USA 2016
2016-09-05
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In summer 2016, my girlfriend and I traveled to the western part of the United States to visit several national parks. As many friends were interested in our route and asked for hints, I am providing some details here. You can access the approximate route on Google Maps or download in KML format for a local viewer: USA-2016-6.kml.zip (226 KiB).
| San Francisco | Golden Gate Bridge (from both sides!), Fisherman's Wharf, Painted Ladies, Cable Cars, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Golden Gate Park (Japanese Garden) | |
|---|---|---|
| Shoshone Falls | Beautiful Waterfalls | |
| Yellowstone National Park | Geothermal activity, lots of very colorful hot springs, geysers, interesting geology, rich wildlife | |
| Grand Teton National Park | Lots of woods, big mountains, similar to Austria/Switzerland. | |
| Goblin Valley State Park | "Hoodoo rocks" aka goblins. Must see! Beautiful small campground. Visit the little wild horse canyon and the bell canyon!!! | |
| Arches National Park | Natural arches (Landscape Arch, Balanced Rock, Delicate Arch, Double Arch, Double O Arch, North window), nice hiking trips | |
| Canyonlands National Park | Short visit because of thunderstorms & wildfire :-( | |
| National Bridges National Monument | Some natural arches (similar to Arches National Park), Horsecollar ruin (disappointing from the distance) | |
| Mesa Verde National Park | World heritage site, must visit the Balcony House (guided tour only) | |
| Monument Valley | Navajo Nation Reservation, nice view from the campground (no cash accepted?!), dust-road is a must-do here. | |
| Four Corners | Navajo Nation Reservation, many tourist shops, 4x-corner between Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico | |
| Grand Canyon National Park (North Rim) | The view was a little disappointing, expected more from what I heard. | |
| Bryce Canyon National Park | Hoodoos, nice hiking trips through the area. Stay for the sunset/sunrise. | |
| Zion National Park | Nice view on the valley. Hiking recommended. | |
| Valley of Fire State Park | Very colorful rocks and nice hikes, "The Wave", nice campgrounds | |
| Las Vegas | Gambling city, visit at night | |
| Death Valley National Park | Zabriskie Point, Badwater Basin, Devils's Golf Course, extremely hot! | |
| Joshua Tree National Park | ||
| Los Angeles | Hollywood sign, Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, Malibu Beach | |
| Sequoia National Park | Giant Sequoia Trees, Tunnel Tree, Crescent Meadow | |
| Yosemite National Park | Half Dome, Hiking tour to both waterfalls. | |
| Pacific Coast / California | Montery, Pacific Grove, Carmel-by-the-Sea | |
| Natural Bridges State Beach | Arch in the pacific ocean. Beautiful sunset. |
Exciting Highlights of our Trip
- Met a Black Bear at Crescent Meadow / Sequoia National Park.
- Evacuated from Monument Valley at midnight from the campsite because of Tornado warning.
- Red Racer (snake) killing a ground squirrel.
- Lots of tame ground squirrels / chipmunks.
- Witness of car accident at Grand Teton NP / Yellowstone NP.
Hints
- Airports: The flight to San Jose might be much cheaper than to San Francisco. But, if I would do the trip again, I would start closer to the Yosemite National Park (e.g. Salt Lake City) and travel to San Francisco at the end.
- Do not plan to drive a large distance before the first night there.
- San Francisco: Golden Gate Bridge is toll free when driving north. It's a good idea to visit the city first and travel then in north direction on the last day before sunset.
- San Francisco: Parking can be expensive. Try to find a Motel/Hostel with a parking spot (e.g. Fisherman's Wharf HI).
- There are very nice campsites in all the National/State-Parks. Reservation might be necessary.
- Outside tourist regions, Motels can be really cheap (starting from 40$).
- Bring enough food and water for the National Parks. The next reasonable priced shop might be hundreds of miles away.
- If you know when you will be there, always reserve the accommodation if possible. Especially in the campsites in the big National Parks!
- Familiarize yourself with the traffic rules (4-way-stop, coloring of lines, turn-right-on-red).
- In the casino regions, you mostly have to pay a resort fee additionally for the Hotels/Motels.
- I can recommend the "Arrowhead mountain spring water" - it was the only one tasting well for me. Generally, mountain spring water was better than purified water.
- Los Angeles area: Be careful with the toll roads here. You have to pay the fee for the automatic toll for each day of the total car-rent even if used only once.