We are longtime fans of Carbon County, Wyoming. Located right in the middle of Southern Wyoming, the tagline for this epic spot is “Get Your West On.” As soon as you cross the state line and leave the city lights behind, you’ll see why.
Arizona is chock full of incredible state parks, from border to border in each direction. Some of the best water-based state parks trips can be found on either the eastern or western border of the state. In this case, we decided to visit them all—down the western border and up the eastern border—in one itinerary for a summer full of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.
Thanks to the waters of Arizona, these parks are great destinations in the summer. You can explore on foot or on bike in the cooler morning and evening hours, then beat the sunshine and heat by jumping into the Colorado River or Lake Havasu.
Flagstaff is one of those lucky cities that has it all: year round adventure, close proximity to a national park, and a food scene so good that it makes you forget you’re not in a large metropolitan city, but rather a quaint, mountain town.
The southwest region of Colorado, known as Mesa Verde Country, welcomes visitors to experience the starry night sky and all there is to do after the sun goes down. Mesa Verde sits at the center of the darkest skies remaining in the contiguous United States, making it a great place to stargaze, practice astrophotography, and wonder what the Ancestral Pueblo people saw a millennium ago in that very same sky. Don’t worry, there’s plenty to experience during the daytime, too!
Load up the family and set the GPS for Hot Springs, South Dakota. It’s 51 miles (82km) from Mt. Rushmore and although it may not be as famous, it is just as interesting.
Whether you’re out to earn your turns or braaap it up, Laramie is high on “we’re coming back next winter” lists all over the country. But we’re here to make the case that it should be on “we’re coming back this summer” lists.
East of the notorious Wave formation, White Pocket requires an arduous 4WD approach, but visitors are rewarded with fascinating and bizarre landscapes for miles. Twisted geology and ice cream colored rock will leave your imagination reeling.
Here at Visit USA Parks, we live for cross-country road trips. They are simply the best way to take in the expanse of the American West. But after six hours at the wheel, there is no amount of sugary truck stop snacks that can keep you going (and we encourage safe, alert driving at all times!). It’s much better to pull over in a place like Platte County, Wyoming, where there’s so much to do you might even spend an extra night.
September and October are special months on the East Coast. The leaves begin to turn colors, the temperatures drop to a comfortable chill, and Americans begin to embrace the Danish “hygge”—a mood of coziness and contentment. If there’s one place to be during the cozy fall months, it’s the Northeast. Between the coast of Maine and Acadia National Park, the White Mountains in New Hampshire, and the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, you’re sure to get your fill of fall foliage on this road trip.
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