Where do you plan to camp when visiting the U.S. National Parks? Although it puts you in an established campground, it’s sometimes advantageous to be inside the park boundary. A good example is Rocky Mountain; camping at Moraine Park means you won’t need to purchase either day use or Bear Lake Corridor entry passes because you’re already inside both areas. However, you’ll need to book at the earliest possible date in order to get a reservation. When I say earliest, I mean the MINUTE the reservations open. Note that some parks (Yosemite) have different schedules for releasing campsites. Most parks release sites daily beginning at 6 months out, but Yosemite books 4 months out and drops an entire month of camping opportunities all at once. Read the websites and Recreation.gov booking info carefully! There are various apps, such as The Dyrt, Campendium, iOverlander, etc. that are helpful for finding all types of camping locations.
I also recommend purchasing the annual parks access pass for $80 USD. It’s a huge savings over paying for each location individually. Wait until you arrive at your first park and buy it as you enter in order to maximize the expiration date.
A few more ideas for California:
- From Yosemite, drive down Hwy 120 from Tioga Pass to Lee Vining, CA and Mono Lake. Visit the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, just east of Big Pine, CA. Drive all the way out the dirt road to the Patriarch Grove and hike around. I was there in late April this year and didn’t see a soul for 5 hours. There’s a campground in the park, too.
- Lava Beds National Monument has interesting caves, history, Mariposa lilies and a campground.
- Lassen Volcanic National Park - if Yosemite and Yellowstone had a baby park, this would be it.
In Utah, drive Hwy 12 through Escalante and through Dixie National Forest. Drive the Moki Dugway down into the Valley of the Gods. There’s an obvious pullout about halfway down the descent; stop and check out the valley overlook. As others suggested, drive Shafer Road down from the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands to Potash Road, then back towards Moab. Stop to see the dinosaur tracks and hike to Corona and Bowtie Arches. Camp in Bears Ears National Monument and hike to see the House on Fire pueblo at noon. Horseshoe Canyon (part of Canyonlands) has some of the best pictographs and a great place to camp (take plenty of water).
In northern Arizona, use House Rock Road to reach the Wire Pass Trailhead. It’s nearly impossible to win the lottery for access to The Wave, so hike into Buckskin Gulch instead. A fabulous slot canyon!
Don’t skip New Mexico! Bandelier National Monument & Tsankawi, Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks, Los Alamos Bradbury Science Museum, and definitely Chaco Canyon (but not if the road is wet, trust me on that one!). A hidden gem is Bisti/De-Na-Zin Badlands, about an hour south of Farmington, NM. In my opinion, the best hoodoos in the southwest.
As a hiker who has traveled pretty extensively around the western U.S., I’d be happy to recommend some amazing trails in the parks/areas you plan to visit. I’d have to tailor my choices based on your abilities and preferences, so feel free to reach out to me if you like.
Your trip will be epic!
