Favorite National Parks to hike in...
nationalparklover
Posts: 120 Member
I joined this group after a couple of you asked me too...I'm assuming that you noticed me b/c of my "name".
I feel a little funny being a part of the group b/c I don't hike regularly but I have to say I LOVE hiking and really need to do it more often. With my busy life with 4 boys, 2 dogs, a husband and a new full time job, I find very little time to exercise, let alone get out there in nature and hike. Oh...and did I mention that I live in Cincinnati...not exactly your hiking mecca!
Since June of 2007, I have planned 3 amazing trips out west with my family...
Trip 1--June, 2007--30 days, 7,000 miles, my 4 boys and I, as well as my good friend and her 2 kids....drove up to the South Dakota area and headed west from there visiting Badlands, Custer State Park, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, Tetons, SLC, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Page, AZ, Mesa Verde, Arches, Glenwood Springs CO, Aspen, Great Sand Dunes, Colorado Springs, and home again. First real introduction to the National Parks and it was eye-opening....
Trip 2 --June, 2009--21 Days, not sure of miles (around 3500), this time I dragged my husband along with our 4 boys (since I feel like he missed out on the best trip ever two years before....we flew to Vegas and took off to Death Valley, Mono Lake, Yosemite, Sequoia/King's Canyon, up to San Francisco, down the coast to LA and San Diego and back to Vegas via Joshua Tree.
Trip 3--This past June...took my youngest two (ages 13 & 8--the older two boys were busy with other trips) and left my hubby home to work and we drove 7225 miles in 20 days. On my bucket list, I wanted to visit all 50 states and I decided that getting to my last 4 (Washington, Oregon, North Dakota, and Minnesota) was the goal. We drove out to Colorado and visited Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado National Monument, Arches, Canyonlands, SLC, Tetons, Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon, had to skip Crater Lake (another bucket list item!) because it was still snowed in, Portland Waterfalls, Coast up Oregon into Washington to Olympic, Seattle, Mt. Rainier (rained out darnnit), up to Glacier NP, into ND to visit Theodore Roosevelt NP and then home via Minnesota (last state), Wisconsin Dells, and home. This one was amazing although we went too early in the summer and we were really affected by the record snowfalls this past winter. We missed driving through the entire RMNP, couldn't go to Crater Lake at all, couldn't hike at the top of Hurricane Ridge in Olympic, and the saddest thing was not being able to drive the entire Going to the Sun road in Glacier--the middle 20 miles were still snow covered in middle June--didn't open entirely until mid-July!
I absolutely love the National Parks and my favorite thing to do is hike in them....I only wish I lived closer and I feel like I'd be hiking every weekend.
Do any of you have the luxury of hiking in any of the National Parks? If so, what are some of your favorite hikes?
I'd have to say....after all of the parks I've been too, my favorite (so far) has been the Delicate Arch hike in Arches National Park in Moab, UT. It is only 3 miles r/t but it is challenging (especially when you have 50 pounds to lose!) but the reward waiting at the end of that one is truly a miracle.
One I'm dying to do but couldn't do when we were at Zion b/c at the time, my littlest one was only 4 years old, is Angel's Landing. Another bucket list item to get to some day....
Also loved hiking up to Sentinel Dome in Yosemite (I think it was Sentinel....there were two dome hikes from the same parking lot there...we took the one to the right)....that was a fun one b/c when you got to the top, the view was "otherworldly"....
Another goal is to hike to the top of Half Dome some day and since I'm not getting any younger, it needs to be soon.....maybe that will be my reward when I finally reach my goal.....
Feel free to share any of your favorite hikes in the National Parks (tell us why they are so special) so that I can add it to my list....
I feel a little funny being a part of the group b/c I don't hike regularly but I have to say I LOVE hiking and really need to do it more often. With my busy life with 4 boys, 2 dogs, a husband and a new full time job, I find very little time to exercise, let alone get out there in nature and hike. Oh...and did I mention that I live in Cincinnati...not exactly your hiking mecca!
