Even locals get inspired by the view from the top of Picacho Peak Trail. Below, adobe homes nestle into the pi帽on-juniper forests. Above, the sky often shows off brilliant shades of orange and purple. In the distance, mountains stack up on the horizon. It feels like you鈥檙e a world away鈥攁nd yet you鈥檙e only a couple miles from Santa Fe鈥檚 historic plaza and a uniquely vibrant cultural scene.

It鈥檚 that world-class art and food that put on the culture map鈥攁nd for good reason. were James Beard Award semifinalists in 2025, and the area has a long list of critically acclaimed restaurants, as well as more than 250 art galleries, museums, and private dealers. But Santa Fe County also belongs on the adventure map. With more than 200 paths in the Santa Fe National Forest serving hikers and equestrians, 160 miles of mountain biking trails, 370 climbing routes, plus excellent whitewater rafting and trout fishing, the iconic Southwest region serves up adventures for everyone鈥攁nd the secret is out.

Easy Access to Hiking, Biking, and Climbing

One of the most remarkable things about the Santa Fe County trail systems is just how close everything is. The popular Dale Ball Trail network delivers 35 miles of hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. The La Tierra system offers an additional 32 miles of accessible multiuse, beginner-friendly trails, and nearby Galisteo Basin has another 47 miles. That鈥檚 not to mention the many trailheads throughout the .

More interested in vertical adventure? Diablo Canyon Recreation Area delivers some of the best sport rock climbing in the region. Areas听including Santa Fe National Forest and the Pecos River Canyon offer听scenic granite crags at 7,000 feet elevation, with five cliffs that feature single-pitch routes, offering a mix of traditional and sport climbing along the trout-rich Pecos River.

Or go for historical adventure and explore , less than an hour鈥檚 drive northwest of Santa Fe. As the ancestral land of at least 23 tribal nations, the stunning canyon terrain was an epicenter of Native American life and culture for centuries. Today, you can hike throughout the park, see historic petroglyphs and cliff dwellings, and learn about how communities once thrived here.

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World-Class Fishing and Whitewater Rafting

From placid stretches of peaceful water ideal for family floats to the you-better-know-what-you鈥檙e-doing rapid called 鈥淩acecourse鈥� (Class IV at high water), the Rio Grande鈥攖he waterway that defines so much of New Mexico鈥攈as something for everyone. Regardless of your route, you鈥檒l likely find absolute quiet, families of bighorn sheep, and towering canyon cliffs. The Rio Chama, a National Wild and Scenic River, also delivers great rafting trips, including multiday adventures. Both rivers are also known for their exceptional fly-fishing for brown and rainbow trout.

国产吃瓜黑料, Elevated

Put it all together, and Santa Fe County offers an unmatched experience: spectacular outdoor action combined with a refined arts and food scene. The only question is how to do it all.

Explore Santa Fe County, where history, arts, and outdoor adventure await. Hike dramatic trails, bike breathtaking landscapes, ride horseback, or fish pristine waters. Discover Bandelier National Monument鈥檚 ancient wonders, raft the Rio Grande, or hike Namb茅 Falls. Experience unforgettable beauty and culture. Santa Fe County. Beautiful. Happy trails. .

The post Discover Santa Fe鈥檚 Wild Side appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

No adventure compares to driving across the United States. I鈥檒l never forget my first coast-to-coast drive. It was two friends and me, post college, in a beat-up Subaru loaded with everything I owned. We took the long way home, starting in the farmlands of Vermont and making out-of-the-way pitstops for hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains听of Tennessee, dining at legendary barbecue spots across Mississippi, and listening to live music in New Orleans. We drove west, climbed the highest peak in Texas, ate green chile in New Mexico, and stared into the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Most nights, we slept in a tent and dreamed of where the next day would take us. When we finally crossed the California state line toward our final destination, I remember feeling like I wanted to stay on the road forever.

The cross-country road trip is an American rite, a true pilgrimage where you can plan only so much; the rest will unfold wherever the road goes. These three epic journeys have starting and ending points, as well as some spots that may be worth pulling over for along the way, but what you make of the trip鈥攁nd what you ultimately take away from it鈥攊s up to you.

We鈥檝e picked three routes on major highways that cross the country (for a Southwest specific guide, explore our seven best road trips of that region), but along the way, we鈥檝e provided suggestions for detours and byways that get you off the beaten path and out of your car to stretch your legs, experience local culture, and see the sights you鈥檒l be talking about all the way to your next stop. You鈥檒l pull over for things like meteor craters, giant art installations, and donuts. With visits to roadside national monuments, waterfalls, and hot springs鈥攁nd with stays at unique hotels, campsites, and cabins along the way, these road trips aren鈥檛 just a long drive, they鈥檙e an incredible adventure waiting to happen.

The Music Lover鈥檚 Journey: Boston, Massachusetts, to Seattle, Washington

Route: Interstate 90

Distance: 3,051 miles

This northern route across the U.S. follows Interstate 90 from east to west, passing by major cities like Cleveland, Chicago, and Minneapolis. But you鈥檒l also touch on some of the country鈥檚 coolest wild spaces, like the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, the Black Hills of South Dakota, and Yellowstone National Park in Montana. Inspire your road trip playlist by checking out the outdoor music venues and festivals throughout this route.

Pitstop: The Berkshires, Massachusetts

Hop on Interstate 90 in Boston and point it west. Your first stop is the Berkshires, a mountainous region filled with charming small towns 120 miles west of Boston. Go for a hike in , then pick up a tangleberry pie or farm-fresh apples from market in Great Barrington. In Stockbridge, the is worth a stop to learn more about American painter Norman Rockwell, who lived in the area, or check the performance calendar at , home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for major touring acts in this pastoral outdoor music venue. It鈥檚 worth the 30-mile detour off the highway to North Adams to post up for a night or two at (from $194), a revamped motor lodge that hosts guided hikes, live music, and pop-up dinners.

Must See: Niagara Falls, New York

Peel off the highway in Buffalo, New York, for a visit to , America鈥檚 oldest state park and home to its three namesake waterfalls. Grab a yellow poncho and a ticket ($14) to view the falls from below at the observation decks.

Pitstop: Saint Charles, Iowa

Take a detour to visit Saint Charles, Iowa, home to the four-day held each August on a 350-acre plot of grassland. This year鈥檚 headliners include Tyler, the Creator, Kacey Musgraves, and Lana Del Ray. You can camp on site during the festival and hop a free shuttle into nearby Des Moines. If you can鈥檛 make the show, Des Moines still delivers, with 800 miles of trails to explore on foot or bike, including the paved 25-mile , a converted rail-trail with an iconic bridge that鈥檚 lit up at night over the Des Moines River valley. rents bikes.

Pitstop: Black Hills, South Dakota

There鈥檚 tons to see in the Black Hills of South Dakota, including famous highlights like and , as well as lesser known gems like the third longest caves in the world at or the annual buffalo roundup each September in . Grab donuts for the road from , a famed roadside attraction. Stay in a canvas tent among ponderosa pines at (from $179), outside the town of Keystone.

Stretch Your Legs: Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

It鈥檚 not far off I-90 to reach , a geologic monolith with deep roots to indigenous cultures in the northern plains and the country鈥檚 first national monument. Parking and trails can be crowded here, so skip the main lot and hike the 1.5-mile instead鈥攊t鈥檚 less busy and still has good views of the tower.

Pitstop: Bozeman, Montana

Post up at the (from $189) in downtown Bozeman, which has on the property. Stroll Main Street, then take a walk up through Burke Park, a few blocks away, for a nice view of town. It鈥檚 about an hour and 20 minutes drive to reach the north entrance to , known for its geysers and 2.2 million acres of wilderness. If you鈥檙e on the road for music, the in nearby Big Sky takes place in early August.

Pitstop: Coeur d鈥橝lene, Idaho

Home to Lake Coeur d鈥橝lene as well as dozens of smaller lakes, you鈥檒l want to stop in Coeur d鈥橝lene, Idaho, for a swim or a paddle. rents kayaks and paddleboards. on the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille has cabins and campsites (from $48), a , and access to 45 miles of trails for biking and hiking.

Must See: The Gorge Amphitheater, Washington听

Music听breaks up the drive, and there鈥檚 no better place to see live music outdoors in this part of the country than the in Quincy, Washington. There鈥檚 on-site camping during shows and an upcoming lineup that includes Billy Strings and Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Stretch Your Legs: Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

Hike to stunning alpine lakes on Snoqualmie Pass, just an hour outside of Seattle on I-90. You鈥檒l need a $5 to access most of the hikes in this area. The 2-mile follows the Snoqualmie River to a 70-foot waterfall. For a more stout climb, the 8.5-mile roundtrip hike to in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness is a real gem.

Final Stop: Seattle, Washington

Celebrate the end of an epic journey by watching the sunset over the Olympic Mountains and dipping your toes into Puget Sound from Seattle鈥檚 . Stay in the heart of downtown at the (from $189) and you can browse fresh produce and maker鈥檚 stalls outside your door. The 10-mile paved sits right along the waterfront. Want more live music to cap off your trip? The is downtown Seattle鈥檚 coolest music venue.

The Best National Parks Road Trip: San Francisco, California, to Washington, D.C.

Route: Interstate 80 and Interstate 70

Distance: 2,915 miles

Travel across the heartland of the U.S. on this iconic route along I-80 and I-70, passing through stunning western mountain ranges like California鈥檚 Sierra Nevada, Nevada鈥檚 Ruby Mountains, Utah鈥檚 Wasatch, and Colorado鈥檚 Rockies. You鈥檒l visit the great national parks across southern Utah听and hit cities like Denver, Colorado; Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, and Columbus, Ohio, before landing in the country鈥檚 capital.

Pitstop: Lake Tahoe, California

Depart San Francisco on Interstate 80 heading east, leaving the shores of the Pacific Ocean to begin a steady climb toward the mountains of the Sierra Nevada range.听, in the roadside town of Auburn, has good burgers and homemade pies for the road. Lake Tahoe is your first stop, a short but worthy departure from the highway. Stay at the new听 (from $138), which opens in March, and you鈥檒l be steps from the lake. Rent bikes at听 to pedal the world-class singletrack along the听 or grab a paddleboard from听. Don鈥檛 miss dinner at the newly opened, featuring eclectic dishes and locally-sourced ingredients.

Pitstop: Ruby Mountains, Nevada

听There鈥檚 not much on Interstate 80 as you cross Nevada between Reno and Salt Lake City鈥攅xcept for the Ruby Mountains, which spike straight up from the desert floor of the Great Basin. In the winter,听 offers heli-ski access to 200,000 acres of rugged terrain. In the summer, there鈥檚听. Stay at Ruby Mountain Heli鈥檚听 or one of their two mountainside yurts (from $190).

Must See: Great Basin National Park, Nevada

For a national park detour, consider visiting听, which has one of the darkest skies in the world for stargazing. Near the entrance to the park, the听 make for a great overnight stop and snack resupply station.

Pitstop: Moab, Utah

In Salt Lake City, you鈥檒l say goodbye to Interstate 80 and head south to meet up with Interstate 70, but not before spending time to explore the Mighty Five national parks that made southern Utah famous: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. You could spend weeks here鈥攐r just a couple of days. Be sure to book a self-guided or ranger-led hike in the slot canyons of the in Arches National Park and get a permit to hike the exposed rocky cliffside of in Zion National Park. (from $129) makes for a great base camp, or there鈥檚 .

Stretch Your Legs: Glenwood Canyon, Colorado

Get back on I-70 and make your way into Colorado, where scenic Glenwood Canyon makes for a stunning drive along the Colorado River. The paved parallels the highway for over 16 miles, making for an easy biking or running destination. Afterward, stay for a soak in the . A new 16-suite boutique hotel called Hotel 1888 is opening near the hot springs this summer.

Pitstop: Breckenridge, Colorado

Spend the night at (from $320), which opened in early 2025 at the base of Peak 9 at, home to skiing and snowboarding in the winter and biking and hiking come summer. Stroll the charming Main Street of downtown Breck and don鈥檛 miss a visit to the , a 15-foot-tall wooden art installation now located on the town鈥檚 Trollstigen Trail.

Must See: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

It鈥檚 not exactly on the way, but this adventure clearly detours for national parks, so make the trek north to Rocky Mountain National Park, a quiet, snowy paradise in the winter and a fishing and backpacking mecca in the warmer months. The short hikes to and Cub Lake are popular among families. For experienced mountain travelers, Longs Peak is the park鈥檚 most famous 14er鈥擟olorado Mountain School leads guided treks to the peak. Stay overnight in Denver before you head into the plains: (from $189), the country鈥檚 first carbon positive hotel, opened in Denver鈥檚 Civic Center Park late last year.

Stretch Your Legs: Monument Rocks, Kansas

There鈥檚 a on an 80-foot easel鈥攐ne of three in the world鈥攙isible from the highway in the town of Goodland, Kansas. Then, pull over for 50-foot-high fossil rock outcroppings and limestone spires on the Kansas prairie at , which is on private land that鈥檚 open to the public south of Oakley, Kansas, right off I-70. 国产吃瓜黑料 of Topeka, you can visit the , a former school site that commemorates the historic end of racial segregation in public schools.

Pitstop: St. Louis, Missouri

Next stop on your national park tour? The of St. Louis. You can ride a tram 630 feet to the top of the arch, walk the palatial grounds beneath the architectural wonder, or admire the arch from a riverboat cruise along the Mississippi River. The (from $149) is housed in a historic shoe company building and has a rooftop pool and restaurant overlooking the city. is a public market with a food hall, retail shops, and live music, and don鈥檛 miss brunch amid a plant nursery at the city鈥檚 .

Pitstop: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio听

Ohio has but one national park and it鈥檚 worth the detour to visit: has paddling along the Cuyahoga River, 20 miles of multi-use pathways along the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail, and 125 miles of hiking trails through woodlands and wetlands. There鈥檚 no camping within the national park but has tent camping (from $40) nearby or the (from $200) is within the park and on the National Register of Historic Homes.

Final Stop: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Maryland

End your national parks tour of the U.S. with a visit to the . The C&O Canal follows the Potomac River for 184 miles from Cumberland, Maryland, to Washington, D.C. It makes for a great walk or bike ride. Pitch a tent at one of the free hiker or biker campsites or pull your car up to one of a handful of drive-in sites (from $10). Or you can stay in a (from $175) along the canal.

The History Buff鈥檚 Tour of the U.S.: Los Angeles, California, to Charlottesville, Virginia

Route: Interstate 40

Distance: 2,696 miles

This pilgrimage sticks to one highway only for most of the way: Interstate 40, which starts in the Mojave Desert of California and crosses the southern portion of the U.S., over the Rocky Mountains and through the Great Plains and the Appalachian Mountains. It traverses Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Much of the western route parallels the historic U.S. Route 66, so it feels like a throwback to another era, a perfect journey for those who love learning about our nation鈥檚 past.

Pitstop: Mojave National Preserve, California

听You can watch a drive-in movie, visit a ghost town, or hike through lava tubes in . You can鈥檛 miss a visit to , an hour away, for stellar stargazing, rock climbing, and 300 miles of hiking trails. Stay in an adobe bungalow at the centrally located (from $195), which has an on-site farm, restaurant, and picnic lunches to go.

Stretch Your Legs: Lake Havasu, Arizona

will deliver you a kayak or paddleboard to explore the waters of the , once a major tributary on the lower Colorado River and one of the last ecologically functioning river habitats in the southwest.

Pitstop: Flagstaff, Arizona

Post up at the (from $109) in Flagstaff, Arizona, and then go explore the sights around Flagstaff, including , an hour and a half north. The 3-mile , along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, makes for a mellow stroll. The on Route 66 in Flagstaff used to be a historic taxidermy shop and is now a popular bar for country music and line dancing.

Must See: Meteor Crater National Landmark

Yep, you鈥檙e pulling off the highway to see this: The most preserved meteorite impact site on earth is right off I-40 near Winslow, Arizona. For a $29 admission at the , you can sign up for a guided hike of the crater鈥檚 rim.

Stretch Your Legs: Continental Divide Trail; Grants, New Mexico

听You鈥檙e passing from one side of the Continental Divide to the other: Might as well get out of the car and go for a trail run or hike along the Continental Divide Trail, which crosses Interstate 40 near the town of Grants, New Mexico.

Pitstop: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Take a detour off I-40 in Albuquerque to spend a night or two in Santa Fe, the highest elevation capital city in the U.S., which sits at 7,000 feet in the high desert. Splurge on a night at (from $645), a full-service retreat in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos. For art and history buffs, the and the are well worth a visit.

