Travel Wishlist: US National Parks

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel! This episode, we're going to chat about our only travel wishlist destination within the United States, the National Parks. Join us as we visit Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and more.

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Transcript

Julie: 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. This episode, we're going to chat about our only travel wishlist destination within the United States, the National Parks. Join us as we visit Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and more.

Ryan: 0:21

The National Parks obviously are on a lot of our travel wish lists, which isn't surprising because there's so many destinations There are National Parks all across the country anywhere from Arizona with the Grand Canyon To the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado even down in Florida They have a really interesting one called the Dry Tortuga National Park Which I really want to see you can only get there by all the way up into Maine with Acadia, Washington with the Olympic National Park, and obviously Wyoming with Mount Teton National Park. There are things to see everywhere across the United States. And Julie, I am so excited to talk about these today. Why do you think national parks are on people's must travel lists?

Julie: 1:09

I think they're there because there's, there's just a lot of rich history there. There's some things to see and some sites to see that you're never going to see. See in your hometown, unless your hometown is one of these places, but, you know, and you see them in history books, you see them in movies, you see them in pictures all over the place on TV shows. And they're just breathtaking sites once you make it there.

Ryan: 1:29

Yes, absolutely. I can remember back a couple summers ago, I was at Volcanoes National Park and in the same summer, actually, I was at Rocky Mountain National Park and just seeing those beautiful sights the pictures and the memories are just amazing. So, I know you've got some really cool trips to talk about today and we're going to talk about why national parks matter on your travel list. But first, if you want to plan a trip to an amazing destination, but you don't know how to get started, as your travel advisor, we work with you to create a customized itinerary for your vacation, and take the stress of planning away, so that you can focus on the fun and creating those national park memories. You can reach me at ryan at ryan at creatingmagicvacation. com.

Julie: 2:16

National parks are enticing to visit because they have a rich history. They have all inspiring nature that you can visit and the unique wildlife that you'll see on these trips. There's so many unforgettable memories that you can make with your family and we can't wait to take you there. So, today we're going to highlight about eight different national parks that you can visit across the U. S. And these are just some of the more popular or more common ones. So, this is probably the most famous one, I think, Ryan, where we're going to go to Arizona and check out the Grand Canyon. And just a little bit about the Grand Canyon, it's a World Heritage Site that's often considered one of the wonders of the world. There's other canyons across the planet, but none of them are as iconic as the Grand Canyon because it's 18 miles wide and 277 miles long.

Ryan: 3:05

amazing. I, I can't wait to see this for the first time.

Julie: 3:08

Me too. I really want to go. And one of the things that is recommended is that you walk on the Skywalk, which is a 10 foot wide glass bridge extending 70 feet over the rim of the Grand Canyon. Or, oh, I totally would. I mean, maybe like if I'm attached to something, but I would like to say I would.

Ryan: 3:27

No, I would totally do it. Absolutely. In a heartbeat. I would be there.

Julie: 3:31

So you can either do that kind of up above, or you can hike deep down into the canyon for a once in a lifetime experience and kind of go down and then look at the canyon from below. Spring is the best time to visit down there. The desert blooms and the daytime temperature is usually in the 70s. Making it a little bit more mild. If you go in the summer, it's going to be super hot, but obviously that's when a lot of kids have off school and it's a great time to do that.

Ryan: 3:57

So the next part that we want to highlight is in Colorado, the Rocky Mountain National Park. And like I said, two summers ago, I was here outside of the Rocky National Park is Estes Park. It's a beautiful small town. We actually stayed there in a little Airbnb, it was just a really cool town to make our base camp, if you will, for visiting the park. As the snow melts, you can go to the park to enjoy scenic mountain drives, hike through the alpine meadows. fish for trout. And I will tell you from an elevation standpoint, that's not a joke. Like they're not kidding around with the elevation. We went to one of the highest peaks where it's still part of the, the park driving system, if you will. And we went into the gift shop there and about after about five minutes, I'm like, I gotta leave. I can't do it. Like I was getting a headache. I couldn't breathe anymore. But I will tell you, Julie, With animals and scenery. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life.

Julie: 4:56

What animals did you see there?