Since June of 2007, I have planned 3 amazing trips out west with my family...
Trip 1--June, 2007--30 days, 7,000 miles, my 4 boys and I, as well as my good friend and her 2 kids....drove up to the South Dakota area and headed west from there visiting Badlands, Custer State Park, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, Tetons, SLC, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Page, AZ, Mesa Verde, Arches, Glenwood Springs CO, Aspen, Great Sand Dunes, Colorado Springs, and home again. First real introduction to the National Parks and it was eye-opening....
Trip 2 --June, 2009--21 Days, not sure of miles (around 3500), this time I dragged my husband along with our 4 boys (since I feel like he missed out on the best trip ever two years before....we flew to Vegas and took off to Death Valley, Mono Lake, Yosemite, Sequoia/King's Canyon, up to San Francisco, down the coast to LA and San Diego and back to Vegas via Joshua Tree.
Trip 3--This past June...took my youngest two (ages 13 & 8--the older two boys were busy with other trips) and left my hubby home to work and we drove 7225 miles in 20 days. On my bucket list, I wanted to visit all 50 states and I decided that getting to my last 4 (Washington, Oregon, North Dakota, and Minnesota) was the goal. We drove out to Colorado and visited Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado National Monument, Arches, Canyonlands, SLC, Tetons, Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon, had to skip Crater Lake (another bucket list item!) because it was still snowed in, Portland Waterfalls, Coast up Oregon into Washington to Olympic, Seattle, Mt. Rainier (rained out darnnit), up to Glacier NP, into ND to visit Theodore Roosevelt NP and then home via Minnesota (last state), Wisconsin Dells, and home. This one was amazing although we went too early in the summer and we were really affected by the record snowfalls this past winter. We missed driving through the entire RMNP, couldn't go to Crater Lake at all, couldn't hike at the top of Hurricane Ridge in Olympic, and the saddest thing was not being able to drive the entire Going to the Sun road in Glacier--the middle 20 miles were still snow covered in middle June--didn't open entirely until mid-July!
I absolutely love the National Parks and my favorite thing to do is hike in them....I only wish I lived closer and I feel like I'd be hiking every weekend.
Do any of you have the luxury of hiking in any of the National Parks? If so, what are some of your favorite hikes?
I'd have to say....after all of the parks I've been too, my favorite (so far) has been the Delicate Arch hike in Arches National Park in Moab, UT. It is only 3 miles r/t but it is challenging (especially when you have 50 pounds to lose!) but the reward waiting at the end of that one is truly a miracle.
One I'm dying to do but couldn't do when we were at Zion b/c at the time, my littlest one was only 4 years old, is Angel's Landing. Another bucket list item to get to some day....
Also loved hiking up to Sentinel Dome in Yosemite (I think it was Sentinel....there were two dome hikes from the same parking lot there...we took the one to the right)....that was a fun one b/c when you got to the top, the view was "otherworldly"....
Another goal is to hike to the top of Half Dome some day and since I'm not getting any younger, it needs to be soon.....maybe that will be my reward when I finally reach my goal.....
Feel free to share any of your favorite hikes in the National Parks (tell us why they are so special) so that I can add it to my list....
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Wow. I am so jealous you've been able to take so much time to do these trip! I just started exploring the NP this past year. It's rather sad really. I grew up in Northern California less than 3 hours from Yosemite but my dad hates camping so we never went.
Last 4th of July, I went to Zion National Park. We were supposed to do the top down Narrows over night hike but the river was still too flooded (because of that record snowfall you mentioned) so we did the bottom up Narrows hike one day and the Overlook Point Hike the next. It was all phenominal! The Narrows was really challenging since we were going up stream in a VERY full river but it was absolutely beautiful. I would love to go back and do the top down hike so I could see the whole trail. Overlook Point was a rather difficult hike because of the heat (106 that day) and the elevation change with great views at the end. It overlooks Angels Landing actually and is a better option for those that are nervous about heights since there in only a drop off on one side and not both.