Must See: Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas

You鈥檝e already seen the actual Grand Canyon, so now it鈥檚 time to see the Grand Canyon of Texas, in , 25 miles outside of Amarillo. The park has camping and cabins, an 800-foot-deep canyon, mountain bike trails, and an outdoor stage where actors perform a Texas musical.

Pitstop: Hot Springs, Arkansas

You鈥檒l come to Hot Springs for the historic bathhouses and modern-day spa resorts. At , you can soak in one of two original bathhouses. Want to learn about some of the country鈥檚 most infamous criminals? , in downtown Hot Springs, has exhibits on Al Capone and Owen Madden. The (from $169) is housed in a centrally located historic building. Don鈥檛 miss: is the only brewery in the world that uses thermal spring water for its beers.

Must See: Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas

If you鈥檙e into geologic history, add a visit to Arkansas鈥� , where you can dig for minerals and gems in a 37-acre field on an eroded volcanic crater. (And yes, notable diamonds have been discovered here.)

Pitstop: Nashville, Tennessee

From the music scene to the foodie paradise, you might never want to leave Nashville. Stay in one of eight suites in a 19th century mansion at (from $306), where wood-fired pizzas are served in the backyard. The currently has exhibits on Luke Combs and Rosanne Cash. Go for a walk or run in or take a guided bike tour of the city鈥檚 murals and street art with .

Pitstop: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, you can hike to waterfalls like Mouse Creek Falls or Mingo Falls, fish for brook trout, or bike the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road, which is closed to cars on Wednesdays from May through September. The coolest place in the park to sleep? The (from $189), located atop Mount Le Conte and accessible only via foot. Open from March through November, the lodge requires at least a five-mile hike to reach. Bookings for this year are mostly snatched up already, but you can get on the waitlist or plan ahead for next year.

Final Stop: Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

Your trip finale comes in the form of ditching Interstate 40 in exchange for a meandering drive along the , a 469-mile stretch through the Appalachian Mountains and one of the most scenic roadways in America. You鈥檒l stop to see Whitewater Falls, the east coast鈥檚 tallest waterfall at 411 feet, and the rugged Linville Gorge Wilderness. Stay nearby at (from $175), which opened in the mountain town of Highlands in 2024 with a supper club and Nordic spa. They鈥檒l also book you outdoor excursions, ranging from rock climbing to fly fishing.

Megan Michelson is an 国产吃瓜黑料 contributing editor who loves long drives, even when her two children are whining in the backseat. She has recently written about Airbnb treehouses, the most beautiful long walks in the world, and the 10 vacations that will help you live longer.听

The post Three Epic Cross-Country Road Trips to Start Planning Now appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The Southwest always seems to me like a bit of a fever dream. The country鈥檚 deepest canyons, wildest buttes, and broadest deserts spread here from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, offering a landscape so unlike any other in the country, you might think you鈥檝e left earth altogether. It is a hot, inhospitable territory that demands respect, but it is also outrageously beautiful, with rock outcroppings that seem painted in shades of red and white, blooming cacti, and shifting dunes that undulate like waves onto the horizon.

The easiest and most efficient way to explore the Southwest is by car, bouncing from one breathtaking adventure to the next, so I鈥檝e created seven different road-trip itineraries, one in each state of this stunning slice of our nation. I鈥檝e driven the majority of these routes, while the remaining few are on my list of dream adventures. And each of these has something for everyone鈥攂eaches, sand dunes, cliffs, rivers, hikes, bike rides, fishing holes, and more.

Set your playlist, and pack the sunscreen. Here are the seven best road trips in the Southwest.

1. Nevada

Las Vegas to the Valley of Fire

Distance: 175 Miles
Duration: 3 days

The obvious, and most common, road trip from Vegas would be to beeline straight for the Grand Canyon, but you do not want to overlook the suite of public lands that rings Sin City. The fun begins just 20 miles west of downtown Las Vegas at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a 195,000-acre park that is internationally known for its multi-pitch rock climbing, though my epic adventures here have been of other types.

My favorite way to explore Red Rock is by road bike, pedaling the 13-mile Scenic Drive through the heart of the park. The road has one-way traffic and a big shoulder, so there鈥檚 plenty of room, and you鈥檒l have both long-range and up-close views of the surrounding red sandstone cliffs and canyons. has bike rentals (from $40 a day). If you show up in the summer, do your adventures early in the morning before the heat gets unbearable.

Next skirt around the south side of Las Vegas for 70 miles to Lake Mead National Recreation Area, home to the massive Hoover Dam. I like Lake Mohave, a shallow, narrow reservoir below Hoover that follows the original path of the Colorado River through a series of canyons. If you鈥檙e looking for a full-day (or multi-day) adventure, paddle a piece of the 30-mile Black Canyon National Water Trail, which begins at the base of the dam and ends in Arizona, passing beaches, hot springs, and side canyons.

Only boaters with commercial licenses can launch below the dam, so hook up with , which offers DIY rentals and shuttles or guided trips throughout the water trail. Or for a quicker adventure, drive directly to Willow Beach, and paddle two miles upstream to Emerald Cave, a narrow side canyon with clear, shallow water below 75-foot sandstone walls (tours from $139 per person; rentals from $80 per boat).

has tent sites and RV sites in the hills above the sandy beach from $45 a night.

Driving north, you can stop at Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada鈥檚 largest state park at 46,000 acres, where red and pink sandstone cliffs and canyons fill the valley, the walls popping out of the tan, scrubby dirt. Catch the area at sunset and you could think the whole valley is on fire. The park is full of short, scenic trails for hikers. The 3.3-mile loop takes in iconic features, from a narrow slot canyon to the sinuous Fire Wave, where the striped sandstone seems to flow like water.

Snag a campsite at one of the two developed campgrounds from $10.

2. Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park to Capitol Reef National Park

Distance: 125 miles
Duration: 3 days

It鈥檚 tempting to try to hit all of Utah鈥檚 national parks in a single trip, but you鈥檇 have to cover more than 1,000 miles and spend more time in your vehicle than on the trails. Instead, focus on this slice of Utah by driving the 122-mile Scenic Byway 12, which connects Bryce Canyon National Park with Capitol Reef National Park, hitting Grand Escalante National Monument in the middle. I drove this route last fall and was in constant awe of its beauty and diversity, as we cruised through sandstone tunnels at one point, then climbed to an aspen forest at another.

Pick up Highway 12 in the small town of Panguitch, about 50 miles east from Interstate 12, and keep driving east to Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce, known for its hoodoos (sandstone spires that rise from the valley floor) is one of the country鈥檚 smallest national parks at just 35,835 acres, which means you can see a lot in a short amount of time. Combine Queen鈥檚 Garden Trail with Navajo Loop Trail for a that begins on the rim of the canyon, then drops into the belly, passing hoodoos, arches, and tall cliffs.

Heading north, Highway 12 moves through the heart of the massive Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a 1.9-million-acre park with expanses of slick rock and sandstone canyons stretching all the way to the horizon. I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days in the monument, scrambling down slot canyons and bushwhacking through the heart of a broad canyon before reaching the lush Escalante River. It鈥檚 beautiful but unforgiving terrain that delivers plenty of solitude. Drive the unimproved dirt Hole-in-the-Rock Road (high-clearance two-wheel drive vehicles are usually OK) 33 miles south to the Dry Fork Slots to hike a through Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons, where the passage narrows to about a foot wide at certain points, and scrambling is mandatory. Too adventurous? Try hiking to , a 6.5-mile loop through a smooth canyon that ends at a 124-foot waterfall.

There鈥檚 plenty of camping and lodging around the town of Escalante. , inside the monument, offers seven primitive sites ($10 a night) with no frills. Or go upscale and snag a cabin or Airstream at , a camping-and-cabin resort with a drive-in movie theater, pool, and food truck (cabins from $175 a night).

Driving 65 miles further north on Highway 12, you鈥檒l climb Boulder Mountain through Dixie National Forest before hitting the town of Torrey and Capitol Reef National Park. Here, you鈥檒l find historic fruit orchards, sandstone domes, and more canyons than you could ever hope to explore. Start your journey with , a 3.4-mile out-and-back that crosses broad sections of slickrock before ending at a 125-foot-wide natural arch. Or hook up with and go canyoneering, dropping into the belly of narrow canyons deep inside the park ($300 for the first person).

For a longer adventure, check out our sister publication’s “.”

3. Colorado

Colorado National Monument to Rocky Mountain National Park

Distance: 310 miles
Duration: 3-5 days

Colorado offers a ton of incredible scenery, and this particular road trip takes you from the desert canyons of Colorado National Monument to the high alpine terrain of Rocky Mountain National Park. The diversity of adventure is off the charts, too, with opportunities for sandstone-heavy hikes, big mountain-bike descents, and whitewater rafting.

Start near the western border of the state, at Colorado National Monument, a 20,000-acre park with sheer cliffs and vertigo-inducing sandstone towers. Just driving the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive is worth the price of admission, with near-constant views of the canyon below, including of the massive Independence Monument, a 450-foot tall sandstone pillar.

But you鈥檒l definitely want to get out of your car and explore this monument by foot. The Devil鈥檚 Kitchen is an easy, 1.2-mile out-and-back that gives you the chance to scramble over boulders and explore narrow sandstone channels. Get up close to Independence Monument on the , a 5.2-mile point-to-point that meanders past some of the monument鈥檚 most recognizable rock formations, including the set of rounded pillars dubbed the Coke Ovens and a tower known as the Kissing Couple, because it looks like two people entwined.

After exploring the monument, head east for 25 miles to the town of Palisade, where you can tackle a piece of the , a 32-mile mostly downhill piece of singletrack that drops 6,000 feet off the rim of the Grand Mesa into the edge of downtown. The trail has multiple access points, so you don鈥檛 have to bite off the entire distance. Palisade Cycles has shuttles and rentals starting in March (check then for prices).

Head 75 miles northeast to Glenwood Springs to spend the night at , which has van-life sites on the Colorado River (from $112 a night) as well as glamping tents and cabins (from $179 a night). You can book a half-day on the Colorado, which includes the 1.5-mile-long class III Shoshone Rapids (from $75 per person), or just soak in one of the 17 different pools at , where each tub is tailored to a different temperature (from $44 per person).

When you鈥檙e refreshed, or worn out, drive northeast for 125 miles through to Rocky Mountain National Park, one of the most popular national parks in the country (4.1 million visitors in 2023). Don鈥檛 worry, most of those visitors enter through the Estes Park side, while you鈥檒l access the park on the much-less crowded Grand Lake entrance. I remember, on a trip with my kids, seeing a moose in the valley near Grand Lake and marveling that we were the only people on the trail at the time.

Head to the for a choose-your-own-adventure sort of hike. For a short jaunt that packs a big punch, hike the three-mile out-and-back Green Mountain Trail up to Big Meadow, which in the summer is full of wildflowers and hosts the occasional moose. Or if you really want to get after it, combine the Green Mountain Trail, Tonahutu Creek Trail, and Hayach Lakes Trail for a 17-mile out-and-back that culminates at Hayach Lake, a natural pool that sits at 11,000 feet in elevation in the shadow of the craggy Nakai Peak. Turn it into an overnight if you like, choosing among multiple backcountry campsites along the way ($36 fee for a ).

For a longer adventure, check out our sister publication’s “.”

4. Texas

San Antonio to the Gulf

Distance: 250 miles
Duration: 3-5 days

Texas is big, so you need to narrow your focus for a road trip here, because getting from point A to point B can sometimes take you all day. This particular route starts with some urban exploration in San Antonio and ends on one of the longest undeveloped beaches in the country. In between are quiet swamps, beach campsites, and plenty of paddle trails.

San Antonio might not seem like the perfect place to start an adventure trip, but the city鈥檚 15-mile River Walk, expanded in the late 1990s, has served as an inspiration for other similar projects ever since and it鈥檚 still one of the coolest urban bike rides you can do. Five miles of the path cruise through downtown, but the best biking is just south of town in the , an eight-mile linear park that connects historic missions, grasslands, and wildflower meadows, all protected as the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park.

After spinning around San Antonio, drive east towards the Gulf of Mexico, making a pitstop at Palmetto State Park鈥攁 small stretch just 25 miles east of San Antonio, that鈥檚 home to the sort of tropical jungle you鈥檙e more likely to find in Florida鈥攃omplete with dwarf palmettos blanketing the forest floor. If you bring your own boat or paddleboard, you can slide along the languid San Marcos River, or explore Palmetto鈥檚 small Oxbow Lake. Hiking trails lead through swampy marshes with light-green water filling the forest floor. If you鈥檙e not in a hurry, pitch a tent in the park鈥檚 ($12 a night) before heading to the beach.

Head south on Highway 183 to Mustang Island State Park, which separates Corpus Christi Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. The park protects five miles of Gulf-facing coastline, and has 50 drive-up where you can pitch a tent on the beach ($13 a night, first-come, first-served).

The beach is the obvious draw here. The Gulf is typically calm and warm, although some people are known to surf during hurricane swells. But the park also has more than 20 miles of marked paddling trails that traverse the western edge of the island, weave through islands in Corpus Christi Bay, and offer shallow water for fishing for redfish and speckled trout. runs daily guided trips (from $90 for two people) and rentals (from $50).

If you need more beach (and who doesn鈥檛?) scoot 15 miles down the coast to Padre Island National Seashore. If you have a 4WD vehicle, you can down-island for up to 60 miles until you leave the crowds behind. The national seashore is a hot spot for birding, with 380 different species reported, thanks to the island鈥檚 location on a major migration route. Look for the endangered piping plover or the super colorful painted bunting.

5. New Mexico

Taos to the Bisti Badlands

Distance: 275 miles
Duration: 3-5 days

I haven鈥檛 spent enough time in New Mexico. Or seen enough of it. The last time I was there, on a fly-fishing trip, I couldn鈥檛 bring myself to leave the Taos area. So many fish, so many green chili dishes. But I regret my solitary focus, because the state has much to offer. This particular road trip delivers a variety of adventure and landscapes that I鈥檓 convinced only New Mexico has.

The trip begins with a bang by rafting a tumultuous section of the Rio Grande, just 30 miles southwest of Taos. Different run options offer a variety of adventure, but the classic is a 17-mile portion through the Rio Grande Gorge, also dubbed the Taos Box because it is walled by black basalt cliffs. The trip brings a full day of whitewater action, with a six-mile section of non-stop class II and III rapids known as The Racecourse. If the weather is warm enough, you can swim in a few pools along the way, and good guides will point out petroglyphs on the rock walls. Book your trip with and you鈥檒l get hot fajitas for a riverside lunch (from $110 per person).

Spend the night at the wellness retreat of Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa, where the natural springs feature arsenic, Lithia, soda, and iron, all minerals thought to have healing properties (from $239 a night).

Keep heading southwest to , a super volcano that erupted 1.2 million years ago, creating a 14-mile-wide circular depression that has evolved into a lush basin full of creeks and meadows. Think of Valles Caldera as a mini Yellowstone, complete with hot springs, wildlife-viewing opportunities, and broad grasslands. A large elk population calls the caldera home (look for them in the meadows during early morning and evening), and keep an eye out as well for prairie dogs and coyotes. The Valle Grande Exploration Trail is a short, .8-mile walk through a prairie to a manmade pond that served as a watering hole when the area was a private cattle ranch. The South Mountain Trail is a bit more involved, taking you four miles up a narrow valley and to the top of South Mountain, where you鈥檒l enjoy a view of the entire basin.

You鈥檒l only be 20 miles west of Bandelier National Monument, which protects 33,000 acres of canyons and mesa that were the Ancestral Puebloans鈥� home until 1550. They used blocks of soft volcanic rock to build homes at the bases of cliffs, carving additional rooms into the walls themselves. Hike the 1.4-mile Pueblo Loop Trail to see some of these archeological sites first hand. You鈥檒l even get to climb ladders into some of the rooms carved into the side of cliffs. Grab a campsite at the monument鈥檚 ($20 a night, reserve up to six months in advance).

It鈥檒l add some mileage, but you need to cap this road trip off with a walk on the moon, or at least, as close as most of us will ever come to walking on the moon. The , in northwestern New Mexico, are loaded with some of the strangest rock formations you will ever see, with cap stones and some massive cliffs actually in the shapes of manta rays, all rising from rolling taupe shale hills. The Bisti Badlands are part of the BLM鈥檚 60-square-mile Bisti/De-Na-Zen Wilderness Area, which has no formal trails or paved roads. The De-Na-Zin parking area, off county road 7500, will give you access to the dry Bisti Wash, which you can hike into the heart of the badlands to see all of the weirdness for yourself.

