Closest thing you’re going to get to the Roadrunner Cartoon backdrop – Arches National Park has the highest density of rock arches anywhere in the world, with 2000 in total, and has some mesmerising scenery nearby as you look out through impossible rock arches across the desert and to the white snowcapped mountains in the distance. I was surprised this place doesn’t get more attention globally as a premier site in the US
Half a day to a full day is enough time because the full drive through the park and back is only 36miles / 58km, and the various key sites are only a short walk from the road. Be sure to drive all the way up to Devils Garden to see what we thought was the highlight – Landscape Arch at 290ft / 88m long. It would have been nice to have maybe a little longer to do a longer hike and get away from the crowds, but half a day to a full day felt about right
Wowza – where did this come from!? We’d spent two days in the world-famous Yellowstone National Park (see this travel entry for tips – Campervanning through Yellowstone National Park) and then headed south to leave the park, not really expecting anything but a standard drive and more Big Sky country. We were then very pleasantly surprised to see the truly spectacular views of the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park. The drive itself along the park is only about an hour and a half long, but you’ll take longer than that stopping and just gawping at the stunning range you see all the way along the road – a beautiful, dramatic mountain range that is as photogenic as it was surprising for us. A must if heading to Yellowstone, or if anywhere nearby
Yellowstone – the name itself conjures up images of harsh, snow covered lands with roaming wolves, bears and bison; geysers (60% of the world’s geysers are found here) and truly wild nature – a real untameable wild west, and the first National Park of the US. To get more of this feeling, and avoid the rush of summer visitors (30,000 a day at peak times), I’d suggest doing a couple of things: 1. Go as the park opens up in May (or closes in October). You’ll have a few things limited due to the snow, but it doesn’t hold back the overall experience. 2. Try some of the back country trails, in addition to the key major attractions. One of the main reasons less than 5% of visitors try this is a fear of the wild animals, so to counter this make sure to ask the advice of the rangers and, if needed, arrange a ranger-led hike. We got some advice and headed to 2 spots where it felt like there was no one for miles around. Didn’t hike far – maybe a couple of hours or so, and it felt like we had the place to ourselves with that wild feeling we were hoping for
We took a campervan around as part of a large 2-3 week trip (see here for Rapid 2 week roadtrip around the US West Coast States), which is super easy to do as Yellowstone is geared up for exactly this. The “Grand Loop” drive of 132miles / 230km goes through most of the key sites and is well positioned if you want to jump off and find something slightly out of the way. We stayed the night near the Fishing Bridge of Yellowstone Lake which had some great views
A note on the type of scenery – Yellowstone is less about the stunning individual features that you may find in a Yosemite National Park, Arches National Park, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley etc. Whilst it does have some great waterfalls and the likes of Old Faithful, its more about the vast size of the place. So think less about turning the corner to suddenly be presented with an El Capitan or towering sandstone buttes from a western movie; its more about driving and hiking across Yellowstone’s vast area
As we were on a super tight schedule we only had 2 days in Yellowstone, which was enough for a glimpse and to get a feel for the place. But I would love to have stayed longer and done maybe some more hiking there
If you are driving through Yellowstone, be sure to take the time to at least drive through Grand Teton National Park – its is only an hour or so to the South and it is arguably even more impressive from a vista point of view than Yellowstone – see the travel entry Driving through Grand Teton National Park for more details
Seattle is worth checking out for a day. The Pike Place Market is a good place to roam around in, crab pot on the water with the mallets and bibs is fun, and make sure to do one of the walking tours where you learn about how the city is built on stilts. Plus, the surrounding scenery is really quite beautiful in places
Yes its super busy, yes its the definition of commercialisation, yes its often endless queues of people, but even despite all that, its just a fun experience. The famous spots like the Universal Studios, the thrills of the ever-growing rollercoaster parks, the amazing waterparks – they’re all great and worth the visit alone. But the highlight by far for me was the attention to detail that the Disney parks and their surrounding venues provide. Yes it is mass tourism, but where on the planet does it quite this well?
It was years since my last visit, so only a short travel entry and a few key tips:
- Try to go just after it pours it down with rain in the morning. The main group of fellow tourists will typically avoid using up their full day pass, but you’ll find the reduction in queue numbers worth it, and its when many of the locals go
- I’d recommend all the Disney places – Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Centre, Hollywood Studios, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon
- Others that are great – Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios
- Further afield definitely worth it – Bush Gardens (full on rollercoasters) and the Kennedy Space Centre
- If have time – SeaWorld
- If you’re into Disney – consider staying in one of the Disney Hotels. They are basically an extension of the Disney experience, often done just as well as the parks
God its cheesy, but fun
