As I mentioned in an earlier post, Linda had not been to any of the national parks west of the Mississippi. So, to celebrate a special occasion (her birthday), we decided to visit a few of the best parks (my opinion) along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountain range. They included Glacier National Park in Montana, Yellowstone in Wyoming, Zion in Utah, Grand Canyon in Arizona, and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped in at the Grand Teton (Wyoming), Bryce Canyon (Utah), Mesa Verde (Colorado) and Black Canyon of the Gunnison (Colorado) National Parks. We also stopped in at a few National Parks on the way to and from the Rockies. In each of these parks, we hiked a few outstanding trails, motorcycled along scenic parkways, visited iconic locations, and stayed in park campgrounds, all in an effort to get to know what's so special about each of these amazing places. Here's a brief visual recap of some of the "best the best!" Links to photoblogs and social media posts about each park are included if you'd like more pictures and details
To the Rockies!
The toys and supplies were loaded and off we went!
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Our first stop was in a less well known national park: the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, near Cleveland, Ohio. The Cuyahoga River was once one of the most polluted rivers in the US. It was so contaminated with oil, gas, and other combustible contaminants that the river actually caught fire not once or twice, but over a dozen times in the late 1960s! The burning river was partly responsible for the "Clean Water Act," an important legislative turning point in US environmental policy. It is now a relatively clean and beautiful river that flows through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
More about the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (photoblog): https://photos.app.goo.gl/AEDHQTeSaBNLFw2Y8
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
The shoreline at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, near Munising, MI. This national Lakeshore was established to protect and preserve the colorful, stained sandstone bluffs formed by the relentless pounding and erosion of Lake Superior waters. On our way to the Pictured Rocks, we visited Grand Rapids, MI, the city that was my home for about nine years. While there, we had a wonderful visit with old friends Ken, ChiChi, and David.
The shoreline at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, near Munising, MI. Minerals like iron, copper, and manganese cause the multicolored streaking that is easily seen on the sandstone cliffs.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kkq7gzqDoLAqDpvE8
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
In the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, we visited all three main park units, and saw our first bison and prairie dogs! The park is famous for the badlands scenery that led President Roosevelt to establish the US National Park Service and US conservation policy about a century ago. Here is the wide valley carved by the Little Missouri River (North Unit)
More about Theodore Roosevelt National Park:
Photoblog Link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RvFL9koVKq151DAe9
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BghwxAUMD/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOpKSCHDdoa/?igsh=bTJzbWN1bW5jcjVv
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park in northern Montana protects and preserves a rugged landscape shaped by, you guessed it, glaciers! There are roughly 25 glaciers remaining of the 150 glaciers that were in the park when it was established in 1910, but the effects of glaciation can be seen and experienced throughout the park. Here is a fabulous view of a U-shaped valley along the "Going to the Sun Road."
"I see you!" Wildlife abounds in Glacier. Here is a black bear at roadside, eating huckleberries, getting ready for winter. Bears often lose 30+ percent of their weight (mostly fat) during hibernation.
Waterfall along the Upper McDonald Creek
Canoe sailing on St Mary Lake
More about Glacier National Park:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jSjCZJhPyuvhGmvZ6
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14F129Zx7wq/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DOz1FerjSA7/?igsh=MWFjcW9pbXNmcDZybA==
Yellowstone National Park
Then we headed south to Yellowstone in Wyoming. Yellowstone is America's first national park (established in 1872) and the first official national park anywhere in the world. People come to Yellowstone mostly to see the large range of geothermal features like hot springs, mud pots, travertine terraces, and thermal basins (the largest collection of such features anywhere on earth)...
Visitors also come to Yellowstone to see wildlife (bison, elk, big-horn sheep, wolves, moose, birds of all sorts)...
...lakes, and waterfalls like Lower Yellowstone Falls, pictured here...
...and, of course, the world-famous "Old Faithful" geyser, which erupts roughly every 90 minutes.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SvGLSunikTB83XNZA
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Chvh7Ydwj/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPAIP9pD0Zl/?igsh=a3F1eGpia2g3dm00
Grand Teton National Park
About an hour south of Yellowstone is the Grand Teton National Park, another park in Wyoming. It features the 40 mile Teton mountain range. The mountains seems to erupt straight out of the surrounding flat plains! The park is home to interesting wildlife, beautiful lakes, wonderful waterfalls, and gorgeous rivers
A view of mountains, clouds, and the Snake River, Grand Teton
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gG8a3zcySim2ne157
Zion National Park
Zion, in southwestern Utah, is a park that shows the effects of water erosion on mostly pink and white sandstone. And the effects are pretty spectacular, especially in the Virgin River Canyon, the main attraction in the park.
