Today is the Day!

Don't forget to tune in to your local PBS station and watch Ken Burns' "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"!

We would be watching, but we'll be camping outside of Bryce Canyon, recovering from an exciting day of hiking in Zion!

For more information follow this link:
http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/

Enjoy!

Glacier National Park

1 Day until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Glacier National Park is one of our new favorite places. It is called the Crown of the Continent for a reason. No matter where you hike in the park, you'll see stunning views of high alpine lakes, towering mountain peaks or "Horns", meadows filled with wildflowers and of course lots of wild life, like marmots, big horn sheep, mountain goats, and maybe even a grizzly!

Hovenweep National Monument

2 Days until "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Situated on the border of Utah and Colorado, Hovenweep is home to unique ruins and cliff dwellings. Hike around Little Ruin Canyon for great views of many ruins like Square Tower. Nearly 500 people lived in the area at one time, departing sometime after 1300AD. Keep watch for beautiful collared lizards which like to hang out in the ruins!

Mojave National Preserve

3 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Joshua trees, cholla, prickly pear and barrel cactus carpet this beautiful and diverse park. It is also home to the Kelso Sand Dunes, the third highest sand dunes in North America at about 600ft. These dunes actually hum, when the humidity is just right. We also love to visit Hole in the Wall and Banshee canyon for a short but interesting hike featuring changes and rings, unique rock formation created by gas pockets after a volcanic eruption, and petroglyphs!

Olympic National Park

4 Days until "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Olympic National Park is home to several unique ecosystems. You'll find beaches with great tide pooling, mountain meadows full of wild flowers and wildlife, pristine alpine lakes, and most unique of all are the rain forests.

Mt St Helen Volcano National Monument

5 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"
Mt St Helen is a reminder of the awesome power of Mother Nature. On May 18th, 1980 Mt St Helen lost over 1000 feet of its height in an eruption that blew down over 230 square miles of forest in less than five minutes. The blast and the resulting mudslides forever changed the area even creating new ecosystems including 2 new lakes. We recommend hiking around Coldwater Lake to discover the rebirth of the area, including a great display of wild flowers in July!

Mount Rainier National Park

6 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Mount Rainier rises14,410 above sea level. But it is more than just a mountain. This giant is actually an active volcano with its last eruption occurring 150 years ago. It has 25 glaciers and many beautiful alpine meadows carpeted with alpine flowers. You'll hundreds of miles of hiking trails here, including the Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile trail that circles the mountain.

Yellowstone National Park

7 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

It is hard to say what our favorite thing is about Yellowstone National Park. Is it the colorful pools and hot springs? The powerful geysers or bubbling mud pots? How about the abundance of wildlife including elk, bison, deer, eagles, osprey, swans, pelicans, and even grizzly bear? Of is it the unforgettable views of Yellowstone Falls or Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We love the world's first National Park for all of its splendor and diversity!

Everglades National Park

8 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Grand Teton National Park

9 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Grand Teton is home to one of our favorite hikes: Cascade Canyon. To reach the trail head, you must first take a boat across beautiful Jenny Lake at the base of the Teton Range. Hike a half mile and you'll pass Hidden Falls. Another half mile will take you up switchbacks to Inspiration Point. Continue on into Cascade Canyon for some of the best scenery in the West. This lush canyon is full of wild flowers, snow capped peaks, and cascading waterfalls. We have spotted moose 100% of the time we have hiked this trail, but we've also seen martins, deer, marmots, picas, and even a black bear!

Joshua Tree National Park

10 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Located in southern California, Joshua Tree is home to some of the best climbing and bouldering in the world. But of course it got it's name from the tree that grows in forests throughout the entire area: the Joshua Tree. This tree is actually a member of the lilly family and grows only about a half inch a year. You'll also see many other plants such as beaver tail cactus, cholla, ocatillo, yuccas, and wildflowers when you visit the park, as well as jack rabbits, quail, coyote or even a rattle snake. We love to camp at Black Rock Campground among the Joshua Trees, or at Indian Cove among the huge boulders.

