Rocky Mountain Region National Parks

Arizona

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon, carved by the mighty Colorado River, is 277 miles long, up to 1 mile deep, and up to 15 miles wide. Millions of years of erosion have exposed the multicolored layers of the Colorado Plateau in mesas and canyon walls, visible from both the north and south rims, or from a number of trails that descend into the canyon itself. We visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in May of 2009 for a day and a half as part of a two week trip via car. We plan to go back and spend more time in the region so we can hike and visit the North Rim. The majestic views are worth the trip.

National Parks Website: Grand Canyon National Park

Petrified Forest

The Petrified Forest National Park portion of the Chinle Formation has a large concentration of 225-million-year-old petrified wood. The surrounding Painted Desert features eroded cliffs of red-hued volcanic rock called bentonite. Dinosaur fossils and over 350 Native American sites are also protected in this park. We spent a day and a half here in October 2012 which was enough time to see the petroglyphs, some Native American dwelling remnants, petrified wood, and hike a couple of trails including the Blue Mesa Loop trail. There were more trails and places to explore but we did not have enough time. We stayed at the Holbrook/Petrified Forest KOA.

National Parks Website: Petrified Forest National Park

Saguaro

Split into the separate Rincon Mountain (Eastern) and Tucson Mountain (Western) districts, Saguaro National Park is evidence that the dry Sonoran Desert is still home to a great variety of life spanning six biotic communities. Beyond the namesake giant saguaro cacti, there are barrel cacti, chollas, and prickly pears, as well as lesser long-nosed bats, spotted owls, and javelinas. We spent about 4 days hiking in Saguaro National Park in March 2017 and felt like we barely scratched the surface. We stayed at the Lazy Days/Tucson KOA. We returned to Tucson for 2 weeks in January 2019 and explored more of this fantastic region. Some of our favorite hiking trails include the Cactus Forest of Saguaro National Park’s Eastern Unit and Thunderbird and Sweetwater Trails in the Western Unit. We love visiting the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and the Pima Air and Space Museum. There are other nearby hiking areas such as Sabino Canyon, Tucson Mountain Park, and Coronado National Forest.

National Parks Website: Saguaro National Park

Colorado

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

The park protects a quarter of the Gunnison River, which slices sheer canyon walls from dark Precambrian-era rock. The canyon features some of the steepest cliffs and oldest rock in North America, and is a popular site for river rafting and rock climbing. The deep, narrow canyon is composed of gneiss and schist which appears black when in shadow. We visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in 2010 and 2017 via car. There are numerous short trails that lead to overlooks of the scenic canyon.

National Parks Website: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Great Sand Dunes

Great Sand Dunes National Park showcases the tallest sand dunes in North America, up to 750 feet tall. The dunes were formed by deposits of the ancient Rio Grande in the San Luis Valley. Abutting a variety of grasslands, shrublands, and wetlands, the park also has alpine lakes, six 13,000-foot mountains, and old-growth forests. We spent a night tent camping in the park’s campground in 2010. During that visit and another in 2014 we spent time climbing on the sand dunes.

National Parks Website: Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park constitutes over 4,000 archaeological sites of the Ancestral Puebloan people, who lived here and elsewhere in the Four Corners region for at least 700 years. Cliff dwellings built in the 12th and 13th centuries include Cliff Palace, which has 150 rooms and 23 kivas, and the Balcony House, with its many passages and tunnels. We toured Mesa Verde cliff dwellings in 2014 via auto. We visited the region and park for more hiking and exploration again in June 2018 via RV. We stayed at the Sundance RV Park in Cortez, Colorado. We hiked the Petroglyph Point Trail (included in our Favorite Four Corners Trails post) and toured the Far View Ruins, and the Chapin Archeological Museum. We also visited the nearby Hovenweep National Monument, Yucca House National Monument, the Four Corners Monument, the Anasazi Heritage Center near Dolores, and the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument.

National Parks Website: Mesa Verde National Park

Rocky Mountain

Bisected north to south by the Continental Divide, the Rocky Mountain National Park section of the Rockies has ecosystems varying from over 150 riparian lakes to montane and subalpine forests to treeless alpine tundra. Wildlife including mule deer, bighorn sheep, black bears, and cougars inhabit its igneous mountains and glacial valleys. Longs Peak, a classic Colorado fourteener, and the scenic Bear Lake are popular destinations, as well as the historic Trail Ridge Road, which reaches an elevation of more than 12,000 feet

Rocky Mountain will always be a special place for us as it was the destination of our first trip together back in 2007, the same trip when Mike hiked Longs Peak. We visited for a couple of weeks in 2012 during our first RV trip during which we stayed at the Riverview RV Park. After we moved to Colorado in 2013, we’ve visited at least once a year. We have hiked numerous trails including: Mt Chiquita, Colorado River Trail, and Emerald Lake Trail. If you love hiking above tree level with expansive mountain views, this is the park for you.

