Yet another hiking destination is Olympic National Park. Not too far out from the city, this is a trip you could take if you are ever in Seattle. With stunning views of mountains and the ocean, there are endless opportunities to explore a beautiful setting.

For those who prefer a trip to the city, there are single-day park tours that depart from and return to Seattle. Hitting many of the most well-known sights, this guided tour is perfect for those who want to experience the nature and views with a little more guidance. Being driven with your family in an SUV to Hurricane Ridge, you get to spend time here taking in the exquisite views. Hurricane Ridge is one of the most famous destinations in the park due to the amazing views you can get from so high up above the rest of the park at an elevation of over 5,200 feet. This park is situated along the Pacific Ocean, meaning that ground level is around zero, so this is quite high in comparison to the rest of the park.

Another stop on this guided tour would be Lake Crescent. This stunning lake sits at the base of mountains and is a common destination for visitors. It is famous for its bright blue color. The lake was formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age and is very deep. Many visitors come to view the lake and can imagine how it was formed over thousands of years. Once you are done with your tour, you are delivered right back to the city and can spend the rest of your trip exploring Seattle if that is more your style.

Another main attraction of the park is Mount Olympus. This towering snowcapped mountain sticks out above the green and is over 7,800 feet in elevation. It is a beautiful destination, and it is amazing to see the mountain emerging from the water. There are options to hike up, but to get to the top, you need mountain climbing experience as well as equipment. This is a serious undertaking that should only be completed by the well prepared.

Another part of the park is the rainforest portion. Getting over 12 feet of rain per year, (as a reference, State College gets around 41 inches or 3.4 feet) it is one of North America’s only true rainforests. Home to many hiking trails, you can even see the world’s largest Spruce Tree. It is much different from the climate of many of the other parks I have written about before, especially contrasting the desert climate of Sedona and Zion. This is a unique opportunity to see the rainforest climate from within the US.

Olympic National Park seems like a very cool place to visit. If I am ever in Seattle, I will likely spend most of my time exploring Olympic National Park. There are many different aspects to see, including the viewpoint from atop Hurricane Ridge, the lake formed by glaciers, the towering Mount Olympus, and even a rainforest. I hope that I get to visit Olympic National Park some day soon!

Citation:

“Outdoor Activities in Olympic National Park.” Tripadvisor, https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Products-g143047-zfg12022-Olympic_National_Park_Washington.html.

Yellowstone may be the most famous National Park in the US, and when I googled best National parks, it was first on the list. This park spans over Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, and is made up of so many natural wonders. From hot springs and geysers to waterfalls and a vast wilderness, Yellowstone is a huge park with so much to explore.

As mentioned above, one of the main attractions of the park are the natural geysers, the most famous being Old Faithful because it erupts so regularly. People flock to the park at the times when the geysers are predicted to go off, and sometimes arrive early and stay for hours just to ensure they get the chance to see them shoot up into the air. Less than 1,000 geysers exist in the whole world, and almost half of these are found in Yellowstone National Park. Geysers are made as a result of a unique tunnel system underground. One study described geyser eruptions as “sending steam and hot water hundreds of feet into the air, and often releasing a frightening screech and the stench of rotten eggs — because of a series of loops and side chambers hidden deep below the surface that allows water to boil first at the top and then cascade downward” (Hall). The geysers are a bit of a mystery in the world of geology, but they are fascinating to see explode out of the ground.

While geysers draw many people to Yellowstone, there is much more that the park has to offer. Another popular attraction is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. With stunning views, this 20 mile long, thousand foot deep canyon is a sight to see. The Yellowstone River, the longest undammed river in the US, runs through the bottom of the canyon, and is the source of the erosion that has built up over thousands of years to form the massive canyon. There are also many hiking trails around the canyon, and even one that ventures to the bottom of the canyon.

This is another park that is more rugged than most. People often go camping, but it is important to be aware of your surroundings. Many visitors suffer injuries from being unprepared for the intense weather, or becoming victims of animal attacks. There is an abundance of wildlife in the park including grizzly bears, wolves, moose, buffalo, and many more large, potentially dangerous animals. It is stressed that visitors follow all safety guidelines and know what to do in the case of an attack.

