U.S. National Parks thread

jerparker20

As does now, that's where this thread came about. I have a week of vacation the first week of November. I am giving the girlfriend one of those pin maps for National Parks that will be personalized for her birthday next week. Of course, that will only be a part of the gift, as the real gift will be a trup to whichever National Park she would like to visit. Now, given the time of year and only having a week, there are a big majority of the parks that will likely be eliminated. A few weeks too late for the fall foliage at Acadia, Isle Royale, Voyagers, and too cold for Glacier, etc...

Sooo, with all of that in mind, I was thinking maybe Hot Springs in Arkansas to knock out the one in the middle of nowhere. And pick up Mammoth Cave on the way. Then, I thought, maybe we could knock out a bunch in Utah in a week, but I wasn't sure if that would be too cold at those elevations in the beginning of November. Then I started thinking maybe getting a few in California. Might be a good time to check out Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Swing up to LA and take a dump at the Coliseum. I also thought it could be a good time to see Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains and the Caverns. 

What opinions do you men and women have?

I visited the Zion, Bryce Canyon, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in mid-October a few years ago and the weather was perfect and the crowds where minimal.  Only a handful of spots where occupied in the campground at Bryce.  We did 3 nights at Zion, 2 at Bryce, 3 at the Grand Canyon, and 1 at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.  Fly in and out of Vegas, rented a camper van to live out of.  Was a great trip.  Never felt rushed to see things or do hikes.  The North Rim lodging and campground closes in mid October.

Joshua Tree is easy to get to by flying into Palm Springs, CA.  Its beautiful.  I've visited it every year for the past 4 years.  35 minute drive from the airport to the park and there is a lot of lodging/hotels/motels in the area.  Never camped there since my inlaws are in Palm Springs and have a pool, AC, and a well stocked bar.  There are lots of other hiking areas in and around there as well.  Also Palm Springs is a pretty laid back place to chill out for a day or two.  From there to Death Valley is a 5-6 hour drive.  You lose a few days of a trip in driving.  

I guess it all depends on what your interested in seeing/doing.  

brianlux

Wobbie said:

visit as many as you can before trump sells them to the extractive industries.

Ah fuck... Sad but true.

brianlux

darwinstheory said:

Wow, you fine people have not disappointed! It seems like these NP destinations are something people are either all in or all out of.

We went to the Great Smoky Mountains 5 years ago and enjoyed ourselves. But I found it to be a bit too touristy for my liking. 

Then 3 years ago, we did a plan on the fly trip to Yellowstone. At that point, we still hadn't developed quite the love for the national parks we now have. Because the trip was planned on the fly, we were low on money and only had 8 days to drive there and back, we missed  out on A LOT!

We left Yellowstone completely awestruck and eager to share our stories with anyone who would listen...or pretend to listen. But, as I said, we did all that traveling on short notice. And seeing so many national parks had not really became something we planned on wanting to do. Alas, we drove (sorry, I drove as Julie will not drive with the camper on the hitch) about 24 hours to get to and from the park. During the trip, we drove right past the Badlands (could see them from a distance) and Wind Cave. We could have easily checked 2 more off the list. But we didn't. We just kept right on driving. 

Fast forward to our limited time inside Yellowstone, I feel we really did make the best of it. We saw so much cool shit! Totally bad as stuff. However, in doing so, we ran out of time. Thus, we were unable to take the day trip south to the Grand Tetons. A decision I would regret, save for it will definitely put me back in that area sometime.

As does now, that's where this thread came about. I have a week of vacation the first week of November. I am giving the girlfriend one of those pin maps for National Parks that will be personalized for her birthday next week. Of course, that will only be a part of the gift, as the real gift will be a trup to whichever National Park she would like to visit. Now, given the time of year and only having a week, there are a big majority of the parks that will likely be eliminated. A few weeks too late for the fall foliage at Acadia, Isle Royale, Voyagers, and too cold for Glacier, etc...

Sooo, with all of that in mind, I was thinking maybe Hot Springs in Arkansas to knock out the one in the middle of nowhere. And pick up Mammoth Cave on the way. Then, I thought, maybe we could knock out a bunch in Utah in a week, but I wasn't sure if that would be too cold at those elevations in the beginning of November. Then I started thinking maybe getting a few in California. Might be a good time to check out Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Swing up to LA and take a dump at the Coliseum. I also thought it could be a good time to see Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains and the Caverns. 