Ryan: 4:57

We saw elk, we saw deer we saw moose. So, I mean, it was just, it was amazing. Now, a lot of times they're off in the distance Probably the most interesting thing about that trip didn't have anything to do with the National Park, but our Airbnb, the bedroom window overlooked the hotel that was the external shots for The Shining. So that was kind of creepy. Ha ha ha ha.

Julie: 5:24

don't know if I could do that.

Ryan: 5:25

Yeah, but it's a beautiful park. What's next?

Julie: 5:28

So up next, we are going to go to the opposite side of the country over to Maine and Acadia National Park. This is one of the top 10 most visited national parks in America. And that might be because it's a little bit easier to access. It's on the coast of Maine. When you go there, you're going to see a lot of woodlands, lakes, ponds. You're also going to find Cadillac Mountain, which is the tallest mountain on the Atlantic coast When you go to Maine, you're also likely going to go to Bar Harbor, which is the main city you're going to stay in over by Acadia. And the best part about that is you can also get some delicious lobster, view some lighthouses, enjoy some sandy beaches. Which make this more of a seasonal destination. It's going to be most crowded in the summer. If you want to go early fall, you might still find some great views with fall foliage, but it is going to be a little bit less crowded and more quiet at that point. The cool thing about Acadia National Park is you can actually take a couple of cruises up that will make a stop there. So if you are going on a cruise on the northeast side of the country, and you go up towards Canada, I know a lot of cruises out of Baltimore go up there, you're gonna go stop at Acadia National Park.

Ryan: 6:37

In Montana, we have the Glacier National Park which is, basically it's, if you think about the Rocky Mountains, it's kind of the, the glaciers have created this space, if you will. It's called the Crown of the Continent. It has over 700 miles of trails. It's known for pristine forests. Alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes.

Julie: 7:01

And also in Montana, You can't miss out on Yellowstone National Park. This is also one of the most popular parks, I would say. This is the first national park for everyone to be able to enjoy the hydrothermal and geologic features of it. So because of that, you definitely want to make sure you see Old Faithful. As soon as you get to the park, check the predicted time of when that's going to erupt. If it'll be soon, hang out in that area, but if not, head over to the lower basin and explore some of the other areas. and then come back. You should definitely plan a couple of hours because you want to make sure you see the eruption. It is going to be really warm. There's going to be a lot of walking and a lot of really cool animals to see here.

Ryan: 7:42

We have the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and this is a good place for hiking and sightseeing and picnicking. One of the things that I always remember about the Great Smoky National Park is a lot of the Appalachian Trail actually goes through here. And I've done some reading on the Appalachian Trail, and they talk a lot about how different the Smoky Mountains are from any other place on the trails. trails. One thing to remember about this park is just like Julie talked about it being hot in Montana, because you're in Tennessee, you are going to get that humid, muggy weather in the summertime. So fall is probably the best time to visit. Later spring is probably the best time to visit. You are going to get cold, snowy conditions in the wintertime. I would stick to fall because then you're going to be able to see that beautiful fall colors there in the Smoky Mountains.

Julie: 8:32

The cool thing about Tennessee to Ryan is there's a theme park there,

Ryan: 8:36

There is! Yep, you got Dollywood right there, so why not do a two for one, right? Get your National Park fix and your Amusement Park fix. I've heard great things about Dollywood.

Julie: 8:45

This is where a lot of families will plan a trip to Pigeon Forge and do all of it at one time. It looks like a really great area.

Ryan: 8:52

Yeah, absolutely. Moab,

Julie: 8:55

down to Utah, and here are the arches, the canyonlands, that red rock beauty that we think about when we think of the Utah National Parks. On the doorstep of Arches National Park, you'll see Moab, which draws thousands of visitors a year and the promise of world class mountain biking, rock climbing, river rafting, and so much more. This is like a really outdoor type of trip, a lot of adventure that you can experience. It just sounds so much fun as you're surrounded by all of those beautiful red rocks.

Ryan: 9:26

I've been in this area backpacking, but not in the national parks, because I actually remember stopping in Moab for I think on one, either there or back, we stopped at a pizza place there. It's just, it's like a completely different world, absolutely.

