Do you plan on visiting a United States National Park? Not sure how to decide which park to visit? Well, then I have great news, you have come to the right place. There is a total of 60 National Parks in the U.S, all of which contain hikes, swims, breathtaking views, memories, and more. Each of these parks ranges from mountains, deserts, sand dunes, beaches, lakes, and more. Whichever scenery you choose to take, there is a National Park made just for you! Today, I want to show you 4 of my favorite National Parks. For this blog post, I want to focus on 5 distinct National Parks all of which are different from each other, such as Zion National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, White Sands National Park, and Yosemite National Park.
Zion National Park – Utah
The 25 miles long by 15 miles wide National Park, is widely known for its iconic hiking trails ranging from an expert to novice scale. With a total of 47 trails to choose from, this park is known to have one of the deadliest hikes, making it a challenge for several hikers and tourists who visit this National Park. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the number of things to do, that is why this is one of my favorite parks to visit. Although you can visit year-round, the best times to visit this park are in the months of April, May, June, October, and November for the best temperatures. One recommendation I’d give to anyone visiting Zion is to hike the Zion Narrows, a total of 2.2 miles giving you a scenic drive full of soaring walls, springs, and grottos.
Dry Tortugas National Park – Florida
From sandstone cliffs to beaches and sand, next, we have Dry Tortugas National Park. This 100-mile park is 70 miles west of Key West, Florida surrounded by a sea of water, accompanied by 7 small islands. When tourists think of National Parks, the first thought to come to mind is mountains, cliffs, lakes, glaciers, however; the U.S has all types. This park is heavily known for Fort Jefferson, coral reefs, bright blue beaches, and sea life. One of my favorite things about this park is that it is known to be the least crowded National Park in the nation because this park is only accessible by plane or boat. Sara Sekula from USA Today mentions that “With only about 70,000 annual visitors, Dry Tortugas National Park, about 70 nautical miles west of Key West, happens to be one of the least-visited national parks” (Sekula, 2019). If you or your family loves a mix of history, sand, beaches, and tropical weather, this is the National Park for you.
White Sands National Park – New Mexico
While we’re keeping the sand on this next park, we are definitely not near the ocean, up next we have White Sands National Park in New Mexico. While there are two sand dune National Parks, White Sands called out my attention more than Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Why is that? White Sands is collectively known for its largest gypsum dune field around the world, from hiking to sledding on the slopes, and wildlife. This unique park does not disappoint. The best time to visit White Sands would be in late October and early November to take advantage of the nice weather!
Yosemite National Park – California
Lastly, we have one of my favorite National Parks filled with several types of scenery, known as Yosemite National Park. After watching Free Solo on Disney Plus, I could not help myself in planning a trip to one of the most visited National Parks in the nation. There are several hikes to hike, scenic drives, lodges to stay in, lakes to swim, wildlife, and more. My overall recommendation for this park is to arrive as early as you can and stay inside of the park or as near as possible. I made the mistake of staying 2 hours and spent most of the day driving, however; the park itself did not disappoint. This family-friendly park has a wide range of activities to keep you busy throughout your day, such as horseback riding, hikes, swimming, tours around the parks, biking, fishing, and if you are a lover of heights you’re in for a treat!
Ready, Set, National Parks!
Although there are 54 parks not mentioned in this post, that does not take away from their beauty. These 4 parks are all distinct in their own ways from rocky mountains to sand dunes, to beaches, and lakes each of these parks each hold their own beauty. With these National Park options, you and your family can enjoy what these parks have to offer, book your reservations to get in, plan your trip, and let the adventures begin! Hope to see you on the next hike, I mean post! Happy traveling, until next week!
References
Sekula, S. (2019, May 21). Dry Tortugas National Park: An overlooked gem in the Florida Keys. USA Today. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/national-parks/2019/05/21/dry-tortugas-national-park-florida-keys-fort-jefferson/3745617002/.