With summer vacation season here, many people are planning camping trips at one of our many great state and national parks. Others however, may be taking these natural wonders for granted, with no idea of what they’re missing. Here are five of our national parks that you should make a top priority to visit before you die.
The Grand Canyon
There’s a reason they call it the Grand Canyon, because it’s grand, indeed. This is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in all the world, not just in the United States, and it’s particularly beautiful in that golden hour right after sunrise and right before sunset.
What many people don’t realize is there’s also a beautiful waterfall inside the canyon on the Havasupai Indian reservation. You can either hike in and out, or take mules to travel the eight miles to the village and campgrounds. There are no restrooms and no water along the way, so come prepared with plenty of water regardless of what method of transportation you use. But the rewards are great, as this is a beautiful natural waterfall with blue-green pools of water for swimming.
You can also choose a whitewater rafting adventure at the base of this canyon for those who like to live on the edge a bit.
Yosemite
While artists in all mediums have claimed muses who inspired them, most of those muses were in human form. One exception was photographer Ansel Adams, as one of his greatest muses was Yosemite National Park. His stunning black and white images of Yosemite’s landscape are considered the greatest landscape photography of all time.
While most of that falls on the skills of this legendary photographer, there is no denying that some credit is due to the subject matter. Yosemite is also the Holy Grail for many rock climbers, particularly the smooth service of the “Dawn wall” of El Capitan, the largest exposed-granite monolith in the world. Fodor’s says that El Capitan’s “3,000-foot smooth granite wall is widely considered the hardest rock climb on the planet.” That’s actually 3,593 feet, to be precise, which is more than 350-stories tall.
Mammoth Cave
Speaking of “biggest” natural wonders, Mammoth Cave National Park in western Kentucky boasts the largest cave system in the world, and that’s just the known, excavated sections of cave. Tours run all day, every day, lasting anywhere from one hour to four hours. There’s also a variety of terrains and the guides on their website and at the park itself will help you make sure you don’t get in over your head as far as strenuous activity levels. The pathways are well maintained and some have stairs that can be a bit steep or primitive, so exercise caution if you have any physical limitations. You can always talk to one of the park rangers that give the tours to get the scoop on how strenuous each tour is.
For those of you who may be a bit claustrophobic, rest assured that these tours shouldn’t affect you unless you have a really severe phobia. The pathways are wide and the ceilings high, plus there is either lighting within the caves, or tour members carry lanterns for light. Temperatures remain fairly comfortable whether it’s winter or summer.
For those that are really adventurous, Mammoth Cave does offer a six-hour “Wild Cave Tour” where you’ll go off the grid to experience some real untamed caving. Regardless of what tour you choose, do follow the park rangers instructions on precautions to help protect the bats that reside in the caves, due to the disease called White-Nose Syndrome. Basically, all you have to do is walk through a solution designed to disinfect your shoes from any bat guana that come in contact with, which is kind of a good idea anyway.
Denali
One could easily consider all of Alaska to be a national wilderness park, but Denali National Park & Preserve Consists of more than 6 million acres of the most primitive and rugged wilderness in the United States. It also boasts the tallest mountain in North America, the 20,320 foot Mount McKinley. In the summer, this is a campers’ paradise with the mild temperatures and so many great outdoor activities available.
Not only do you have over 6 million acres of wilderness and wildlife to explore just in this one park, but Northern Alaska Tour Company is now offering Denali visitors an airplane tour to the Arctic Circle which is approximately 400 miles away. The tour lasts 5.5 hours and should be considered a real once-in-a-lifetime, unique experience.
Glacier National Park
In the big sky country of Montana lies Glacier National Park, another national treasure and wilderness area. Many national parks have stunning mountain ranges, or pristine lakes, but thanks to the glaciers present at this park, you’ll get an abundance of both in one setting.
Unfortunately, many of those lakes are fed by the melting of glaciers, which has been accelerating due to global warming. Back in 1850, there were approximately 150 glaciers in the park, but that number has now dwindled down to only 25. Scientists estimate that by 2030, there will be no more glaciers left in Glacier National Park, so this is definitely one you don’t want to put off visiting for too long.
[Image courtesy of Shutterstock]