Page 13 - AAA Now! – AAA Akron Auto Club – Summer 2020

TRAVEL
TRAVEL MATTERS
The Ultimate National Park Explorer Road Trip
Visit 17 sites in the National Park System while driving this loop through western states. By John T. Garcia
There are 49 national parks in the continental United States, and five can be found in Utah. In this nearly 3,500 mile loop, starting in Las Vegas, Nevada, you can visit 11 national parks, four national monuments, one national historical park and one national memorial. We’ll point out some Destination Detours, interesting distractions on or near your route along the way.
Some of these roads are seasonal and others are susceptible to weather, so check before starting your drive. Our journey begins and ends in Las Vegas, Nevada, and airline tickets to “The Entertainment Capital of the World” are relatively inexpensive. You also could drive to Las Vegas, but you will be doing plenty of driving on this trip, so give your vehicle a “vacation” as well.
It would be best if you also considered purchasing a National Parks Service Annual Pass, which you
can buy at certain NPS locations or online at www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm.
Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah
Horseback riding, rock climbing and hiking are among the many things offered at Zion. Its vast array of nature will captivate you.
Destination Detour: A Washington, Utah, resident has an 81-foot pole in his yard covered with license plates from all 50 states.
Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon, Utah
Hoodoos (pillars of rock) are found on every continent, but the most significant concentration on earth is at Bryce Canyon.
Capitol Reef National Park, Torrey, Utah
Besides hiking, this treasure filled with cliffs, canyons and domes, also can be explored by vehicle, with much of the park being seen from the road.
Golden Spike National Historical Park, Brigham City, Utah
Visit the location of where the first transcontinental railroad across the United States was completed in 1869 and the Last Spike was placed.
Destination Detours: On your way here, check out the seasonal petting zoo behind the Flying J Travel Center in Scipio, Utah. Or the Stonehenge replica outside of a skilled nursing facility of the same name in American Fork, Utah.
Fossil Butte National Monument, Kemmerer, Wyoming
Some of the world’s best-preserved fossils are found in the flat-topped ridges of southwestern Wyoming’s sagebrush desert.
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Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Wyoming
The park operates year-round with plenty of activities, including bird watching and other wildlife viewings, fishing and horseback riding.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
The first national park in the U.S. Whether it’s waiting for the next eruption of Old Faithful or grabbing a gander at the wildlife wandering the park, make sure you plan to make the most of your trip.
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Crow Agency, Montana
This memorial pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. The battle pitted the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes against U.S. Army Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his 7th Cavalry.
Destination Detour: In Cody, Wyoming, (named after Colonel William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody), stop by the Cody Dug Up Gun Museum, which is precisely what it sounds like. It is a collection of dug up guns, which, in this area of the country, is not hard to find.
Devils Tower National Monument, Devils Tower, Wyoming
Fans of the film, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” will recognize this immediately while skilled rock climbers love the challenges it presents.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota
The heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln carved in granite and a little larger than actual size.
Jewel Cave National Monument, Custer, South Dakota
With more than 208 miles of passages, this is the third-longest cave in the world. You will wonder at its amazing formations and the colors that are presented.
Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park, Montrose, Colorado
It’s big, but it’s also small. Over time, the Gunnison River has carved out some cliffs and created some fantastic spires in this forgotten canyon.
Destination Detour: In Cheyenne, Wyoming, look for “The Greeting and The Gift” along Interstate 25 near exit 4. It is a 14-foot-tall bronze Mountain Man on one side of the highway facing a 13-foot-tall bronze Indian on the other side of the road. The two seem to be exchanging friendly gestures.
Arches National Park, Moab, Utah
What else could they have named this park with more than 2,000 natural stone arches in the park? Your goal is to take a photo of a sunrise or a sunset through one of the arches.
Canyonlands National Park, Moab, Utah
The Colorado River and its tributaries divide the park into four districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the rivers themselves.
Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez and Mancos, Colorado
The park has nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings.
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Have you ever seen wood turn to stone? How about a painted desert? And don’t forget to check out the petroglyphs.
Destination Detour: Four Corners Monument is the only place in the U.S. where four states converge in one place. You stand in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah at the same time.
Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon, Arizona
The second-most visited park in the U.S. features a large (some call it grand) canyon that is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep. The South Rim is open all year. North Rim is open seasonally.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Back where you started. Depending on when
your flight departs, you could check out a couple of National Conservation areas, both of which are less than 25 miles from the city. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area can be driven through and is 20 miles west of Las Vegas. Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, just 24 miles south of the city, offers Native American petroglyphs, wildlife watching and hiking trails.
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