What opinions do you men and women have?

I think you're right about some of the high desert destination being rather chilly (or worse) in November, but not necessarily.  Kind of a crap shoot.

Death Valley in November would likely be great for weather highs in the mid to upper 70's, lows in the upper 40's.  Only minus is Scotty's Castle is closed until 2020.  Bummer!  But there's still plenty of great places to see there.  Ubehebe Crater is awesome.  Zabriskie Point is fantastic!  And Darwin falls- well hey, with you user name, Darwin falls is a must! 

Joshua Tree maybe 8 to 10 degrees lower but still a good choice. Great bouldering and rock climbing!

tempo_n_groove

darwinstheory said:

Wow, you fine people have not disappointed! It seems like these NP destinations are something people are either all in or all out of.

We went to the Great Smoky Mountains 5 years ago and enjoyed ourselves. But I found it to be a bit too touristy for my liking. 

Then 3 years ago, we did a plan on the fly trip to Yellowstone. At that point, we still hadn't developed quite the love for the national parks we now have. Because the trip was planned on the fly, we were low on money and only had 8 days to drive there and back, we missed  out on A LOT!

We left Yellowstone completely awestruck and eager to share our stories with anyone who would listen...or pretend to listen. But, as I said, we did all that traveling on short notice. And seeing so many national parks had not really became something we planned on wanting to do. Alas, we drove (sorry, I drove as Julie will not drive with the camper on the hitch) about 24 hours to get to and from the park. During the trip, we drove right past the Badlands (could see them from a distance) and Wind Cave. We could have easily checked 2 more off the list. But we didn't. We just kept right on driving. 

Fast forward to our limited time inside Yellowstone, I feel we really did make the best of it. We saw so much cool shit! Totally bad as stuff. However, in doing so, we ran out of time. Thus, we were unable to take the day trip south to the Grand Tetons. A decision I would regret, save for it will definitely put me back in that area sometime.

As does now, that's where this thread came about. I have a week of vacation the first week of November. I am giving the girlfriend one of those pin maps for National Parks that will be personalized for her birthday next week. Of course, that will only be a part of the gift, as the real gift will be a trup to whichever National Park she would like to visit. Now, given the time of year and only having a week, there are a big majority of the parks that will likely be eliminated. A few weeks too late for the fall foliage at Acadia, Isle Royale, Voyagers, and too cold for Glacier, etc...

Sooo, with all of that in mind, I was thinking maybe Hot Springs in Arkansas to knock out the one in the middle of nowhere. And pick up Mammoth Cave on the way. Then, I thought, maybe we could knock out a bunch in Utah in a week, but I wasn't sure if that would be too cold at those elevations in the beginning of November. Then I started thinking maybe getting a few in California. Might be a good time to check out Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Swing up to LA and take a dump at the Coliseum. I also thought it could be a good time to see Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains and the Caverns. 

What opinions do you men and women have?

I could make one hell of an itinerary in Cali for you!

Land in LAX.  head south and hit up Joshua tree. Go east and climb/hike Vasquez rocks.  Go 14North and stop off in Palmdale/Lancaster and drive on the music road.  Go further north to the Ghost town of  Randsburgh.  Keep going North to the Trona Pinnacles.  Stop in the Panamints for a day hike to Panamint city.  Drive around and go to Death valley.  Drive north and see Mt Whitney(tallest peak in the continental US, so you'd have been to the lowest and tallest points on the continental US!), see the Internment camps on your way up there.  Head west and go to Sequoia then after that go north to Yosemite.

If you do all this I'd then go chill in Silicon valley or Sonoma and drink wine and relax for a few days!

You could do this in about 8 days.  Lots of driving but you would have been to 3 NP's and a couple of other cool things.  Vasquez is my favorite place on earth and I want my ashes placed in the hidden brook.

tempo_n_groove

Oh and I want to add that out in remote places in cali the star gazing is unbelievable.  No lights but plenty of stars!

F Me In The Brain

Love the dump at the Coli inclusion, you Notre Dame rat bastard!

Where she wants, right?  So you really have no say.

I would say Yosemite, Yosemite, Yosemite.  Only drawback is not seeing the waterfalls as they are in springtime.  As much as I liked all of the places I have been that are NPs, it is Yosemite as #1 and it does not even take a second to rank it that way. 

rgambs

I haven't been there yet, but I know enough to know it's one of the top 10 or 5 natural wonders in the world.

stuckinline

rgambs said:

I live an hour from Cuyahoga Valley NP but I've never been, it's basically the laughing stock of NPs.

