauty (and some pretty interesting people) are Alaska and Hawaii. I believe that Icelandair and Condor both have summer flights over the pole to Alaska from Europe now–saves a lot of flying time!
REALLY?!
Oh wow, that sounds pretty amazing! I currently have travel guides to both of those places on my desk, talk about coincidence!
The biggest difficulty is deciding where to go in each state. Every Hawaiian island is very different and Alaska is huge. A smorgasbord to choose from!
Smörgåsbord, haha, very good! Are you of Scandinavian descent? I will be using that word for sure!
Alaska and Hawaii are our dream destinations… we are planning to go there soon 😉 Or soon-ish 😉
This is a great guide, so helpful. Thanks so much for preparing this.
The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for commenting Maria
I’ve been to and in 8 and want to go to 7,6, and 4. But you didn’t mention Valley of Fire Park in Nevada. It’s beautiful!
Ah we haven’t been to the Valley of Fire. The name is pretty promising though haha. We tried to go to Death Valley but the park was closed due to dangerously high temperatures. Have you been there?
Don’t think I’ve been to Death Valley and Valley of Fire can get awful hot in the summer too. Fortunately I went in December when the temps were ideal.
Couple of people have suggested to us to go to Nevada in December/January time. We’d love to do that but it’s rather difficult to find the time as we live in Europe. Fingers crossed for the future though
Impressive images and great description! I have never been to USA and it feels like going there after reading this post. Thank you!!
Indeed, I think Gin had the same feeling before we started our research. It’s not just New York City and Hollywood. So much to see and to experience. Where would you like to go?
I have to be honest, the only thing that trouble me to visit US is its visa application. I am not worry about my profile as I am sure I am qualified to get the visa, but the administrative work to prepare the application is annoying – not an easy process. Antelope Canyons and Yosemite were on my bucket list. But after reading your post, maybe I should add more places to visit in USA 🙂
Ah yes the dreaded visa. To be honest the US customs isn’t very pleasant either, been through it a few times, wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But once you’ve gone through, it’s a world of good stuff!
He’s right, there is so much more to see and experience than the busy towns. I was quite surprised ! 🙂
They look all so inviting and interesting. I wouldn’t now where to start. 😀
I wouldn’t know (of course). 😉
We started in San Francisco and worked our way up gradually. In hindsight, we thought it might have been a better idea to start in Seattle and work our way down, more logical
For a first visit, you have to make a choice, which is difficult, unless you have unlimited amount of time
Great Post, and I agree with most of the selections having been to all but one (Antelope Canyon). I would also suggest Olympic National Park in Washington and Denali National Park in Alaska as worthy candidates.
Thanks, we will put those on the list!
Alaska has long been one of our dream destinations. Bought a book last month, now just need some time off!
You didn’t like Antelope Canyon ? I was quite amazed by the shape and the light displays inside of the canyon. As for Olympic NP, when we were in Seattle, we decided to visit Mount Rainier instead (we had to make a choice).
Like he said, Alaska is our dream destination !!!! Denali looks pretty amazing. I’ve followed a lot of people living in Alaska, and the more I see, the more I want to be there.
Amazing rock shape, I feel the power of God’s creation is really great!!!
And the power of the wind and the rain, the climate helped a lot as well 🙂
I can’t think of Yellowstone without thinking about Yogi Bear. You didn’t help when talking about the Bears strolling through in search of berries lol ( or maybe a picnic basket). Beautiful photos, absolutely beautiful.
Haha, thanks!
We actually saw a grizzly bear sitting in a meadow, eating berries, it looked so cute from afar! But we were too far away to take any usable shots to be shared here.
I’m a bit ashamed to admit I don’t know Yogi Bear ! But I’ve googled it 🙂 Google is my most faithful friend. The bears look cute from very very very very far away.
Yogi bear was a cartoon, but I’m sure you know that now. He was in Jellystone National Park which was a take on Yellowstone National Park. I loved that cartoon as a kid. I’m sure the bears looked cute, however far far away was a good thing.
One of my goals is to make it to them all someday. I have to agree that Yellowstone takes the cake with its natural beauty and landscapes combined with crazy geothermal features. I really enjoyed the badlands too, it’s really something at sunset!
We haven’t been to Badlands, photographs look pretty good though. Do you have posts of Badlands NP at all?
No, something I am working on once I catch up on all the travel I’ve done lately. We road tripped from Rocky Mountain national park through the Badlands and black hills to Yellowstone, a beautiful drive, lots of photos to come in future posts!
Great, I very much look forward to them!
I’ve heard one national park rangers saying that Rocky Moutains was the best national park he had worked in ! I’ve never heard about the Badlands …. but it looks quite interesting ! I look forward to see them as well 🙂
Here are a couple of shots of the Badlands.
https://lexklein.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/friday-photos-11/
The Rockies are beautiful too! And I hope you get a chance to see the badlands as well!
So interesting, I have yet to explore the national parks in the US. I’m bookmarking this for future reference!
They were such great experiences, everyone was unique. Highly recommend them! 🙂
And the amazing thing is this junior park ranger activities, for people who have children. There are so many things organized just for them and it looks like a lot of fun ! I’m just Monkey will love it ! 😉
I have visited the Parks in the Western US & your choices are superb. It is ok for everyone to have their personal favorite! Here’s a tip – we visited the Utah parks in May (I don’t do very hot weather) and found the weather beautiful, and fewer crowds and fewer bugs!
I thought the hoo-doos in Bryce were spectacular, also.
