National parks

[philo43]

With my dad's deteriorating condition, it has brought me back many memories of my time with my parents.

I know there are many people on this board who have traveled a lot and live in many different parts of the country. I was very fortunate that in 1973, my parents took us on a 5 week vacation across the country.  We camped half of the time and hotels / friends the rest.  Left upstate NY drove through TX to LA to Seattle and back across the northern states ( no A/C in the car). Visited many National Parks during it. I have been to many more in my adult life.

I have been trying to figure out which is/was my favorite.  It is a close call between Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mesa Verde and Grand Canyon.  Carlsbad would have been in there - except a bird sh!t on me as we were walking in.

I finally decided on Grand Canyon, we did the half trip down the canyon on mules.  Nothing more terrifying or exhilarating than having you mule facing towards a couple of hundred feet drop to eat grass.  Not to mention my dad's mule right in front of me had bad gas.  Talk about gagging.

I was curious to what others thoughts or experiences were of our national treasures were.

Don't have to limit to National - can be State or local areas - NY - my favorite is Letchworth State Park

[LennG]

We have traveled a great deal. We have been to many of the countries main National parks , with the exception of Yosemite and Glacier national park, and many more of what some might refer to as more minor ones, but I don't see them that way.

Naming a favorite is hard, sure we enjoyed Yellowstone and been to the Grand Canyon 4 times, but if I were pressed I would say
Rocky Mountain National park would come close to my favorite. After that

Denali National Park
Haleakala National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Acadia National Park (the only real national park on the East Coast)
Great Smokey Mountain National Park
Canyonlands National park
Mt Rainier National Park
Zion National Park

And if I try hard, probably could name quite a few others.

Brings back many memories.

[ozzie]

No National Parks for me yet, but I have been to the Painted Desert & the Petrified Forest. We've also been to Hawaii, while not a National Park, it is equivalent to paradise to us. 
The Grand Canyon is #1 on my destination list.
Until I get there or to some of the others at least we have the Photo thread where I can see some of the beauty of these places shared by our members. 

[Bill Brown]

We are supposed to go to Yellowstone in Aug. I plan on stopping at The Little Big Horn also. Although not a national park it is a place I have wanted to see for about 60 years.   We go to Arcadia every year when we go to Bar Harbor every fall.

Bill

[LennG]

We are supposed to go to Yellowstone in Aug. I plan on stopping at The Little Big Horn also. Although not a national park it is a place I have wanted to see for about 60 years.   We go to Arcadia every year when we go to Bar Harbor every fall.

Bill

When we were at Yellowstone, I also longed to go to the Little Big Horn and see where it all happened. As I gazed at a map and got some hints from others, we ended up passing on it, mainly because it is literally in the middle of nowhere, a good days ride to get there and back if you can do it in one day, and the reports I got was that it may be nice to see it, the entire park is also really not much of anything. I guess time was the biggest factor, a day, maybe more just to see a monument of Custer.

[Bill Brown]

When we were at Yellowstone, I also longed to go to the Little Big Horn and see where it all happened. As I gazed at a map and got some hints from others, we ended up passing on it, mainly because it is literally in the middle of nowhere, a good days ride to get there and back if you can do it in one day, and the reports I got was that it may be nice to see it, the entire park is also really not much of anything. I guess time was the biggest factor, a day, maybe more just to see a monument of Custer.

Lenn. It is in the middle of nowhere but at my age the opportunity to get there is getting limited. I just want to be able to stand there and put some things into perspective. I know that if I get that close and not go I would regret it forever.

Bill

[LennG]

Lenn. It is in the middle of nowhere but at my age the opportunity to get there is getting limited. I just want to be able to stand there and put some things into perspective. I know that if I get that close and not go I would regret it forever.

Bill

I can understand that.