Choosing National Parks

[JimMIA]

The times I've gone to Grand Canyon & Sedona & Monument Valley, I usually head into Flagstaff overnight. It's in between Sedona & Monument Valley, and it is much cheaper to stay there than in a more touristy spot. Plus the scenic drive from Flagstaff to Sedona on Rt 89A, is NOT to be missed.

Agree 100%. Flagstaff is very centrally located. It also has a lot of just regular shopping, which is kinda hard to find in N. AZ.

There is a LOT to see reasonably close to Flagstaff. Sedona and Montezuma Castle to the south, Grand Canyon to the west, all the stuff along the northern border of AZ to the north, as well as Wupatki, Sunset Crater, and the east entrance to Grand Canyon, and to the east there is Walnut Canyon NM, the Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest NP (with the Painted Desert to the north), and if you turn north on US 121, that takes you to the Hubbell Trading Post and Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "Shay") National Monument.

 

[Colleen27]

We are trying to decide whether to spend 6 days between Yellowstone and Jackson Hole/Grand Teton OR spending that time in Moab Utah (Canyonland and Arches). Either way, we would also go to Bryce National Park.

It would be me, my husband and out 14 yr old twins. We are not huge hikers. I mean, we will do some easy trails but we aren't heading off on a 10 mile climbing/strenuous hike. We would be more interested in driving loops and shorter hikes. My kids will also want something to do other than just hiking and scenery. I know we can raft with both options (either in Grand Teton or Moab). Wildlife helps too...which I know we'd see at Yellowstone.

Bryce is not a natural combination with Yellowstone/Grand Teton. There's a lot of miles between them! If Bryce is a must-do, I'd probably go with the other Utah parks. We didn't make it to the Moab-area parks, but Zion and Bryce were both stunning places and we found some nice, easy-to-moderate hikes at both places. The stars are so vivid in the Utah parks, and we were lucky enough to catch a thunderstorm and rainbow over the rock formations while we were in Bryce which was amazing.

But if your wildlife and mild hiking is the main goal and you'd be willing to reconsider Bryce, I'd recommend Yellowstone (but try to be there during the week - that place gets Disney-level crowded and touristy) and Grand Teton. GT had particularly beautiful, uncrowded, easily accessible wildlife viewing - we saw bald eagles and beavers and otters as well as the bigger animals like elk and bison that you'd expect to see - and some really neat ranger programs. We were there for one night/most of two days and it wasn't nearly long enough.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

Yet, Lower Antelope Canyon is the one I really wish I had visited instead of either Bryce or Zion - even though I loved them both. But, as someone else said, it's a half-day trip and not super close to other things.

From Desert View, Lower Antelope Canyon is a little less than a 2 hour drive. And from Lower Antelope to Monument is just another 2 hours, so that's a natural fit.

We easily went to antelope canyon as well as the nearby Horseshoe Bend the day we drove from Zion NP to the Grand Canyon. Very easy as its right on the way!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

OP, I have no advice on which parks to pick, because I love them all! We are huge National Park junkies and have done 6 big National park trips in the last 12 years.

We love the "Mighty 5" in Utah and also did Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Glacier! Both trips were amazing!

As others have mentioned we loved going to both Sequoia NP and Redwood NP. My favorite NP is probably Yosemite! We have been to Crater Lake NP twice and love the beauty and peace there!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Imzadi]

Agree 100%. Flagstaff is very centrally located. It also has a lot of just regular shopping, which is kinda hard to find in N. AZ.

There is a LOT to see reasonably close to Flagstaff. Sedona and Montezuma Castle to the south, Grand Canyon to the west, all the stuff along the northern border of AZ to the north, as well as Wupatki,

Yes, have been to Montezuma Castle & the Wupatki National Monument too. Truly love that area of the country.

 

[3boymthr]

Keeping in mind that we have to go over the summer (hot)....

