Navigate: MustDoTrips homepage -> USA National Parks and Monuments
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USA has many hundreds of National (and State) Parks, Forests, Scenic Rivers, Recreation Areas, Memorials and Monuments (no, a National Monument is not a big statue, I don't know why they call some of them that) and if we are ever near one, we make sure we visit - they are always worth seeing. In fact, many of our trips are planned around visits to these wonders, with just a few stops in cities, rather than the other way around!
Many of the "Nationals" relate to historical events - important battlefields, birthplaces of significant people - but our main interest lies with the ones which protect natural sites, and I guess we've visited around 70 of these so far. The majority of the ones we have been to are located in the western half of the country, the area from the Pacific coast to the Rockies. I've divided the listings into three "western" regions (Pacific coastal states, north west and south west), with the rest listed under "eastern region". However, most people simply won't have time to see more than one or two Parks and you won't go wrong with any of the "big three" - Yosemite, Grand Canyon or Yellowstone - so I've also included some quick links to those below.
Tip: If you are thinking of including some National Parks in your trip, have a look at the National Parks website or one of the guidebooks (Fodors and National Geographic both publish one), to find out what towns are close by, accommodation options, likely road closure times and the features of the Park. You will often have to book well ahead if you want to stay in park lodges, but if you can do that, it certainly adds to the experience.
Tip: Most (but not all) Parks have entrance fees, and in our view they are amazingly low, but if you will be seeing more than about 4 or 5 Parks in your trip, you might find it better value to buy the annual pass. We've never bothered: if that means we end up spending more on entrance fees, then we just see that as a way of contributing to the funding of the wonderful service that is provided.
Navigate: MustDoTrips homepage -> USA National Parks and Monuments
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