Why do you think it's the laughing stock of NPs?

brianlux

tempo_n_groove said:

darwinstheory said:

Wow, you fine people have not disappointed! It seems like these NP destinations are something people are either all in or all out of.

We went to the Great Smoky Mountains 5 years ago and enjoyed ourselves. But I found it to be a bit too touristy for my liking. 

Then 3 years ago, we did a plan on the fly trip to Yellowstone. At that point, we still hadn't developed quite the love for the national parks we now have. Because the trip was planned on the fly, we were low on money and only had 8 days to drive there and back, we missed  out on A LOT!

We left Yellowstone completely awestruck and eager to share our stories with anyone who would listen...or pretend to listen. But, as I said, we did all that traveling on short notice. And seeing so many national parks had not really became something we planned on wanting to do. Alas, we drove (sorry, I drove as Julie will not drive with the camper on the hitch) about 24 hours to get to and from the park. During the trip, we drove right past the Badlands (could see them from a distance) and Wind Cave. We could have easily checked 2 more off the list. But we didn't. We just kept right on driving. 

Fast forward to our limited time inside Yellowstone, I feel we really did make the best of it. We saw so much cool shit! Totally bad as stuff. However, in doing so, we ran out of time. Thus, we were unable to take the day trip south to the Grand Tetons. A decision I would regret, save for it will definitely put me back in that area sometime.

As does now, that's where this thread came about. I have a week of vacation the first week of November. I am giving the girlfriend one of those pin maps for National Parks that will be personalized for her birthday next week. Of course, that will only be a part of the gift, as the real gift will be a trup to whichever National Park she would like to visit. Now, given the time of year and only having a week, there are a big majority of the parks that will likely be eliminated. A few weeks too late for the fall foliage at Acadia, Isle Royale, Voyagers, and too cold for Glacier, etc...

Sooo, with all of that in mind, I was thinking maybe Hot Springs in Arkansas to knock out the one in the middle of nowhere. And pick up Mammoth Cave on the way. Then, I thought, maybe we could knock out a bunch in Utah in a week, but I wasn't sure if that would be too cold at those elevations in the beginning of November. Then I started thinking maybe getting a few in California. Might be a good time to check out Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Swing up to LA and take a dump at the Coliseum. I also thought it could be a good time to see Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains and the Caverns. 

What opinions do you men and women have?

I could make one hell of an itinerary in Cali for you!

Land in LAX.  head south and hit up Joshua tree. Go east and climb/hike Vasquez rocks.  Go 14North and stop off in Palmdale/Lancaster and drive on the music road.  Go further north to the Ghost town of  Randsburgh.  Keep going North to the Trona Pinnacles.  Stop in the Panamints for a day hike to Panamint city.  Drive around and go to Death valley.  Drive north and see Mt Whitney(tallest peak in the continental US, so you'd have been to the lowest and tallest points on the continental US!), see the Internment camps on your way up there.  Head west and go to Sequoia then after that go north to Yosemite.

If you do all this I'd then go chill in Silicon valley or Sonoma and drink wine and relax for a few days!

You could do this in about 8 days.  Lots of driving but you would have been to 3 NP's and a couple of other cool things.  Vasquez is my favorite place on earth and I want my ashes placed in the hidden brook.

tempo_n_groove  ,have you climbed Whitney from the east side?  I've long wanted to do that (maybe too old now though).  That whole "Alabama Hills" area where the trail-head is located is very cool.  A ton of westerns have been filmed there. 

tempo_n_groove

brianlux said:

tempo_n_groove said:

darwinstheory said:

Wow, you fine people have not disappointed! It seems like these NP destinations are something people are either all in or all out of.

We went to the Great Smoky Mountains 5 years ago and enjoyed ourselves. But I found it to be a bit too touristy for my liking. 

Then 3 years ago, we did a plan on the fly trip to Yellowstone. At that point, we still hadn't developed quite the love for the national parks we now have. Because the trip was planned on the fly, we were low on money and only had 8 days to drive there and back, we missed  out on A LOT!

We left Yellowstone completely awestruck and eager to share our stories with anyone who would listen...or pretend to listen. But, as I said, we did all that traveling on short notice. And seeing so many national parks had not really became something we planned on wanting to do. Alas, we drove (sorry, I drove as Julie will not drive with the camper on the hitch) about 24 hours to get to and from the park. During the trip, we drove right past the Badlands (could see them from a distance) and Wind Cave. We could have easily checked 2 more off the list. But we didn't. We just kept right on driving. 