Julie: 9:42

I mean, that just sounds beautiful. The main places you're going to go here are the Arches National Park and the Canyonlands National Park. They're both going to give you beautiful views. When you go there, just make sure that you are prepared for the weather. It's going to be super cold in the winter, but then really hot and dry in the summer. If you want to avoid those weather extremes, spring and fall are really the best time to go. The parks are open year round, but there may be less activities in the, extreme weather times.

Ryan: 10:10

So lastly, we want to highlight in Wyoming, the Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole. And this is going to be your cowboy adventure, your fly fishing adventure. The Grand Tetons are known as these really... Stark, rugged mountains. I've had clients go here before, mainly for fishing rafting, it's an amazing part of the country to really enjoy the national parks and the natural beauty.

Julie: 10:36

Yeah, that is definitely something that is, that is on my list, for sure.

Ryan: 10:40

So Julie, you've got a couple great examples of national park trips, but before we talk about those, I want to talk about where in the world does all things travel? So, to go along with the topic today, I looked into a city that has been listening to All Things Travel for a while, and also is around the national parks, and most likely, if you're going to be flying in to see the Grand Canyon, Julie, where are you going to be flying into?

Julie: 11:07

Phoenix!

Ryan: 11:08

Phoenix, Arizona is where I want to highlight tonight. We're excited to have listeners from Phoenix. And I found a great place that kind of goes along with what we're talking about today. The Desert Botanical Garden. And this just sounds amazing. So discover the tranquil vibrancy of desert plants nestled amid the red rocks of the Papago Buttes. Visitors can stroll through five thematic trails to explore the fascinating beauty of the Sonoran Desert, from towering cacti and alluring succulents to the brilliant wildflowers and lush trees. They have different events all throughout the year. They have cooking classes, they have art classes, they have photography classes. This just sounds really, really fun and cool.

Julie: 11:55

I love that. I love that we were able to tie it into our national parks.

Ryan: 11:58

Yeah, so hey listener in Phoenix reach out to Julie or I either on Facebook or via email Because I've got a nice little thank you that I want to send to you

Julie: 12:08

alright, so I want to highlight two really awesome trip options for you to go visit these national parks. both of these are trips that I would definitely put on my list

Ryan: 12:19

I actually had clients this summer go on this first trip

Julie: 12:23

yeah? Oh, I love it.

Ryan: 12:24

and and the whole thing was the guy wanted to fly fish he and he wanted to Whitewater Raft and ride horses and this trip allowed him to do all of it. It was an adults only trip. They absolutely loved it. No,

Julie: 12:41

is with Adventures by Disney. And I know you might think like, oh, Disney, like, there's going to be a lot of kids. No, not at all. Like Ryan said, you

Ryan: 12:50

this was an adults only. Absolutely.

Julie: 12:52

choose adults only, but also there will be kids there. There is an age minimum of five, but the suggested age is seven because of the activities they're going to do. There's also many times on these adventures where there'll be an activity for adults and a separate activity for the kids, which is a really nice. Feature of adventures by Disney, the main draw of an adventures by Disney trip is that you have the service that you expect from Disney, but it's on an adventure. It's in a different area. You're not in Walt Disney World, but you're still getting that same service. So the great thing about this trip, it's seven days and I just want to go over some of the amazing highlights that what you're gonna see. So you're gonna go to Wyoming and go to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone in Jackson Hole. You're gonna do some Snake River whitewater rafting keep an eye out for any eagles or other birds overhead. Those are really common to see there. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone hike, you'll be surrounding yourself with some beautiful waterfalls. There's a spectacular canyon and there's a really big hike around this 4, 000 foot wide canyon that you can just marvel at everything around you. At Brooks Lodge, which is where you're going to be staying. This is kind of like, there's a ton of activities that you can do there. And this is what Ryan was talking about with his client. The cool thing about this is you stay at the lodge, you have a whole day there and you kind of just get to pick what you want to do, right?

Ryan: 14:16

It's like a rotation everybody can do everything or you can do what you want. So that that was really cool and appealing to these clients.

