National Parks: Visiting The Beautiful USA

I absolutely love visiting national parks; seeing the different scenery and natural beauty of the United States! Being raised in New Jersey, I found incredible beauty and diversity in the Eastern seaboard, and now living in the Southwest in Nevada, I am able to see some incredibly different but no less beautiful natural wonders.

No matter where you are, I strongly encourage you to get out of your town—and get out of your comfort zone—and head to some natural wilderness for a weekend, a week or even just a day trip.

Where To Go

As you know, I live in southern Nevada, in Las Vegas. We are surrounded by mountains on every side, with just one way in and one way out in all four directions. It’s very interesting living in the valley, after growing up in the New York metropolitan town of Montclair, New Jersey. 

As for where you should go, well, that depends entirely where you are starting from. I can certainly advise you on some of my favorite places, but the salient point here is that there is natural beauty in every corner of our great country. The states or national parks you choose to be visiting can be in any state—the important thing is that you are getting out there and trying something new with your next long weekend. 

For context, most of my experience is California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah for the past several decades. And, man, am I lucky! These four states alone boast multiple locations for you to explore and hike at every difficulty level. From beach hikes to mountains with the Strip as a backdrop, to the biggest hole in the world to the coolest hoodoos you’ve ever seen, it’s all here in a five hour radius from fabulous Las Vegas. 

How To Get There

I avoid “Always” and “never” in my recommendations, but this time I’m just gonna say it: You need a car. Not only will you be hauling a fair amount of equipment, but many of the places you are going to want to visit are fairly remote. 

Rent the car. 

Chances are also good that you aren’t as lucky as I am in the geography department. It is quite possible that you have exhausted all of the natural beauty where you live, and have decided to check out a different part of our country. This complicates things, since flying to a hiking destination makes it quite difficult to pack all of the little conveniences you might want to have with you. Be very careful that you pack things that are “non-negotiable” for you to hike with, because you don’t want to spend precious vacation time at the sporting goods store trying to replace things. 

Where Shall We Stay?

Were you aware that you can stay right in the Grand Canyon, within walking distance of the South Rim where you can catch the sunrise or sunset? Did you know there are actual recreations of teepees near Zion Canyon in Utah that you can rent for the night? How about staying on the beachfront in southern California in a tent? There are so many options no matter where you decide to go, so you need to do a fair bit of research and planning in advance of this kind of trip. Let’s look at just a few of the common options:

Camping?

I hear you, I see you, and I AM you! Hell no I’m not tent camping no matter how beautiful the scenery might be. There’s bears everywhere, you know??? Okay, not really, but think carefully before agreeing to that camping option. If it’s what you want, I wish you the best, but make sure you are aware of the bathroom situation beforehand. In reality, camping is probably the single best way to experience the natural world firsthand. Just not for me…

Glamping

Now we’re talking! This option has gained a lot of traction lately, with more and more facilities putting at least some glamping options on their property. This could be raised tents with power, or even small log cabins in the woods. This is absolutely an option I can get on board with, and we have several of these trips in the works right now!

Renting An RV

Here is something you may not have considered! If you’re looking to do a longer-term trip, or even thinking of buying an RV, you can rent one for a trip to see more of the USA, and see how you like this option. Since I’m not a fan of cleaning my own house, much less a driveable home, this isn’t something I’m interested in.

Hotels

And here we are, BooBoo! Definitely my first choice option, I’ve learned to expand my searches—and my budget—to try different things. For example, there is a hotel right at the entrance to Bryce Canyon on a lake with beautiful views that is quite rustic, and always has a roaring fire in the lobby. That puts me in the right headspace, without putting me in a tent! 

B&B or Airbnb

I do suggest you check out alternative accommodations wherever you are going. We have become huge fans of cozy inns and the occasional B&B. Particularly in this economic environment, we are called more frequently to go the “local” route—supporting independently owned facilities. There is nowhere on earth better to observe the beautiful fall colors of Vermont, for example, than The Strong House Inn B&B in Vergennes, VT. 

Bring The Right Stuff!

So, above we chatted briefly about bringing all of the right and important things you need for whatever hiking and exploring you hope to do, and I can’t stress that enough.

Particularly when it comes to weather. Recently, in Zion National Park, we enjoyed a lovely day in the mid-60’s. It was so lovely that we dipped our toes in the famous Narrows hike, and the water was ice cold and felt fantastic on our fingers and toes. The very next day, with no warning, we were faced with gale force winds and weather barely topping 50 degrees. Zion is a very frequent place for Las Vegas tourists to do a one-day detour, and we had seen many people in shorts without a jacket and wondered if they were prepared for the change of weather within 24-hours. Don’t ruin your long-awaited trip by not having the right clothes or shoes or supplies for your planned activities. 

Be Respectful Of The Land

There are several different platitudes I can quote here about “borrowing the land from our children…” and “leave only footprints…”, but I will tell you about our many times visiting to southern Utah for National Parks weekends. Thousands of years have forged many of the national lands that we are privileged to visit. Thousands of years, people. 

Don’t do anything to damage, destroy or compromise the experience for future generations. 

Be Prepared For Adventure

So, in our Utah trips, we see many tourists from Las Vegas making day trips to see some incredible natural wonders. We are thrilled that they are getting away from the slot machines and investigating our beautiful area. But…sometimes…you can tell they didn’t quite think things through. So, please, think these things through…

Get your steps in

Some people think that because they have a demanding job on their feet, or they do their 30 minutes a day they are prepared for hiking. Yeah…well…we don’t have roads out in nature. Instead we have uneven terrain, often climbing over rocks, and maybe even climbing a mountain using switchbacks so steep you have to hang on. Make sure you are ready for all of that. Start with the right shoes…

Know your limits

Those switchbacks I mentioned? Seriously—Bryce Canyon Sunrise/Sunset Loop. My all-time favorite hike. Why is it my favorite? Because the first time I did it I thought I was dying and I was so very proud of myself for finishing I cried. It was at a high elevation, very challenging, and I felt like I conquered the world. Before I did it, though, we spoke extensively to a Park Ranger who explained the entire hike to us. There were plenty of hikes on that list I knew I wasn’t able to do, partly because of the information from the Visitor Center! Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into before you take that first step on the hike.

Step outside your comfort zone

That being said, I wasn’t at all comfortable with the idea of steep switchbacks. Why did I do it? Several reasons: I wanted my kids to experience the hike, I was excited to see everything on the canyon floor, and I wanted to challenge myself to try something new. You’re in a new and exciting place—challenge yourself just a little to try something that doesn’t fit your normal day’s activities—you’ll be glad you did.

Most Of All

Start visiting those national parks!!! Get out there and explore! Start small if this isn’t something you’ve done with a quick hike in a local state park—we’re very lucky every state maintains it’s own park system. Build up your capacity—and your courage—to try something even bigger for the next long weekend you have. 

I have Sweet Husband to thank for constantly pushing me out of my comfort zone, and putting all of these amazing opportunities in my lap. Be that person for your friend, your loved one, your family, and maybe you’ll find a new passion.

Just be careful on those switchbacks! 

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR!!!

Thank you for reading all about visiting national parks!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out some other tips, like how to rent a car, here, or buying souvenirs, here! Or, check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

Please leave a COMMENT about any tips you may have!! Or comment with YOUR story! Where’re your next trip going to be? Let me know!

Please, feel free to contact me or leave a COMMENT with anything you would like to hear more about! Or reach out with any unrelated questions, comments, concerns, or random outbursts of excitement by clicking here.

Oh! And don’t forget to check out my video series by CLICKING HERE!!!