Fast forward to our limited time inside Yellowstone, I feel we really did make the best of it. We saw so much cool shit! Totally bad as stuff. However, in doing so, we ran out of time. Thus, we were unable to take the day trip south to the Grand Tetons. A decision I would regret, save for it will definitely put me back in that area sometime.

As does now, that's where this thread came about. I have a week of vacation the first week of November. I am giving the girlfriend one of those pin maps for National Parks that will be personalized for her birthday next week. Of course, that will only be a part of the gift, as the real gift will be a trup to whichever National Park she would like to visit. Now, given the time of year and only having a week, there are a big majority of the parks that will likely be eliminated. A few weeks too late for the fall foliage at Acadia, Isle Royale, Voyagers, and too cold for Glacier, etc...

Sooo, with all of that in mind, I was thinking maybe Hot Springs in Arkansas to knock out the one in the middle of nowhere. And pick up Mammoth Cave on the way. Then, I thought, maybe we could knock out a bunch in Utah in a week, but I wasn't sure if that would be too cold at those elevations in the beginning of November. Then I started thinking maybe getting a few in California. Might be a good time to check out Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Swing up to LA and take a dump at the Coliseum. I also thought it could be a good time to see Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains and the Caverns. 

What opinions do you men and women have?

I could make one hell of an itinerary in Cali for you!

Land in LAX.  head south and hit up Joshua tree. Go east and climb/hike Vasquez rocks.  Go 14North and stop off in Palmdale/Lancaster and drive on the music road.  Go further north to the Ghost town of  Randsburgh.  Keep going North to the Trona Pinnacles.  Stop in the Panamints for a day hike to Panamint city.  Drive around and go to Death valley.  Drive north and see Mt Whitney(tallest peak in the continental US, so you'd have been to the lowest and tallest points on the continental US!), see the Internment camps on your way up there.  Head west and go to Sequoia then after that go north to Yosemite.

If you do all this I'd then go chill in Silicon valley or Sonoma and drink wine and relax for a few days!

You could do this in about 8 days.  Lots of driving but you would have been to 3 NP's and a couple of other cool things.  Vasquez is my favorite place on earth and I want my ashes placed in the hidden brook.

tempo_n_groove  ,have you climbed Whitney from the east side?  I've long wanted to do that (maybe too old now though).  That whole "Alabama Hills" area where the trail-head is located is very cool.  A ton of westerns have been filmed there. 

No I went up the normal Lone Pine route. My name is in that big ass book up top there!!!

I really would like to do the eastern route though and go by guitar lake and Hitchcock lake.  They look cool from above!

We met some people that were doing that hike and did a three day trip!  Maybe one day!

Brian I have a funny story to tell u about my trip.  Check your DM

HesCalledDyer

rgambs said:

Actual NPs I have only been to a few, we tend to visit the National Forest/Monument/Recreation Area/State Parks/etc adjacent to the NPs because the crowds are non-existent.

Rocky Mountain NP I have been to 6 times, never gets old.  Hope to climb Long's Peak someday with my boy.  Bugling Elk is a lifelist item.

Grand Canyon, did a drive by of south rim on way to North Rim.  Absolutely gorgeous, particularly on the North Rim.  Lake Powell (not NP) was almost as good, Vermilion Cliffs was great, Horseshoe bend was great, and the best view was east rim of Grand Canyon looking out at the plains toward Corado Canyon.  The land is flatter than you can make sense of and the canyon cuts into it vertically like a scar on the land.  Incredible.

Lived in Tucson but didn't enter Saguaro NP because they are everywhere and it isn't remarkable otherwise.  Mt Lemon was sweet.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison we drove along for quite some time and skirted the NP because the best spots are outside the NP zone anyways.

GSMNP is a tourist trap.  We have been, but there's nothing there better than what you find nearby in Cherokee, Nantahela, and Pisgah NFs, but they are all less crowded.

Shenandoah was underwhelming compared to the previously mentioned.

None of my very favourite places are in NPs, so here are some honorary mentions:
Black Balsam, Pisgah NF
Mt Evans and Poudre canyon, Colorado
Bonneville Salt Flats
Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Seneca Rocks, WV
Mt Rogers/Grayson Highlands, VA
Max Patch and Roan Highlands, TN NC border.

