Pacific Coast Region National Parks
California
Channel Islands
We have not yet visited Channel Islands which are NOT accessible by car. Boat shuttles are available.
Five of the eight Channel Islands are protected, and half of the park’s area is underwater. The islands have a unique Mediterranean ecosystem originally settled by the Chumash people. They are home to over 2,000 species of land plants and animals, and 145 are unique to them, including the island fox. Ferry services offer transportation to the islands from the mainland.
National Parks Website: Channel Islands National Park
Death Valley
Death Valley is the hottest, lowest, and driest place in the United States. Daytime temperatures have topped 130 °F (54 °C) and it is home to Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in North America. The park contains canyons, badlands, sand dunes, and mountain ranges, and more than 1000 species of plants grow in this geologic graben. Additional points of interest include salt flats, historic mines, and springs. We visited here briefly in October 2012 and really enjoyed the austere landscape. We visited from the Boulder Creek RV Resort. We look forward to a return trip to spend more time exploring and hiking.
National Parks Website: Death Valley National Park
Joshua Tree
Another park we have not yet visited.
Covering large areas of the Colorado and Mojave Deserts and the Little San Bernardino Mountains, this desert landscape is populated by vast stands of Joshua trees. Large changes in elevation reveal various contrasting environments including bleached sand dunes, dry lakes, rugged mountains, and maze-like clusters of monzogranite monoliths.
National Parks Website: Joshua Tree National Park
Kings Canyon
Home to several giant sequoia groves and the General Grant Tree, the world’s second largest measured tree, Kings Canyon National Park also features part of the Kings River, sculptor of the dramatic granite canyon that is its namesake, and the San Joaquin River, as well as Boyden Cave. Kings Canyon National Park borders Sequoia National Park. We stopped here in October 2012 for a day and enjoyed the Canyon and a hike. We stayed in our RV at the Porterville, California Tule-Success Lake Army Corps of Engineers campground.
National Parks Website: Kings Canyon National Park
Lassen Volcanic
We have not yet visited Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Lassen Peak, the largest plug dome volcano in the world, is joined by all three other types of volcanoes in this park: shield, cinder dome, and composite. Though Lassen itself last erupted in 1915, most of the rest of the park is continuously active. Numerous hydrothermal features, including fumaroles, boiling pools, and bubbling mud pots, are heated by molten rock from beneath the peak.
National Parks Website: Lassen Volcanic National Park
Pinnacles
We have not visited Pinnacles.
Named for the eroded leftovers of a portion of an extinct volcano, the park’s massive black and gold monoliths of andesite and rhyolite are a popular destination for rock climbers. Hikers have access to trails crossing the Coast Range wilderness. The park is home to the endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and one of the few locations in the world where these extremely rare birds can be seen in the wild. Pinnacles also supports a dense population of prairie falcons, and more than 13 species of bat which populate its talus caves
National Parks Website: Pinnacles National Park
Redwood
Redwoods National Park and the co-managed state parks protect almost half of all remaining coastal redwoods, the tallest trees on earth. There are three large river systems in this very seismically active area, and 37 miles (60 km) of protected coastline reveal tide pools and seastacks. The prairie, estuary, coast, river, and forest ecosystems contain a wide variety of animal and plant species. We visited Redwoods National & State Park in October 2012. We enjoyed numerous hikes among the giant trees and through the diverse ecosystem. We visited this region while staying at the Klamath’s Camper Coral River Beach Resort.
National Parks Website: Redwoods National and State Parks
Sequoia
Sequoia National Park protects the Giant Forest, which boasts some of the world’s largest trees, the General Sherman being the largest measured tree in the park. Other features include over 240 caves, a long segment of the Sierra Nevada including the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, and Moro Rock, a large granite dome. We visited here in October 2012 and enjoyed hiking among the large Sequoias. We stayed at the US Army Corps of Engineers campground in Porterville: Tule-Sauccess Lake.