National Parks Website: Rocky Mountain National Park

Montana

Glacier

Glacier National Park is the U.S. half of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Glacier NP includes 26 glaciers and 130 named lakes surrounded by Rocky Mountain peaks. There are historic hotels and a landmark road called the Going-to-the-Sun Road in this region of rapidly receding glaciers. The local mountains, formed by an overthrust, expose Paleozoic fossils including trilobites, mollusks, giant ferns and dinosaurs. We have visited Glacier National Park in 2011 via car for several days, in 2015, 2017 and 2018 via RV. For the RV trips we stayed at the St. Mary/Glacier KOA just outside of the St. Mary entrance of the park. It is located well for those wanting to access Many Glacier and Two Medicine areas as well. This is one of our favorite day hiking parks with many trails above tree line. Our favorite hikes here include: Highline Trail, Ptarmagin Tunnel, Iceberg Lake, Hidden Lake, Medicine Grizzly Lake, Upper Two Medicine Lake, and Grinnell Glacier.

National Parks Website: Glacier National Park

New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns has 117 caves, the longest of which is over 120 miles long. The Big Room is almost 4,000 feet long, and the caves are home to over 400,000 Mexican free-tailed bats and sixteen other species. Above ground are the Chihuahuan Desert and Rattlesnake Springs. We have both visited here as children. We also visited Carlsbad Caverns in December 2018. We stayed at the Carlsbad KOA for 11 nights while visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park and nearby Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas.

We completed two cave tours: King’s Palace and the Natural Entrance/Big Room. We also enjoyed hiking above ground on Rattlesnake Canyon, Guadalupe Ridge, and Juniper Trails. Keep your eyes out for the wild Barbary Sheep that live in Carlsbad Caverns. While not native, they were released in the area and some have taken up residence in the park. We also saw many mule deer while hiking. There was a federal government shutdown during part of our visit and it is important to note that the actual caverns and visitor center were closed during the shutdown, but above ground hiking trails remained open. We spent a day visiting the nearby Living Desert Zoo and Gardens New Mexico State Park.

National Parks Website: Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Utah

Arches

Arches National Park features more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, with some of the most popular arches in the park being Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch and Double Arch. Millions of years of erosion have created these structures located in a desert climate where the arid ground has life-sustaining biological soil crusts and potholes that serve as natural water-collecting basins. Other geologic formations include stone pinnacles, fins, and balancing rocks. Arches is located just north of Moab, Utah which is a mecca for four wheel driving and mountain biking on the numerous slick rock trails. Canyonlands National Park (see below), Dead Horse Point State Park, and Sand Flats Recreation Area are all in the immediate vicinity. The region also includes large areas overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.

We love this region and have visited here annually from 2009 to 2015 and several times since. We love Moab trail riding in a Jeep, though this is not allowed in Arches National Park. We also love viewing all of the namesake arches of the park and hiking on the many trails both in Arches and in the region. Our favorite hiking trail is Devil’s Garden primitive loop which winds past 7 arches in 8.1 miles and climbs on sandstone fins. This trail does require some scrambling and hiking through sand. There are jeep rental companies for those who need one. We have stayed at the Arch View Resort just north of Arches and the town of Moab. On our most recent visit in October 2018, we stayed at the Portal RV park, which is very nice.

National Parks Website: Arches National Park

Bryce Canyon

While we have both visited Bryce Canyon in our younger years, we have not yet visited together. It is on our list for a future trip.

Bryce Canyon is a geological amphitheater on the Paunsaugunt Plateau with hundreds of tall, multicolored sandstone hoodoos formed by erosion. The region was originally settled by Native Americans and later by Mormon pioneers.

National Parks Website: Bryce Canyon National Park

Canyonlands

The Canyonlands landscape was eroded into a maze of canyons, buttes, and mesas by the combined efforts of the Colorado River, Green River, and their tributaries, which divide the park into three districts called The Needles, the Maze and Island in the Sky. The park also contains rock pinnacles and arches, as well as artifacts from Ancient Pueblo peoples. This park is in the same vicinity as Arches National Park (see above), Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyon Rims Recreation BLM Area, La Sal National Forest, the Sand Flats Recreation Area and the town of Moab. The region also includes large areas overseen by the Bureau of Land Management.

We love this region and have visited here annually from 2009 to 2015 and several times since. We love Moab trail riding in a Jeep. One of our favorite trips involved driving Canyonland’s White Rim Trail in Jeeps with Karla’s brother Grant and his family and tent camping midway at the Murphy Hogback. We also love viewing all of the formations and canyons of the park and hiking on the many trail in the region. There are jeep rental companies for those who need one. We have stayed in our RV at the Arch View Resort just east of Canyonlands and north of Arches and the town of Moab. Most recently we stayed at The Portal RV park. In October 2018, we backpacked the Syncline Loop in Island in the Sky District. We also tent camped just outside of the Needles District at the BLM Hamburger Rocks Campground as a base for some day hiking. In the Needles we hiked the Chesler Park Trail, Slickrock and Pothole Point trails, and took a 4WD road to a Colorado River overlook.