I look forward to visiting Yosemite, Glacier, Alaska, and Rainier someday.

Nothing in the states compares to the Alps though, except maybe Yosemite, won't know until I go.

Seneca Rocks is awesome.  I haven't been there since I winter camped in college for an Adventure Sports class.  We hiked up the trail to top of the crag, also went up to Spruce Knob & Dolly Sods.

I only live an hour, hour & a half away.  Should get out there more.

Also this thread made me realize I have never visited a single National Park.

rgambs

stuckinline said:

rgambs said:

I live an hour from Cuyahoga Valley NP but I've never been, it's basically the laughing stock of NPs.

Why do you think it's the laughing stock of NPs?

Because it is lol 
If you read Backpacker magazine or go any deeper into outdoor adventure communities you will always find people dismissive of it.  There have even been campaigns to get it, and a few of the other underwhelming NPs demoted to divert the resources to better parks or create new ones where more spectacular lands need protection.

F Me In The Brain

HesCalledDyer said:

rgambs said:

Actual NPs I have only been to a few, we tend to visit the National Forest/Monument/Recreation Area/State Parks/etc adjacent to the NPs because the crowds are non-existent.

Rocky Mountain NP I have been to 6 times, never gets old.  Hope to climb Long's Peak someday with my boy.  Bugling Elk is a lifelist item.

Grand Canyon, did a drive by of south rim on way to North Rim.  Absolutely gorgeous, particularly on the North Rim.  Lake Powell (not NP) was almost as good, Vermilion Cliffs was great, Horseshoe bend was great, and the best view was east rim of Grand Canyon looking out at the plains toward Corado Canyon.  The land is flatter than you can make sense of and the canyon cuts into it vertically like a scar on the land.  Incredible.

Lived in Tucson but didn't enter Saguaro NP because they are everywhere and it isn't remarkable otherwise.  Mt Lemon was sweet.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison we drove along for quite some time and skirted the NP because the best spots are outside the NP zone anyways.

GSMNP is a tourist trap.  We have been, but there's nothing there better than what you find nearby in Cherokee, Nantahela, and Pisgah NFs, but they are all less crowded.

Shenandoah was underwhelming compared to the previously mentioned.

None of my very favourite places are in NPs, so here are some honorary mentions:
Black Balsam, Pisgah NF
Mt Evans and Poudre canyon, Colorado
Bonneville Salt Flats
Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Seneca Rocks, WV
Mt Rogers/Grayson Highlands, VA
Max Patch and Roan Highlands, TN NC border.

I look forward to visiting Yosemite, Glacier, Alaska, and Rainier someday.

Nothing in the states compares to the Alps though, except maybe Yosemite, won't know until I go.

Seneca Rocks is awesome.  I haven't been there since I winter camped in college for an Adventure Sports class.  We hiked up the trail to top of the crag, also went up to Spruce Knob & Dolly Sods.

I only live an hour, hour & a half away.  Should get out there more.

Also this thread made me realize I have never visited a single National Park.

There is some crazy ass shit to see in this big country of ours.  Driving coast to coast is a strong suggestion for anyone.  You can see the incredible diversity in a small amount of time.  (And lots of parks as well if on your radar!)

rgambs

HesCalledDyer said:

rgambs said:

Actual NPs I have only been to a few, we tend to visit the National Forest/Monument/Recreation Area/State Parks/etc adjacent to the NPs because the crowds are non-existent.

Rocky Mountain NP I have been to 6 times, never gets old.  Hope to climb Long's Peak someday with my boy.  Bugling Elk is a lifelist item.

Grand Canyon, did a drive by of south rim on way to North Rim.  Absolutely gorgeous, particularly on the North Rim.  Lake Powell (not NP) was almost as good, Vermilion Cliffs was great, Horseshoe bend was great, and the best view was east rim of Grand Canyon looking out at the plains toward Corado Canyon.  The land is flatter than you can make sense of and the canyon cuts into it vertically like a scar on the land.  Incredible.

Lived in Tucson but didn't enter Saguaro NP because they are everywhere and it isn't remarkable otherwise.  Mt Lemon was sweet.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison we drove along for quite some time and skirted the NP because the best spots are outside the NP zone anyways.

GSMNP is a tourist trap.  We have been, but there's nothing there better than what you find nearby in Cherokee, Nantahela, and Pisgah NFs, but they are all less crowded.