6. Arizona

Grand Canyon to Monument Valley

Distance: 250
Duration: 3-5 days

I spent most of my youth believing Arizona was a desert wasteland, but in recent years I鈥檝e had the chance to turn that around with some of the state鈥檚 wonderful signature adventures. Yes, much of Arizona is desert, but it is no wasteland. It鈥檚 a vibrant landscape full of life and adventure. I鈥檝e driven ATVs across the desert, biked lonely gravel roads near the border of Mexico, and ridden a mountain bike into a cactus on the outskirts of Scottsdale. In short, I love Arizona, and as much fun as I鈥檝e had in that state, I still have so much to discover. The following road trip meanders through Northern Arizona, beginning in Grand Canyon and connecting a few waypoints that I still need to tick off my bucket list.

You could argue that all adventure trips in Arizona need to feature Grand Canyon National Park, and I wouldn鈥檛 disagree, so we鈥檙e hitting that 6,000-foot-deep ditch first. Also, Grand Canyon Village is just 1.5 hours from Flagstaff, so it鈥檚 a logical first stop. Is the Grand Canyon crowded? Yes. But the vast majority of visitors stick to a few scenic overlooks. The last time I was at the South Rim, I lost the crowds after hiking about a mile on the . But you鈥檙e going to do a lot of hiking on this road trip, so consider biking The Hermit Road, which hugs the south rim of the canyon for seven miles from the village, offering copious views along the way. The best part? It鈥檚 closed to private vehicles from March through November. rents cruisers (from $30).

Try to get a room at El Tovar, an iconic national park lodge if there ever was one (from $391 starting in March). Or snag a coveted site at , which is first-come, first- served.

Heading north for 130 miles, you鈥檒l hit the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, a 280,000-acre geological wonder of buttes, canyons, and cliffs that tends to get overshadowed by its grand neighbor. Still, you may have seen photos of the swirling pink and tan sandstone layers of rock in the Coyote Buttes known as The Wave. It鈥檚 a stunning scenic reward that requires a tough hike through the desert. Accessing the Coyote Buttes requires a ($6). Grab one four months in advance, or try your luck with the daily lottery.

If you can鈥檛 score a permit, try hiking the 1.2-mile out-and-back through White Pocket. There are no marked or maintained trails in the monument, but cairns will guide you through more wavy sandstone features. Wherever you hike, look towards the sky for the endangered California Condor, which are hatched and released in the monument each year. And bring (or rent) a 4WD vehicle, as there are no paved roads inside the monument. Grab a site at the BLM鈥檚 , which views a cluster of sand-white buttes ($12 per site, first come/first serve).

Roughly 100 miles east, near the border of Utah, sits the 91,696-acre , a broad valley where 1,000-foot-tall sandstone towers rise abruptly from the earth. You can see some of the most iconic features, the Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte, from the visitor center, but you鈥檒l want to hike the Wildcat Trail, a four-mile loop that wraps around the West and East Mitten Buttes. It鈥檚 the only self-guided trail open within the park, so to explore any more requires hiring a local Navajo guide with . A number of operators run auto tours of the 17-mile scenic loop road within the park, but consider booking a stargazing tour, also with Monument Valley Tribal Tours, that focuses on nighttime photography, framing the buttes within the context of the Milky Way and surrounding stars (from $95).

7. California

So Cal Coast to Mojave Desert

Distance: 300 miles
Duration: 4-5 days

Because this is a collection of road trips through the Southwest, I鈥檓 focusing on Southern California, as the terrain in the area is more complementary to the Southwest vibe than, say, that of California鈥檚 Redwood National Park or Yosemite Valley.

This trip starts on the coast and ends with the dunes in the Mojave Desert, so there鈥檚 plenty of sand along the way, as well as big rocks, desert camping, and hiking. Keep the L.A. fires in mind when you鈥檙e traveling to Southern California. Hopefully the worst of that fire will be in the rearview by the time you make this trip, and while this route steers clear of the burn areas, the disaster has impacted residents throughout the region. Be considerate.

California鈥檚 coast is loaded with state parks, but San Onofre State Beach has a rugged character that鈥檚 hard to match, with cliffs rising directly from the beach and whales and dolphins often spotted in the water. If you fancy yourself a worthy surfer, you can paddle into the lineup at the world-famous Trestles break on the north end of the park, which has been ground zero for Southern California鈥檚 surfing culture since the 1940s. The park offers beginner breaks, too. In fact, San Onofre has one of the more gentle waves in Southern California. offers beginner lessons at the San Onofre Bluffs Beach, which is flanked by 100-foot cliffs (from $100 per person).

Try to score a site at the (reserve up to six months in advance, starting at $45 a night) or San Mateo Camp, a couple of miles inland.

Leave the beach and head east, making a pit stop at the sleeper destination Anza-Borrego Desert State Wilderness, an often overlooked member of California鈥檚 crowded public-lands portfolio. The park is packed with palm oases, slot canyons, and after a wet winter, fields of wildflowers. Stretch your legs on the , a three-mile out and back that begins near the park鈥檚 visitor center and climbs up a canyon, ending at an overlook of a palm oasis (currently recovering from a previous wildfire) with a seasonal waterfall.

Continuing east for 60 miles, and you鈥檒l wrap around the Salton Sea to hit Joshua Tree National Park鈥檚 southern entrance (if you鈥檙e tired or showing up late, look for free campsites on BLM land between I-10 and the park鈥檚 entrance). Spring is a great time to visit the park, as the temperatures are manageable, and the local cacti and Joshua Trees for which the park is named could still be sprouting flowers. Lace up your hiking boots and hit the trails. The easy 1.4-mile is a no-brainer loop that delivers you to a natural arch, with plenty of opportunity to scramble on sandstone boulders along the way. For a bird鈥檚-eye view of the park, climb the 5,456-foot Ryan Mountain via its and for a vista stretching clear to the 11,000-foot San Gorgonio Mountain. I tried running to the top of Ryan Mountain the last time I was in the park, but the 1,000-foot elevation gain got the better of me.

Aside from the BLM land near the south entrance, the park has six with sites you can reserve up to six months in advance. They鈥檙e all good.

Still want more desert? Great, because you鈥檙e heading 70 miles north of Joshua Tree into the heart of the Mojave National Preserve, 1.6 million acres of dunes, cliffs, and cactus that somehow only gets half a million visitors a year. You have to hike the , a 45-square-mile expanse that will have you thinking you鈥檙e in the Sahara. The popular three-mile Kelso Dunes Trail will take you to the top of the tallest mound, which rises 650 feet.

Also, the easy, mile-long Lava Tube Trail provides access to an actual lava tube, where the sun pours in through a 鈥渟ky light鈥� in the stone. Wherever you explore, keep an eye out for the desert tortoise, a threatened species that lives in the Mojave鈥檚 valleys and moves slowly through the heat. The preserve has three developed campgrounds. Try to reserve a spot at , which has potable water ($25 per night).

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national-parks columnist. He鈥檚 been in love with road trips since he read Jack Kerouac鈥檚 On the Road at age 17. His longest road trip to date was a month-long romp through the Southwest with his wife and twin then four-year-olds. Recently, he wrote about bucket-list golf courses, the best hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, and the nine national parks that will need timed-entry reservations this year. One of the weirdest places he鈥檚 ever slept for a story was a renovated lookout tower in the middle of the ocean.

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Planning spring break is high pressure. You only get a one-week respite from school or work, and the timing, late March or early April, makes it tough to find a location with consistently good weather. Those months could offer spring ski conditions or prime surf weather鈥攐r not.

More than a few times, I鈥檝e had to pivot at the last minute, having thought it would be warm enough for family surfing on the Outer Banks for spring break and then found temperatures in the low 50s. We moved our vacation further south.

Yes, south is the operative word. So relax, because I鈥檝e found seven national-park units in the Southeast and Southwest that offer gorgeous landscapes, many days鈥� worth of adventures, and just-about-guaranteed warm weather for the perfect spring break trip.

1. Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

Best for: Swimming, Camping, and Contemplating History

Average Temperatures in March and April: Highs from mid 70s to mid 80s

Cumberland Island is wild. The largest barrier island off the coast of Georgia, Cumberland is a 17-mile-long, 36,000-acre swath of pristine beaches, tall dunes, maritime forests, fresh lakes, and marshy canals. Even though the Carnegie family once owned the island, and descendants still have some private property, Cumberland protects almost 10,000 acres of federally designated wilderness. The only way to reach the island is by a 45-minute ($20 one way) or private boat, and once you鈥檙e there the only way to get around is by foot or bike on hiking trails and 50 miles of sandy roads.

The island has no stores, so bring everything you鈥檒l need, and be prepared to pack it all back out. You鈥檒l see some ruins from a Victorian-era mansion built in 1884 as a winter home for Thomas Carnegie, as well as the remnants of a freedmen鈥檚 community of former slaves. You may spot members of the colony of feral horses that still roam the island, which are likely descendants of the horses brought over by the British during the War of 1812.

As for beaches, Cumberland offers 15 miles of undeveloped sand and dunes facing the Atlantic. For solitude, keep heading north away from the docks until you reach a patch of sand that鈥檚 too far for day-trippers to claim. It鈥檚 tough to find this much raw beach on the East Coast, so soak it in. The Atlantic is rough, but fine for swimming. Stay out of the marshes on the west side of the island, as they鈥檙e popular hangouts for alligators.

Where to Stay: is an all-inclusive hotel operating in one of the Carnegies鈥� former vacation homes (from $895 a night), but most visitors . Sea Camp has bathrooms and showers and allows fires (from $22 a night). Stafford Beach is more remote, requiring a three-mile hike from the docks, and it, too, has bathrooms with showers (from $12 a night). Book your spot early, up to six months in advance.

2. Big Bend National Park, Texas

Best for: Hiking, Biking, Climbing, Canoeing, Stargazing

Average Temperatures in March and April: Low to high 70s

The 800,000-acre Big Bend National Park has been a spring-break destination for decades. My mother-in-law still talks fondly about spending college spring breaks camping there during the 1960s.

Late March and early April are the busiest times to visit the park. But 鈥渃rowded鈥� is a relative term; I hit the place a few years ago at the end of March and never felt overwhelmed or discouraged by other visitors, mainly because the park and its neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park are so large. I hiked, rode my bike, camped, and enjoyed the 鈥淔ar West Texas鈥� vibe of it all.

The Big Bend landscape is straight out of a Western, with its vistas of canyons, the towering Chisos Mountains, and big stretches of rocky desert. It鈥檚 a great place to explore by boot, bike, or boat, an ideal multi-sport national-park trip.

Hikers should tackle the 5.5-mile out and back Window Trail, which descends 1,000 feet from the Chisos Trailhead, at 5,400 feet elevation, through Oak Creek Canyon to a sheer drop-off framed by towering cliffs. Be prepared (and take water) for the steady climb back to the trailhead. Depending on recent storms, there could be a small stream in the center of the canyon, but the trail is still navigable. Subject to changes in the water level, you can paddle a 20-mile section of the Rio Grande through Santa Elena Canyon, which narrows to 100 feet wide, with limestone cliffs blotting out the sun. The area has been in a drought for the last couple of years, so spring trips aren鈥檛 guaranteed, but check with for water levels and trip options (from $160 per person).

Rio Grande Angell Expeditions video by Taylor Reilly

Just outside the national park is , with its bounty of mountain biking, where you can pedal to a backcountry oasis and through a slope filled with sparkling gemstones. Regardless of what you do, at the end of the day you must soak in the historic hot springs that are carved out of the Rio Grande.

Where to Stay: Chisos Mountain Lodge inside the park has 72 rooms, a restaurant, and a general store (from $170 a night). has 60 sites up almost a mile high in elevation; make reservations up to six months in advance ($16 a night).

3. Death Valley National Park, California

Best for Cycling, Hiking, Stargazing

Average Temps in March and April: Highs from 65 to 75

It would be borderline crazy to visit Death Valley National Park in the summertime, but in early spring, the temperatures are chef鈥檚-kiss perfect. Visitors in spring may also have the huge bonus of seeing the wildflowers pop off, particularly in the lower elevations, in fields of desert gold, poppies, and verbena. If you鈥檙e really into hitting the park during peak flower power, watch the rangers鈥� on which wildflowers are blooming throughout spring and summer.

Also cool: the park is home to one of the world鈥檚 rarest fish, the Devils Hole pupfish, an endangered species found only in a water cavern in Devils Hole here. The pupfish are visible during the annual spring migration as they move within the hole seeking warmth from direct sunlight. Scientists counted 191 of them last April, the highest count in 25 years.

You don鈥檛 need to be a cyclist to enjoy Death Valley鈥攖here are plenty of hiking trails鈥攂ut two wheels is a hell of a way to explore this landscape, with 785 miles of roads open to bikes. Cruise through otherworldly terrain like salt flats, expansive sand dunes, and red-rock formations, before climbing into mountains of up to 11,000 feet.

Artist鈥檚 Drive, a paved nine-mile one-way loop, is the park鈥檚 signature ride. It climbs from below sea level to 880 feet above it, offering views of the surrounding moon-like white sands and mountains on the horizon. At the crest, you鈥檒l be surrounded by pink and tan hills, which narrow to canyon-like proportions on the fun downhill to finish the loop. To give you a sense of the terrain, parts of the Star Wars franchise were filmed off this road.

Where to Stay: If you鈥檙e looking for nice digs, will put you in the heart of the action, and with a pool (from $507 a night). is the best developed campground in the park, with 136 sites on the valley floor and mountain views. Book up to six months in advance (from $30 a night).

4. White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Best for Hiking and Sand Sledding

Average Temperatures in March and April: 70 to 80

One of the newest national parks (established in 2019), White Sands isn鈥檛 huge, just 175,000 acres, but it protects half of the world鈥檚 largest gypsum-crystal field. The dunes roll through the Tularosa Basin like bright white waves, creating a landscape unlike anything else on this planet. You can see the San Andres Mountains on the horizon beyond the park, but it鈥檚 the sloping dunes that will mesmerize you.

The eight-mile Dunes Drive scenic road delivers you into the center of the dunes from the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle, and the road also accesses the park鈥檚 five different hiking trails. The Dune Life Nature Trail is an easy one-mile loop that serves as a good intro to the landscape. But if you really want to dig into the dunes, hike the five-mile , which traces the edge of an ancient lake that has been replaced by the waves of dunes. You鈥檒l climb and descend 60-foot sandy mounds throughout.

If you can time it right, hit the park on a , when White Sands is open into the night, and ranger-led programs include guided hikes. And definitely bring a sled (or buy one in the park gift shop). The dunes at the are open to sledding, and the gypsum hills behave exactly like snow slopes.

Where to Stay: There is currently no camping inside the park: its backcountry campsites are closed for rehabilitation, with no timeline as to when they will be in service. The town of Alamogordo, 15 miles east of the park, has a variety of chain hotels.

5. Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida and Mississippi

Best for Island Hopping, Swimming, Surfing, Fishing, Birdwatching

Average Temperatures in March and April: Low to mid 70s

A lot of people have discovered the Gulf Islands National Seashore. In 2023, visitation jumped 40 percent, from 5.7 million to 8.2 million people, making this unit the fifth-most-visited in the park service. People are showing up for the white-sand beaches on the mainland and for barrier islands that you can only reach by boat. The national seashore is made up of a series of parks, beaches, and islands, split between Florida and Mississippi, and all surrounded by clear, aqua-blue waters that are home to gopher tortoises, bottlenose dolphins, starfish, crabs鈥nd the 300 species of birds that migrate through the area.

The easiest island to reach is Ship, 12 miles off the coast and accessible by regular from Gulfport and Biloxi ($44 per person, round trip). Once you鈥檙e on the island, you can explore the historic fort, lounge on the beaches, or swim in the Gulf. The recreation area is fully developed with concessions and restrooms, so it鈥檚 a convenient getaway.

If you鈥檙e looking for something wilder, consider venturing to , an eight-mile-long barrier island protected as a federally designated Wilderness area, so there are no commercial ferries to the island and no facilities on the ground. But if you have your own boat or want to hire a charter (from $675 at ), you鈥檒l find an island ringed with sugar-white sand beaches and grassy dunes, while pine trees and lagoons pack the interior. Mind the occasional alligator.