Last August, I hiked from the North Rim at the Grand Canyon to Phantom Ranch and back. I HIGHLY recommend that hike. It was absolutely stunning. On the way down, we took a side hike to Ribbon Falls to wait out the worst of the heat (did I mention it was August?? :laugh: ) . It was one of the most beautiful places I've seen for the sheer contrast with of the rest of the area.
Next August, I'm planning on backpacking the High Sierra Camps in Yosemite assuming we get meal only reservations from the lottery.0 -
The Angels Landing Trail in Zion was AMAZING!! I did it this past July and I loved Zion it was great. We also went to Bryce Canyon but I liked Zion much better. The Narrows was my 2nd favorite trail at Zion and was really fun. On the same trip we visited the Grand Canyon North Rim and Monument Valley (not a NP) but very cool.
I live very close to The Great Smokey Mtns NP and we hike there all the time but really like to go in the winter when it snows.
Also visit Mammoth Cave NP very often as I am a member of the SAR (search & rescue) and we do unguided trips into the cave very often to map rescue routes and to get familiar with such a massive cave.0 -
Isn't it crazy that these National Parks are in our own country and most people don't even know about them? Before 2007, the only two I had been to are Mammoth Cave (in 6th grade with my class), and the Grand Canyon, when I visited my sister in Phoenix in 2005. I think that opened my eyes to how amazing this country is but nothing like when I went on that first big trip.
Yeah...I've been really lucky to go on these trips but let me tell you, it wasn't easy. Although at the time I was a stay at home mom, we have had financial difficulties for the past several years and a LOT of stress in my life (that I won't bore you with). Planning these trips kept me sane during very difficult times and gave me something to look forward to. I held huge garage sales that allowed me to pay for these trips and we stayed mostly at KOA's which were fairly cheap.
I WILL do the Angel's Landing hike one day soon and would love to do the Grand Canyon hike you mentioned JoyousRen. That sounds amazing... When we went to Zion back in '07, we did spend some time in the Narrows but you can only imagine how far we got with 6 kids including a 4 year old but we got pretty far. Not far enough though to see the real "narrows", so I'll have to do that one again too.
Erica0718--I've been to the Smokies too but it was a while ago. What are some of your favorite hikes there? I know I will get there again soon since it isn't all that far from here, in fact, I'm really surprised that we haven't gotten there yet. It would be a great trip to take my boys on so any advice you can give me would be appreciated.0 -
OP -- wow, you have gone on some serious NP trips! That is awesome.
So far, my favorite NP is DEFINITELY Zion. And the Angel's Landing hike is absolutely FREAKIN' amazing!!! (emphasis on FREAKING as in FREAKING OUT!! lol) I have a fear of falling, so THAT was the challenge for me, but I am so glad I did it because the view and the feeling of "wow! I did that!" is amazing. I totally want to go back and do it again so I can take better pictures this time when I'm not carrying a *ahem* spare tire.
We also loved Arches NP (and, yes, the Delicate Arch hike was really cool). But our favorite trail there is the primitive trail in Devils Garden. It's so much fun (and possibly a bit scary) to try to find the next cairn in some places. We got lost a few times, but always managed to relocate the trail. And there's not a ton of people back there, so you can really get to enjoy some spectacular, quiet scenery.
Yellowstone was neat, but ... blech. A little bit too touristy for me. Just south is Grand Teton NP though, and I LOVED it there. We didn't have time to camp there (we actually have friends that live nearby in Jackson anyway), but I would totally love to go back for some hiking.
We have an annual pass from the USFS, so next summer we are going back to southern UT and checking out more of the parks down there (Canyonlands and Escalante being high on the list). 0 -
Erica0718--I've been to the Smokies too but it was a while ago. What are some of your favorite hikes there? I know I will get there again soon since it isn't all that far from here, in fact, I'm really surprised that we haven't gotten there yet. It would be a great trip to take my boys on so any advice you can give me would be appreciated.
Hey I noticed your ticker looks like Monument Valley, that is cool!