While the park can be dangerous, this definitely does not stop people from hiking. There are many trails, including the Mystic Falls Trail. This is a beautiful hike that leads to a famous waterfall. You can even climb to the top for a fantastic view of the surrounding park. This is a shorter, less strenuous hike, so it is great for people of all hiking abilities. There are endless trails throughout Yellowstone, many of which are very long and difficult, but this is a great one to try to get great views without going for an intense all day outing. I can’t wait to visit Yellowstone one day!

Citation:

Hall, Shannon. “Why Do Geysers Erupt? It Boils down to Plumbing.” LiveScience, Purch, 2 Mar. 2015, https://www.livescience.com/49985-geysers-plumbing-eruption

Yet another destination to add to my bucket list is Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. With its monstrous snowcapped mountains, it looks like something out of a movie.

This is something a bit different than the places I have been. With the cooler weather and less red cliffs and more mountains, it really has the feel of being out in the wilderness. I am excited to look into some of the different aspects of this park and see all of the great opportunities for adventure that it has to offer.

One of the main attractions are the wildlife tours. From half day to multi-day trips, there are many different options. While they are a little pricy, you can see a wide variety of animals in their natural habitat. From bears to bison to big horn sheep to elk, there are so many different opportunities to learn about and observe these creatures. Seeing these animals from closer up can really help you to grow your perspective on nature and how amazing it can be.

Another great option is a drive through the amazing scenery. This can be a great option to view many of the iconic landmarks of the park such as the Teton Mountains, Menors Ferry Historic District, the Snake River Overlook and Jenny Lake. The efficiency a drive offers allows you to see more during your limited time in the park. Driving at the base of these towering mountains looks amazing and I hope to be able to do this one day.

As always, I’ll talk about the options for hiking as this is a personal favorite of mine. The iconic Jenny Lake is an attraction that draws people in from all over the country. This lake is 2 miles long and is seated at the base of towering mountains. There is also a hiking trail you can take along the lake which is described as a “moderate 7.5-mile round-trip hike from the Jenny Lake Trailhead for views of Cascade Canyon, Storm Point, Symmetry Spire and Mount Moran” (Travel US News). This sounds amazing to me. I personally love any hiking trail that has great views accompanying it and from the pictures, this trail definitely seems like a perfect fit!

Overall Grand Teton seems like a great place to visit with many new aspects to explore. I love the cooler weather along with the rustic feel that the mountains and wildlife give the park. The lake seems amazing as well, I know for a fact that my dog, Moose would absolutely love a lake like this to swim in. I don’t think we’d ever get him to leave… Maybe one day I will be able to take him on a trip with us so he can enjoy the hiking and swimming as well. Moose may just be the biggest hike-lover out of the whole family!

Here’s a picture of him on our boat for reference:

Anyways, I hope to be able to visit Grand Teton National Park one day, and maybe I’ll be able to bring Moose along with me. I hope you learned something new about Grand Teton, and please let me know if any of you have ever been there!

“18 Best Things to Do in Grand Teton National Park.” US News Travel, US News, 22 July 2021, https://travel.usnews.com/Grand_Teton_National_Park_WY/Things_To_Do.

My family has made a tradition of taking a vacation each year that one of us graduates high school. Nick’s was Colorado, Patrick’s was Zion, and mine was Sedona. My sister Katie is the last that will graduate, but she doesn’t share quite as much of a love of hiking as the rest of us. That being said, I’m sure we will still go somewhere cool when the time comes.

My trip this past summer was supposed to be to Yosemite National Park in California, but due to fear of high COVID restrictions in California, we switched it to Sedona. This did not disappoint whatsoever, but I still have a visit to Yosemite on my bucket list, so that’s what I’m going to write about today.

Yosemite features many natural beauties such as mountains, waterfalls, and just a vast wilderness. Just looking at pictures is incredible and I definitely want to go here one day. There are so many hiking trails that offer a variety of different views. Whether you want an easy hike that leads to a waterfall or an all day hike to the top of a mountain, Yosemite has something to offer.