Where to Stay: The campground, on the mainland near the town of Ocean Springs, sits inside a maritime forest, with marshes and fishing docks ($25 a night, book six months in advance). You鈥檙e also allowed to on the beach on a few of the barrier islands (Petit Bois, West Petit Bois, and Horn Island) inside the park, but stay off the dunes and any vegetation, don鈥檛 bring any mechanical devices (ie, no coolers with wheels), and be prepared for a true wilderness experience, as there are no facilities.

6. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah and Arizona

Best for Boating, Swimming, Hiking

Average Temperatures in March and April: Highs from 60 to 69

Glen Canyon protects the incredible 1.25 million acres of land and water where the Colorado River pours into Lake Powell. The blue water of the lake contrasts sharply with the red and pink sandstone walls that rise directly from the edge, and the lake has countless fingers and canyons to explore by boat.

The water levels of Powell are constantly shifting, and have generally been in decline the last 20 years. Check the park site鈥檚 to make sure the boat ramp or launch you have in mind is operational. The lake was low when I visited a few years ago on a biking and paddle trip, and we had to contend with some mud on the banks, but the place was no less stunning.

The Antelope Point ramp typically has the least boat traffic, so it鈥檚 conducive to use of kayaks or canoes. From there, you can head south on the lake for a mile and paddle into Antelope Canyon, a narrow slot canyon that鈥檚 also a no-wake (no motorboating) zone. Under normal water levels, you can follow the creek upstream for about a mile. offers rental kayaks (from $75 a day). You can also launch directly from the beaches at Lone Rock Beach and Stanton Creek and explore the lake surrounding those alcoves.

Off the water, an easy 1.25-mile hike leads to one of the overlooks at , where the Colorado River takes a drastic turn around a massive sandstone escarpment.

Where to Stay: All inside the recreation area are first-come, first-served. Lees Ferry Campground has 54 sites, potable water, and restrooms ($26 a night). Lone Rock Beach has primitive sites on a sandy beach right next to the water ($14 per night).

7. Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument, Arizona

Best for Overlanding, Hiking, and Seeking Solitude

Average Temperatures in March and April: High 50s to mid 60s

The Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument is primitive. This Northern Arizona park has no facilities, no campgrounds, and no paved roads. Instead, visitors are treated to the sights of 1 million acres of expansive plateaus, rugged canyons, and Mojave Desert, all traversed by a series of unimproved dirt roads and hiking trails. In other words, this monument is ideal for self-contained overlanding. I spent three days cruising Grand Canyon-Parashant in a side-by-side with a rooftop tent, while hiking and biking at various spots throughout, and was as mesmerized by the solitude as the grandeur of the landscape.

If you have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, the monument is yours to explore. The park service details an 80-mile adventure to that cruises through a variety of terrain, from cattle fields to ponderosa forests, and ends on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. If you choose this route, you鈥檒l also have the chance to get out and stretch your legs on the Burnt Canyon Trail, an easy three-mile out-and-back on a grassy road bed that leads to a big view of the western edge of the Grand Canyon. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Mount Charleston, just outside of Las Vegas.

I took a roundabout, multi-day route to reach , with its long view into the Canyon, and an optional side hike down to the water. The last seven miles to Whitmore Point drop 1,500 feet over rocky, rutted terrain that was super fun to bomb on a mountain bike. The fastest way to this perch is a 50-mile traverse from Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse.

Where to Stay: Primitive camping is allowed throughout the monument, but if you鈥檙e looking for a bit of refinement in the midst of all this rugged adventure, the has hotel rooms and covered wagons on an inholding close to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. It鈥檚 only accessible by a 70-mile dirt-road drive through the national monument or an airplane (the place has its own landing strip), but once you鈥檙e there, you鈥檒l be able to refuel your vehicle and have a damn fine dinner (starting at $172 a night).

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national-parks columnist. Every year, he agonizes over how to maximize his kids鈥� spring break, dragging them to campsites in Florida, beaches in South Carolina, and lakes all over the Southeast. He recently wrote about hiking in Joshua Tree National Park and his absolute favorite mountain town on the East Coast. His latest article is all about visiting national parks for free.

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Traveling itself is believed to help boost longevity, but what if your next getaway had even more long-term benefits?

Picture a reboot that鈥檚 good for you. We鈥檙e not talking about rigid health camps鈥攚e all deserve to enjoy our hard-earned vacations, after all鈥攂ut rather, trips to beautiful places where mindfulness, wellness, community, and longevity are top priorities.

Wellness travel is booming. Between 2020 and 2022, wellness trips grew by 30 percent annually, according to research by the Global Wellness Institute, which also reported that in 2022, 819.4 billion wellness trips were taken in the U.S. and internationally, making up about 7.8 percent of all tourism.

Clearly, these types of vacations are resonating, with good reason. These are my 10 favorite wellness trips in North America.

1. Soak in Natural Hot Springs

Ojo Caliente in New Mexico

Soaking in natural hot springs makes for easy relaxation and rejuvenation. Mineral baths have been shown to reduce stress, lessen joint pain, improve circulation, and naturally detoxify. At , a spa resort in northern New Mexico, you can soak in any of nine communal pools (with minerals like lithia and iron), which include a mud bath and a silent pool, or book a private tub. Access to the steam room and sauna come with your stay, and you can add on yoga classes or spa treatments like sound healing or anti-inflammatory massage.

Dating back to 1868 and located amid desert cliffs near the banks of the cottonwood-lined Rio Ojo Caliente, the place is one of the country鈥檚 oldest health resorts, and open for both overnight and day use. Lodging options include adobe suites with hammocks on the patios or restored vintage trailers. (Day passes for the pools start at $45; rooms from $239 a night.)

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听2. Check Into a Wellness Resort

YO1 in Monticello, New York

You鈥檒l get personalized treatments and a custom therapeutic plan when you book at , an Ayurvedic longevity resort that opened in the Catskills in 2018 with a focus on Eastern medicine and holistic therapies. This place is for dedicated self-care travelers looking for a total reboot, a concentrated wellness plan, or programs designed to treat specific issues like stress, depression, diabetes, infertility, or insomnia. Visit for the day or stay for a week.

Not sure where to start? Try the three-night wellness program, which includes individual consultations, mud baths, and acupuncture. You鈥檒l stay at a 131-room lodge overlooking Baileys Lake on a 1,300-acre property in pine forests and surrounded by hiking and biking trails鈥攁ll just two hours from New York City. Access to an infrared sauna, hot tub, group meditation, a reflexology walkway, fitness room, and Olympic-sized swimming pool are included. (Day pass, which includes meals and all-day programming, for $500; overnight accommodations start at $185.)

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3. Stay In a Communal 国产吃瓜黑料 Lodge

Campfire Ranch Little Sugar in Bella Vista, Arkansas

If community is what you鈥檙e after, consider , a new adventure lodge opening in or around May 2025 with out-the-door access to 40 miles of world-class mountain-bike trails surrounding Bentonville, Arkansas, with singletrack loops over rolling hills and through stands of redbud, dogwood, and mulberry trees. The eight-room lodge comes with access to a communal fire pit, outdoor cooking space, gear storage, bike-wash stations, and breakfast service. Campfire Ranch鈥檚 adventure concierge can help plan your outings and connect you with local bike rentals and guides. Rent a single room or, if you鈥檙e with a group, book out the whole place. (Rates from $250.)

Check flights to Fayetteville, Arkansas

4. Run In Another Country

Aire Libre in Mexico City

, cofounded by Mauricio D铆az, a world-class ultrarunner from Mexico, specializes in transformational running and hiking retreats all over the world, from Costa Rica to Japan. These retreats focus on the intersection of movement, mindfulness, culture, and sustainability, enabling participants to connect with themselves and the landscapes and cultures they鈥檙e exploring.

The company鈥檚 ($1,800, including meals, lodging, and guiding) is a four-day running adventure where you鈥檒l jog through Mexico City along the gravel trails of Viveros de Coyoac谩n park and the plazas of the National Autonomous University of Mexico campus. You鈥檒l also leave the city to run trails across the volcanic landscape of the Continental Divide, then experience a guided indigenous temazcal ceremony in a sweat lodge. By night, enjoy communal meals and lodging in boutique hotels.

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Check flights to Mexico City

听5. Spend Four Days Doing Yoga

Esalen in Big Sur, California

Even if you鈥檙e not a dedicated yogi or a holistic-retreat kind of person, you鈥檒l love being on the jagged cliffs of Big Sur at , a nonprofit retreat center and educational institute with a heavy yoga focus. You can do a self-guided exploration (read: stay on your own with limited formal instruction) or sign up for the center鈥檚 two- or four-night workshops on topics like hypnotherapy, storytelling, or astrology. This is the kind of place where your cell phone doesn鈥檛 work, so you might as well stash it away and focus on movement, nature, and real-life connection.

When you鈥檙e not learning about your conscious intentions, you can hike the trails within Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park amid 300-foot redwood trees, oak, and chaparral, and see an 80-foot waterfall plummet into the sea. You can also wander the beaches of Big Sur, or bathe in Esalen鈥檚 famously clothing-optional hot springs above the roiling Pacific Ocean. Accommodations range from bunks in communal rooms to private yurts overlooking the Pacific. (Rates from around $950 for multi-day workshops, including lodging, meals, and programming. Scholarships available.)

Check flights to Monterey, California

6. Sit in a Sweat Lodge Under a Full Moon

The Horse Shoe Farm in Hendersonville, North Carolina

You could come to the to stay in a well-appointed cottage and eat farm-to-table meals with ingredients sourced on site. Or you could make a trip here into a more broad-based wellness excursion. Just under 40 minutes from Asheville and situated between the verdant Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains with a view of Mount Pisgah, this health sanctuary has five energy vortexes (places believed to be centers of energy currents with spiritual effects), holistic spa treatments, an outdoor labyrinth for walking meditation, and a meditation tower.

The resort recently partnered with, a Cherokee wisdom keeper and ceremonialist from the Qualla Indian Boundary in the Great Smoky Mountains, to build a sweat lodge on the 85-acre property, where he hosts ceremonies on each full and new moon. Overnight accommodations include one-room lofts or three-bedroom homes, depending on your group size. (Rates from $399.)

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听7. Go Forest Bathing

Southall Farm and Inn in Franklin, Tennessee

Not all spas are created equal. 鈥檚 spa goes above and beyond, incorporating botanical ingredients and mindfulness in sessions like energy healing and detoxifying treatments to develop a deeper connection to self and nature. This working farm on a 425-acre plot in Tennessee has a 62-room lodge plus 16 private cottages that opened for guests in 2022. You can add treatments like sound-bath meditation, forest bathing, or a wellness consultation, depending on what you鈥檙e looking for. More than seven miles of hiking and biking trails surround the farm, and there鈥檚 canoeing and fishing on the private Lake at Southall. Or take guided tours of the orchard and apiaries that are home to some 8 million bees. (Rates from $695.)

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8. Build Something With Your Hands

Yestermorrow in Waitsfield, Vermont

This place isn鈥檛 a spa resort in the standard sense, but for people who find learning new skills and using their hands to build things are perfect ways to unlock a deep sense of fulfillment. is a green design-and-build school in Vermont鈥檚 Mad River Valley, with a small campus offering day classes and overnight lodging in the Green Mountain National Forest with its lakes and mountain hikes. You can take courses on building a coffee table, sustainable treehouse design, harvesting your own lumber, or basic carpentry. Classes last from two days to two weeks (with certification programs that go longer). Healthy-meal plans plus lodging鈥攄orms, cabins, or camping鈥攃an be added to your tuition. (Lodging from $10 to $55 a night; courses from $260, scholarships and sliding-scale tuition available.)

Check flights to Burlington, Vermont

9. Surround Yourself with the Ocean

Pebble Cove Farm in Orcas Island, Washington

Getting to is the first step: You鈥檒l need to take a ferry to reach Orcas Island, part of the dreamy San Juan Islands in upper Puget Sound, 100 miles north of Seattle. Once you鈥檙e here, you鈥檒l settle into a cozy cottage overlooking a quiet bay at this farm and animal sanctuary that hosts guests and offers wellness retreats. The inn rents out kayaks and paddleboards and has a garden and apple orchard you鈥檙e welcome to wander through. Rescued farm animals like horses, chickens, pigs, and goats, adopted from elsewhere, reside here. The garden and farm animals are closed off from November through April, but the cottages are open year-round. (Rates from $300.)

10. Ski With New Friends

The Ski Retreat in Palisades Tahoe, California; Sun Valley, Idaho; Breckenridge, Colorado

You want to spend a weekend playing outside in snow-covered mountains, but not to deal with figuring out logistics or finding a group of friends to go with. We get that. Enter , a women鈥檚 getaway in places like Lake Tahoe, Sun Valley, or Breckenridge for groups of six to 12. These trips, numbering five this winter, are about connection, friendship, relaxation, and play鈥攚ithout having to plan a thing. Your three-night retreat includes lodging at a slopeside cabin, morning yoga, gear demos, chef-prepared group dinners, fireside chats, art classes, and ski and snowboard adventures for a wide range of abilities. (Rates from $550 for local residents not including lodging; from $1,190, including lodging.)

Check flights to Reno, Nevada

Check flights to Hailey, Idaho

Check flights to Denver, Colorado

Megan Michelson, an 国产吃瓜黑料 contributing editor, lives in northern California. She鈥檚 hoping her occasional habits of drinking tea, practicing yoga, and sleeping 10 hours a night will lead to a long and healthy life. She recently wrote for us about buying a 1 Euro (yes, as in one dollar) home in Italy; how to travel to ski, hike, and bike in Jackson, Wyoming, on the cheap (hard to believe, but she knows of great deals); and why she and her family traded traditional Thanksgiving options for Campsgiving. Her list of great outdoor festivals extends into May 2025.

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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I鈥檒l admit, I鈥檓 biased toward lush tropical landscapes, like Tahiti, and rugged stretches of coast, such as Vancouver Island, British Columbia. But there鈥檚 something magical about the endless expanse of badlands or a snowcapped mountain reflected in an azure alpine lake. So they made my list of the most beautiful places on earth.

I鈥檝e done a lot of globe-trotting in my decade as a travel journalist. When 国产吃瓜黑料 asked me to consider writing about the most beautiful wild places on earth, I immediately thought of Lagoa das Sete Cidades in the Azores, green-blue twin lakes within a crater, and the Na Pali Coast of Kauai, with emerald cliffs that tumble steeply to the sea.

But these places are already on most people鈥檚 radar, and the last thing I want is to contribute to overtourism. Instead, I came up with a list of stunning, lesser-known destinations that are also full of adventure potential. You鈥檙e going to be amazed.

I purposely highlighted more sites close to home to make this list accessible.听My biggest tip is to live in the moment when visiting these places鈥攐r any place that bowls you over. You can鈥檛 experience it fully if you鈥檙e glued behind your camera, shooting images to share. Here are my picks for the most beautiful places on earth.

1. Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah

Why It Wows: Utah has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to otherworldly rocky landscapes, but the geologic amphitheater that is steals the show (entrance fee from $15). Rich mineral deposits in the cliffs and hoodoos resemble a sweeping sunset of orange, yellow, red, and purple. During July and early August, some 250-plus species of wildflowers bloom, creating a Technicolor landscape.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Tucked in the mountains 20 miles east of Cedar City, this three-mile-long cirque gets a sliver of the foot and vehicle traffic seen at nearby Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks but offers just as many options for outdoor lovers. Because it鈥檚 located at an elevation of 10,000 feet, summer temperatures are comfortable, with highs hovering around 70 degrees.

Hikes range from the ADA-compliant, two-mile round-trip Sunset Trail, which skirts part of the rim overlooking the amphitheater, to the 12.8-mile Rattlesnake Creek Trail, a two- to three-day hike in the Ashdown Gorge Wilderness that drops into the amphitheater.

Five miles north, is a mountain biker鈥檚 dream, with more than 100 miles of downhill singletrack and 100 miles of cross-country trails.

Stargazers know Cedar Breaks as a designated International Dark Sky Park. Every Sunday and Saturday from late May through early October, the monument offers free four-hour astronomy tours at the North View Overlook.

2. Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta

Why It Wows: Often referred to as Banff National Park鈥檚 lesser-known sister, this 76,800-acre patch of wilderness in the Canadian Rockies is the epitome of postcard perfection, with its snow-crowned peaks, sparkling alpine lakes, glacial streams, and evergreen valleys. In autumn the park is most dazzling, when larches鈥� needles turn gold and the trees are reflected in the lakes.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: , 85 miles southwest of Calgary, is one of Canada鈥檚 most accessible parks, with multiple barrier-free trails wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs (entrance fee from $12).