I love The Smokies and we usually backpack overnight. I don't have children but a couple but have done some day hikes over there that stick with me you may be interested in. The Chimney Tops Trail is very neat although it is only 4 miles round trip you gain a lot of elevation. The Rainbow Falls trail is worth seeing and you could day hike it and it would be only 5 miles round trip. Last weekend we day hiked up Mt LeConte via the Rainbow Falls Trail then down Bull Head probably too much to do with kids it is 13.6 miles round trip & 8000 ft elevation change. If you get a chance to bicycle Cades Cove that is pretty neat and is closed to vehicle traffic on Saturday mornings. Happy Hiking.0 -
I've been to Arches 3 times now but all three times it was just for one day and with different people so I was just showing them the "highlights". I haven't had much time to really hike around there but I know about the trail you are talking about--just past Landscape Arch if I'm thinking about the correct area and I always see people hiking past there and I always want to go but we never have the time. Next time...
And Zion...Can't wait to do the Angel's Landing and to see those "Walter's Wiggles"....so cool!
Tetons are so amazing but I have to say, I've done more driving there than hiking so next time, I will need to throw in some hikes. We did hike at Jenny Lake and that was beautiful.
Can't wait to explore some of those trails in the Smokies...thanks for the tips! I can't believe that one....8,000 foot gain in altitude is huge! I'm going to need to get into better shape before I attempt that one!0 -
I've been wanting to a backpacking trip to the Grand Tetons and Wind Rivers. I have a coworker that goes rock climbing there all the time. His pictures convinced me I have to go.Yellowstone was neat, but ... blech. A little bit too touristy for me. Just south is Grand Teton NP though, and I LOVED it there. We didn't have time to camp there (we actually have friends that live nearby in Jackson anyway), but I would totally love to go back for some hiking.
We have an annual pass from the USFS, so next summer we are going back to southern UT and checking out more of the parks down there (Canyonlands and Escalante being high on the list).0 -
Can't wait to explore some of those trails in the Smokies...thanks for the tips! I can't believe that one....8,000 foot gain in altitude is huge! I'm going to need to get into better shape before I attempt that one!
Wait! I guess it came out wrong I meant elevation change meaning gain & loss total. Not 8000 ft up... that would put some burn in those calves lol 0 -
And not sure who mentioned it by my ticker is of Monument Valley...those are called "The Mittens"...one of the coolest places I've been. The view from the new hotel that was recently built (I think it is called "The View") is truly amazing...it is such a sight to see how huge the buttes are and when you see the road way down there, it is just breathtaking.0
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Being from the Great White North of Canada, with Banff and Jasper National parks a mere 5 hr drive away I feel that I am spoiled with Richs.
From little 3 hr Day hikes to week long Killer Through hikes we have it all concentrated in a very small geographic area.
Mount Robson with the Hike into Berg Lake, Skyline Trail from Maligne Lake to The Maligne Canyon, Tonquin Valley, Wilcox Pass and all it's hidden ridges, lakes ,tarns and wildlife. Just spent 2 weeks down at the Wilcox Icefields Campground ( Tents Only !!! ) and spent days exploring in the Wilcox pass area.
In the late 80's I spent a year in New Zealand, There is some fantastic hiking there. Abel Tasman park was the most memorable for me , hiking along the cliffs beside the ocean and crossing Tidal Flood plains - racing the high tide - was a new experience. Warning though if you see a trail sign that says " Jacks Revenge " Hang on tight !0 -
Your trips sound a lot like my trips, though I go solo. Also, my trips split between my interests of the outdoors and history. My last trip was in May (10 days, 6k miles driving, 63 miles hiked). I live in Iowa, and drove from there and did a bit of a circle. Here are the places I visited:
Badlands
Minuteman Missile (history stop - there are a lot of national park units that are not wilderness, but have historical significance)
Wind Cave
Jewell Cave
Devil's Tower
Grand Tetons
Yellowstone
Glacier
Klondike Gold Rush (park is in Alaska, but I stopped by the visitor center in Seattle as a history stop)
Mt. Rainier
Alcatraz (another history stop)
Zion (my profile pic is a selfie at Zion)
Arches
Canyonlands
Rocky Mountain
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
I've done a couple of other trips to the SW, the NE (mostly history, but some hiking too), to DC (exclusively history/national monuments parks), and plan to take a trip to the SE in November. Since you're in OH, the national parks I've visited there are Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial (taller than the Statue of Liberty), Cuyahoga Valley NP, Hopewell Culture NHP, and William Howard Taft NHS (right there in Cincinnatti).