Cliffs in Zion National Park
The Virgin River Valley, Zion National Park
The Virgin River, Zion National Park
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bKWPtcxHEPHno2x29
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19YtP9Wpu1/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPKYlJ-j9PR/?igsh=MXgyMThjcWFzd3Z5Ng==
Bryce Canyon National Park
The main attraction in Bryce, near Zion and also in Utah, is a magical display of pink, orange, and white hoodoos that look like large groups of people, creatures, and structures scattered across several "amphitheaters" like this in the park
"Thor's Hammer" (left) and "The Three Sisters" (right) are two of the iconic hoodoo formations in the park
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6CuF2gkqvuMkHjsq7
Grand Canyon National Park
The main geological attraction in northern Arizona is the Grand Canyon, a multi layered canyon that is about 275 miles long, 10-20 miles across, and a mile deep! It has been eroded by rain, snow, and the Colorado River. It is breathtakingly beautiful, as the photos show. In this image, taken at the Desert View Watchtower, you can see the effects of erosion on the twenty or so layers of rock below the rim of the canyon At the bottom, you can see a tiny ribbon of water: That is the Colorado River
Grand Canyon has plenty of wildlife as well, including this magnificent bull elk, watching over his "gang" of cows
According to park rangers, well over 90% of park visitors do not venture even one step "below the rim!" Not us; we went at least a half mile below on each of the three main South Rim trails. The park becomes much less crowded and noisy as soon as you go down; highly recommend "below the rim" hikes. This is about a half mile down the South Kaibab Trail
And this was part way down the Bright Angel Trail.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/R7Ks3aRe6APhyr6Z9
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1MgUyDnC9o/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPSplesjuBf/?igsh=MXVjdzRkdG0xYXU3OA==
Mesa Verde National Park
Because of the federal shutdown, we were not able to get up close and personal with the cliff dwellings that are the main treasure at Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. However, we were able to travel the roads and hike about half of the trails in the park, and we could see some of the cliff dwellings from a distance
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ou55ikXkwAi4J77o9
The Million Dollar Highway, near Silverton, CO
Silverton, Colorado is the midpoint of the ultra scenic "Million Dollar Highway," a fabulous paved road through the San Juan Mountains in western Colorado. It reportedly cost about a million dollars per mile when it was built about a century ago; hence the name. We experienced hail, snow, sleet, rain, clouds, and bright sunlight as we traveled about 60 miles of this road. Here's one of the best views of autumn colors!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JNdgzuMzN87JZ8339
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a half mile wide and half mile deep canyon carved by the Gunnison River in western Colorado. It is deep enough that the river at the bottom rarely gets direct sunlight, hence the name. A cool bonus for us was a meetup with a fun young van life couple (Hannah and Kyle) from Washington (the state).
https://photos.app.goo.gl/s6LiPiES45uWLvhp7
Colorado National Monument
The Colorado National Monument, near Grand Junction, Colorado, is a wonderful park located along the south rim of a large canyon also eroded mainly by the Colorado River. It has the 23 mile "Rim Rock Drive" with overlooks and trails that allow visitors to see and feel the amazing effects of erosion, including spires and columns of resistant rock that form interesting monuments and formations like this one, called "Independence Monument." This formation is scaled regularly by mountain climbers.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/to4gqoF1MVsMZUhT8
Glenwood Canyon
The Glenwood Canyon, near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, is a stunning, narrow and deep canyon (again, carved by the Colorado River) that provides just enough space for the river, a railroad, and a two tiered interstate highway (I-70). It is one of the most beautiful stretches of interstate highway anywhere, in my opinion, and is considered a masterpiece of civil engineering. We had a blast whitewater rafting a fun, class III section of the river with Sage, a guide with Blue Sky Adventures
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rTzUWrja1ZZNu4Hq6
Rocky Mountain National Park
Our time in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado was a fitting way to end our tour of the National Parks in the eastern Rockies. This park showcases a group of 72 mountains that are 12,000 feet or more above sea level, with Long's Peak, the tallest mountain in the park, reaching up to 14,259'. This is the highest altitude park in the "Lower 48," and provides great views of alpine and sub alpine ecosystems. Here's a view of Lily Lake, near Estes Park, Colorado
And these are mountains south and east of the Trail Ridge Road, also near Estes Park
The Bear Lake Trail, at 9,500' provides wonderful views of surrounding mountains.
And the trail to Alberta Falls is one of my favorite short hikes in the park
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AhtM2UtFdRfEHHZ26
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AFbRnD2bW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPnHtCgjeFi/?igsh=MXE5bDJoaGFlaWRtaA==
Gateway Arch National Park
The ride to the top was closed because of the federal shutdown, but the Gateway Arch National Park, symbolizing the gateway to westward expansion in the US, is an impressive artistic and engineering structure in St Louis, Missouri. Since we were in town anyway, we took an informative and entertaining tram tour of the city
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fgDQpEuQ19L9PBJN8
New River Gorge National Park
Our last stop on the way home was a quick one at the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. This park highlights the role of the New River (one of the oldest rivers in North America) in forming the landscape, history, and ecology of eastern US River valleys. We rode down to the New River from the rim on an old, original roadway (a 45 minute ride on switchbacked roads that was replaced by a 45 second ride straight across on the New River Gorge Bridge) and hiked a section of the Endless Wall Trail
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zUDGNcZpncuZLg9X6
All in all, this was a wonderful trip to some amazing places, meeting old friends and new along the way. Twelve national parks, a lakeshore and a monument in about six weeks and 6,000 miles / 10,000 km. Linda did great with road tripping in the van and we had lots of fun exploring nature at its finest. We both feel ready for more trips to more great places like these in the next few years!
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