National Parks Website: Canyonlands National Park

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef’s Waterpocket Fold is a 100-mile monocline that exhibits the earth’s diverse geologic layers. Other natural features include monoliths, cliffs, and sandstone domes shaped like the United States Capitol. Capitol Reef is Mike’s favorite national park due to the plethora of hiking trails, low number of hikers, and scenery while hiking. His favorite trail is the Fremont Gorge Overlook Trail. We have hiked many of the trails during our visits together here in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018. We recommend the Thousand Lakes RV Park just west of Torrey, Utah. We enjoy driving the Cathedral Loop which includes a water crossing that may require a four wheel drive vehicle. Anasazi State Park, Fish Lake and Dixie National Forests are nearby and can be accessed for further recreational opportunities.

National Parks Website: Capitol Reef National Park

Zion

Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert, Zion National Park contains sandstone features such as mesas, rock towers, and canyons, including the Virgin River Narrows. The various sandstone formations and the forks of the Virgin River create a wilderness divided into four ecosystems: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. We visited here for a couple of days during a May 2009 automobile trip. A highlight was hiking the Angel’s Landing Trail, which includes narrow sections with a chain handrail and the steep switchbacks known as Walter’s Wiggles. This is a park we plan to revisit in the next several years.

National Parks Website: Zion National Park

Wyoming

Grand Teton

Grand Teton is the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The park’s historic Jackson Hole and reflective piedmont lakes teem with wildlife, with a backdrop of craggy mountains that rise abruptly from the sage-covered valley. Wildlife in Grand Teton includes: bison, grizzly and black bears, moose, elk, antelope and we have spotted them all during our trips here at least once a year in 2011-2015 and 2018. We have traveled by car and RV. In Jackson we stayed at the Virginian Lodge and RV Park. We’ve stayed at the Headwaters Campground at Flagg Ranch RV Park at the northern end of the park. We’ve also day tripped from West Yellowstone’s Grizzly RV Park. Grand Teton borders Yellowstone National Park (see below) and is surrounded by the Bridger Teton National Forest, the Targhee National Forest, the Jebediah Smith Wilderness and the Teton Wilderness. All of this public land provides for endless outdoor recreation including: hiking, backpacking, fishing, horseback riding, snow mobiling, wildlife watching and photography. In July 2018, we stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge area. We hiked Two Ocean Lake Trail and Death Canyon Trail. In 2020 we hiked String Lake Loop Trail, Emma Matilda Lake Loop, and the Pacific Creek Trail into the Teton Wilderness.

National Parks Website: Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone

While most of Yellowstone National Park is in Wyoming, the park also overlaps into both Montana and Idaho. Situated on the Yellowstone Caldera, the park has an expansive network of geothermal areas including boiling mud pots, vividly colored hot springs such as Grand Prismatic Spring, and regularly erupting geysers, the best-known being Old Faithful. The yellow-hued Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River contains several high waterfalls, and four mountain ranges traverse the park. More than 60 mammal species including gray wolves, grizzly bears, black bears, lynxes, bison, and elk, make this park one of the best wildlife viewing spots in the country.

Yellowstone is Karla’s favorite national park. Yellowstone can be visited year round and we enjoy seeing the park in each season for different reasons. We love late summer for day hiking and have hiked numerous trails which we describe in Day Hiking Yellowstone Part 1 (Artist Paint Pots, Yellowstone Picnic Area/Specimen Ridge, Rescue Creek, Trout Lake, Slough Creek, Beaver Ponds, Hellroaring Creek, Mary Mountain, Pelican Creek, and Fairy Falls) and Day Hiking Yellowstone Part 2 (Mt. Washburn, Bunsen Peak, and Elephant Back Mountain). We’ve also enjoyed hiking: Lone Star Geyser, Snow Pass/Hoodoos Loop, Pelican Valley, Garnett Hill Loop, and Ribbon Lake/Clear Lake/Wapiti Loop Trails. Other Trails from our 2020 Yellowstone trip:

We also love walking the boardwalks and trails at the geothermal basins.

Karla has written a series of posts on Wildlife Viewing and Photography in Yellowstone National Park including:

We have visited numerous times between 2011-2018, with some years including several visits. When traveling by RV, we stay at Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, Montana by the west entrance or Rocky Mountain RV Park in Gardiner, Montana near the northwest entrance at Mammoth. There are campgrounds in Yellowstone, but only one (Fishing Bridge) that can accommodate a 45 foot Class A with full hook-ups and it books well in advance. Some other campgrounds can accommodate 45 foot RV’s (I believe Madison, Mammoth, and Bridge Bay) without hook-ups. If you run out of things to do in the park, you can visit the surrounding National Forests and Wilderness Areas: Gallatin, Beartooth/Absaroka, Caribou/Targhee, Bridger/Teton, Custer/Gallatin, and Shoshone. Grand Teton National Park lies just to the south of Yellowstone National Park.

National Parks Website: Yellowstone National Park