4 National Parks in the United States
When thinking about a trip to the United States, most travellers come to mind New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles or San Francisco. And it is not surprising as they are 5 of the most visited cities in the country by foreign tourists. But the United States has much more than big cities as it has 59 National Parks in its territory (in addition to a large number of reserves and natural parks). Today we present 4 of them in which you can enjoy nature with very different climates and environments.
Grand Canyon National Park
It is one of the most well-known National Parks in the world and is located to the north of the state of Arizona. It has two entrances, one south "South Rim" and one north "North Rim". In accordance with the time of the year the north access is closed by the snow. You can visit by your own, with extreme caution as it is a cliff, or hire some guided excursion to not miss anything (hiking, rafting or helicopter flight are the most popular ones). In the Park you will find plenty of places to do a good panoramic photograph, but in the Skywalk you will find an unrepeatable experience: you can walk on a glass walkway located at more than 1,200 meters above the ground.
Denali National Park and Preserve
We go from an almost desert environment to a park located in the south of Alaska that remains a good part of the year covered with snow. In this park you will find Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America. If you are not a mountaineer, we discarded the hard climb to the mountain, but don’t worry, there are many activities to do both in winter (cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sleigh rides or snowmobiling) and summer (hiking, cycling, fishing, camping or attending some of the guided tours with the forest rangers). A curiosity: the film "Into the wild" tells the story of Christopher McCandless who survived alone in this park for 4 months. The bus where he lived still on the park and is one of the most photographed places in it.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
This National Park is located in the State of California, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. In it is Mount Whitney, the highest summit of the United States outside Alaska, in addition to a huge forest of giant sequoias. In this forest is the largest tree in the world, a sequoia known as General Sherman, which measures 83.8 meters high and about 11 meters in diameter at its base and is about 2000 years old. In the Park there are several routes and excursions that can be done by car or on foot with the option to make the trek with a ranger that explains the whole route.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone was the first National Park created in the United States. It is a natural territory that has undergone few alterations with the passage of the years. It is located mainly northwest of the State of Wyoming although its extension also reaches areas of Idaho and Montana. In this Park live several species of terrestrial animals like bears, wolves, moose and buffalo, besides being home of the bears Yogui and Bubu protagonists of the cartoon series. It is a perfect place to camp for a few days in summer and to make hiking routes discovering this jewel of nature where you will also find hot springs and geysers, one of which is the best known in the world, the "Old Faithful". And if you visit in winter, you will enjoy a spectacular environment covered by a white mantle. Without cars, with skis or snowmobiles, you can enjoy what they call "Winter Wonderland".
If you are planning a visit to one of these Parks (or someone else) visit the National Parks Service website. In this web you will find all the necessary information about accesses, activities, tips and even alerts that may exist at any given moment in each Park.
Although in the wild nature expenses will not be the same as being in a big city, keep in mind that you may have to pay tickets or excursions in cash. In addition to the souvenirs that you can buy and take home. So prepare your trip by buying the Dollars you need in advance. You can receive them at your home or pick them up at the office with the nearest collection service.
And don’t forget to follow the tips and recommendations of the rangers to make your visit perfect!
September 18, 2017
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