Shenandoah was underwhelming compared to the previously mentioned.

None of my very favourite places are in NPs, so here are some honorary mentions:
Black Balsam, Pisgah NF
Mt Evans and Poudre canyon, Colorado
Bonneville Salt Flats
Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Seneca Rocks, WV
Mt Rogers/Grayson Highlands, VA
Max Patch and Roan Highlands, TN NC border.

I look forward to visiting Yosemite, Glacier, Alaska, and Rainier someday.

Nothing in the states compares to the Alps though, except maybe Yosemite, won't know until I go.

Seneca Rocks is awesome.  I haven't been there since I winter camped in college for an Adventure Sports class.  We hiked up the trail to top of the crag, also went up to Spruce Knob & Dolly Sods.

I only live an hour, hour & a half away.  Should get out there more.

Also this thread made me realize I have never visited a single National Park.

You live that close?? You should go a few times a year!! Great area.  Love the Soda, Seneca Shadows campground is one of the best in the nation.
Can't recommend this high enough:
https://www.nrocks.com/activities/via-ferrata/

brianlux

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

tempo_n_groove said:

darwinstheory said:

Wow, you fine people have not disappointed! It seems like these NP destinations are something people are either all in or all out of.

We went to the Great Smoky Mountains 5 years ago and enjoyed ourselves. But I found it to be a bit too touristy for my liking. 

Then 3 years ago, we did a plan on the fly trip to Yellowstone. At that point, we still hadn't developed quite the love for the national parks we now have. Because the trip was planned on the fly, we were low on money and only had 8 days to drive there and back, we missed  out on A LOT!

We left Yellowstone completely awestruck and eager to share our stories with anyone who would listen...or pretend to listen. But, as I said, we did all that traveling on short notice. And seeing so many national parks had not really became something we planned on wanting to do. Alas, we drove (sorry, I drove as Julie will not drive with the camper on the hitch) about 24 hours to get to and from the park. During the trip, we drove right past the Badlands (could see them from a distance) and Wind Cave. We could have easily checked 2 more off the list. But we didn't. We just kept right on driving. 

Fast forward to our limited time inside Yellowstone, I feel we really did make the best of it. We saw so much cool shit! Totally bad as stuff. However, in doing so, we ran out of time. Thus, we were unable to take the day trip south to the Grand Tetons. A decision I would regret, save for it will definitely put me back in that area sometime.

As does now, that's where this thread came about. I have a week of vacation the first week of November. I am giving the girlfriend one of those pin maps for National Parks that will be personalized for her birthday next week. Of course, that will only be a part of the gift, as the real gift will be a trup to whichever National Park she would like to visit. Now, given the time of year and only having a week, there are a big majority of the parks that will likely be eliminated. A few weeks too late for the fall foliage at Acadia, Isle Royale, Voyagers, and too cold for Glacier, etc...

Sooo, with all of that in mind, I was thinking maybe Hot Springs in Arkansas to knock out the one in the middle of nowhere. And pick up Mammoth Cave on the way. Then, I thought, maybe we could knock out a bunch in Utah in a week, but I wasn't sure if that would be too cold at those elevations in the beginning of November. Then I started thinking maybe getting a few in California. Might be a good time to check out Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Swing up to LA and take a dump at the Coliseum. I also thought it could be a good time to see Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains and the Caverns. 

What opinions do you men and women have?

I could make one hell of an itinerary in Cali for you!

Land in LAX.  head south and hit up Joshua tree. Go east and climb/hike Vasquez rocks.  Go 14North and stop off in Palmdale/Lancaster and drive on the music road.  Go further north to the Ghost town of  Randsburgh.  Keep going North to the Trona Pinnacles.  Stop in the Panamints for a day hike to Panamint city.  Drive around and go to Death valley.  Drive north and see Mt Whitney(tallest peak in the continental US, so you'd have been to the lowest and tallest points on the continental US!), see the Internment camps on your way up there.  Head west and go to Sequoia then after that go north to Yosemite.

If you do all this I'd then go chill in Silicon valley or Sonoma and drink wine and relax for a few days!

You could do this in about 8 days.  Lots of driving but you would have been to 3 NP's and a couple of other cool things.  Vasquez is my favorite place on earth and I want my ashes placed in the hidden brook.

tempo_n_groove  ,have you climbed Whitney from the east side?  I've long wanted to do that (maybe too old now though).  That whole "Alabama Hills" area where the trail-head is located is very cool.  A ton of westerns have been filmed there. 

