Source
r/NationalPark•
NoNewNotifications

Hidden Gems or Must-sees!

Hey guys! I am currently planning out a road trip to numerous national parks and wanted some of y'all's advice. Here is the list of where I am headed: Badlands, Rocky Mountain, Arches, Canyonland, Zion, Death Valley, Yosemite, Redwood, Crater Lake, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Voyageurs. This is going to be a 2+ month trip and I want to experience everything these parks have to offer! So please let me know some cool spots you loved and even other parks that you think I missed.

Posted Nov 4, 2020, 12:22 AM UTC

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hikeraz•

Search the App Store for “NPS” or “National Park Service” and you will get a listing of many of the official apps. They are really good for first time visitors with lots of info. Within each app be sure to download the maps and audio for offline viewing/listening since cell service is pretty spotty, especially in the bigger parks.

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NoNewNotificationsOP•

I hadn’t thought of downloading that! That sounds perfect for me!

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Sturty7•

If you do not stop at sequoia and kings canyon you will regret it! Sequoia is absolutely unbelievable! Must see!

Edit: Point Reyes National Seashore is also beautiful. Check out the lighthouse for sure! Also, if you have the time and desire, burney falls was stunning when my wife and I saw it! It was quite a drive to get there though! California was great! Take your time there if you can!

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NoNewNotificationsOP•

I’ll have to add that to the list! I have family in California so I definitely will try to get the most out of the State! Thank you!

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ramillerf1•

McArthur-Burney Falls is an amazing state park and is off the beaten path but is fairly close to Lassen National Park... one of my favorite National Parks. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=455

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ramillerf1•

You have quite an adventure planned! I’ve been to 32 National Parks and half the fun is the planning! From Moab, get to scenic Hwy 24 and head west on a very spectacular road through Utah. That road will take you through Capital Reef NP and then turn left in Torrey on Hwy 12. This amazing road will take you to Bryce Canyon NP then turn south on 15 to head to Zion. From there it is nice to head to the Grand Canyon before ending up in Las Vegas. A short 2 hour drive takes you to Death Valley... My favorite National Park. The highlights are Badwater, Mesquite Dunes and Zabriskie Point but also try to do the Titus Canyon drive, though you will need a high clearance vehicle for that. If the road is clear, head north up 395 along the East side of the Sierras. After visiting Mono Lake you can enter Yosemite from the East side over Tioga Pass.

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throwaway46721jaka•

Hey I actually just did a trip like this. Along the way I made a “Hidden Gems of America” list with everything from camp spots to hikes to food. If you are out in Badlands, I highly recommend the Black Hills National Forest (Wrinkled Rocks Campground is free and perfect). Out in Yosemite, if you are car camping, I stayed at Lee Vining Mobile for 2 weeks and it was probably the safest/cleanest place we stayed! It is 15 mins from park entrance (via Tioga Road), free parking spots over night, water, an outdoor bar, and kickin’ fish tacos.

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Resident-Dog-3540•

The Black Hills in general are definitely worth seeing/hiking! They are just a state park, but my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed hiking there on our trip out west (we did Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Black Hills and Badlands).

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seatoshiningkelsey•

If you're hitting Arches and Zion, you should definitely make the time to stop at Bryce. There's so much at Bryce that you wouldn't see at Arches and Zion, it'd be crazy to skip it on your road trip, especially since it's basically between Arches and Zion.

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Denbogy•

Rock creek in eastern Sierras is amazing and right in between Death Valley and Yosemite (from the eastern entrance over tioga pass) and there’s also devil’s postpile national monument and rainbow falls in mammoth lakes as well. Definitely worth some time as long as it’s not winter or early spring. Pretty magical area with tons of other lakes, granite crags, and waterfalls galore.

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chainz4_brainz•

Capitol Reef, and Bryce Canyon are in between arches /Canyonlands and Zion. Great Basin, the north rim of the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde are close too.

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