Keeping in mind that we went over a decade ago, Yellowstone will definitely be MUCH cooler if that is a factor for you. When we were there - mid July 2006 it actually SNOWED. We had rented one of the cabins in the Roosevelt area for our stay. We laughed when we arrived because the cabin had a potbelly stove with little wood pellets all set up to go. Because - you know, July. Well, that stove got used, on more than one night.

Also, in Yellowstone, if you want to get into the backcountry and do something a little adventurous but not too adventurous, take the horseback riding trip with the all you can eat BBQ. Slightly less adventurous but still lots of fun, the conestoga wagon ride to the back country with the all you can eat BBQ. It leaves from Roosevelt Lodge and lasts the better part of an afternoon.

Also, if going to Yellowstone, I HIGHLY recommend staying in the park if you can. It is a long car ride between the different areas. I was shocked at how long it took to get from one area to the other. In part because of the windy roads and in part because of the traffic. Some people actually stay in multiple areas to make it easier on themselves.

I second or third, Custer State park. It's a full day (14 hrs) of driving from Yellowstone to Custer, but add in Devil's tower and Mt. Rushmore and you have a really full week.

 

[3boymthr]

I'm so glad I found this thread
My husband retires in a couple of weeks, and we are starting to plan a trip out West via Arizona to California. We want to hit the National parks, as many as we can! Can't wait to see the redwoods!
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful advice

I actually found our cross country itinerary a couple weeks ago when cleaning out a drawer. If doing Arizona to California, Redwoods NP is a LONG way out of the way of any other national park unless that is your final destination. We went from north to south so a little reverse but it took us four days driving 7 or 8 hours a day to drive from Redwoods NP to Vegas then another day to the south rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. If you mean the sequioa's & Yosemite then not so bad of a trip. IMO the best of the redwood trees are actually in the state park but Redwoods State Park and Redwoods National Park intertwine.

 

[disneyseniors]

I actually found our cross country itinerary a couple weeks ago when cleaning out a drawer. If doing Arizona to California, Redwoods NP is a LONG way out of the way of any other national park unless that is your final destination. We went from north to south so a little reverse but it took us four days driving 7 or 8 hours a day to drive from Redwoods NP to Vegas then another day to the south rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. If you mean the sequioa's & Yosemite then not so bad of a trip. IMO the best of the redwood trees are actually in the state park but Redwoods State Park and Redwoods National Park intertwine.

Wow, I didn't realize that the trip was that long up the coast! Thanks for the info That will definitely make us rethink our itinerary!

 

[disneyseniors]

Be sure to get a Senior Pass if either of you are 62 or older. The one-year Senior Pass is $20 (instead of $80 for a regular annual pass) and the lifetime Senior Pass is $80.

The pass not only gets the passholder in free -- it gets everyone in your vehicle in free. And not only to National Park System sites -- it gets you in to most federally managed lands. There's a full list of agencies who accept the pass in this linked page:

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/senior-pass-changes.htm

Thanks Jimmy for that park pass ifo. I wasn't aware that a one year pass is only $20.00! That's awesome. And yes, we are way over 62 LOL. If everyone in your vehicle is free, does that account for all entries in the parks??? I was planning on getting one for each of us? thanks again. BTW, we just got 3 inches of snow!!!! with 6 more coming tomorrow. We usually don't get that type of snow until Thanksgiving!

 

[JimMIA]

Thanks Jimmy for that park pass ifo. I wasn't aware that a one year pass is only $20.00! That's awesome.

Yes, $20 for one year; $80 lifetime. And...if you buy the annual passes for 4 years ($80 total), you can trade those for a lifetime pass. So don't throw away your old annual Senior passes.

If everyone in your vehicle is free, does that account for all entries in the parks??? I was planning on getting one for each of us? thanks again.

Yes, sorta. I didn't want to get too much "inside baseball," but here's how it works.

The vast majority of NPS sites charge entry fees per vehicle. A few, and some of the other agencies' sites, charge per person. For per vehicle locations, one pass gets everyone in your car in -- as long as it's a non-commercial vehicle. For per-person sites, the pass admits four people.

