Tags
Acadia NP, Biscayne NP, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands NP, Carlsbad Carverns, Destination, Destination Ideas, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, National Parks, Summer Travel
Nothing quite so effectively displays Mother Nature’s beauty than a sunrise or sunset, those few moments each day when the world shines golden and with incredible serenity.
Some of America’s best sunrises and sunsets can be seen in her national parks. They range from where the morning light first touches America each day to romantic sunsets over glorious waters, from the subtle signal for a million bats to begin their day to incredible sunrises over the continent’s deepest chasm.
Here are six must-see sunrises and sunsets at our national parks.
First sunrise at Acadia National Park
Day hikers can walk to one of the first spots where the sun touches America each morning via the South Ridge Trail in Maine’s Acadia National Park. The trail is a 7.2-miles round trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest summit on the Eastern seaboard. Though the hike would be done in the dark, with moonglow and flashlights, the trail is traversable. Acadia’s ancient granite peaks are among the first places in the United States where the sunrise can be seen. Be sure to bring a blanket to lay out on the cold rock and take a seat looking southeast.
Gold-lined paths at Bryce Canyon
Fairyland really does exist – it’s smack dab in south central Utah, where a maze of totem pole-like rock formations called hoodoos grace Bryce Canyon National Park. Hoodoos are unusual landforms in which a hard caprock slows the erosion of the softer mineral beneath it. The result is a variety of fantastical shapes. Take the Queens Garden Trail, which descends into the fantasyland of hoodoos. When hiking during the early morning, sunrise’s orange glow magically lights the trail’s contours.
Bat show at Carlsbad Caverns
About 1 million Mexican Freetail bats live in Carlsbad Caverns. During the day, they rest on the ceiling of Bat Cave, a passageway closed to the public. At sunset, to feed for the evening, the bats dramatically swarm out of the cave in a tornadic-like spiral, their silhouettes stretching into the distant horizon. An open-air amphitheater allows visitors to safely watch the bats’ departure in an event called The Night Flight. The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, a half-mile loop, also allows you to watch the bats disperse across the New Mexican desert.
Breathtaking light show at Grand Canyon
Among the Grand Canyon National Park’s most spectacular sights – sunrise and sunset – can be seen within walking distance of Grand Canyon Village in Arizona. While the South Rim Trail extends several miles along the canyon edge, you only have to walk to Mather Point, where views of the canyon shift like pictures in a marquee at both sunrise and sunset. Another great spot that’s a little less crowded is Ooh Ahh Point on the South Kaibab Trail, which is east of the village and south of Yaki Point. The aptly named Ooh Ahh Point is less than 200 feet below the rim.
100-mile views at Great Smoky Mountains
You can enjoy views of sunrises and sunsets covering up to a hundred miles on the Clingmans Dome Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At 6625 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in Tennessee and along the Appalachian Trail, as well as the third tallest east of the Mississippi. A half-mile trip leads to the summit. How incredible are the sunsets? They can be crowded, as those hoping to photograph the stunning scenery line up 45 minutes before the sun descends.
Romantic sunsets at Biscayne National Park
A full 95 percent of Florida’s Biscayne National Park sits underwater, a turquoise blue paradise laced with vividly colored coral reefs – and nothing quite says romance like a sunset over this tropical ocean. Adams Key offers a quarter-mile trail from the dock through the hardwood hammock on the island’s west side; most of the route skirts the beach, where the sunset can be enjoyed.
Needles aglow at Canyonlands National Park
Clambering over boulders and ambling across strangely angled slickrock – and watching needles aglow at sunset – await on Canyonlands National Park’s Slickrock Trail in southeastern Utah. The 2.9-mile loop trail generally follows a mesa rim. Plan to walk the trail about an hour or so before sunset; on the final mile, tall thin rock formations called needles fill the horizon, glowing crimson as the sun sets.
Rob Bignell is the author of several hiking books, including the bestselling “Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks.”
David B. CA~ “I am extremely pleased with my first experience with Coach Net, the service, support, and follow up Email was outstanding.”
RVs are a gift that keeps on giving. Not only do they give us the freedom of the open road, but they’re our ticket out of summer’s hottest months. Why not put those hot climate vacation destinations on the back burner and point your rig to cooler climates instead? These three summer destinations are hot places to keep cool this summer.
