Top Five Destinations of 2013
Countdown style, like the other lists.
5. Bryce Canyon National Park
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| Bryce Canyon National Park, UT |
If you're looking for jaw-dropping views, you may not be able to top Bryce Canyon. The Grand Canyon might have Bryce by a hair in that category. I'm not so sure, though. Not only are the hoodoos amazing, but it seems like you can see forever. there's a horizon out there, but I don't think I've ever seen it look so far away as it does from the edge of amphitheater.
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| Bryce Canyon National Park, UT |
4. Point Lobos State Nature Reserve
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| The Old Veteran -- Cypress Cove, Point Lobos State Reserve, CA |
Point Lo
bos is my favorite day trip destination. It's less than two hours away and the range of wildlife to be seen is astounding. It's one of the prettiest little stretches of coastline I've ever seen. Seeing sea otters is almost guaranteed there.
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| China Cove, Point Lobos State Reserve, CA |
3. Yosemite National Park
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| Yosemite National Park, CA |
I only made it out to Yosemite three this year. No, scratch that, four times,
but once I only drove through on my way home from Utah. So much to explore, so little time. The pro
blem, of course, is the crowds. The valley is downright congested in the summer. The good news is there's a whole lot of other areas to explore, and they're far less crowded.
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| Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, CA |
2. Capitol Reef National Park
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| Capitol Reef National Park, UT |
Capitol Reef was actually a last-minute addition to my fall road trip. I'd
been hoping to go to the North rim of the Grand Canyon but the camp sites were all booked up. I shuffled a few things around and worked Capitol Reef in instead. I wish I'd spent two nights here rather than at Bryce Canyon. Not that Bryce wasn't amazing, but Capitol Reef was amazing, too, and far less crowded. This park is a gem.
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| Capitol Reef National Park, UT |
1. Death Valley National Park
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| Heading into Panamint Valley -- Death Valley National Park, CA |
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| Panamint Dunes |
If you've never been to Death Valley, I suspect this choice might surprise you. Even if you've been there the choice might still surprise you. I have a friend who went there a
bout a month before I did this spring, and she wasn't all that impressed. I don't know, this place seems magical to me. I made two trips to the park, one in spring and one in the fall. I'm anxious to go back.
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| Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley National Park, CA |
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| Badwater Basin |
Death Valley has everything I like in a National Park. It's got amazing scenery. It's got a lot of wildlife. Perhaps most importantly is what it doesn't have, though. It doesn't have hordes of tourists. I saw plenty of people on my trips, but I don't recall at any point thinking "these people need to pack up their gear and go to Disneyland where they belong." People were quiet in remote places and acting silly where it was appropriate, but that was the key, I guess. Running around and jumping on the dunes makes sense. Standing on your head at the lowest point on the continent makes sense. Well, kind of. What I recall from the place was not the quiet--because there was never really places of silence--but of an air of peacefulness.
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| Salt Creek, Death Valley National Park, CA |
Death Valley is a huge park. I've only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. I'm sure this is someplace I'll visit often in the coming years.
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| Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park, CA |
If you're looking for jaw-dropping views, you may not be able to top Bryce Canyon. The Grand Canyon might have Bryce by a hair in that category. I'm not so sure, though. Not only are the hoodoos amazing, but it seems like you can see forever. there's a horizon out there, but I don't think I've ever seen it look so far away as it does from the edge of amphitheater.
Point Lobos is my favorite day trip destination. It's less than two hours away and the range of wildlife to be seen is astounding. It's one of the prettiest little stretches of coastline I've ever seen. Seeing sea otters is almost guaranteed there.
I only made it out to Yosemite three this year. No, scratch that, four times, but once I only drove through on my way home from Utah. So much to explore, so little time. The problem, of course, is the crowds. The valley is downright congested in the summer. The good news is there's a whole lot of other areas to explore, and they're far less crowded.
Capitol Reef was actually a last-minute addition to my fall road trip. I'd been hoping to go to the North rim of the Grand Canyon but the camp sites were all booked up. I shuffled a few things around and worked Capitol Reef in instead. I wish I'd spent two nights here rather than at Bryce Canyon. Not that Bryce wasn't amazing, but Capitol Reef was amazing, too, and far less crowded. This park is a gem.
Death Valley is a huge park. I've only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. I'm sure this is someplace I'll visit often in the coming years.
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