And like everything else, there are exceptions. The pass may give some discounts, but there is no telling where or when, so you just have to ask. For example, you get a 50% discount on campsites...but only at NPS-managed campgrounds. If the campground is managed by a concessioner (a lot of them are), no discount. And there are some crazy things. Unless things have changed recently, at Mt. Rushmore, you get free admission, but the parking lot is managed by a concessioner and you have to pay for parking. It's the NPS; it's not supposed to make sense!

The pass is only $20/$80, so I recommend getting two. They are NOT replaceable, so if you lose one, you have to buy another -- and you never know when you will want to go somewhere by yourself, or the other party forgets to bring their pass. Better both of you have one.

BTW, we just got 3 inches of snow!!!! with 6 more coming tomorrow. We usually don't get that type of snow until Thanksgiving!

That's weird. We haven't had any snow in Miami yet!

 

[disneyseniors]

Yes, $20 for one year; $80 lifetime. And...if you buy the annual passes for 4 years ($80 total), you can trade those for a lifetime pass. So don't throw away your old annual Senior passes. Yes, sorta. I didn't want to get too much "inside baseball," but here's how it works.

The vast majority of NPS sites charge entry fees per vehicle. A few, and some of the other agencies' sites, charge per person. For per vehicle locations, one pass gets everyone in your car in -- as long as it's a non-commercial vehicle. For per-person sites, the pass admits four people.

And like everything else, there are exceptions. The pass may give some discounts, but there is no telling where or when, so you just have to ask. For example, you get a 50% discount on campsites...but only at NPS-managed campgrounds. If the campground is managed by a concessioner (a lot of them are), no discount. And there are some crazy things. Unless things have changed recently, at Mt. Rushmore, you get free admission, but the parking lot is managed by a concessioner and you have to pay for parking. It's the NPS; it's not supposed to make sense!

The pass is only $20/$80, so I recommend getting two. They are NOT replaceable, so if you lose one, you have to buy another -- and you never know when you will want to go somewhere by yourself, or the other party forgets to bring their pass. Better both of you have one. That's weird. We haven't had any snow in Miami yet!

Thanks again for that detailed info.
LOL, I should have guessed you were from Florida! Here in N. Minnesota, it is winter already Just check out the weather channel to see what it looks like up here right now! I envy your warm winters, sigh.................

 

[fivikse]

We took our twins to Yellowstone/GTNP when they were 10 (also rafted the Snake River).

We did a loop in AZ/UT when they were 12. (Flew into Phoenix => Grand Canyon South Rim => Page (Horseshoe Bend and we did Upper Antelope canyon) => Zion (Narrows is a must) => Bryce => Capitol Reef (via Rte 12 - beautiful drive) => Monument Valley => back to Phoenix. Didn't do Moab area).

Overall the AZ/UT trip was too much driving for my crew. I would say we enjoyed the Yellowstone trip more, but the Narrows hike in Zion was the top highlight of both trips.

Both were great trips, but I can't imagine driving that far out of the way to include Bryce from Yelllowstone. Although we stayed overnight at Bryce, personally we were done with it after a few hours (ymmv of course). Very pretty to look at, but not much more (we drove up to the top, did the queens garden/navajo loop hike, and completed jr. ranger program.). It is a small park. If Bryce is a must do, then I'd combine with Utah parks.

 

[JaxDad]

That's weird. We haven't had any snow in Miami yet!

I remember the garbage trucks in Key West would have painted on the sides, "Free Snow Removal" and "We Cater Weddings!"

 

[JimMIA]

I remember the garbage trucks in Key West would have painted on the sides, "Free Snow Removal" and "We Cater Weddings!"

LOL...typical Conch humor!

 

[3boymthr]

Wow, I didn't realize that the trip was that long up the coast! Thanks for the info That will definitely make us rethink our itinerary!