Stay at , fresh off a $6 million renovation (from $21 for a campsite; from $31 for a cabin). It overlooks Lower Kananaskis Lake, prioritizes people with disabilities and seniors, and features 22 accessible cottages, plus 13 campsites, and 11 miles of accessible trails on-site.

The park is full of hiking and mountain-biking trails, as well as seven miles of paved biking paths. In fall, check out Elephant Rocks and Chester Lake via when it鈥檚 positively ablaze with yellow larches. In winter, bring along your cross-country-ski gear and spend a day on the park鈥檚 more than 50 miles of groomed trails.

In the area without your outdoor essentials? rents everything from canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards to e-bikes and full-suspension mountain bikes.

3. Lefkada Island, Greece

Why It Wows: Sea and sky meld together in an ombr茅 of blues on this under-the-radar Ionian isle. Chalky cliffs and white-sand and pebble beaches also woo those in the know, but the interior is just as wondrous, filled with a dense forest of ancient oak, dramatic gorges, and tumbling waterfalls.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: A five-hour drive west of Athens, Lefkada is one of the few Greek islands that doesn鈥檛 require a boat to reach鈥攊t鈥檚 connected to the mainland by a bridge. A playground for recreationists, you can spend days and biking its trails, or opt for guided or self-guided e-bike excursions with .

Windsurfers and kitesurfers head to Vasiliki, Ai Gianni, and Myli beaches. , in the village of Vasiliki, rents equipment and provides lessons. All of the beaches are stunners, but Egremni, on the southwest coast, is widely considered the prettiest in the country. Surrounded by limestone cliffs, you must hike a steep trail from the parking lot, then descend more than 300 stairs to reach the sand. Trust me, the effort is worth it.

4. Shariqiya Sands, Oman

Why It Wows: Stark and remote, this seemingly endless stretch of rippling, wind-sculpted dunes spans 5,000 square miles of Oman, a small sultunate on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The highest dunes鈥攕ome as tall as 330 feet鈥攁re found closest to the coast. But the big reason to see these ever-shifting sands is to witness the mesmerizing way they change color from pale gold in the afternoon to deep amber and copper as the blazing sun cuts across the sky.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: A three-hour drive south from the capital city of Muscat, this desert was recently renamed the Sharqiya Sands to reflect its geographic location more accurately (sharqiya comes from the Arabic word for 鈥渆astern鈥�), but everybody still refers to the area by its former name, Wahiba Sands, a nod to the region鈥檚 Bani Wahiba tribe.

, an Oman adventure specialist with 17 years of experience in the country, sets up mobile camps deep within the desert and can arrange activities like sandboarding, camel safaris, dune driving, and visits with local Bedouin families (from $6,234 per couple for two nights, all-inclusive). Bonus: the lack of light pollution means campers are treated to incredibly clear, diamond-studded night skies.

5. Las Coloradas Lagoon, Yucat谩n, Mexico

Why It Wows: These glimmering cotton-candy-colored lakes pop against a backdrop of powdery white-sand beaches and pastel blue skies within the protected reserve of the R铆a Lagartos Biosphere. The lagoons get their blush tint from the plankton, red algae, and brine shrimp that thrive in the super salty waters.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: The biosphere is off the beaten path鈥攁round three and a half hours from major tourist hubs like M茅rida, Canc煤n, and Playa del Carmen鈥攁nd area accommodations are limited. Your best bets for an overnight stay are , a four-room, family-run eco-lodge in the reserve that also offers tours (from $95), or the in the sleepy nearby fishing town of R铆o Lagartos (from $66).

The biosphere is a birding paradise, home to 380 species, including 30,000 flamingoes that match the water. It鈥檚 also possible to spot spider monkeys, coatis, and jaguars, and from April and October, hawksbill and green turtles lay their eggs on the shores. Book a tour at the reserve鈥檚 visitor center for a better understanding of this ecosystem, but don鈥檛 plan on swimming here; as tempting as it might be to dive into the pink waters, the activity is prohibited, due to the high salinity and because the salt is harvested there for consumption.

6. Rio Sucuri, Brazil

Why It Wows: Eleven miles outside Bonito, the self-declared ecotourism capital of Brazil, you’ll find Rio Sucuri, whose Avatar-blue waters are considered some of the clearest on the planet. Set against the lush jungle, its spring-fed waters glow a surreal electric blue.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Bonito is located in the central-western state of Mato Grosso do Sul. It takes some effort to reach. After an approximate two-hour nonstop flight from S茫o Paulo to Campo Grande, it鈥檚 a three-and-a-half hour drive to Bonito; from there, the access point to Rio Sucuri is another 12 miles away.

and (from $160 and $160, respectively) are both great boutique stays around 50 minutes away, set on the banks of the Rio Formoso, another pristine, spring-fed waterway.

Rio Sucuri has been developed as an ecotourism project and can only be experienced with a guide. To reach the river鈥檚 headwaters, it鈥檚 a quarter-mile walk through the forest to a reception area at the S茫o Geraldo ranch, which outfits everyone with a wetsuit and snorkel gear. Then you鈥檒l board a boat for the quick ride upstream, where you鈥檒l jump in and allow the gentle current to drift you back, lazy-river style.

You鈥檒l no doubt spy pacu (a vegetarian piranha) and red-tailed pirapitanga darting between swaying emerald-green grasses. With exceptional visibility, you鈥檒l feel like you鈥檙e floating in an aquarium.

7. Pico Ruivo, Madeira, Portugal

Why It Wows: Topping out at nearly 6,110 feet, Pico Ruivo is the third-highest point in Portugal and the tallest peak in the archipelago of Madeira. From the top, you鈥檙e rewarded with panoramic vistas of the entire archipelago.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Two trails lead to the summit. (PR 1.2) is the more direct route; it climbs 1.7 miles to the viewpoint. The more scenic path, however, is the 3.3-mile (one-way) (PR 1.1). Many consider this the most spectacular hike in all of Madeira. It crosses the island鈥檚 central massif, tunnels through volcanic tufts that once sheltered shepherds, and heads up steep slopes home to colossal urzes trees.

That said, it鈥檚 a test-your-mettle trek. Rise early to score parking at the trailhead at Pico Areeiro, the archipelago鈥檚 third-highest peak, and catch the sunrise before heading out.

8. Tarkine Rainforest, Tasmania, Australia

Why It Wows: The second-greatest expanse of cool temperate rainforest in the world could easily have been the inspiration for Fern Gully. Filtered light dances through the canopy of massive eucalyptus and leatherwoods, and velvety moss seems to cover everything. Hugging the island鈥檚 rugged northwest coast, the 900-plus-square-mile area boasts wild, remote beaches and sand dunes, waterfalls, and numerous sinkholes.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: The coastal village of Arthur River is a good jumping-off point for forest and beach adventures, or base yourself at , 67 miles south, for immediate access to river activities (from $176). The hotel has a fleet of 16 canoes and kayaks to rent, and from there it鈥檚 a three-hour paddle down Pieman River to 130-foot-tall Lover鈥檚 Falls.

Hikes through this 65-million-year-old rainforest are magical. Tackle the 5.5-mile, out-and-back Whyte River and Savage River Trail, keeping an eye out for wallabies, pademelons, and platypuses, which tend to be more active at dawn and dusk. Eco-outfitter runs four-, five-, and six-day hiking and camping expeditions to the region鈥檚 most incredible spots.

9. The Sermilik Fjord, Greenland

Why It Wows: This 50-mile-long fjord in eastern Greenland spans is a frozen wonderland of luminous blue crystal cliffs, calving glaciers, and a flotilla of colossal icebergs.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Most visitors explore eastern Greenland by ship, but I like 鈥� new, climate-friendly, human-powered itinerary ($6,750 for eight days). You鈥檒l explore the region on foot or by kayak, and sleep in tents and cabins. Inuit hunter and guide Jokum Heimer Mikaelsen, along with a guide from the Greenland mountaineering company , lead hikes up small mountains, into ice caves, and across glaciers and offer insight on how Native people forage on the tundra.

Powderhounds can discover the slopes on a ski-tour trip with Expedition Engineering (from $4,910 for eight days). Dogsleds and local boats are used to access different terrain each day.

10. Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico

Why It Wows: These sprawling badlands look like a high-desert fantasy world dreamt up by Salvador Dal铆. Shaped by wind and erosion, the hoodoos create a natural sculpture park, with rock formations resembling alien eggs and manta ray wings.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Two trailheads access the area鈥檚 43,420 acres, both located less than an hour鈥檚 drive south of Farmington, New Mexico, or 90-minute drive south of Durango, Colorado. The Bisti Trail on the west side is the main portal and most popular, thanks to its moonscape-like terrain.

The De-Na-Zin Trail on the southeast side features less of the classic badlands topography but is still wildly beautiful. It starts out in sagebrush, transitions to juniper and eventually badlands studded with huge petrified logs and eroded cliffs and mesas.

Most visitors head to Instagram-sensation attractions like the Bisti Wings. But Stan Allison, an outdoor-recreation planner at the BLM Farmington Field Office, recommends a more exploratory approach. 鈥淢any of the unnamed areas have features that are just as interesting as the named ones,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 navigate by following the normally dry arroyos and then veering off or up side drainages when I see interesting features.鈥�

Wheeled vehicles are not allowed on BLM land, and there are no designated hiking trails, so be sure to download a topographic map of your route to a well-charged phone ahead of your visit, because cell signals can be spotty. This is an area where packing a paper map and compass is also a smart idea.

Or considered a guided visit. The wilderness boundaries overlap parcels of private Navajo land, and offers five-hour trips that delve into the history of the area and its cultural significance to Indigenous people.

11. Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique

Why It Wows: I visited this archipelago of five dune islands almost a decade ago, and from the plane, they looked听like a white-and-aquamarine swirl-art painting. A designated national park, the marine life in its protected waters is as incredible as the powder-fine beaches. The archipelago lays claim to the second most diverse coral reefs in the world and supports over 2,000 species of fish, and on dive and snorkel excursions I听saweverything from vivid corals and manta rays to reef sharks and even the endangered dugong.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: The large coastal town of Vilanculos is the gateway to this cluster of islands, which can be reached by air via or by boat (most hotels provide complimentary boat transfers).

Bazaruto and Benguerra islands offer next-level offshore snorkeling and diving opportunities, as well as hiking/biking to听 crocodile-filled inland lakes surrounded by towering sand dunes. It鈥檚 worth splurging on a stay at or , both barefoot-luxe eco-hotels on Benguerra Island (from $5,744 and $1,108, respectively). The resorts can organize sailing excursions on traditional dhow boats, kitesurfing lessons, kayak trips through mangroves, whale-watching excursions between July and October, and scuba-dive outings to famed sites like Two Mile Reef, accompanied by research scientists.

12. Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan

Why It Wows: Reminiscent of the wild beauty of Hawaii Island, this district in Japan鈥檚 southernmost island, Kyushu, has 250 miles of surf-blessed coast, active volcanic craters, and wild horses. More than 75 percent of the mountainous interior is covered with forests dotted with sacred shrines and cascading waterfalls.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Located on the east coast of Kyushu, Miyazaki is about a 90-minute flight from Tokyo鈥檚 Haneda Airport or a 60-minute flight from Osaka鈥檚 Itami Airport. Legendary waterman Kelly Slater has pilgrimaged here to ride waves, a testament to the area鈥檚 surf cred. The guide company offers surf trips led by local pros, and if you鈥檙e experienced, they鈥檒l lead you to a secret big-wave spot that breaks from August to October.

A visit to Cape Toi, Miyazaki鈥檚 southernmost point, is a must. The scenery is straight out of a fairytale, with a seemingly endless panorama of sapphire ocean, a forest of rare, native sago palms, and 100 wild horses called Misaki-uma, considered a national treasure. Even cooler: you can camp here, at the (from $20).

13. Lake Willoughby, Vermont

Why It Wows: Nicknamed America鈥檚 Lucerne, this five-mile-long, glacier-carved lake is sandwiched between the fjord-like peaks of Mounts Pisgah and Hor. The water is remarkably clear, and come fall, it takes on the autumnal hues of the surrounding foliage鈥攁 gorgeous sight.

国产吃瓜黑料 Intel: Situated in the heart of Vermont鈥檚 rural Northeast Kingdom, Willoughby State Forest encircles the lake’s southern end and is webbed with 12 miles of hiking trails. is a 2.5-mile out-and-back route with fantastic lake views.

Summer is the most popular season for boating, paddleboarding, and kayaking, and public beaches on its north and south ends are popular with swimmers and sun seekers (note that the latter is clothing optional). Willoughby is also a haven for anglers who come to hook jumbo trout and salmon. (Willoughby Lake Store, near Westmore, sells bait.) Visibility is so good some people even scuba dive here.

On the south side of the lake, the family-run has tent sites, RV hookups, and waterfront cabins, plus an on-site caf茅 and country store, plus kayak, canoe, and SUP rentals (from $38).

Jen Murphy is 国产吃瓜黑料 Online鈥�s travel-advice columnist and a frequent contributor to the magazine. She dreams of returning to the Bazaruto Archipelago to dive its clear waters, and a camping trip in the desert of Oman is on her wish list.听

The post The 13 Most Beautiful Places on Earth You鈥檝e Never Heard Of appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Animals are awesome. Not only are they cute and furry, but interacting with four-legged creatures has major health benefits. Just petting a dog can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Interactions between people and animals can boost levels of oxytocin, the same feel good hormone that鈥檚 present in mothers bonding with their babies.

Not all of us can take care of a pet 24/7, but we still long for interaction with them. That’s why these resorts and sanctuaries that help save animals are so magical鈥攖hey want you to come hang out with them.

These are my five favorites where you can interact with different species, from alpacas to kittens, in serene settings, helping to further the cause of animal rescue while boosting your own spirits.

1. Ojo Santa Fe

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Puppy Patch might be the happiest two words in the English language, and you can visit this wonderful place at , a full-service spa and resort on 77 acres, located 15 miles southwest of downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to early-morning yoga and thermal-pool soaks, Ojo partners with Espanola Humane, a local animal shelter, to foster rescue puppies, and you can frolic with them in the resort鈥檚 grassy Puppy Patch (open daily from 9:30-11 A.M. and 5-6 P.M.). All of the puppies are up for adoption.

Ojo is also home to a flock of silkie chickens, a breed of hen that is known to be particularly soft and playful. The resort hosts a daily Chicken Chat in the outdoor coop, where you can learn about the birds and feed them fresh greens and veggies. Rumor has it that the chickens actually purr like cats when you pet them.

The 77-acre property also offers some solid high-desert hiking, with two miles of trails traversing arroyos and rock outcroppings while delivering views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (overnight start at $298).

2. Red Robin Song Sanctuary and Guest House

New Lebanon, New York

You don鈥檛 know charisma until a 700-pound pig sidles up to snort hello. That鈥檚 what happens at , a rescue outfit for domestic and farm animals on 85 acres bordering the Berkshire Mountains of upstate New York. Red Robin Song鈥檚 impressive array of 鈥済uests 鈥� also includes yaks, rabbits, goats, a donkey, and a mini horse.

鈥淢ost people have never seen animals like these in person before,鈥� says Red Robin鈥檚 founder, Lisa Robinson. 鈥淲e rehabilitated orphan beavers for a while. So many animals need to be rescued and need a forever home.鈥�

Currently, Red Robin houses almost 50 different animals. Guests to the farm get a full tour that includes education about the drawbacks of a meat-based diet and commercial animal farming, while also spending time with many of the friends on site.

鈥淵ou get a chance to meet the animals you might normally eat,鈥� Robinson says. 鈥淎nd we respect the animals and the kind of interaction they want.鈥�

For instance, some rabbits are skittish and only want to be admired from afar, and a few Tibetan yaks that were rescued from a meat farm aren鈥檛 quite ready to mingle with guests. But the goats are super social and many of the dogs are psyched to hike with you on the sanctuary鈥檚 85-acre property.

Visitors can come for the day or stay overnight at the , a three-room vegan bed and breakfast (from $162 a night), where proceeds directly support the rescue endeavor. In addition to the property鈥檚 immediate 85 acres of ponds, pastures, and woods, the adjacent 447-acre offers more than two miles of hiking trails.