One of the main attractions of Yosemite is the Half Dome hike, which is something that my family has been looking into for a long time. This is yet another major excursion that is a 10-12 hour commitment, and many camp overnight in order to complete. Once you complete the long hike up to the base of half dome, you start the ascent up the cables to the top of the dome pictured below. You usually need gloves to avoid hurting your hands, and some people feel safer securing a harness to the cables. The view from the top is said to be incredible, and when you look at it from the bottom, you can see the massive cliff you were just standing next to.

While Yosemite offers many hikes of varying difficulties, it is also a rock climber’s paradise. I personally do not have the skillset required to complete these climbs, but it would be amazing to watch people ascend these cliffs that are literally thousands of feet tall. I have watched documentaries about a few rock climbers completing the first ascent of certain cliffs such as the Dawn Wall of El Capitan, which happens to be in Yosemite. I think it is fascinating to see these people so high up on a cliff that they look the size of a mouse. It really shows the truly massive scale of Yosemite and these cliffs.

Yosemite seems like an amazing destination that has so much to offer, from lakes and waterfalls to towering cliffs, there is something for everyone to enjoy. I hope to be able to visit one day, and who knows, if I do, maybe I’ll write a blog post about it.

Citations:

“Half Dome Day Hike.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 10 Apr. 2021, www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm.

Law, Lana. “10 Top-Rated Hikes in Yosemite National Park: Planetware.” PlanetWare.com, 8 June 2020, www.planetware.com/california/top-rated-hikes-in-yosemite-national-park-us-ca-328.htm.

Zion National Park in Utah is well known as one of the most scenic places in the country. The towering cliffs are incredible on their own, and when you add the signature red color of the rock, the result is stunning.

(Excuse the quality of the pictures, uploading them to the site made them a bit blurry)

I had the privilege of visiting this amazing place, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. We prepared for our adventure all year. Searching the best hikes in the park, making sure to research the lesser known, but still amazing areas, and even buying equipment and learning how to rappel. This trip was something that we were looking forward to the entire year, and my family was already bonding in the process of preparing for this experience.

When we got there, I was amazed by the beauty of the park. If you ever have the chance to go to Zion, even just to drive through, I highly recommend. The views are amazing and the towering cliffs really make your problems feel smaller. We did so many of the iconic hikes like Angel’s Landing, visited Bryce Canyon, and even repelled through a slot canyon, but one of the highlights of the trip was an all day 9 mile hike we went on through a river to a place called the Subway.

     Angel’s Landing:                                                                         Bryce Canyon:

The Subway hike was quite the endeavor, hiking down into a canyon, and then spending all day hiking in a river. We had many obstacles to overcome, including purifying water and carrying food. There were some unexpected ones too like going to the wrong starting spot (my mom was freaking out), and even broken shoes (my fate unfortunately). Through this long, hard hike however, we made some of the best memories of the trip.

Subway:

Being stuck down in a canyon for 10 hours straight with your family is actually one of the best ways to make unforgettable memories. We may have had some issues, but we went through them together, and came out of it with an amazing experience. Any time we may have felt tired or overwhelmed on the hike, we could just look up and see the beauty surrounding us, and it was all 100% worth it.

This trip to Zion truly locked in my love of hiking and nature, and I am so glad I got to experience it with my family.

My most recent National Park-like trip I went on was to Sedona Arizona. This was yet another beautiful destination and an amazing adventure. While we didn’t get to experience all of the events we had planned due to some wild fire complications, it was a great opportunity for us to come up with alternate plans as a family and compromise to make the best of the trip.

If you ever have the chance to go to Sedona or the surrounding areas, I highly recommend. It is a beautiful town surrounded by stunning red rock mountains. It is a stunning dessert destination with so many hiking and sight seeing places to explore.

Thank you so much for reading about my adventures! I am so excited to transition to destinations I have not had the chance to visit yet and can’t wait to share all of these amazing National Parks with you!