No I went up the normal Lone Pine route. My name is in that big ass book up top there!!!

I really would like to do the eastern route though and go by guitar lake and Hitchcock lake.  They look cool from above!

We met some people that were doing that hike and did a three day trip!  Maybe one day!

Brian I have a funny story to tell u about my trip.  Check your DM

Got it, thanks!   Gnarly! 

darwinstheory

F Me In The Brain said:

Love the dump at the Coli inclusion, you Notre Dame rat bastard!

Where she wants, right?  So you really have no say.

I would say Yosemite, Yosemite, Yosemite.  Only drawback is not seeing the waterfalls as they are in springtime.  As much as I liked all of the places I have been that are NPs, it is Yosemite as #1 and it does not even take a second to rank it that way. 

Haha...you know I had to brother, it's been far too long!

Yes, it will be her choice as to where we visit. However, as much knowledge as I can pull from some of you well traveled folks will help. Stories, letting me know not to go to a particular location in November, etc...

darwinstheory

tempo_n_groove said:

darwinstheory said:

Wow, you fine people have not disappointed! It seems like these NP destinations are something people are either all in or all out of.

We went to the Great Smoky Mountains 5 years ago and enjoyed ourselves. But I found it to be a bit too touristy for my liking. 

Then 3 years ago, we did a plan on the fly trip to Yellowstone. At that point, we still hadn't developed quite the love for the national parks we now have. Because the trip was planned on the fly, we were low on money and only had 8 days to drive there and back, we missed  out on A LOT!

We left Yellowstone completely awestruck and eager to share our stories with anyone who would listen...or pretend to listen. But, as I said, we did all that traveling on short notice. And seeing so many national parks had not really became something we planned on wanting to do. Alas, we drove (sorry, I drove as Julie will not drive with the camper on the hitch) about 24 hours to get to and from the park. During the trip, we drove right past the Badlands (could see them from a distance) and Wind Cave. We could have easily checked 2 more off the list. But we didn't. We just kept right on driving. 

Fast forward to our limited time inside Yellowstone, I feel we really did make the best of it. We saw so much cool shit! Totally bad as stuff. However, in doing so, we ran out of time. Thus, we were unable to take the day trip south to the Grand Tetons. A decision I would regret, save for it will definitely put me back in that area sometime.

As does now, that's where this thread came about. I have a week of vacation the first week of November. I am giving the girlfriend one of those pin maps for National Parks that will be personalized for her birthday next week. Of course, that will only be a part of the gift, as the real gift will be a trup to whichever National Park she would like to visit. Now, given the time of year and only having a week, there are a big majority of the parks that will likely be eliminated. A few weeks too late for the fall foliage at Acadia, Isle Royale, Voyagers, and too cold for Glacier, etc...

Sooo, with all of that in mind, I was thinking maybe Hot Springs in Arkansas to knock out the one in the middle of nowhere. And pick up Mammoth Cave on the way. Then, I thought, maybe we could knock out a bunch in Utah in a week, but I wasn't sure if that would be too cold at those elevations in the beginning of November. Then I started thinking maybe getting a few in California. Might be a good time to check out Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Swing up to LA and take a dump at the Coliseum. I also thought it could be a good time to see Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains and the Caverns. 

What opinions do you men and women have?

I could make one hell of an itinerary in Cali for you!

Land in LAX.  head south and hit up Joshua tree. Go east and climb/hike Vasquez rocks.  Go 14North and stop off in Palmdale/Lancaster and drive on the music road.  Go further north to the Ghost town of  Randsburgh.  Keep going North to the Trona Pinnacles.  Stop in the Panamints for a day hike to Panamint city.  Drive around and go to Death valley.  Drive north and see Mt Whitney(tallest peak in the continental US, so you'd have been to the lowest and tallest points on the continental US!), see the Internment camps on your way up there.  Head west and go to Sequoia then after that go north to Yosemite.

If you do all this I'd then go chill in Silicon valley or Sonoma and drink wine and relax for a few days!

You could do this in about 8 days.  Lots of driving but you would have been to 3 NP's and a couple of other cool things.  Vasquez is my favorite place on earth and I want my ashes placed in the hidden brook.