3. Atlanta Alpaca Treehouse

Atlanta, Georgia

The packs a mighty punch in a small space. The property, which sits in East Atlanta in the midst of the South鈥檚 largest city, is only 3.5 acres, but it鈥檚 loaded with four alpacas, four llamas, and two guanacos. (A guanaco is a South American camelid similar to a llama, but typically only found in the wild.) All of the animals were rescued and on hand to interact with guests at the property鈥檚 treehouse, made from reclaimed wood and tucked into a lush bamboo forest.

鈥淲e started with chickens, and they were the gateway livestock to these other animals,鈥� says Kara O鈥橞rien, owner of the Alpaca Treehouse. 鈥淟lamas and alpacas are so smart. They鈥檙e just under dolphin intelligence. They communicate clearly with me and each other. They鈥檙e like big, teenaged smart cats. They鈥檙e hilarious. Each has radically different personalities.鈥�

Stay at the treehouse and you can watch the herd of llamas and alpacas from your window, feed them baby carrots out of your hand, or take a yoga class with them. 鈥淥ne of our llamas, Figgy, actually goes into the yoga room and does yoga. She鈥檚 obsessed with it,鈥� O鈥橞rien says.

All of the proceeds from the one-bed Treehouse (from $385 per night) go to rescue more llamas, which O鈥橞rien then works to place in permanent homes.

4. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Kanab, Utah

in Kanab, Utah, is the largest no-kill sanctuary in the country, housing more than 1,600 animals, ranging from cats to parrots to pigs, on a 3,000-acre property in Utah鈥檚 canyon country 45 minutes south of Zion National Park. Visitors can take the free daily Grand Sanctuary tour to learn about the ins and outs of caring for and rehabilitating the animals, or download the to go on a self-guided tour. You can also volunteer to work in one of the care centers, hanging out with cats, picking up after bunnies, or tending to pigs.

If you feel a connection with a particular dog, you can even schedule a hike together on the sanctuary鈥檚 three miles of trails, which traverse red rock canyons and creeks, where you鈥檒l find overlooks, Pueblo ruins, and a cave filled with water on adjacent BLM land. A stream runs through the property, making for a fun and splashy adventure.

The sanctuary has a welcome center, cafe, and store, and a variety of overnight lodging if you want to spend more than an afternoon. is a 40-room hotel in downtown Kanab with a fenced-in dog park, splash zone, and slide-out pet beds (rooms from $133), and the sanctuary just updated its 18 on-property (from $61 a night).

If you score a room or RV site, you can even host a sleepover, giving a dog or cat a night away from communal living and you an opportunity to see if you鈥檙e compatible for full-time adoption. Proceeds from lodging help support the rescue mission.

5. Animal Place

Grass Valley, California

This 600-acre sanctuary in Grass Valley, California, which focuses mostly on farm animals, has rescued or re-homed almost 30,000 hens alone, not to mention numerous roosters, goats, turkeys, pigs, dogs, and even pigeons. Currently, more than 300 farm animals live at , which sits in the Sierra Nevada foothills in an area that鈥檚 most famous for its gold-mining history.

Guests can take a guided 1.5-hour tour of the facility ($20 donation, in advance) to learn more about the animals and the rescue process, while also spending time with some of the more social residents, like goats, sheep, bunnies, and pigs. Drop-in visitors can embark on a self-guided tour of the sanctuary on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. (but that does not allow contact with the animals). Keep an eye out for special events, like a Paint 鈥檔鈥� Sip, where you drink bubbly and paint one of the cute farm animals.

Animal Place runs a with enough bedrooms to host six to 10 people for stays up to a week. It鈥檚 a single-family home with three bedrooms and a central kitchen and living room. You can rent it by the bedroom (from $75 a night) or the entire house ($750 a night). Each stay comes with a free 30-minute tour where you鈥檒l meet up to two species of animals. The guest house is currently being renovated, but is expected to be open for bookings in October.

6. Golden Dog Farm

Jeffersonville, Vermont

is not an animal rescue, and has no overnight option, but if you like hanging out with adorable dogs in a beautiful setting, put this small farm on your list. The place is a family-owned maple-syrup facility (also producing honey and fruits) in Vermont鈥檚 Green Mountains 10 miles from Stowe Mountain Resort.

If you book a visit in advance at Golden Dog Farm, you can interact with the dogs. Yes, the dogs are popular and you need a reservation. There are two options; sign up for the Golden Retriever Experience ($80), which is essentially a playdate with at least 10 doggy cuties in a pasture on the farm where you can play ball, frolic, or just snuggle (while getting your share of social-media images).

Or book a slot for the Friday and Saturday night Wines and Wags, where a Master Sommelier discusses grape growing in Vermont while guests sample local wines鈥攁nd then you get to play with the dogs. Yes!

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national-parks columnist. The best part of his day is walking his own rescue dog every morning.

For more by Graham Averill, see:

The 10 Best Bike Towns in America, Ranked

8 Surf Towns Where You Can Learn the Sport and the Culture

The Best Ways to Get 国产吃瓜黑料 in West Virginia

The 10 Best National Parks in Canada

The post You Can Stay On Site at These Animal Sanctuaries appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Our national parks are awe-inspiring and family-friendly destinations. That said, some are cheaper to get to and stay in or near than others. I know: from 2020 to 2023, I visited all 63 U.S. national parks as a columnist for 国产吃瓜黑料, in a van and on a shoestring budget. Then I wrote a book about it, called .

To come up with a list of the most affordable parks, I looked at the primary costs that go into a national park trip鈥攏amely proximity to a major airport, transportation and accommodation, and the top activities there. The results reflect the cost of lodging for three nights for an average-priced hotel room or Airbnb in May; park entrance fees and other ancillary fees included in my suggested itinerary; and a rental car for four days. I have not factored in airfare, food, and gas, which will vary pending where you’re based and h how much you dine out and drive.

These are the 10 most affordable parks to visit based on my research.

1. Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Approximate total cost: From $204

• Average car rental for four days: $166
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $30 /听$363
• Park entrance fee: Free
• Lehman Caves tour: $8

How I鈥檇 do it: The nearest airport鈥擟edar City, Utah鈥攊s 142 miles away, so gas will likely be your main expense when visiting Great Basin. If you鈥檙e camping, try to snag a coveted free site at ; otherwise, post up in Ely, 55 miles west, which has more hotel and food options than tiny Baker, just outside the park gates.

Spend your first day admiring the 3,000-year-old trees on the Bristlecone Trail and picnicking near the , which is offering first-come, first-served sites for the rest of 2024 ($20).

On day two, reserve tickets for a tour of the (from $8 per adult and $4 per child) and learn about the region鈥檚 rich Native history at the (free).

Make day three all about big-mile hikes, either summiting 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak (the second-highest in Nevada) or traversing fragrant sagebrush slopes on a ten-mile round-trip up to shimmering . Fuel your post-hike hunger at in Baker.

Best Time to Visit: June through September

2. Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada

Approximate total cost: From $235

• Average car rental for four days: $157
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $48 /听$297
• Park entrance fee: $30

How I鈥檇 do it: Most commercial flights in this region go to Las Vegas. From there it鈥檚 a 125-mile drive north to the Wild West town of Beatty, which is funky and close to noteworthy ghost towns, like Rhyolite. Camping is available inside the park and options range from free primitive sites to the full-service (from $30).

Your first day in the park, check out the narrow, multicolored Mosaic Canyon on foot. During the cooler early-evening hours, take in the sunset hues while hiking or boogie-boarding at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes (don鈥檛 forget your snowboard or boogie board, which Reddit readers have reported using on these slopes).

The next day, wake while it鈥檚 still dark so you can snap some sunrise pics at Zabriskie Point, then move on to marvel at the bizarre geological formations along Badwater Road, stopping at Devil鈥檚 Golf Course, Artists Palette, Golden Canyon, and Badwater Basin (the lowest point in North America) along the way.

If you鈥檙e a peak bagger, you could spend your third day summiting 11,049-foot Telescope Peak, but for anyone less ambitious, I鈥檇 recommend a stroll around both and the free next door. Reminisce that night over a pint and a pizza at Beatty鈥檚 Sourdough Saloon.

Best Time to Visit: November through April

3. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado

Approximate total cost: From $244

• Average car rental for four days: $139
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $60 / $492
• Park entrance fee: $25
• Board rental: $20 per day

How I鈥檇 do it: A visit to Great Sand Dunes is really a visit to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southernmost Rockies. You could fly into Denver and drive the 250 miles south, but flights into Alamosa, just 30 miles from the park, are relatively affordable.

Book a hotel or an Airbnb in quaint Crestone (or book a inside the park), rent a sand board at (four miles from the park entrance), then drive into the park and spend your first day amid the massive dune field鈥攖he tallest in North America鈥攎aking a point to top out on the and surf down the steep slopes. Afterwards, cool off in Medano Creek if the water is flowing steadily.

Day two, explore the woodlands and admire the incredible views of the imposing peaks along the 7.5-mile .

For your final full day, I鈥檇 opt for a visit to or a challenging hike to .

Best Time to Visit: May through October

4. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Approximate total cost: From $246

• Average car rental for four days: $147
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $66 / $360
• Park entrance fee: Free
• Bike rental: From $15
• Railroad tour: From $18

How I鈥檇 do it: Look for an affordable vacation rental in Akron, which is 38 miles south of Cleveland and slightly closer to this 33,000-acre park鈥檚 top sites. Or check out ($22 for anyone not from the town of Stow), 15 minutes from the park.

Spend your first day trekking from the 19th-century Stanford House to the roaring Brandywine Falls, a 4.8-mile meander (see the Gaia GPS map of this route below). Before the sun sets, make your way to viewpoints along the .

Learn more about the Cuyahoga鈥檚 history of locks and canals on day two by renting a bicycle from and spinning your wheels along a stretch of the riverside Towpath Trail.

Take a chill pill on your last day and ride the from Akron to Peninsula, with the option of an elegant multi-course meal aboard a vintage car. Visiting in October? Good choice; that鈥檚 when a Technicolor display of epic fall foliage is everywhere you look.

Best Time to Visit: April through June and September through October

5. Carlsbad Caverns + Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, New Mexico and Texas

Approximate total cost: From $255

• Average car rental for four days: $150
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $60 / $441
• Park entrance fees: $15 and $10, respectively
• Lower Cave tour: $20

How I鈥檇 do it: Hit two national parks in one trip, flying into El Paso, Texas, and then basing yourself in the affordable hamlet of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Both Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains are economical parks and amazing in their own way, and the latter is home to an excellent .

Book a and spend your first day strolling Carlsbad, heading into its depths via its natural entrance (as opposed to an elevator down from the visitor center). If you鈥檙e visiting late May through October, stay after hours and take advantage of the free , led by a park ranger; this blew my mind as a nine-year-old.

Wake up early the next day, drive to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and summit the 鈥淭op of Texas鈥� on an 4.1-mile ascent of for jaw-dropping views of the vast Chihuahuan Desert.

Take it easy on day three and return to Carlsbad Caverns for the three-hour, ranger-guided Lower Cave tour ($20 per adult and $10 per child).

Best Time to Visit: March to June, September to November

6. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Approximate total cost: From $262

• Average car rental for four days: $172
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $60 / $465
• Park entrance fee: $30

How I鈥檇 do it: Fly into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and then plan to stay in Tacoma, an hour north of the park. Though it鈥檚 not as woodsy as Rainier鈥檚 gateway town of Ashford, Tacoma has loads of affordable motels and vacation rentals for park-goers who鈥檇 rather not in the wet Washington weather.

If you鈥檝e secured a timed-entry permit, spend your first day exploring the iconic of the park, hiking to the perfect photo op at Myrtle Falls or breaking a sweat on the 5.5-mile . Pop in and marvel at the fabulous architecture of the historic Paradise Inn, while you鈥檙e at it.

On day two, circumnavigate the glacier-capped peak by car, stopping at Martha Falls, Reflection Lake, and the adorable town of Enumclaw, making a pit stop at along the way.

On your last full day, get off the beaten path and brave the bumpy road up to sapphire . Picnic in a designated area near the lake, take a dip in the alpine tarn, or challenge yourself on the 7.5-mile hike (one-way) to the .

Best Time to Visit: June through September

7. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Approximate total cost: From $276

• Average car rental for four days: $151
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $42 / $282
• Park entrance fee: $30
• Trail ride: From $53

How I鈥檇 do it: Though it鈥檚 out of the way from a major airport鈥攖he nearest is in Bismarck, 135 miles east鈥擳heodore Roosevelt is fantastic for hiking and wildlife viewing. Plus, it boasts an uber-affordable ($14).

Savor the prairie- and badlands-filled drive to the park鈥檚 South Unit on your first day, then spend the remaining hours scouting for wild horses, herds of bison, and playful prairie dogs on the area鈥檚 48-mile . Stop at the Maltese Cross Cabin, a former home of Theodore Roosevelt himself, before taking in the sunset from the one-mile Painted Canyon Nature Trail.

If you鈥檙e not camping at the park, spend the night in Watford City, which is cheaper and only slightly farther away than the gateway town of Medora.

On day two, splurge on a morning through the colorful badlands, and check out the longer in the afternoon.

Reserve day three for the park鈥檚 , home to a 14-mile scenic drive where you might spy bison, coyotes, and longhorn cattle. But you don鈥檛 want to be driving around all day. I suggest a trail run along the easy, four-mile , which overlooks the Little Missouri River.

Best Time to Visit: May through September

8. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

Approximate total cost: From $279

• Average car rental for four days: $189
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $60 / $396
• Park entrance fee: $30

How I鈥檇 do it: Fly into Montrose Airport (with daily service from four major U.S. airports) and pick up your rental car; from there it鈥檚 a mere 15 miles to the park鈥檚 south entrance. You鈥檒l be basing out of Montrose, which has affordable hotels and Airbnbs, but for even more of a savings, nab a site at the park鈥檚 ($20 per night).

On your first day in the park, stop at Tomichi Point for jaw-dropping views of the canyon鈥檚 dark gneiss before hitting up the South Rim Visitor Center, which has plenty of parking and is the starting point for the and the connecting Gunnison Route, together offering an easy few miles of wandering below the canyon鈥檚 steep rim. Motor along exploring the south rim鈥檚 seven-mile scenic drive, pausing at the Painted Wall Overlook and, if you鈥檙e up for it, another hike, this time out to .

On your second day, head to the less touristed north rim and enjoy equally less crowded viewpoints (the aptly named Exclamation Point is a must). Stretch your legs on a 7.2-mile trek up Green Mountain before exiting the park, making a beeline for Colorado Boy Pizzeria in Montrose and rewarding yourself with a slice and a cold one.

Maximize your trip by tacking on a detour to Mesa Verde National Park (142 miles from Montrose) on your final day, or go fishing for trout in the Gunnison River.

Best Time to Visit: May through October

9. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Approximate total cost: From $290

• Average car rental for four days: $169
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $63 / $435
• Park entrance fee in summer: $30
• Boat ride: $28

How I鈥檇 do it: Major airlines service Medford, 63 miles southwest of the national park, and accommodations in southern Oregon are relatively cheap, so I suggest basing yourself in Medford itself or in Klamath Falls, 45 miles southeast of the park. Itching to camp? Book early and grab a site in the park at ($21).

Go big on your first day and hike to the Watchman Peak fire lookout (see Gaia GPS map below) for second-to-none views of Crater Lake鈥檚 otherworldly deep blue. I also like the hike down to the lake鈥檚 chilly fresh water via the steep .

If you鈥檙e not interested in backpacking a segment of the Pacific Crest Trail鈥�33 miles of it run through the park鈥攗tilize day two to explore Wizard Island, near the lake鈥檚 western edge ( cost $28 per adult and $18 per child). The thrill of standing atop the lake鈥檚 only major island will wow you.

On day three, soak it all in on a scenic drive around the entirety of Crater Lake鈥攁 33-mile route鈥攕topping for snapshots at the park鈥檚 30 .

Best Time to Visit: July through September

10. Saguaro National Park, Arizona

Approximate total cost: From $338

• Average car rental for four days: $184
• Average campground site / hotel for three nights: $75 / $339
• Park entrance fee: $25
• Museum fee: $30
• Colossal Cave tour: $24

How I鈥檇 do it: Saguaro straddles Tucson, an affordable and road-trip-friendly destination for desert lovers. Its eastern Rincon Mountain District is a mere 25-minute drive from the local airport, so drop your bags at your Tucson motel or a campsite in nearby (from $25), and then spend your first few hours craning your neck up at century-old cacti along . Next, get your heart rate going on the , either just a portion of it or the full eight miles one-way.

