5 National Parks You Need to Hit
If there’s one thing you can never take away from the good old US of A, it’s the incredible diversity of nature you can find all around the place. Coastline, mountains, deserts, forests, volcanoes, everything in between. Get out there already !!
Disclaimer: the following parks are in no particular order.
Yosemite
Yosemite is, like all the other parks on this list, a true American treasure. Spectacular mountains and domes, enormous sequoia trees, great hiking, you name it. Big fans include Teddy Roosevelt. Most remarkable of all is the Half Dome, one of the most recognizable geologic features possibly on Earth.
It was formed by lava, but take a step back and just look. What the hell even is that thing? Have you seen anything like it??
Yosemite is also a paradise for rock climbers, who get the chance to scale El Capitan among other sheer rock faces unseen almost anywhere else. At night, you can see their lanterns on the walls of the cliffs. They sleep in hammocks hundreds of feet in the air. That, as much as anything else, is a sight to behold.
It’ll be a theme of this list, but Yosemite is a place you have to see to believe.
Zion
Yosemite has Zion beat on the forest front, but if we’re talking straight Canyons, Zion has a strict edge. Great hikes as well, from Angels Landing to the Narrows.
Right up there is the spine of Angels Landing — aka, the trail you go up to get to the top. As you can see, there’s not a lot of lateral space there. It’s more of a straight shot up the spine, and it really is something else. Luckily there’s a large chain to keep you from falling down the precipitous cliff to your death.
From the top you can see all the way up and down the valley. One of the most breathtaking views on the planet without question.
Coming in at the exact opposite end of the spectrum you have the Narrows, a hike in which you literally hike up a river. The canyon walls stretch a couple hundred feet into the air at times. There are other paths branching out through the walls to explore as well. Talk about being somewhere otherworldly.
Zion also has hanging gardens, good wildlife and a number of other trails. Off the grid a little bit, there’s even a natural arch to scope out. If you can’t appreciate that kind of nature, go sit on couch with your bucket of chicken. If you know, you know.
Hawaii Volcanoes
The views on this one probably aren’t quite like what you can find at some of the other parks. But boy oh boy, you can see some absolutely wild stuff here. A common thread of most national parks is the incredible formations were somehow formed by lava. It’s a main contributing factor to Zion as well as Yosemite.
Hawaii still has the lava flowing.
The park sits on the big island, which is continuously growing today as a result of the eruptions.
The active area of the volcano erupts downwards, typically into the ocean. It doesn’t go all the time but is most certainly still active. Another wild sight is this; you get a situation where you’ll be driving through the forest, and all of a sudden there’s no trees.
There’s just rock paved along both sides of the road.
That’s where the lava overcame the forest and deposited a new layer right on top. Sometimes not even too long ago.
You can even walk around some of the old & more dormant craters, on ground level. Rare you get a chance to see the Earth like this. Reminiscent of some kind of beat up, old parking lot — just formed a bit differently.
Yellowstone
We are definitely keeping the volcano theme going here with Yellowstone, out in Wyoming. While Hawaii is an active volcano, Yellowstone is actually a super volcano. As in — if that thing ever erupts, it may cause the end of civilization as we know it.
The giant lake in the middle of the park is literally sitting on top of one of the largest lava chambers on Earth.
As a result, the entire park is loaded with features found nowhere else — geothermal pools, geysers, strange rock formations. The lava deep in the Earth heats up water and causes it to bust to the surface, creating these phenomena.
Yellowstone also might have the highest concentration of incredible wildlife you will find anywhere in the US. Herds of elk and bison roam all over the place, and you’ll find wolves on the plains in the north as well.
If you go way up to the Montana border, you can also see mountain goats navigating impossibly small ledges to go eat miscellaneous cliff growing plants, or whatever they eat. They truly live life on the edge.
The volcano and geothermal features associated help support this abundance of wildlife, creating one of the most “Natural” national parks you’ll find. Just keep your fingers crossed it doesn’t blow in our lifetimes and we’ll be good.
Where else are you going to find so many wild animals in one place, not counting ant hills? Get real.
Acadia
Yes, the Grand Canyon got snubbed, in part because I’ve already written a blog on it. So did probably Glacier National Park and a couple others I’ve never been to. Get over yourselves — Acadia is last on this list, and it’s our only east coast representative.
If you know me, how know how much I love Maine, because it’s awesome.
Acadia is everything that’s right with east coast nature. Pine trees, the Atlantic ocean, some reasonable mountains, some nice wildlife. It gives a different, and admittedly less breathtaking feel than some of the west coast parks, but the place is serene in its own right.
Acadia has jagged coastline, deep forest, and Cadillac Mountain — whose peak is the first place you can see the sun rise in the US. Additionally, you have Bar Harbor, which is probably the best national park town in the country.
Because it’s in an area of the US that has been discovered for a relatively long time, you also have some old lighthouses, buildings, etc. that just give it that New England feel you know and love. I can’t spend this whole list whispering sweet nothings about canyons on the west coast. You already know that. Sometimes you need to mix in a curveball.
And with this final picture, the sun sets on another list designed to get you out of your home and enjoy nature. The world is big. This only covers US parks, and only covers some of them. Now get out there and see the world.
If you love what we do, follow on here, on IG @theregrowthproject, and of course subscribe on patreon. I have nothing but love for you beautiful people.