Julie: 14:25

Yeah. So let me just tell you a little bit about what some of these options are. You can saddle up and explore the mountains horseback. You can go fly fishing, you can go hiking, you can go canoeing, you can do archery, and I'm watching Ryan pretend to do all these things. I just think that is so cool. There's also a spa inside the resort. I mean, it is very cool. It's like a historic lodge and a dude ranch all in one. sO you're also going to be going on a lower loop excursion that's going to take you out to Old Faithful and see all those geothermal areas of the park. Over at Grand Teton, you're going to hit the road, they're going to go with you, the experts are going to come with you, tell you everything about the tour, all the sights that you need to see. And this is a fun little example of what the kids can do, they're going to be doing a geyser making activity, which is like a craft, and I think that's really fun. There's also somewhere in there where they have the kids split off for a Disney movie, while the adults have an adult dinner. So these tours, nearly everything is included You have a guide with you The whole time more than one guide So we will include the link to this awesome itinerary in the show notes And if you guys think that this is a a tour that interests you reach out to one of us And we can't wait to take you there so the next way that a lot of people visit national parks is driving and This next company i'm going to highlight it's called american tours international and they provide self drive tours this is a really great company, and I enjoy working with them. I just planned a great road trip through them, and how it works is we say where we want to stop, or you can pick a pre made tour, you can add activities, we line up all the hotels, and everything is booked as one package for this example, you're going to fly into Las Vegas. You're going to rent a car there and start your trip. So this one in particular is 10 days and nine nights, and it has you visiting Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon, Sedona. You go along Route 66 and back to Las Vegas.

Ryan: 16:33

I absolutely love this. I,

Julie: 16:35

I mean, this is so cool. And the best part about this, Ryan, is it can be completely customized. If you're

Ryan: 16:40

that's what I love about it.

Julie: 16:41

into

Ryan: 16:42

my, it's my trip. You know? I can, I can do whatever I want. I love it. I, I, I have to take one of these ATI trips that it's so cool.

Julie: 16:51

If you're like, I don't want to go to Vegas, like we said, fly into Phoenix and go the other way. We could reverse the trip. You can also add in activities. Pink Jeep Tours is the really popular one down in the Sedona and Grand Canyon area to do some excursions. We could add that in, or you could just completely go on your own. I booked a trip through ATI recently and they went down the California coast coming up on a future episode. And the cool thing about it is I got to see the app that the client gets and the app tells you Hey, you know when you're driving from here to here check out these sites and it

Ryan: 17:29

really cool.

Julie: 17:30

it was so cool. It was so informative. It gave you some history of all the places you were visiting. It was a really great setup of the itinerary. And this trip, the best part about it is it is so affordable because you're really just paying for those hotels overnight and then doing what you want along the way.

Ryan: 17:48

Julie, which of these places could you see yourself visiting next? if you could wave a magic wand and say, I'm going to a national park next, where do you think you would go?

Julie: 17:58

So Jackson Hole always sticks out to me, and so does the Grand Canyon. I just, both of those always really stick out to me, but the most feasible for me right now is Acadia because it's close

Ryan: 18:09

We lived in New England for a while, and expected to live there longer. Driving up into Maine was one of those things, well, when, my daughter at the time, my son wasn't born yet, when she gets older, when it's a little more manageable, of course we'll do it, of course we'll do it, and lo and behold, we chose to move much earlier, so I've never been there. I would love to go up there, absolutely.

Julie: 18:29

it'd be beautiful. It's on, it's on my list. It's on my list. And so is Shenandoah, which, has like Skyline Drive, It's pretty feasible for me to get to too. And I think that would be a really great introduction to the National Parks for the Kids.

Ryan: 18:42

We cannot wait to help you plan your trip and customize it just for you. Let's plan a trip to the West Coast and visit Joshua Tree and Sequoia National Park in California, or the Mountain West to Yellowstone and Montana. We could go to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, even the Midwest with the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, or the East Coast just like Julie talked about with Acadia and Shenandoah in Virginia. You can reach out to me, Ryan, at Ryan at CreatingMagicVacations. com.

Julie: 19:15

or you can reach me at julie@creatingmagicvacations.com,

Ryan: 19:20

We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel.