“I just write about whatever places I want.”
This is what my friend – at the time, a writer and editor for a well-known travel guide company – told me when I asked how she decided what goes into the “best of”-type human interest articles we see in relation to restaurants, vacations, activities, etc. For some reason I always assumed there was some sort of science or algorithm to selecting the subjects in these pieces; as it turns out, many of them are purely subjective, with the primary criteria being the opinions and experiences of the author. Despite my initial surprise, this revelation actually did help to make sense of some of the articles I’ve read in the past and with which I’ve vehemently disagreed. I wasn’t disputing a hard fact or the results of a survey; I was simply differing in opinion with one individual. And that grain of salt is essential to what comes next.
I absolutely adore our country’s national parks. Can’t get enough of them. I spent this past weekend hiking around Yosemite and hanging out with a couple of my college friends, both of whom work – one as a ranger – in Yosemite Valley. By the fall I’ll have traveled to over a third of the 59 designated parks in my Pokemon-gotta-catch-em-all quest to see what the vast landscape of the US has to offer. I realize this is a bit of a pipe dream; I have no idea when I’m going to catch a flight to American Samoa (not totally out of the question) or Gates of the Arctic (okay, might actually die at that one). But regardless, I have not yet once been even remotely disappointed by the grandeur that awaits beyond these parks’ entrances.
For those of you who have unplanned vacation days and a desire to explore the great outdoors this summer or fall, I urge you to hop on the NPS website and pick a park, any park. For those of you looking for a little guidance, I’ve put together a few of the places I’ve found truly remarkable below. Think of this as a sort of superlative list for the parks I’ve had the good fortune of visiting thus far, keeping in mind that the descriptors could very easily be substituted with the phrase “Author’s Favorite”, and also that the author still has a great deal of traveling to do to make a fully comprehensive list.
Park names are in italics.
Best Vista Point: Hurricane Hill, Olympic
Children of the 1990s know the Olympic Peninsula as the birthplace of Kurt Cobain, and vicariously, Nirvana. Children of the 2000s know it as the home of the Cullen coven, where Edward and Bella professed their love. Outdoor-lovers know it as a diverse wilderness with multiple ecosystems and wild coastline. High up on Hurricane Ridge there exists a brief hike at the end of the road beyond the visitor center, one which traverses through meadows of wildflowers so fragrant the entire atmosphere becomes perfumed. At the peak, the view is breathtaking – the valley below, the forest beyond, the snow-capped Olympic peaks, and even Victoria, British Columbia on the other side of the Salish Sea.
Best Hike: Double O Arch, Arches
This trail is a treasure trove of discovery, winding up, down, and around through the Devil’s Garden. While the Double O Arch is the terminus of the hike (unless you venture further into the backcountry for a closer look at Dark Angel), there are a variety of other named arches to be seen on the way there, not to mention slick rock to scale and rock fins on which to mind your balance when seeking a better vantage point. Bring a map, good footwear, and a sense of adventure.
Most Unique Flora: Park Boulevard, Joshua Tree
Of course, there are the Seussical trees of the park’s namesake, pointy and quirky and certainly never imitated. In the northern area of the park, Joshua Tree forests line the roadside and are easily viewed by vehicle. With a little extra effort, nearby hikes can lead into lush oases, a contrast of dense, vibrant vegetation surrounding by high desert. Have you ever been inside a real oasis? They are a sight to behold.
Best Mountain: Mount Rainier, Mount Rainier
Perhaps that subtitle was a bit repetitive, but it’s worth mentioning multiple times. The second highest peak in the contiguous United States is remarkable up close and personal, made possible through a variety of roads, hikes, and climbs. If you’ve got the experience, the gear, and nerves of steel, you can ascend to its snow-entrenched summit. If not, there are plenty of other ways to take it in beyond snapping a photo from I-5 South (just take a look at the picture above).
Most Interesting Rock Formations: Hoodoos, Bryce Canyon
Hoodoo? You do? I do? What? Bryce Canyon is found well off the beaten path but undoubtably worth the detour, part forest and part high desert playground. The most popular area of the park is the amphitheater, featuring a variety of overlooks and entry points to trails exploring the high density of orange rock spires below. Hoodoos are a product of an ancient lake and have been sculpted by consistent, slow water erosion, existing in Bryce in quantities unlike any other part of the world.
Best Panoramic View: Glacier Point, Yosemite
It can get crowded. It can get noisy. A tantrum-throwing child mild run into you, ice cream cone in hand, as his parents stand by indifferently. But my goodness is it all worth it for a grand view of the valley floor with Half Dome and Yosemite, Nevada, and Vernal falls all within frame. You can drive or pay a fee to take the bus, a full hour’s ride from the valley. Or you can reach the area through a variety of hikes, most notably the Four-Mile Hike (a misnomer, actually nine miles roundtrip), or the correctly-named Panorama Trail, which you can probably figure out what it entails.
Best Coastal View: Cadillac Mountain, Acadia
They call Maine “Vacationland” for a reason, and Acadia is likely its crown jewel. It’s also where I first fell in love with the park system, hiking through granite wilderness, scaling waterfalls, and taking in the coastline of Mount Desert Island. You can drive up to the top of Cadillac, but again, you’re better served scrambling up and down the south or eastern ridges. Bonus points if you hold out until October, where the fall foliage is unparalleled.
Least Describable: The Big Room, Carlsbad Caverns
You may have explored some caves in your lifetime, but you likely haven’t seen anything like these. A hike (or what is likely a creepy elevator ride) into the darkness leads to an ecosystem that appears to be a completely different world. With the minimal lighting it’s pretty difficult to fathom just how large the main cavern actually is, and the rock formations throughout it are nearly impossible to explain in words.
Biggest Risk/Reward: Angels Landing, Zion
Our third entry hailing from the Beehive State (seriously, you should really visit southern Utah; also, this has nothing to do with bees), this is one hell of a trail. It begins innocently enough, heading up a sunny ridge into Refrigerator Canyon before getting more difficult at Walter’s Wiggles, a series of seemingly endless switchbacks providing a great lower extremity workout. But once you reach Scout Lookout – perhaps more appropriate called the chicken gate akin to a pulse-pounding amusement park ride – you better be sure of foot and focused as possible to continue upwards. The trail that follows is nearly always on the edge of a cliff, sometimes with drops of several hundred feet on either side and only a few feet of walking space in between. There are chains to hold onto in many areas, but that hasn’t prevented numerous overmatched hikers from a grim descent. I get anxiety flashbacks just thinking about it. But then I think about the payoff at the end, the incredible view into the canyon, and I remember that it was all worth it.
They’re always worth it.
About Andrew Rose
Andrew Rose is a writer and editor for Rookerville. He also manages a travel blog for his friends and family. His book, “Seizure Salad”, is a work of fiction - not in that it is a tale of fantasy, but in that it does not actually exist.