Over the past few months, we’ve been exploring some of America’s most famous national parks here on the English blog. I hope you’ve had fun reading the posts and watching the videos, because I’ve sure had a good time making them. Visiting some of the national parks should be high atop anyone’s list if traveling to the United States, and I hope that our readers will get the chance to take a trip similar to the one that I took last year to explore them. In case you missed any of the posts, here is a wrap-up with links to all posts and videos:
The song “America the Beautiful” is a very important and historical song in the United States, and many would like to see it become the national anthem. The annual pass for the national parks in the USA is named after this song, and rightfully so – the national parks truly are beautiful.
Get out of LA and visit Joshua Tree national park.
If you plan to visit Los Angeles, then it’s an easy 2-hour drive to the amazing Joshua Tree national park. There’s a lot to do here and it’s a nice escape from the big city, so stay a few nights and camp out.
The Grand Canyon is perhaps one of the most famous places in all of the US, and for good reason. There are many viewpoints and a variety of hiking trails here, including the very challenging rim-to-rim trail.
This national park located in southwestern Utah was probably our favorite of the many that we visited last summer. Camping out here, hiking, and taking in the views for a few days was an incredible experience and one I would highly recommend.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time to spend at Bryce Canyon on our way across Utah. We still had a fantastic day taking in some of the views and walking a short trail, but we definitely want to go back sometime. If you get the chance, stay here for a few days and enjoy more of this spectacular scenery.
If you love visiting national parks, then Moab, Utah should be high on your list of places to go. Here, you can visit two national parks – Canyonlands and Arches. There are three sections of Canyonlands, and two of them are very remote and difficult to access. More adventurous travelers can give it a go, while everyone can visit the Island in the Sky section.
Named after its 2,000+ natural stone arches, this park is an amazing place to explore. There are plenty of hiking trails and lots of great viewpoints, and there are also nice spots to rest and have a picnic. We had some bad weather that cut our visit a bit short, but we’d love to go back some day.
You’ll feel like you’re on top of the world when you visit the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, as it has elevations ranging from 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) to 14,000 feet (4,200 meters). This park is huge, so take a few days to explore all that is has to offer.
This is the most visited national park in the entire country, and it’s so big that it’s actually in two states – Tennessee and North Carolina. Combine a visit here with a drive on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, or visit it while you hike the Appalachian Trail.
There are so many more amazing national parks in the United States that I hope to visit some day, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite. Make sure you include at least one or two national parks on your trip to the US. Many people simply visit the big cities, but they miss out on the natural beauty of the country. Speaking of cities, we’re going to start a new series here called “Great American Cities,” so make sure you subscribe to the blog for future posts. We’ll visit Washington DC, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and of course my hometown of Detroit in addition to plenty of other cities from all corners of the country.
Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.