National Parks Website: Sequoia National Park
Yosemite
Yosemite features sheer granite cliffs, exceptionally tall waterfalls, and old-growth forests at a unique intersection of geology and hydrology. Half Dome and El Capitan rise from the park’s centerpiece, the glacier-carved Yosemite Valley, and from its vertical walls drop Yosemite Falls, one of North America’s tallest waterfalls at 2,425 feet (739 m) high. Three giant sequoia groves, along with a pristine wilderness in the heart of the Sierra Nevada, are home to a wide variety of rare plant and animal species. We visited here in 2012 and look forward to returning for more hiking in the future. We hiked the Dog Lake and Lambert Dome Trails. We stayed in our RV at the Yosemtie Pines RV Resort.
National Parks Website: Yosemite National Park
Nevada
Great Basin
We have not yet visited Great Basin.
Based around Nevada’s second tallest mountain, Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park contains 5,000-year-old bristlecone pines, a rock glacier, and the limestone Lehman Caves. Due to its remote location, the park has some of the country’s darkest night skies. Wildlife includes the Townsend’s big-eared bat, pronghorn, and Bonneville cutthroat trout.
National Parks Website: Great Basin National Park
Oregon
Crater Lake
Crater Lake lies in the caldera of an ancient volcano called Mount Mazama that collapsed 7,700 years ago. It is the deepest lake in the United States and is noted for its vivid blue color and water clarity. There are two more recent volcanic islands in the lake, and, with no inlets or outlets, all water comes through precipitation. We have visited here in 2012 and 2014, both times during RV trips. The first time were staying at the Moon Mountain RV Resort in Grant’s Pass, Oregon and the second time we stayed in Bend at the Scandia RV Resort. Both times were a bit of a drive and we treated it as a day trip. We recommend climbing the Watchman Peak trail to the fire tower for the elevated views of the lake.
National Parks Website: Crater Lake National Park
Washington
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the most prominent peak in the Cascades and is covered by 26 named glaciers including Carbon Glacier and Emmons Glacier, the largest in the contiguous United States. The mountain is popular for climbing, and more than half of the park is covered by subalpine and alpine forests and meadows seasonally in bloom with wildflowers. Paradise on the south slope is the snowiest place on Earth where snowfall is measured regularly. The Longmire visitor center is the start of the Wonderland Trail, which encircles the mountain. We’ve visited Mount Rainier as day trips while staying at the Seattle/Tacoma KOA in 2012 and 2016. We hiked both times including Rampart Ridge, Wonderrland and the trail to Spray Park. We’ve written an article about things to do in Seattle that includes a section on visiting Mount Rainier.
National Parks Website: Mount Rainier National Park
North Cascades
The North Cascades National Park complex, located a little over 2 hours northeast of Seattle, includes two geographically distinct units of the national park, as well as Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. The highly glaciated mountains are spectacular examples of Cascade geology. Popular hiking and climbing areas include Cascade Pass, Mount Shuksan, Mount Triumph, and Eldorado Peak. We’ve visited the region for about a week in September of 2012 and 2016. During both trips we enjoyed hiking in North Cascades National Park and in the adjacent Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. We enjoy staying at the Concrete/Grandy KOA which has also become a Thousand Trails park. We love the mountain vistas, farms, lakes and scenery. There is a herd of Roosevelt Elk that can be viewed in a large field near Concrete during the fall rut.
National Parks Website: North Cascades National Park
Olympic
Situated on the Olympic Peninsula, this park includes a wide range of ecosystems from Pacific shoreline to temperate rainforests to the alpine slopes of the Olympic Mountains, the tallest of which is Mount Olympus. The Hoh Rainforest and Quinault Rainforest are the wettest area in the contiguous United States, with the Hoh receiving an average of almost 12 feet of rain every year. We visited Olympic National Park in September 2012 while staying at the Olympic Peninsula/Port Angeles KOA. Where else can you visit mountains, the Pacific Coast and a rainforest in one park? We loved day hiking in Olympic National Park. Mike has described the Deer Park Trail as one of his favorite in the entire US! This park is also on our list of national parks we want to visit again in the next several years.
National Parks Website: Olympic National Park
