June 21-22, 2026 Bryce Canyon is famous for “hoodoos,” oddly-formed rock columns with variegated coloring. It’s also one of the 24 national parks that have official park lodging, besides campgrounds, on their property. We’ve been to a few of them: I remember making dinner with my instant pot at the Chisos Mountain Lodge in Big […]
bryce canyon national park Read More »
June 19 , 2026 Capitol Reef is the red-headed stepchild of Utah parks, if you will; easily overlooked because of its location in the middle of the state. Arches and Canyonlands are a great pair on the east side, while Bryce Canyon and Zion are often combined as part of a Las Vegas road trip
capitol reef national park Read More »
June 18, 2026 Canyonlands was the second stop of our Utah adventure, close enough to day trip from our base in Moab. This national park will always be special to Aaron Henry because we visited on the day of his 11th birthday! It’s easy to contrast Canyonlands with Arches because they’re in the same general
canyonlands national park Read More »
June 17-18, 2026 Our challenge for 2026 was the “Mighty Five,” Utah’s five famous national parks. Except for us it was the Mighty Six, since we couldn’t skip past Great Basin in Nevada. We planned this trip carefully, weighing the options of flying into Las Vegas or Salt Lake City, ultimately deciding on Salt Lake
arches national park Read More »
July 8, 2025 North Cascades was the last park of our 2025 Washington trip. The Cascade Mountains, also known as the “American Alps,” stretch from British Columbia to Northern California, and they include well-known peaks like Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Hood. This national park, along the Canadian border, is the 7th-least visited
north cascades national park Read More »
July 7, 2025 A mountaintop rendezvous was the setting of our visit to Mount Rainier, “an icon in the Washington landscape,” according to NPS. My long-lost brother Peter and I agreed that we would meet on a Monday in July in a place neither of us had ever been before. He knew of Mount Rainier
mount rainier national park Read More »
July 4-6, 2025 The “Crown of the Continent” is in northwestern Montana, bordered by Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, and ranked as the 10th most visited national park in the United States. We have been to 8 out of the 10 most popular parks! We’re only missing Yosemite and Zion. This probably would have
glacier national park Read More »
July 1-2, 2025 10 months after our last national park trip (September 2024), we were ready for our next adventure: Washington State. Our furthest trip west, and Greg’s first time on the Pacific coast. We sketched out an ambitious trip that would allow us to visit 4 national parks, including an overnight train ride to
olympic national park Read More »
September 5-8, 2024 Rocky Mountain (or RMNP as it’s referred to by park enthusiasts) was the crème de la crème of our 2024 Colorado trip. Not only is the park famous for rugged mountains and pristine lakes, but Greg’s parents also joined us for a few days of hiking and sightseeing together! We drove up
rocky mountain national park Read More »
September 4, 2024 Our time in the Black Canyon – a foreboding name for a beautiful place – was short and sweet. Squeezed into a full itinerary of Colorado activities, Black Canyon was the third park on our 2024 trip. We started the day at our tiny rental house in Bluff, Utah and stopped by
black canyon of the gunnison Read More »