National Parks – Page 2 – OurUSAAdventures.com

Best Hikes from Bear Lake Trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park

The best hikes from Bear Lake trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park are the stunning lake series of Nymph, Dream and Emerald Lakes as well as Alberta Falls and Mill Lake. It is also nice to hike Bear Lake itself.

The Bear Lake trailhead located in the heart of the park has easy access and spectacular views. The road to the trailhead is beautiful especially in the morning and evening when elk are grazing in the fields.

The Bear Lake Trailhead is located at the end of Bear Lake Road about 10 miles from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center (be sure to stop there first for detail hiking trails of the park). The elevation of the trailhead is 9,475 ft. and if hiking here during the summer peak season and on weekends I would definitely take the park bus shuttle to this area as it gets very crowded even in the early morning (although we got lucky twice during on stay and parked in the lot at the trailhead).

11 Tips for Visiting the US National Parks

Tips for visiting our national parks could make your vacation go smoothly and make it more enjoyable. Let’s face it most parks can get crowded especially the popular ones and the fact that most people visit when school is out making peak season at the parks crazy at times. The most popular months are from June to September with more than half of the visitors during this time. So here are some tips to make your national park vacation enjoyable and fun for the whole family.

Isle Royale National Park

Isle Royale National Park has been on my bucket list for years. You see I love seeing moose in the wild and read a long time ago that moose are on the island as well as many other species of wildlife. A national park since 1931, it’s one of the least visited national parks probably because it’s not easy to get to. As it takes much planning, but it’s a wilderness paradise and once you go you will want to go back!

Isle Royale National Park is a hiker’s paradise. With no roads on the island, the only way to get around is to hike or boat from one part of the island to the other and to the many islands around the main island that make up the park. The main island is 45 miles long by 9 miles wide. The island is open from mid-April to October depending on the weather.

Old Fall River Road

Old Fall River Road is a must-see when visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. This one-way, 9-mile narrow dirt road begins outside the entrance to the park and runs parallel to the Fall River. There are no guide rails and is very steep at times. The road starts at 8,558’ above sea level and ends at the Alpine Visitors Center which is at 11,796’above sea level.

We allowed a full day for our trip on Old Fall River Road. We drive a 23’ long crew cab pickup truck and at times we were not able to make the turns without maneuvering our truck several times. It is recommended that no vehicles over 25’ be on this curvy road and absolutely no trailers.

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park was never really on our bucket list. When you think of what national parks you really want to see the Badlands doesn’t usually come to mind. But a few years ago very unexpectedly we took a trip from New York to Wyoming because we brought an RV travel trailer and we decided instead of having it shipped we would make an adventure of picking it up.

Visit Assateague Island Virginia

Visit Assateague Island Virginia and experience the Assateague Island National Seashore and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Together there are over 14,000 acres on unspoiled beachfront, marsh, dunes and maritime forest. The island has over 300 species of birds depending on the time of year as well as Chincoteague Ponies.

This is an amazing place, the beach goes on forever and is clean and beautiful. If you love nature and quiet beauty this is a place for you to visit.