Dock your RV at Duluth’s funkiest waterfront RV park on the shores of Lake Superior and you might think you’re on the San Francisco Bay. This seaport city has undergone a renaissance over the last few years, welcoming visitors with miles of trails, forests to explore and tasty cuisine. A few typical RV parks are situated on the edge of Duluth but for a more unique experience, park your rig at 
Mark Twain’s famous saying is still true: the coldest winter you’ll ever experience is a summer in San Francisco. Bring a sweater and watch the unprepared tourists shiver as they walk along Fisherman’s Wharf in their bermuda shorts – it’s a riot! Don’t worry about parking your rig on San Francisco hills, however. The closest RV parks to San Francisco are located safely outside of the hustle and bustle. If you just want a place to sleep so you can focus on exploring the city, 
Cool off and enjoy plenty of elbow room near the Canadian border in the spectacular Rocky Mountain playground surrounding Kalispell Montana. This thriving mountain community is in an outdoor paradise cooled by the snowcapped peaks of 
Nothing quite demonstrates the awesome power and beauty of Mother Nature like a waterfall – hundreds of gallons of water rushing several stories over a cliffside, the vertical stream nestled in lush greenery, the mist and droplets that splash on you at the fall’s base.
Not many travelers have heard of Tokopah Falls, but it’s an incredible site. A series of cascades, it drops 1200 feet – almost the height of the Empire State Building – at California’s Sequoia National Park. It’s a park of tall trees and tall waterfalls.
You can enjoy this waterfall and then a vista at 7200 feet elevation on Grand Teton National Parks’ Hidden Falls-Inspiration Point Trail. The trail runs 3.8-miles round trip into Cascade Canyon. Though technically not a waterfall but a series of cascades running 200 feet over several multiple steps, Wyoming’s Hidden Falls still impresses.
A trail through a lush, old growth forest that ends at this waterfall will delight anyone hiking the Marymere Falls Trail at Olympic National Park in Washington. The 1.6-mile round trip trail really is like taking two entirely different hikes in one. Most of the trail heads through a intensely green Pacific Northwest rain forest while the last portion at the destination is purely about the waterfalls.
This 65-foot waterfalls awaits visitors on the Brandywine Gorge Trail at Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Brandywine Gorge Trail loops 1.5 miles to the falls then back to the trailhead with several crossings of Brandywine Creek.
From rare California poppies to sweet-scented phlox, wildflowers begin to bloom this month across much of the country. Filling green meadows, desert basins, and forest floors, wildflowers bring a special beauty that usually can only be seen for a few weeks.
Each spring, brilliant orange California poppies, lavender-colored bush lupine, and white mariposa lilies blossom across the nation’s newest national park. To see a variety of them at different elevations and from a number of vistas, take the High Peaks and Bear Gulch trails.
From late June through early August, summer wildflower blooms are at their peak. Check out the Swiftcurrent Lake Loop Trail for meadows strewn with purple asters, white torch-shaped clusters of beargrass, and sun yellow glacier lilies, all with majestic mountains as a backdrop.
Amid the high desert is an oasis of summer wildflowers on the Alpine Lakes Trail. Spring-fed Lehman Creek flows into a lake and supports Parry’s primrose, penstemon, and phlox, all set against vibrant green grass. Butterflies are abundant here as well.
You can enjoy views of up to a hundred miles atop one of the highest points east of the Mississippi River. The 1-mile round trip Clingmans Dome Trail heads to the highest spot in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Tennessee and the third tallest east of the Mississippi. The top rewards with an incredible 360 degree panorama. A verdant spruce-fir forest sits at the ridge tops while in autumn the leaves of hardwoods below adds swaths of harvest colors. On clear days, 100-mile views are possible.
Perhaps the most fantastic vista in all of North America is the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Indeed, the Grand Canyon rightly defies description. Most who see it for the first time say it reminds them of a majestic painting, appropriately suggesting it’s a place that only can be visualized by actually gazing at it. While the South Rim Trail extends several miles along the canyon edge, a short section east of the El Tovar Hotel offers the best views. You’ll be able to see the Colorado River a mile below and an array of incredible buttes, towers and ridges and that stretch up to 10 miles away on the canyon’s other side.