The trick is that Redwoods is on the coast and while there is a highway that goes there it is state route 101, which is a long way off of the interstate. We did the coastal route the whole way south until we got to LA. If you did it without stopping and enjoying any of scenery (which to me is what a road trip like that is all about) and took the interstate the whole way it might speed things up by three or four hours but that's without traffic. BTW, if you have the time that drive is totally worth it. Those scenic coastal highway views with the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other that you see in ads and movies all the time - that's 101 and 1 between LA and Redwoods NP.

 

[bcla]

If you choose Utah, please try to fit in Zion National Park. I think it's about two hours from Bryce Canyon. Definitely do "The Narrows" hike. The hike is only accessible in the summer months when the water is low enough to deem it safe. GORGEOUS. One, if not the most, memorable hikes my family has taken. Make sure you walk several miles up the river to escape the crowds. Check it out!

That's not really hiking but wading. It's also an ankle killer because of all the smooth rocks on the bottom of the Virgin River. I wore some rather unique lightweight hiking boots with ankle support. I had them aired out with a fan n our hotel bathroom. I saw a lot of people who had gone to outfitters in Sprindale and rented neoprene boots that wrap up the ankle, plus wooden hiking sticks.

That can be dangerous because of the possibility of summer rains and flash floods. They advise to check the weather forecast at one of the visitor centers.

 

[bcla]

I actually found our cross country itinerary a couple weeks ago when cleaning out a drawer. If doing Arizona to California, Redwoods NP is a LONG way out of the way of any other national park unless that is your final destination. We went from north to south so a little reverse but it took us four days driving 7 or 8 hours a day to drive from Redwoods NP to Vegas then another day to the south rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. If you mean the sequioa's & Yosemite then not so bad of a trip. IMO the best of the redwood trees are actually in the state park but Redwoods State Park and Redwoods National Park intertwine.

Those are the largest trees, but if someone is spending time around San Francisco, there are closer places. They might not be as big, but size isn't everything. A 250 ft high old growth redwood is still impressive. I personally recommend the Santa Cruz area like Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. I think that's still open although Big Basin Redwoods is now closed due to fire damage.

 

[bcla]

Living in Texas, I've decided my summer vacations will only be to places that are not hot. Moab, Bryce, Zion sound amazing, but they are places I'd rather go very early summer or fall. We did Yellowstone and Glacier July 2019 and it was amazing. We are not big hikers, but did a few easy trails, kayaked on lake Yellowstone, whitewater rafted near Glacier. And, it was green and cool - such a balm to this Texan's soul!

Bryce Canyon is much cooler because of the elevation. But then that creates issues with the thinner air even compared to Yellowstone. I did a grand trip with all of those places for about 3 weeks. By the time I got home to more or less sea level I was feeling really strong, like an Olympic athlete who trained at high altitude.

 

[RamblingMad]

Bryce Canyon is much cooler because of the elevation. But then that creates issues with the thinner air even compared to Yellowstone. I did a grand trip with all of those places for about 3 weeks. By the time I got home to more or less sea level I was feeling really strong, like an Olympic athlete who trained at high altitude.

You can get Diamox at passport health if you’re worried about the elevation. I get it if I’m going to Yosemite and camping at higher elevation. I’d definitely exercise before going to a National Park. You’ll see more and enjoy it more.

 

[bcla]

You can get Diamox at passport health if you’re worried about the elevation. I get it if I’m going to Yosemite and camping at higher elevation. I’d definitely exercise before going to a National Park. You’ll see more and enjoy it more.

Sure. Bryce Canyon is at 8-9000 ft elevation. I'd gone there straight from Zion (5-6000 at the canyon floor) and it was noticeably cooler and harder to breathe. We also went to Brian Head at about 10K ft elevation and that was hard. I think that's been the highest elevation I've ever been to. I've been to a few peaks that were just under 10K ft.

I've had a few people suggest that maybe I could try Mt Shasta. That's not necessarily a technical climb, but most doing it carry an ice axe.