So far, my favorite of all national park wilderness areas, without question, is Glacier National Park. I don't know when, but hopefully in the next couple of years, I want to go back and spend a few days hiking from Bowman Lake to Waterton Lakes.
ETA: My ticker pic is from Glacier National Park, top part of a pic of Avalanche Lake.0 -
I live between Glacier and Yellowstone and sadly, I don't hike in either of them. A lot of that has to do with other awesome hiking nearby without having to have a park pass. I would like to do some Glacier hikes in the future though. Yellowstone is too touristy in the summer, yes, but it's a great place to visit in the fall or before Memorial Day (baby animals everywhere!).0
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My cousin and I took a driving trip this summer to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier. I would say Glacier was my favorite park. We hiked in each of them. She hadn't done much hiking recently so we had to start off with easier hikes. I would love to hike into the chalets in Glacier, but that wasn't doable this time. We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful country and so many beautiful parks. I think I'll rewatch the Ken Burn's program on the National Parks.0
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I'm just posting here to see if I can add a photo. This photo is likely going to be from a couple of years ago from Yosemite. Anyway, here goes.<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/5021879/uploads/FileUpload/be/cbb88d1d370cdab91b1f29c3af132e.jpg" />
This is Cathedral Peak in Yosemite. We hiked there from the Tuolomne Meadows area. I've been there several times and just love it. Yea for making photos easier to post!0 -
I'm responding to people on this site like they just wrote these posts and asking them to be "friends", then realize most of them haven't been on here in years. Oh well. Still love reading the ones that have been posted in the last couple of months. I've been off site eating candy and gaining weight, but hopefully I'm back and will lose the next 50??. I'm hoping!!!! Tetons, Yosemite, Glacier, Zion, Bryce, Arches, etc, etc. I agree with you about the ability to post photos!!! Here one for you that is only 20 feet from the parking lot at Schwabacher's Landing in Grand Teton National Park, WY. Sorry so big, but it is beautiful.
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Hey gang, I'm going to be posting some photos in the next few years since I too love the national parks. Here is one I took last summer in Zion NP. It was a tough 30 foot hike with an elevation gain of around 6 feet from the parking area looking toward East Temple. The light on the mountain is from a car that drove by.
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Hey gang, I'm going to be posting some photos in the next few years since I too love the national parks. Here is one I took last summer in Zion NP. It was a tough 30 foot hike with an elevation gain of around 6 feet from the parking area looking toward East Temple. The light on the mountain is from a car that drove by.
I'll admit there are some very good photo opportunities that are a really hard 30 foot hike. It isn't the same as the experience of seclusion, but it is very nice in its own way. In fact, I have a shirt that I got at Mt. Rainier... it says "I hiked [out of the car and took a picture of] Mt. Rainier" (the section in brackets is in much smaller print). Someday I hope to go back and actually climb Rainier.0 -
Canyonlands National Park!!0
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So this is a good day trip (there are campsites, but the size of the park doesn't warrant an overnight stay, IMO): Cumberland Island
There are so many different eco-systems in a short distance. In a few hours time, I was seeing crabs and picking up sea shells on the beach; seeing armadillos in the woods, horses, turkeys... I eve saw a bobcat. From the ferry, there are dolphins and a spectacular sunset on the return trip.0 -
So hard to beat Yellowstone, Denali or Rocky Mountain, but lately I have been tramping around the Coconino and I have to say I am really enjoying it. Highly recommended.0
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