On day two, learn about the area鈥檚 flora and fauna at the before setting out for the Scenic Bajada Loop Drive in the park鈥檚 western Tucson Mountain District.

On day three, summit 4,688-foot Wasson Peak, and picnic at Mam-A-Gah, or branch out for a little something different: a tour of the nearby .

Best Time to Visit: October through April

Honorable Mentions

There were a handful of affordable national parks that scored just shy of making my list. But if you鈥檙e hungry for more budget-friendly park ideas, I recommend checking out Redwood National Park, in California; Congaree, in South Carolina; White Sands, in New Mexico; North Cascades, in Washington; and Gateway Arch, in Missouri.

Emily Pennington is a regular contributor to 国产吃瓜黑料 and continues to travel far and wide. This year she鈥檚 returning to Great Sand Dunes and looks forward to exploring every corner of her new home state, Colorado.

The post The 10 Most Budget-Friendly National Parks appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

We are ready for summer. We鈥檝e got our lightweight tents and Tevas out, spend our free time examining trail maps, and have been outdoors soaking up the longer days in preparation for all sorts of adventures. Where are we going this summer? Some of us have plans to escape to tropical Caribbean ports and the high peaks of South America, while others are simply road-tripping one county or one state over for a long weekend escape.

Haven鈥檛 nailed down the specifics of your summer vacation yet? It doesn鈥檛 have to be spendy, and you can go with friends, family, or solo. Just pick a place that will offer a sense of wonder, a disconnect from your routine, preferably in nature, which has been shown to improve everything from our psyches to our relationships and even heal heartbreak. Here are the trips we鈥檝e booked.

Northern New Mexico

When the heat hits the country with full force in July, my husband and I will head from our home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, up north to cooler climes near Taos. We鈥檙e eager to stay at , which isn鈥檛 a hotel at all but a grouping of vintage Airstreams all decorated differently. We鈥檝e rented Castor, built in 1972, our best friends have rented the adjacent Pollux, from 1967, and we鈥檒l share a deck. Each trailer has a queen bed, a full kitchen, a bathroom, and views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The hiking around Taos is incredible, too, with trails in nearly every direction.

From Luna Mystica, you can walk to the Taos Mesa Brewery鈥檚 mothership location, which has a stage and live music many summer nights. Early in the mornings we鈥檒l drive the quick 13 miles to the Black Rock Hot Springs on the Rio Grande; my husband will fly-fish from the wide banks while I soak and enjoy the July traffic through the canyon: dragonflies, swallows, kayakers, hawks, and bright-yellow butterflies.

One day we want to tour the nearby , self-sufficient off-grid homes that look like futuristic dwellings. I鈥檓 fascinated by their modern sustainability efforts but also love their incorporation of beautiful, unique design elements鈥攚alls made of used tires and earth or accents of recycled glass bottles that glimmer colorfully in the sun. 鈥�Tasha Zemke, 国产吃瓜黑料 managing editor

Ten Sleep Canyon, Wyoming

At some point over the winter, I decided I sucked at climbing. As I dragged my feet out of the gym, devoid of stoke and prepared to suck again the next day, I had no idea how to cure my melodramatic self-diagnosis. But that changed two months ago when I started climbing with the , a mentor program in the Denver area led by big-wall athlete Jordan Cannon. A dozen of my peers and I have attended clinics, trainings, lectures, and meet-ups to define and achieve our climbing goals, and it all culminates in a final trip in June to Ten Sleep, Wyoming.

Why Ten Sleep? This tiny cowboy town in the north-central reaches of the state happens to be the base camp of a massive limestone canyon 15 miles away with more than a thousand sport routes for climbers of every skill level. One of last year鈥檚 mentees called it 鈥淪helf Road on steroids鈥濃�攁 reference to a popular Front Range climbing mecca鈥攁nd noted how the population of the local campground, when filled with climbers, seems bigger than the actual town itself. 鈥�, National Park Trips digital content producer

Saint Lucia

My fianc茅 and I are taking our honeymoon this summer on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, best known for two mountains called the Pitons鈥擥ros Piton and Petit Piton. While we鈥檙e eager to lounge on the white-sand beaches, snorkel, eat jerk chicken and breadfruit, and enjoy a mud bath at Sulphur Springs, in the dormant Soufri猫re volcano, we鈥檙e most looking forward to guided hikes. I鈥檓 especially excited to tackle the Gros Piton Trail (see Gaia GPS map below), which is three miles round-trip, with a little more than 1,800 feet of elevation gain.

We鈥檝e been told this is challenging, but the view from the top of the island and the sea is said to be spectacular. Plus, I plan to set my alarm for an early-morning run just as the sun rises over the sea. 鈥�Mallory Arnold, Run associate editor

Machu Picchu, Peru

I鈥檓 an editor at Backpacker, and the biggest hiking goal of my life has always been Machu Picchu. I first learned about the ruins in Peru in my middle school history class, and the combination of hiking and Indigenous history intrigued me. A trip to South America seemed like a long shot, but I kept dreaming. Flash forward to the end of May: my college friends and I are going international on our annual reunion trekking trip. We鈥檒l fly into Cuzco and spend two days acclimatizing to the altitude鈥攁 little more than 11,000 feet鈥攚hile touring the city before hitting the Inca Trail with , a sustainable-tourism company.

For four days we鈥檒l hike between 7,218 and 13,780 feet before ending at the famous Inca site. With porters carrying our belongings and chefs cooking our meals, this is going to be a lot more glamorous than my usual excursions to the backcountry. I can鈥檛 wait. But there鈥檚 a more personal reason why this trip is particularly meaningful to me: I recently learned that a suspicious mole was actually stage-one melanoma and was sidelined for weeks in between procedures. I can鈥檛 imagine a better place to celebrate being cancer-free. 鈥� Emma Veidt, Backpacker associate editor

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

My theme for the summer is: Stay local, but get far, far away. From our home in Boulder, Colorado, my wife and I can drive to Rocky Mountain National Park in less than two hours, and we鈥檝e exploited that proximity to visit many of the park鈥檚 peaks, lakes, and trails. Not surprisingly, popular spots are often packed with other nature lovers. So this year we鈥檙e taking advantage of a little-used type of wilderness permit to escape the crowds. We鈥檝e reserved long weekends in four of Rocky鈥檚 23 , remote areas without developed trails or campsites, where we鈥檒l likely see more elk and moose than people.

Hidden in some of the park鈥檚 most rugged terrain, typically at elevations of 9,000 to 11,000 feet, these zones require expert navigation skills and total self-reliance. Expect rangers at the backcountry desk to quiz you on bear safety, Leave No Trace ethics, orienteering know-how, and prior wilderness experience before issuing your permit, and expect challenging bushwhacking through dense forest. But the reward is worth the effort: the crisp, star-filled nights, high-country wildflowers, and Alaska-worthy solitude will make you feel much farther from civilization than you actually are.

Fair warning: the park provides scant information about the zones, and trip reports are few and far between. Your best bet is to download the and subscribe to the Premium edition so you can access detailed topo maps for offline use (there鈥檚 typically no cell reception in these zones). Study the terrain closely before you go, and don鈥檛 expect to cover more than one mile per hour. 鈥�Jonathan Dorn, 国产吃瓜黑料, Inc., chief entertainment officer

Switzerland

When I realized I鈥檇 be spending my 30th birthday in Europe, I only had two nonnegotiables: Alpine hiking and cheese. Switzerland, specifically the Lauterbrunnen Valley, perfectly fit that bill. My husband and I are planning to spend four nights in the central Jungfrau region: one in a village hotel at each end of the valley, and two at the remote , an off-grid hut that鈥檚 only accessible by foot through forests and wildflower-filled pastures. (See Gaia GPS map to the hut below.) Reservations can only be made by phone, a charming and slightly confusing experience that secured us a bed in a private room, breakfast, and dinner for two days for about $106 per person per night.

We鈥檒l fill our days ascending the area鈥檚 many trails in the shadow of imposing peaks, past some of the valley鈥檚 72 waterfalls, and our evenings eating hearty meals, including Obersteinberg鈥檚 homemade cheese. I鈥檓 crossing my fingers that raclette is served鈥搈y favorite Swiss dish, it consists of melted cheese scraped over potatoes鈥揵ut if not, I鈥檒l indulge back in town with a celebratory pot of fondue.

We鈥檙e traveling to Switzerland by car but will leave it parked in Interlaken to take advantage of the valley鈥檚 excellent public transportation (think: trains, trams, and gondolas), as many of the hamlets are otherwise inaccessible. 鈥�Mikaela Ruland, National Park Trips editor in chief

Victoria, British Columbia

Last year my husband and I became rooftop-tent converts in Iceland. I鈥檝e pitched and slept in backpacking tents my whole life, and I never thought I鈥檇 be into a roof rig until our European rental experience went right. We realized it can take us two minutes, instead of twenty, to set up or break down camp. Plus, memory foam is so much comfier than the ground, and our gear stays a helluva lot more organized inside the vehicle.

So we scored an open-box deal on a , and this summer we鈥檙e taking it for a spin from New Mexico up through the Pacific Northwest to Canada. We鈥檒l hit campsites near Olympic National Park along the way, before ferrying to Victoria, British Columbia, to hang out at an oceanside apartment along a 70-mile bike path for six weeks. We鈥檙e stoked to beat the heat, enjoy the nearness of open water, and work from a place that鈥檚 new to us both where we can trail-run through the backcountry.

On our way home, we鈥檒l swing through Banff, in Alberta, then Glacier National Park, in Montana鈥攖wo bucket-list areas I鈥檝e been dying to check out. The best part? My husband is the king of finding last-minute camping reservations, so I barely had to lift a finger to map it all out. 鈥�Patty Hodapp, 国产吃瓜黑料 Online interim digital director

Paris and Annecy, France

I鈥檓 heading to Paris for the Summer Games! I鈥檝e been a huge fan of the Olympics for as long as I can remember, and about a year ago I haphazardly put my name on an email list for the ticket lottery. I didn鈥檛 put much thought into the idea of actually attending, until I beat out thousands of other eager fans (a process that saw me awake at 3 A.M., repeatedly refreshing my browser) to secure two tickets to men鈥檚 rowing in late July.

This will be my third time to the French capital, so after the event concludes and I鈥檝e gotten my fill of Olympic pride, I plan to head southeast to Annecy, a town on the French-Swiss border, for a long weekend in the fresh Alpine air. I鈥檒l brave the frigid temperatures of Lake Annecy, stroll Jardins de 鈥橢urope, and of course do some hiking. Routes to the Citadel of Lake Annecy and the Parmelan Plateau have already caught my eye, but like most things, there鈥檚 something to be said for going in with half a plan and figuring out the rest later. 鈥�Jamie Aranoff, Ski digital editor

British Columbia’s West Coast Trail

Ever since writer Scott Yorko pitched me on the deadly history of Canada鈥檚 (see Gaia GPS map below) a number of years ago, I鈥檝e wanted to see the area鈥檚 storied shipwrecks, beaches, and wildlife for myself. Yorko wrote not only of the dramatic rescue attempts that led to this 48-mile path鈥檚 construction along British Columbia鈥檚 rugged coast but also of sandy campsites, verdant rainforest walks, tide pools brimming with sea life, and a floating crab shack that caters to hungry hikers.

In June, I鈥檒l finally experience the trail for myself. I鈥檓 prepared for slow miles through boot-sucking mud, rickety wooden ladders, cable cars, and changing tides. With any luck, my partner and I will spot sea lions, whales, and otters; bears, cougars, and wolves are also known to wander the shore. The salty air and marine views should be a welcome departure from the alpine hikes I usually gravitate toward in the summer, and I couldn鈥檛 be more excited. 鈥�Zoe Gates, Backpacker senior editor

The Andes, Chile

In 2013, I spent five months living in southern Chile. But that was before I was a skier. In the intervening decade, I鈥檝e spent 100 days on snow almost every year. I rarely travel away from my home in the eastern Sierra to ski these days, but my ultimate dream trip is a ski trip to Chile and Argentina. This is the year that becomes a reality. In August, when the austral winter is in full swing, my fianc茅e and I will fly from Los Angeles to Santiago and enjoy the change of scenery while sipping pisco sours, sightseeing at the Pablo Neruda museum, and checking out the mountaintop zoo. The following day we鈥檒l take a bus to Portillo, a resort nestled among the Andes that鈥檚 famous for runs that empty out at Laguna del Inca, for three days on the slopes, and after that, we鈥檒l travel southeast to Las Le帽as, in Argentina, for a final two days of skiing above wine country. I never much cared for summer anyway. 鈥擩ake Stern, 国产吃瓜黑料 Online digital editor

The post Seize the Summer! 10 Incredible Trips Our Editors Are Taking. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Here鈥檚 the dream: Quit your job and hit all 64 national parks in one huge multi-month road trip where you live mostly in a van and finally see all of these iconic landscapes for yourself. To call that dream unrealistic is an understatement, at least for me, for a variety of reasons (see 鈥渜uit job,鈥� above), though it鈥檚 been accomplished by an 国产吃瓜黑料 writer.

The closest I鈥檝e ever come was in my 20s, spending a month driving around the Rocky Mountains and American Southwest in my VW Jetta during summer break from graduate school. A decade or so later, I re-created that trip with my wife and our then four-year-old twins. Both experiences were awesome. One of them had more tantrums.

You can plan a great park trip that captures the open-road spirit on a smaller scale. Below, I鈥檝e outlined five itineraries that take in multiple parks, all within a week. I picked a variety of terrain鈥攍onely desert basins, ice-cold swimming holes, perfect hikes, and cultural wonders. There are one or two classic routes.

But mostly, I chose these because they go to parks that don鈥檛 get the massive amount of attention some of their cousins receive. So gas or charge up and go.

1. Blue Ridge Parkway, from Shenandoah to Great Smoky Mountains

Virginia/North Carolina

Distance: 470 miles

Duration: Four-plus days

This trip is in my backyard, so I鈥檓 biased, but it鈥檚 also awesome, because the entire 470-plus-mile route is within a national-park unit. The Blue Ridge Parkway stretches for 469 miles along the peaks and valleys of the Southern Appalachian mountain range, connecting two of the country鈥檚 most-visited national parks, Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina/Tennessee and Shenandoah in Virginia.

Driving the entire length of the parkway is slow (speed limit is between 25 and 45 miles per hour) and full of curves in the road, and also overlooks,听 side hikes to swimming holes, and mountain hikes through a lush landscape with elevations that top 6,000 feet. And that鈥檚 just the road between the two great national parks.

Heading south on the parkway, you will find picnic areas, trailheads, and scenic views. Give yourself at least a couple of days to complete the road alone, making sure to hike the three-mile out-and-back in the Peaks of Otter area near Bedford, Virginia, which leads to a panoramic view of the Shenandoah Valley and the Allegheny Mountains. When you get to North Carolina, hit Grandfather Mountain State Park, where you can climb the 7.6-mile out-and-back , scrambling along outcroppings and climbing ladders to the summit of the 5,964-foot Callaway Peak.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Shenandoah: Located just 70 miles west of Washington, D.C, Shenandoah National Park is home to 200,000 acres of 4,000-foot peaks, dense hardwood forest, waterfalls, and historic farmland. The most popular hike is also one of the park鈥檚 toughest; is a 9.2-mile loop that requires rock scrambling with some use of your hands to reach Old Rag Mountain, which offers 360-degree views of the park and surrounding farmland. You need a permit to hike the mountain between March 1 and November 30. It鈥檚 only $2, but permits are limited to 800 a day, so get them up to .

If you鈥檙e looking to cool off, hike the , an 8.1-mile loop that gains 3,000 feet while traversing two tight gorges packed with waterfalls and swimming holes. Lower and Upper Whiteoak Canyon Falls are the highlights, as Upper Falls drops 86 feet between narrow canyon walls, and Lower Falls has a primo plunge pool.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Great Smoky Mountains: The Smokies comprise a mix of rocky streams stacked with waterfalls and swimming holes, and steep slopes thick with vegetation. It鈥檚 hard to get across just how green this park is. On the northern end, you鈥檒l find Midnight Hole, a deep, cold swimming hole at the base of a small waterfall. The pool is lined with 15-foot boulders, and locals like to jump from them into the deep part. Access is via the easy three-mile out-and-back . If you want to ditch the crowds (GSMNP gets 14 million visitors a year), hike deeper into the park. Ramsey Cascades Trail is an eight-mile round trip through stands of old-growth tulip poplars to the 100-foot Ramsey Cascade, the tallest waterfall inside the park.

