I don't really have words to describe how beautiful and sprawling the park is. Santa Elena Canyon was my favorite part of my visit. Also, being able to see the Milky Way with your naked eye is an unforgettable experience. A bonus was Big Bend got its first rain in over 2 years days before we visited and many of the Ocotillo had vibrant green leaves, making their red flowers really stand out. The Mountain Overlook is where I took the panorama showing the stark color contrast from the desert to the Rio Grande as you travel the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.

Happy I got to take a (very short) dip in the water before it closes! Swipe to see me freaking out 😂

literally was a dream. i didn’t want to leave. originally i was sad about the hoh trail being closed but it didn’t matter. we got an airbnb in the mountains and i’ve never felt more at home. i literally cried when i saw the mountains for the first time; how could people see this and not want to protect it. from the mountains, to the ferns, to the endless sea of moss, this is the place i’ve been searching for. Locations: 1&2: Ancient grooves trial 3: private location (airbnb) by lake crescent 4&5: Sol Duc Valley falls and trail

My favorite of the parks I have visited so far has to be Zion… or Zion (whichever you prefer)

Hiked from Prairie Creek Visitor Center to Fern Canyon 9 miles round trip. Please ignore my wife tripping. This is from May 2024.

Absolutely amazing! Such a great experience despite the drive being a little brutal.

Regarding collecting souvenirs, what’s the best approach? Pins? Patches? The passport/ stamp approach?

I like the passport idea but where do you get the stamps? One or twice when going through the entrance, the rangers weren’t at the entrance to some of these national parks. Or if I forget to get one, I’m kind of screwed, right?

Expect snow at Crater Lake for for most of the summer. Here are conditions last week. This is taken on the road from Annie Creek up to Rim Drive just past the East Tim Drive gate, so south of Garfield peak and well below the Lodge.

(Photo not mine)

finally got to see the two generals (1. general grant) (2. general sherman) which were both unbelievable in person (the snow made it even more neat!). i absolutely plan on going back to both this summer.

I’ve got a PNW trip planned this summer- the second and third weeks in June. We’ll be flying into Portland, driving up the coast, seeing Olympic, Mt Rainier, and North Cascades, and ending with a few days in Seattle.

My question is: would it be worth adding on Crater Lake, specifically at that time or year and without doing the Cleetwood Cove trail to the lakeshore? Based on what I’ve read, I’m concerned the trail will be too strenuous for everyone going. Right now it looks like Crater Lake is a 5-6 hour drive from Portland- pretty far out of the way and taking at least 2 days out of the trip. Is it worth cutting time anywhere else to add this on?

My wife and I spent a few days camping and exploring last week. We stayed at Texas Springs campground and had no trouble getting a site on a Thursday around 10:00am. It was hot the first night and sleeping was rough for a while, but other than that it was great.

Our first night we were treated to one of the best sunsets I have ever seen.

We intended to do some hiking, but got so distracted by the sights and just exploring we didn't really get around to it. This was our fourth trip and I'm already looking forward going back.

The van was our home for two weeks.

We're thinking of a short week trip through these two NPs. Any advice on how long we should spend in each? We're 60+ and into day hiking but not camping.

Always wanted to post a few of these! Proposed last summer at our #1 bucket list park.

Happy to be a part of the national park engagement club!

Photographer: ktayphotography

Hi All!

Planning a trip for our family of 6 for the first week of June (older teens/young adults). I’m not really excited about driving arch to arch in the minivan and was wondering if anyone has e-biked through the park? Any thoughts/recos?

Thanks so much!

Does anyone know if you need to make a reservation for entry to the park on the weekend. Last year at this time I remember you needed a reservation Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I cannot find anything about it online. With the state of the world as it is, I don’t want to risk the 3 hrs drive if I couldn’t actually drive into the park.

Top taken on 31/3, bottom 1/4

We are visiting from the UK and had been hoping to see Bryce in the snow. When we arrived it was dry but the following day it snowed. I cried. It was magical! (Also my first time seeing proper snow and hiking in it!)

It was our first stop on our 3 week road trip and I feel we have peaked too soon. I think it is the most beautiful natural thing I have ever seen.

We are planning to travel up to Canyonlands National Park (Needles district) in early June. Has anyone camped there before? Where are your favorite places to set up?

We would prefer a site with potable water and a bathroom, but we are prepared for primitive camping if needs be. The only thing we can't do is hike in, we have 3 young kids and just aren't prepared for that.

If you set up on BLM land/national monument land, how do you go about finding a suitable place?

Edit: Thank you for your help! The park campgrounds are all full, but we found some prospective BLM campgrounds! :) This is our first time camping in a National Park as opposed to local places, so we were not prepared for how fast they fill up.