Death Valley National Park

11 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Death Valley is home to the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere! Badwater Salt Flats is 282 below sea level. But Death Valley is home to more than just salt flats. Sand dunes, snow capped mountains, a crater, mines, and colorful badlands adorn this park. Visit Furnace Creek with it's beautiful palms for a bit of relief from the starkness of the park. If the rain and wind conditions are right throughout the winter, wild flowers will carpet the upper elevations of the park in late March.

Natural Bridges National Monument

12 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Natural Bridges is home to 3 amazing sandstone bridges, Kachina, Owachomo, and Sipapu. They were carved over thousands of years by the rivers cutting through the mesa. You can hike to all 3 of the bridges, but Natural Bridges is also home to many petroglyph panels and Horsecollar Ruin, a Puebloan structure abandoned 700 years ago.

Navajo National Monument

13 days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Hiking to Betatakin Ruins in Navajo National Monument is one of the best ways to explore a well preserved ruin while enjoying the beautiful red rock landscape of northern Arizona. It is situated in a shady alcove, which has helped to protect and preserve this dwelling. Rumors of it being haunted kept bandits and thieves away as well. A Navajo Ranger will guide your hike to the ruins, and answer all your questions about them. Take this hike in the spring to catch blooming claret cup cactus.

Bandelier National Monument

14 days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"


Frijoles Canyon is home to Bandelier's Ancestral Puebloans dwellings. The inhabitants of this canyon built in a similar style to that of Chaco Canyon, but also made use of the magnificent cliff walls, building rooms right into the cliff walls. You'll see the Big Kiva, Long House, and if you travel further into the canyon you'll ascend ladders into Alcove House. Visit Bandelier in the fall for colorful foliage!

Chaco Culture

15 Days until "National Park: America's Best Idea"

Chaco Canyon was the center of the Ancient Puebloan culture from 850-1250AD. When you visit Chaco, you'll see just how advanced this culture was. Fajada Butte and the sun daggers were used to predict the change in seasons, using shadows on the summer and winter equinox. Evidence of canals among the ruins suggest irrigation systems, and an extensive road system to many other settlements in the Four Corner's area suggest it was a ceremonial and trading hub. You'll be amazed at the architecture, planning and knowledge these people possessed.

We recommend exploring Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl, and hiking to Pueblo Alto for stunning views of Pueblo Bonito from above.

Canyon de Chelly National Park

16 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"
If you are heading out to Canyon de Chelly in northeastern Arizona, be sure not to miss the hike down to White House Ruins. This moderate 3 mile round trip trail switchbacks down a beautiful red rock canyon to a cottonwood shaded valley and the mysterious White House Ruins.

Drive the South rim out to Spider Woman Rock Overlook for a stunning look at this formation and to learn the lore of Spider Woman. Drive along the North Rim for more overlooks, ruin sites, and to learn more history of the people who occupied this beautiful canyon.

Mesa Verde National Park

17 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"
Mesa Verde is home to more than 4000 archeological sites! Ranger led tours allow you to explore two of the best preserved cliff dwellings, Cliff Palace and Balcony House. How did they build them? What did they eat? Why did they leave? You'll find out all these answers and more if you participate in these two tours or explore Spruce Tree House and the Chapin Mesa Museum. We also recommend hiking the Petroglyph Point Trail for stunning views of the canyon, more cliff dwellings and a terrific petroglyph panel.

Have you been to Mesa Verde? Leave your experiences in a comment!

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

18 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

There are a wide variety of things to see and do at Great Sand Dunes located in Southeastern Colorado. Climb to the top of the highest sand dune, Star Dune, at 750 ft, Meander through the foothill trails among pinyons and scrub oak including the Montville trail which takes you past the remains of a settlement form the 1800s. Climb to the alpine meadows of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains or go bird watching in the wetlands. Whatever you choose, your sure to find this area diverse!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

19 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"
Located in western Colorado, Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of the most daunting, rugged canyons in the West. It's steep canyon walls are for the most part impassable and expose some of the oldest rock on earth. Visit the South Rim to hike the Oak Flats Trail which descends 200 ft into the canyon, or hike out to one of the many stunning overlooks including Chasm View and the Painted Wall. Don't miss the film at the Visitor Center featuring the incredible expedition of Torrence and Fellows who explored the canyon on an air mattress on the Gunnison River!

