Quick tips for your road trip through Southern Utah’s National Parks: Stay overnight in each park or neighboring town. Park rangers are there to help! Find trails with fewer people and enjoy the quiet nature. This guide has all the best tips for your national parks road trip!
Fine we’ll say it: northern Arizona is underrated! With the world’s largest contiguous Ponderosa pine forest, easy access to Grand Canyon National Park, historic Route 66, a myriad of ancient Native American pueblo sites, unique shopping, temperate weather, and darn good food…northern Arizona is the perfect destination for a family road trip.
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!
Imagine this: the Great Sand Dunes glowing in the morning sun and cottonwood trees blazing yellow at their base. Behind the dunes, a fresh dusting of snow graced the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Fall is one of the most spectacular times to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park, especially for photography and nature enthusiasts.
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.
In the forested stretches above Cedar City, Brian Head Ski Resort dishes out powder days to those seeking turns. From the vantage at the ski resort, red rock formations in the distance gleam under fresh snow. This is truly a unique experience from a ski lift!
Undoubtedly, the best way to explore the scenery around Yellowstone is from the back of a horse. Flying Pig Adventure Company offers horseback rides for all skill levels, from novice riders to expert horsemen. Meandering through Yellowstone National Park on horseback is a special experience and really encourages riders to slow down and take in the surrounding beauty.
We awoke to the smell of the crisp mountain air and moseyed out of our “glamping” tent to greet the day. We ventured out for a horseback ride with some of the folks we met the night before at the cookout. Our guides so graciously extended our ride since we missed out the night before. We were continuously impressed at how accommodating our hosts were!
“The outdoors are for everyone,”—maybe you’ve heard this phrase before. Technically, yes, they are. If you pay your taxes, you are a public land owner—but are they accessible to everyone?
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