A few historic fire lookout towers still stand inside the park, but the most scenic is Mount Cammerer, a circular wooden building perched on a rocky outcropping, nearly 5,000 feet in elevation, offering views of 5,000- and 6,000-foot peaks as well as the Pigeon River Gorge. from Big Creek Parking Area, and you will do a piece of the Appalachian Trail, enjoying scenic stretches along Big Creek before climbing to the ridgeline.

Stay: In Shenandoah, Big Meadows is a historic stone-and-chestnut lodge in the middle of the park. Choose from lodge rooms or rustic cabins (from ), and wander the mile to Big Meadow after dark for stargazing. Lodges and campgrounds are spaced all along the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, so it鈥檚 easy to break the journey up into chunks if you鈥檙e not in a hurry. is one of the most popular overnights ($20 per night, reserve six months in advance). The 190-site facility sits next to Julian Price Lake, where you can . has a glamping resort on 182 acres of hardwood forest near the Gatlinburg entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Each fully furnished safari-style tent has a private bathroom, and the place features live music, campfires at night, and yoga in the morning, not to mention an on-site restaurant with seasonal dishes and craft beer.

2. Joshua Tree to Death Valley, California

California

Distance: 250 miles

Duration: At least three days

This route will take you to an underappreciated gem.

Is it weird to spend several days in Southern California and not go to the beach? Well, this desert romp is packed with so much wild terrain you won鈥檛 miss the Pacific Ocean. Joshua Tree National Park is 800,000 acres of sandstone boulders, crusty desert floor, and stands of the eponymous trees, while 250 miles north, Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48, at 3.5 million acres. Inside are 14,000-foot peaks, expansive craters, dunes, and slot canyons.

Weather is a factor with this itinerary because both parks are in the desert and hot as hell in the middle of summer (temps can reach 120 degrees). So consider this a late-spring or early-fall trip. (If you ever go in summer, do all of your adventures at dawn, take a ton of water, and be back at your place or camp before lunch. Also tell someone exactly where you are going.)

The 250-mile drive is mostly two-lane highway that offers a mix of desolate beauty (you鈥檒l drive between Leghorn Lakes Wilderness and Sheephole Valley Wilderness) and California weirdness (the World鈥檚 Largest Thermometer is on this route). Want more adventure? As you drive between these two standout parks, try a pitstop at Mojave National Preserve, which has the largest grove of Joshua Trees in the world, natural springs, and towering dunes.

You can fly into Las Vegas or Los Angeles. L.A. to Joshua Tree is about 150 miles and not terribly interesting, so let’s just go straight to the park.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Joshua Tree: J-Tree is a bucket-list rock-climbing destination, but the hiking is easily as good, and just being in the place is amazing. The 2.5-mile gives hikers a chance to see and scramble on some of the park’s signature boulders, including Split Rock, a 20-foot-tall formation with a fissure in the middle, and to explore a few small caves. If you want to see a lot of Joshua Trees (who doesn鈥檛?), hike the in Black Rock Canyon, a 6.5-mile lollipop that traverses one of the densest groves of Joshua Trees in the park, or sections of ridgeline trail, with long-range views of the 11,000-foot peaks inside the nearby Sand to Snow National Monument.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Mojave National Preserve: Just 70 miles north of Joshua Tree, Mojave NP offers a convenient diversion on your way to Death Valley. Stretch your legs by hiking the three-mile out-and-back trail into , a 45-square-mile field with mounds of sand that rise 650 feet from the valley floor. The Kelso Dunes actually produce 鈥渂ooming,鈥� which is a deep, rumbling vibration that you can hear and feel from the crest of one. Be aware that hiking in dunes is tough, as the sand shifts below your feet with every step.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Death Valley: You hiked dunes in Mojave, so in Death Valley National Park, let鈥檚 focus on the canyons and peaks. is a six-mile out and back through a slot canyon so narrow that at points you can touch both sides from the middle.

If it鈥檚 your first time to the park, you鈥檙e obligated to visit Badwater Salt Flats, the lowest and hottest point in the U.S. There鈥檚 no designated trail through the flats, so wander at will through the flat, crispy valley, flanked by the Panamint Mountains and Black Mountains.

Stay: The is a historic lodge located inside the park, with five-star accommodations. Consider this an oasis in the desert, complete with a spring-fed swimming pool (from $359 a night). At Joshua Tree, try to reserve a spot at , which has sites tucked between massive boulders. There are no hookups, but RVs are allowed ($25 a night). If you can鈥檛 score an advance reservation there, has first come/first serve sites ($15 a night). Also, is opening a new location outside of Joshua Tree in May, with campsites for van-lifers and private rooms, all of which have access to the property’s gear shop, coffee shop and communal spaces (rooms from $127 a night).

3. White Sands National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park

New Mexico and Texas

Distance: 300 miles

Duration: Four to five days

Want variety? This trip has a trio of national parks that are close geographically, but a world apart in terms of terrain. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is all about the subterranean, protecting 119 caves, the biggest of which are open to exploration. Guadalupe Mountains National Park covers a swath of 8,000-foot peaks in West Texas, and those include eight of the 10 tallest in the entire state. White Sand Dunes National Park is home to a 275-square-mile gypsum dune field that rolls towards the horizon in a series of white tidal waves.

All three parks are within a couple hundred miles of each other, and El Paso serves as an ideal starting point to fly into the area and rent a car. These parks don鈥檛 see the crowds that some of the big-ticket units draw in summer, so there鈥檚 a better chance for quiet and good campsites. The three also have totally different climates. White Sand Dunes is hot (but not like J-Tree or Death Valley), Carlsbad is underground, and Guadalupe is chilly.

Other than a brief period where you skirt around the edge of El Paso, you鈥檙e driving mostly two-lane highways with a real 鈥渕iddle of nowhere鈥� vibe between the parks. Think sand and scrub brush for as far as the eye can see.

国产吃瓜黑料s in White Sand Dunes: is a five-mile loop through the heart of the sand dunes, following red trail markers. You鈥檙e climbing and descending 60-foot dunes the entire time, so pace yourself and expect your legs to be worked at the end. Bring a sled (sold at the visitors鈥� center if you don鈥檛 have your own), as you鈥檙e allowed to slide down the steepest slopes along the route.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Guadalupe Mountains National Park: The signature adventure is hiking the 8,751-foot , with a craggy, treeless summit, the tallest in the state of Texas. The views stretching east over the plains are endless, but to earn them you will climb 3,000 feet in just over four miles. Bring a jacket, as the summit is notoriously windy. But the real treat of Guadalupe Mountains is , a four-mile out-and-back that鈥檚 rocky with mandatory scrambling to traverse a dry river wash. Towards the end, you鈥檒l climb Hiker鈥檚 Staircase, an easy hand-over-hand natural rock ladder out of the wash and into a narrow slot canyon.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Carlsbad Caverns: Start with a self-guided tour of the Big Room, the largest single-cave chamber in the U.S., loaded with bizarre stalactites and stalagmites. An elevator could deliver you into the cave, but instead walk the switchbacks down via the Natural Entrance, and feel what it鈥檚 like to go from the surface into the cold, dark underground. The full hike down the Natural Entrance and into the Big Room is 2.5 miles and should take a few hours; without the walk in, the hike is 1.25 miles, with a .6-mile shortcut also possible, and parts of the Big Room are . If you want something spicier, sign up for a ranger-led tour of , which requires descending 60 feet of ladders and ropes to a series of smaller rooms with crazy rock features, like the skinny, tall 鈥淭exas Toothpick鈥� or 鈥渃ave pearls,鈥� which look like clusters of eggs ($20, reservations required).

Where to Stay: Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns are close enough that one campground works as a base camp to explore both. Check out in Guadalupe Mountains, which has 20 tent sites and 13 RV sites you can reserve in advance ($20 a night). A number of hiking trails (including Devil鈥檚 Hall) begin here. The closest campground to White Sands is in Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, which has private desert sites ($10 per night). The backcountry campsites in White Sands are closed indefinitely, but nearby Alamogordo has a variety of chain hotels.

4. Denali National Park to Kenai Fjords National Park

Alaska

Distance: 400 miles

Duration: Five-plus days, but if you鈥檙e flying all the way to Alaska, take your time

Alaska is an awe-inspiring collection of giant mountains, permanent ice fields, and jagged coast, and Denali and Kenai Fjords national parks encapsulate choice slices of that unique topography. Denali National Park covers more than 6 million acres of Alaska鈥檚 interior, including the 20,310-foot Denali, but also the tundra and spruce forest that surround it and attract big-time wildlife like caribou and brown bears. Kenai Fjords National Park couldn鈥檛 be more different; instead of forest and towering peaks, it鈥檚 home to 600,000 acres of glaciers, inlets, bays, and islands. More than half of the park is covered in snow and ice year round, and the majority is accessed by water. While much of Alaska isn鈥檛 conducive to road trips because of a lack of roads, these two parks are less than 400 miles apart and connected by highways.

The two-lane blacktop between the main destinations rolls out like a highlight reel of Alaska, offering views of Denali鈥檚 snow-capped peaks at one point and the Cook Inlet at another. Keep an eye out for Beluga whales, which live and breed in the inlet. Chugach State Park, with its 3,000-foot mountains, is also on the route.

A visitor can fly into Anchorage, halfway between the two parks. You鈥檒l basically have to ditch the car at each destination, as car travel is limited in both parks. There are few roads in Kenai, and the main road through Denali is limited to shuttle traffic to minimize impact on the landscape. But that鈥檚 part of the charm here.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Denali: Denali isn鈥檛 a 鈥渄rive through鈥� park. In fact, private vehicles aren鈥檛 allowed past mile 15 of the scenic Denali Park Road, though bikes get the green light. To ride in, start at the Savage River Visitor Center (mile 15) and bike to Sable Pass between miles 37 and 42, where the final 1,500-foot climb to the pass is rewarded by views that stretch all the way to Denali itself. But Sable Pass is best known for its wildlife. Mostly treeless and full of berry bushes, it attracts brown bears, caribou, and Dall sheep, which often graze in the tundra near the road. From the top of the pass, you can turn around and bike back, or, if you pre-arrange it, hop on the free , which has bike racks. offers rentals (starting at $75 per day).

Or consider a guided rafting trip on the Nenana River, a glacier-fed stream that forms the eastern border of Denali. Book a mild or wild day trip with . The 11-mile canyon run is packed with class IV rapids with names like 鈥淐offee Grinder,鈥� and the full ride, for ages 12 and up, is a brisk two hours. A different short option, the two-hour-long Wilderness Run, is ideal for young families, as it contains mostly class I-II rapids and offers a good chance to see wildlife like moose and caribou. (From $130 a person, May through September).

国产吃瓜黑料s in Kenai: Kenai is a coastal park with most of its goods accessed via boat, but land lovers have options, too. Hike on the edge of the Harding Ice Field, the largest permanent ice field in the U.S., stretching for 700 square miles and feeding Exit Glacier, which forms a half-mile-wide river of ice that melts into Exit Creek. Start at the Exit Glacier Nature Center and hike the 8.2-mile out-and-back , which climbs a total of 3,000 feet through the surrounding forest to gigantic views of the icefield. If you really want to throw yourself into the landscape, book an intro-to-ice climbing trip with , exploring crevasses and climbing pitches of vertical ice with use of rope, crampons, and axes ($249 per person).

For a water-borne adventure, head to Bear Glacier Lagoon, 12 miles south of Seward, where a thin beach separates a glacier-fed lake from the Gulf of Alaska. The lake sits in a deep bowl rising to green ridges, and the water is littered with house-sized icebergs. offers fully outfitted day trips to the lagoon ($550 per person).

Where to Stay: In Denali, book a spot at , which has 32 sites tucked into a spruce forest ($49 a night). Located on mile 13 on the Denali Park Road, it鈥檚 easy to reach with a car (some campgrounds in Denali are only accessible by shuttle bus), but the real prize is access to Savage River and incredible views of Denali via a short gravel-road walk. Reservations are recommended, but not required. In Kenai, has 12 walk-in tent sites, first-come, first-served. They鈥檙e free, but fill up most nights during July and August. The , in the middle of downtown Seward, is a seven-room mid-century-era motel with renovated rooms located just minutes from the edge of Kenai ($190 per night, two night minimum).

5. Mesa Verde and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Parks

Colorado

Distance: 160 miles

Duration: Three days

Rocky Mountain National Park gets most of the love in Colorado, and while it鈥檚 incredible, the Centennial State has other unforgettable national-park units. Mesa Verde National Park and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park are nestled into the southwest corner of the state, proximal enough to make for an ideal weekend road trip. Mesa Verde is a cultural treasure, containing more than 5,000 archaeological sites, including the early cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo people.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is altogether different, enveloping a nearly 2,500-foot-deep gorge surrounding the Gunnison River. It鈥檚 a deep, dark chasm with sheer vertical walls, rugged hiking and climbing, boating, and world-class trout fishing.

You can fly into Durango to kick the trip off, and Telluride is smack dab in the middle of the route between parks if you want to throw in a visit to a classic mountain town. The , a locals’ favorite and handy but fantastic afternoon outing, offers views of the ski area and entire valley on varied and forested terrain.

The majority of this road trip cruises through San Juan National Forest on a highway with views of some of Colorado鈥檚 tallest and most iconic peaks, including the 14,158-foot Mount Sneffels and 14,023-foot Wilson Peak. You鈥檒l pass right through Telluride, but you can also make a 22-mile roundtrip detour to Ouray to soak in the hot springs.

国产吃瓜黑料s in Mesa Verde: Get your bearings by driving the six-mile Mesa Top Loop Road, which winds along past excavated mesa-top villages, with overlooks to see cliff dwellings, including the Cliff Palace, which archaeologists believe could house up to 100 people. There are 30 miles of hiking trails inside the park, so you can see a lot of the area in a day. If you鈥檙e limited on time, hike the 2.4-mile , which will have you squeezing through boulder passages and traversing cliffside singletrack to a large petroglyph panel. To see the cliff dwellings up close, reserve a spot on a ranger-led ($8 per person, reservations possible 14 days in advance). The Balcony House Tour is the most adventurous: you ascend a cliff face into the 700-year-old dwelling via a series of ladders, then worm through a narrow tunnel that connects rooms.

国产吃瓜黑料s in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison: The BCOG is a tough canyon to navigate, as there are no bridges connecting the North Rim and South Rim, so it鈥檚 a circuitous two-hour drive between the two sides of the park. The South Rim is the more developed, with a dozen overlooks, a visitors鈥� center, and an 88-site campground. The North Rim is more primitive, with a gravel road providing access to a few developed trails and a handful of overlooks. Both sides are stunning, but I鈥檓 pointing you to the South Rim for its hiking and scrambling routes. If you want to stretch your legs and enjoy the view, stroll the two-mile for shots of the canyon and river below. But you鈥檙e here for the scramble to the bottom of the gorge via the unmarked , which drops 1,960 feet in just one mile (the park allows use of the trail and offers a about it). There鈥檚 a lot of down climbing and loose rock, but at the bottom you鈥檒l have the Gunnison River all to yourself. Bring a fly rod; the Gunnison is a gold-medal trout stream. This is a full-day adventure, and you鈥檒l need a permit (free) to descend into the canyon. Get one at the South Rim Visitor Center.

Where to Stay: Both parks have large campgrounds, if you want to keep it simple and budget friendly. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison鈥檚 is convenient (only a mile from the visitors’ center), but don鈥檛 expect a ton of privacy ($20 a night, reservations recommended). The North Rim has a smaller , with 13 sites separated by pi帽on and juniper trees ($20 a night, first-come, first-served). , in Mesa Verde, is large, with 267 sites within a broad, grassy canyon ($38 a night, reserve in advance).

If you want to spend a night in Telluride, check out , an upscale hostel with private or shared rooms that caters to road trippers (from $40 per night).

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist. He鈥檚 currently trying to convince his 15-year-old twins to re-create the national parks road trip they undertook a decade ago. It鈥檚 not going well.

For more by this writer:

The 9 Most Fun 国产吃瓜黑料 Lodges in North America

The 9 Best Gateway Towns to U.S. National Parks

The 8 Most Adventurous States in America. Number 1 Is 鈥�

11 Remote Destinations That Are Definitely Worth the Effort to Visit

The post The 5 Best National Park Road Trips in the U.S. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.