Damn, you weren't kidding! That does sound like a hell of an itinerary! Though, I must admit when I read the part about "go 14 north" I instantly thought of you as one of the Californian characters from SNL.  I'd probably have to shave off some of the items due to lack of time, but it still sounds like a solid trip. How muw time would you say some of these spots should take up? In terms of seeing what is needed to see at them.For example:

Yellowstone - several days
Smoky Mountain NP - 2 days
Badlands - half day

tempo_n_groove

darwinstheory said:

tempo_n_groove said:

darwinstheory said:

Wow, you fine people have not disappointed! It seems like these NP destinations are something people are either all in or all out of.

We went to the Great Smoky Mountains 5 years ago and enjoyed ourselves. But I found it to be a bit too touristy for my liking. 

Then 3 years ago, we did a plan on the fly trip to Yellowstone. At that point, we still hadn't developed quite the love for the national parks we now have. Because the trip was planned on the fly, we were low on money and only had 8 days to drive there and back, we missed  out on A LOT!

We left Yellowstone completely awestruck and eager to share our stories with anyone who would listen...or pretend to listen. But, as I said, we did all that traveling on short notice. And seeing so many national parks had not really became something we planned on wanting to do. Alas, we drove (sorry, I drove as Julie will not drive with the camper on the hitch) about 24 hours to get to and from the park. During the trip, we drove right past the Badlands (could see them from a distance) and Wind Cave. We could have easily checked 2 more off the list. But we didn't. We just kept right on driving. 

Fast forward to our limited time inside Yellowstone, I feel we really did make the best of it. We saw so much cool shit! Totally bad as stuff. However, in doing so, we ran out of time. Thus, we were unable to take the day trip south to the Grand Tetons. A decision I would regret, save for it will definitely put me back in that area sometime.

As does now, that's where this thread came about. I have a week of vacation the first week of November. I am giving the girlfriend one of those pin maps for National Parks that will be personalized for her birthday next week. Of course, that will only be a part of the gift, as the real gift will be a trup to whichever National Park she would like to visit. Now, given the time of year and only having a week, there are a big majority of the parks that will likely be eliminated. A few weeks too late for the fall foliage at Acadia, Isle Royale, Voyagers, and too cold for Glacier, etc...

Sooo, with all of that in mind, I was thinking maybe Hot Springs in Arkansas to knock out the one in the middle of nowhere. And pick up Mammoth Cave on the way. Then, I thought, maybe we could knock out a bunch in Utah in a week, but I wasn't sure if that would be too cold at those elevations in the beginning of November. Then I started thinking maybe getting a few in California. Might be a good time to check out Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Swing up to LA and take a dump at the Coliseum. I also thought it could be a good time to see Big Bend, Guadalupe Mountains and the Caverns. 

What opinions do you men and women have?

I could make one hell of an itinerary in Cali for you!

Land in LAX.  head south and hit up Joshua tree. Go east and climb/hike Vasquez rocks.  Go 14North and stop off in Palmdale/Lancaster and drive on the music road.  Go further north to the Ghost town of  Randsburgh.  Keep going North to the Trona Pinnacles.  Stop in the Panamints for a day hike to Panamint city.  Drive around and go to Death valley.  Drive north and see Mt Whitney(tallest peak in the continental US, so you'd have been to the lowest and tallest points on the continental US!), see the Internment camps on your way up there.  Head west and go to Sequoia then after that go north to Yosemite.

If you do all this I'd then go chill in Silicon valley or Sonoma and drink wine and relax for a few days!

You could do this in about 8 days.  Lots of driving but you would have been to 3 NP's and a couple of other cool things.  Vasquez is my favorite place on earth and I want my ashes placed in the hidden brook.

Damn, you weren't kidding! That does sound like a hell of an itinerary! Though, I must admit when I read the part about "go 14 north" I instantly thought of you as one of the Californian characters from SNL.  I'd probably have to shave off some of the items due to lack of time, but it still sounds like a solid trip. How muw time would you say some of these spots should take up? In terms of seeing what is needed to see at them.For example:

Yellowstone - several days
Smoky Mountain NP - 2 days
Badlands - half day

How much time do you have?  Let me know how many days and I can plan you a trip with other things to maximize your days.

darwinstheory

I would suspect we will fly out on a Saturday and return on a Friday. It will be the first full week of November.

rgambs

Shoulder season trips are the best!  No crowds, no bugs, lower prices...that late in the year you need to be hardy or go somewhere warmish.  November in the Adirondacks is obviously pretty chilly, but November at Bryce and Zion??  Primo.