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands is one of the most remote areas left in the lower 48. Lucky for us, we can easily experience its beauty from some of the great overlooks in the Island in the Sky District at Grand Overlook and Mesa Arch, which rivals the vistas of Grand Canyon. There is great hiking in the unique landscape in the Needles District too. Rafting the Colorado or Green Rivers is a great way to experience the vastness of this place.

Arches National Park

When you live in Moab, UT as we do, you are lucky to have 2 national parks practically in your backyard, Arches and Canyonlands.

Arches has become one of my favorite parks because I have gotten to explore so much of it due to its proximity. 2,000 arches+ exist here, and more are slowly being created and destroyed everyday by natural forces. Wind, sand, and water carve and change these formations. Sometimes it takes decades, sometimes minutes. Last year, one of my favorite Arches, Wall Arch out in the Devil's Garden area collapsed overnight. I was devastated, but then came to realize it was all apart of the circle. It did make me stop and look at things more closely, and take the time to appreciate my surroundings while I still had the chance.

Change, it is inevitable, and a part of our lives. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the beautiful landscape of Arches National Park.

Grand Canyon North Rim

Grand Canyon... how did it get its name? Because it is Grand of Course! Wrong! The river that carves Grand Canyon, the Colorado River, was once called the Grand River. Don't get me wrong, it certainly is grand! In fact it is 277 miles in length, 8-16 miles wide, and nearly 6000 feet at its deepest! That's pretty grand.

Our favorite part of the park to visit is the North Rim. It is a much quieter section of the park. You'll often see deer meandering through the parking lots and along the rim. Beautiful birds and the elusive Kaibab Squirrel frequent the campground. And of course there is the changing colors of the canyon at sunrise or sunset from the lodge. Truly serene.

Bryce National Park

Nowhere else on earth is there a place like Bryce National Park. I dare you to stand on the rim of the canyon and not be moved to tears. This is what happened to me the first time I visited Bryce in 2002. The vibrant colors of the hoodoos and pinnacles and the wide open clear blue sky are like something out of a fairy tale.

Not really a canyon, but an amphitheater, it is actually the high frequency of freezing and thawing that causes such unique formations in the sandstone. Hike along the rim for stunning vistas, but descending into to the canyon for views of the hoodoos up close and against the blue sky is the best view of all.

Zion National Park

With its towering red sandstone cliffs, Zion is one of our favorite parks to visit. It is a hiker's paradise with something for everyone. For a physical and mental challenge, you can climb Angel's Landing. Complete with chains to help you hike, this strenuous trail rewards you with a stunning panoramic view of the canyon. In July when the temps reach 100+, you can hike the Riverwalk and Narrows through the refreshing Virgin River, which is responsible for creating this beautiful canyon. Hike the Emerald Pools Trails to experience some more hidden features like waterfalls. In the Spring, you'll find blooming prickly pear cactus and columbine in the hanging gardens. The fall brings changing colors to the lush riparian valley of the canyon.

Happy 100th Birthday Zion! We look forward to visiting you again and again!

Countdown to "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Save the date! On Sept 27th, your local PBS station will be showing the newest film by Ken Burns: The National Parks: America's Best Idea. We are really excited about this event, and if it weren't for the fact that we will be out on the road, enjoying the National Parks, we would be glued to our televisions! To help countdown to this event, we will be featuring a different park that we visit each day in our blog.

But first, check out the following web page for the latest on what is sure to be a stunning series!

http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/

Thanks!

Enjoy our video from our newest tour Washington Coast to Cascades!