Two sweeping views of Yosemite Valley await on the Sentinel Dome and Taft Point Loop. Located south of the valley along Glacier Point Road, the trail runs 4.9-miles. Taft Point allows you to get right up to the edge of the valley rim, offering magnificent views of Yosemite Valley below and Yosemite Fall (the tallest in North America) and El Capitan across the way. The 360 degree views from the top of Sentinel Dome – which peaks at 8127 feet – are the hike’s highlight. Among the visible sights are Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, North Dome, and Basket Dome.
The multi-colored Grand Prismatic Spring and an array of geysers can be seen on the first 0.6 miles of Yellowstone’s Fairy Falls Trail. A 400-foot stretch of the trail appropriately known as Picture Hill provides a grand vista of the spring. About 370 feet in diameter, Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world. It reaches a depth of 121 feet. Be sure to bring polarized sunglasses. By wearing them, you can see the spring’s rainbow colors reflected in the steam rising off the water. The smaller Excelsior Geyser Crater sits beyond the geological wonder.
You can hike past hoodoos to a vista that affords a fantastic view of Zion National Park’s famous Beehives, East Temple, the Streaked Wall, and the Towers of the Virgin, on the Canyon Overlook Trail. The 1-mile round trip of pinnacles, arches and domes feels like a walk on an alien world straight out of a science fiction film. The trail can be taken any summer day, but temps are cooler in the morning and late evening.
Park Point, Mesa Verde’s highest spot at 8572 feet above sea level with 360 degree views, is often touted as the most impressive vista in the United States. The 0.5-mile round trip Park Point Overlook Trail takes you to the view of Montezuma and Mancos valleys, and on a clear day, you can see four states – Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Add 0.5-miles round trip to the fire lookout tower for additional great views.
Another major project rehabilitates the opening mile of the 8.5-mile Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyon National Park. The segment of the trail to the Mile-and-a-half Resthouse, which descends 1063 feet into the canyon, is a popular day hike despite the steep route. Cost of the improvement is $1.3 million.
The Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point Bridges on Grand Teton National Park’s Jenny Lake Trail are slated for replacement. The national park’s most visited destination, the trail at the base of the mountains heads to a 200-foot waterfall and a stunning vista at 7200 feet elevation.
Glacier National Park plans to improve the first mile of the popular Highline Trail beginning at its Logan Pass trailhead. The trail, accessible from the Going-to-the-Sun Road, offers incredible vistas as it follows the Continental Divide along a high rock cliff known as the Garden Wall.
Those visiting the Washington national park will find improvements on several trails, including the Skyline, Pebble Creek, Golden Gate, Glacier Vista, and Dead Horse Creek trails. Many of those trails offer great views of Mount Rainier, which is the fourth highest peak in the United States.
What are the most romantic places in the world? Paris? Hawaii? Italy?
For many, vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains rank among the nation’s most beautiful natural scenery. The 4-mile hike up to the summit of Old Rag Mountain via the Ridge Trail at Shenandoah National Park is challenging, but the 360 degree view from the top is unparalleled, as nearly 200,000 acres of wilderness stretch below you. Twirl your beloved around in a dance so that the entire scene spins before her eyes.
Among the first places in America to see the sunrise is the top of Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park. As the sun ascends over the Atlantic Ocean below the summit, it colors the waters in an incredible light show. Bring a breakfast picnic, and as the new day begins, propose marriage (or “renew” your vows), for the sunrise symbolizes the dawning of your life together. Since you can drive to the summit, after she says “Yes,” together hike one of the trails along the mountain top (Either the South Ridge Trail or the Gorge Path are beautiful.).
It’s time to celebrate! The National Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016. In honor of this amazing year, we are launching a 12-part series dedicated to the enjoyment and beauty of our glorious national parks. Stay tuned each month as we continue the celebration with park highlights, destination ideas, and general good-to-know information.
The Act of March 1, 1872 established Yellowstone National Park as a public park. This founding created a worldwide park movement. Following the establishment of Yellowstone, the United States authorized additional national parks and monuments. Some were administered by the Department of the Interior while others were administered by the War Department and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture. But, no single agency managed the various par
The National Park System receives over 280,000,000 visits each year and visitation is continuing to grow. According to the 2014 Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visitors, the ten most visited areas of the National Park Service handle 28% of the visits to the 400+ park areas. The #1 ranked national park is the Golden Gate National Recreation Area with over 15 million, followed in 2nd by the 
The National Park Service is turning 100
Your Vermont stay is even better if you check into 