Yes I agree, May would have been better for a visit. We went around July, and the temperatures did get some what extreme!
It was way too hot in July, especially in Arches.. I couldn’t make it to the Delicate arch… my biggest regret :'(
*pat pat* don’t cry, we’ll go back one day
My list is growing bigger every day, we may have a problem 😀
Wow, all of them look so wonderful! Feel visiting all of them. But I think the Yellowstone is my favourite. Now I have many more places to go on my bucket-list, auch….
We foolishly thought 2 months was enough to see most of what America has to offer, about 2 weeks into the trip, we had realised that this Amazing continent would take decades to explore!
Glad you liked the list, we were very glad to have ticked off some of them, but each day, the list grows 🙂
Yeah, a two months seems a bit too little for see all of these amazing places. America is so huge!
Yes, the list just get longer and longer! Just have to choose what is most important to see first…
It is also my favourite, you can find everything over there 🙂
Really would like to visit there as well!!! 🙂
I like your list and that the Utah parks are ranked so highly. Yellowstone is my favorite too.
Utah is by far my favourite state, it has so much to see in it (even if the Mormons did come on a little strong in Salt Lake City). The Colorado Plateau region yields such incredible landscapes, it is difficult not to love.
But Yellowstone is in a league entirely of its own!
We would love to see the wave as well (especially after having seen your pictures :-)) !
Beautiful landscapes, we never tire of watching them.
Thank you for sharing.
These rock formations are so unusual, it’s true, me neither, I never got tired of looking at them 🙂
Wow! What an interesting introduction to National Parks! The world is a truly beautiful place with so many natural treasures still unexplored. Thanks very much for sharing a tiny part of it with us!
The pleasure is all mine Helene. It is one of our favourite countries, we will be going back there!
And the US is very rich when it comes to geological treasures ! It’s incredible.
I second that! 🙂
Breathtaking pictures! Thanks for sharing them.
Thank you Rebecca, it is encouraging to read your kind words.
Did you visit some of them ?
I have visited three of them. I haven’t made it to Utah yet. Another National park that I would love to visit again is the Redwood National Park.
The Redwood National Park looks very interesting as well !
These are simply stunning 🙂 I will visit your blog now 😉
It’s difficult to pick up my favourite, but the Grand prismatic prism is quite amazing 🙂 I hope you enjoyed his blog ! I’m always stealing his pictures for my photobook because they are gorgeous !!!
I’ve seen all but Pictured Rock, and all are awesome, but Zion National Park is my favorite
Zion was indeed beautiful. It has been pretty tough to rank these parks, they are all unique in their own right, and everyone should go and visit them all! 🙂
We’ve thought about doing the Angel’s landing hike and chicken out 😉 Have you ever done it ?
I did! Super scary but a good feeling of accomplishment when done.
I’ve seen pictures, it looks so scary !! Espcially the part with the chains
I was sure those chains would pull out of the rock! It was so steep and one of the scariest climbs I’ve done (I did not expect to find it that way.) There was a father who did it with his child on his shoulders! I was more nervous for him than for myself!
oh god, yes, I hope he wasn’t wearing flip flops…. 😉 Did you have someone walking in the opposite direction than you ? how do you do in that case ?
Yes! One of you has to let go … and I always hoped it was not me! (You could cling to the side and let the person pass most of the time.)
i have only been to 6 of the 10 but plan to visit yosemite in 2015. antelope canyon (as you say not strictly a national park) is right up there for me. we took a photographic guided tour which i would recommend.
you are right about grand canyon accommodation but i have been lucky twice just turning up around 4pm (in good time for sunset shots ) and getting cancellations at el tovar.
anne
That is pretty lucky! Haha, the closest/affordable lodging we found was in Page, and due to road work, the detour took us three and half hours to get there!
We only had 2 months to visit the US, but there are so much more to see!
Gosh you did well in two months. What a drag staying in page and wanting to get sunsets and sunrises.
If you love hoodoos and find yourself in US again, you should seek out the Kasha-Katuwe national monument (it’s actually a park) in New Mexico. I t is my all time favourite probably because relatively few people know about it ( even Americans ) so you are fighting with the masses on the trails.
Wow those are some very different looking hoodoos! Somewhat more…um…phallic! If that’s at all possible haha 😛
There still remains a huge amount to be seen, we will be back, that’s for sure!
I’ve never heard about that place, but it looks stunning !!!
Isn’t it! Hers a link to post I did on my @vannilla blog a couple of years ago
https://vannillarock.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/natural-wonders-1/
Oh wow, this is so strange ! We have to visit !!!
Fantastic to know, I’m heading to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton this summer! Thanks for the info!
It’s my pleasure. We didn’t have a lot of time to explore the Teton, but from the little we did see, it is very beautiful. As for Yellowstone, you will not be disappointed!
Beware of the midges, especially in the evening, wear socks ! I paid the price, and it was very painful :p
This is a hard list to make. I like all of these plus the Smokys, Glacier, the Everglades, Acadia – I want to hit them all!
Indeed it is! There are also many beautiful State Parks, that couldn’t be included here. It’s a wonderful country to explore!
That’s an understatement! Nice post – made me expand my tour list – all I lack is the ability to live to 192.
Haha, let’s hope medical science advances to keep up with our need for travel!
We haven’t visited them but we would love to ! Glacier and Acadia are really high on my wish list 🙂
There are too many places to go. I got to drive through the Smokys in late October a couple of years ago. It was phenomenol.
I’m sure it was, with all the autumnal colours ! I would love to revisit these national parks at other time of the year as well…