Page 6 - AAA Now! – AAA Shelby County – July/August 2021

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Explore North America’s National Parks
Visiting the great North American national parks
is an eclectic experience. Where else can you
see red spires, painted pinnacles, jagged peaks, mysterious canyon buttes, forested mountains, dramatic deserts and unique wildlife. From California to Tennessee, we've targeted some exceptional parks that will create lifetime memories.
Yosemite National Park
A pictorial favorite of photographer Ansel Adams, hikers and tourists, Yosemite is indeed one of
the most beautiful places on earth. For outdoor enthusiasts, the region offers a vast selection of trails, from easy to challenging. East of the Yosemite Falls, the valley divides up into spectacular glacier-carved valleys and granite basins, providing intriguing trails in all directions. Dominating this area is the Half Dome, its rounded summit looking 5,000 feet down to the valley ground. The Half Dome vertical north
face is a titanic-size wall above the Tenya River as well as the sheerest cliff on the continent.
At Glacier Point, photographers will enjoy the awesome
2,600 foot-view downward towards the valleys of Tenaya, Merced and Illiloutte. For
an even more exhilarating sight, take a climb to Sentinel Dome. At 900 feet above Glacier Point, you'll feel as if you're on top of the world. The best time
to see these splendors is February
through October.
Canyonlands National Park
Located in Moab, Utah, this huge park of unusual beauty receives a minimum of 250,000 visitors annually. There's much to see in this vast area — the Maze section, Monument Basin, the Totem Pole, Druid Arch
and Angel Arch. But be forewarned, the majority of roads are more or less paved for SUV drivers only.
While SUV touring is recommended for its ease and accessibility, it's not the only way to see the park. You
can also explore it by horseback on
a guided tour. Another way to see it is to take a boat tour on the Green and Colorado rivers. Recommended months to view the awesome sights of Canyonlands National Park are April through October.
Bryce Canyon National Park
This is Utah's smallest national park, yet it is visited by nearly one million tourists every summer. What attracts people to Bryce Canyon National Park is that it straddles the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau, one of America's highest
elevated tablelands. The park extends 20 miles along the plateau's rim and high escarpments, providing a panoramic view of the Colorado Plateau
country 2,000 feet below. Looking out from Yovimpa Point, you can
see the Henry Mountains to the northeast and near the Arizona border, the Navajo Mountains. Late June and July are the best months to experience this splendor.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Ten million visitors can't be wrong. Every year beginning mid-October tourists come to see the wondrous colors of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The park claims to have more that 100 types of trees ranging from maple, birch, oak, beech
and hickory. In the fall season, the weather is normally 70 degrees and the leaves begin to change colors. Often draped in a multicolored haze,
due to the various trees, the Great Smoky Mountains were once called "shaconage" (Place of the Blue Smoke) by the Cherokee Indians.
Hikers will enjoy having close to 800 square miles of terrain to choose from, such as the Cades Cove, which offers brilliantly hued leaves, fresh mountain air and grassy fields where deer and black bears can be seen grazing.
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JULY/AUGUST 2021
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