America's Best Idea!
A gem positioned on the beautiful coast of Maine, Acadia National Park offers a diverse array of outdoor activities. You’ll find stunning landscapes, rich biodiversity, and unique geological features throughout the park. From rugged coastlines to serene forests, Acadia is a place where nature’s beauty is on full display. In this guide, I’ll highlight nine … Read more
When people plan their national parks road trips, they often overlook some of the best units, like national monuments, battlefields, and seashores. For many outdoor adventurers, the focus is understandably on the 63 national parks, which offer many world-class opportunities like Grand Canyon NP, Yellowstone NP, and Zion NP. But the National Park Service manages … Read more
Looking for a national park with the perfect blend of outdoor activities, history, and culture? Then look no further because Guadalupe Mountains National Park (GMNP) has it all. This incredible yet often underrated park is located in the heart of far-west Texas. Here, you’ll discover a land of diverse ecosystems, rugged geological wonders, and rich … Read more
When most people think about northern Ohio, they typically don’t envision wild places like Cuyahoga Valley National Park, tucked between the cities of Cleveland and Akron. Not far from the shores of Lake Erie, this preserved river valley offers a rugged escape from the urbanized corridors surrounding it. Whether you’re seeking ideas for vacation in … Read more
Chances are you’ve heard about Route 66—possibly through the popular song, Get Your Kicks on Route 66, or as a kitschy road trip across the southwestern U.S. Also called the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, today Historic Route 66 is a heritage corridor crossing eight states over approximately 2,450 miles from Chicago, … Read more
With stunning mountain views, pristine alpine lakes, and great hiking, Rocky Mountain National Park visit is one of America’s finest. Regularly one of the top-five most popular national parks, an average of 4.5 million people visit every year. Most of these visitors focus on scenic drives, wildlife viewing, and hiking on over 350 miles of … Read more
Rising 630 feet above the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, the shimmering stainless steel Gateway Arch is the tallest monument in America and the centerpiece of this famous national park in Missouri. Built in 1965 as part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the Arch commemorates Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase and the subsequent westward … Read more
Saguaro National Park is a protected desert landscape that spans two distinct areas in southern Arizona. They are the Tucson Mountain District (west) and the Rincon Mountain District (east). This national park is renowned for its towering saguaro cacti, unique desert scenery, and diverse plants and animals. Throughout this article, I will discuss this fascinating … Read more
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most biodiverse national park in all of America. Making it a must-visit mountain park for your bucket list. With the mass amounts of rain, and varying elevations, almost any plant or animal can thrive here. The question is, can you thrive through the wet and muggy weather of … Read more
When it comes to U.S. national parks, most people think more about the West than the East Coast. Rightfully so, the American West is home to some of the nation’s best-known national parks, including Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Utah’s Mighty 5, and the ten parks of the Grand Circle. But the East Coast states are … Read more