Bryce Canyon National Park is the smallest National Park in Utah. However don’t let that fool you into thinking that it isn’t worth a visit. On the contrary the otherworldly sights that are found in Bryce Canyon make it one of the most prized parks in the National Park System. Bryce is home to that of the uniquely shaped rock formations of sandstone and limestone called Hoodoos.

Hoodoos are formed through continuous erosion and weathering processes that freeze and and referee each these towering rock formations. These Hoodoos go through over 200 cycles per year of freezing and refereeing. This process has been happening for millions of years.

Pictures are by Sue S and edited by me.

Canyonlands National Park is panoramic heaven. Overlooks, mesas, bridges, needles, craters, buttes and etc can be found here.

The views at this park is unbelievable. What makes this place great is that some of the overlooks are easy enough to reach. Just make sure if you are afraid of heights to not look down lol. Don't worry, you're only up 6000ft of elevation give or take...

Besides hiking you can also raft and ride a 4wd to the more difficult dirt roads. Bring more water than you need and bathe in sunblock here.

Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America. Temperatures recorded reached a sweltering 130 degrees, making it the hottest place on Earth in 2020.

Death Valley also holds a secret oasis deep in the desert.Which is home to the rarest fish in the world called the Devil’s Hole Pupfish. These Pupfish inhabit one of the most unique habitats known to man. Located in an underground cave system called the Devil’s Hole.More people have explored the moon than they have Devil’s Hole.

Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the most remote national parks in the system. Located about 70 miles from Key West in the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Only accessible by either boat or seaplane. The park is home to Fort Jefferson. Which is the largest brick masonry in the Western Hemisphere and is compromised of more than 16 million bricks. Snorkeling, scuba diving, saltwater fishing and kayaking are popular activities here. Overnight camping is also available.

In 1822, Florida was acquired from Spain by the US. The Straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico were seen as an important strategic point for control. Construction of Fort Jefferson began in 1847 and continued all throughout the Civil War. Fort Jefferson was often used as a military prison. One of the most notorious inmates was Dr. Samuel Nudd, who was charged with the conspiracy of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Dry Tortugas was also added to the UNESCO under its Man and the Biosphere Program in 1976.

The Native Americans called it “The River of Grass”. The Everglades is the third largest National Park in the country and the largest subtropical wilderness in N. America. Located in the southern tip of the Florida panhandle. The Everglades is a sanctuary to more than 800 species and it is the only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators can both inhabit simultaneously.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve holds some and THE tallest sand dunes in North America. The tallest dune is called Star Dune and appropriately named because it towers at a height of 750 feet from the base to the summit. You will definitely feel like you are in the stars when you summit the top. Don't let this fool you. This hike will take a few hours to summit, not an easy hike. The Empire State building stands about 1454 feet from base to the top so if you need to imagine it. The Star Dune is about half of the size of the Empire State building.

What can you do here? Well you can rent sandboards and sleds and slide down the dunes here. You can't rent directly from the park but there is a place right outside the park that rents equipment out. You can go as fast as 45 mph on these boards. So essentially you can hike the summit and slide down half the size of the Empire State Building going at speeds to about 45mph.....if you managed to do that, pat yourself on the back because your cajones are made out of steel 👏.

OH you can also camp here and catch the stars too here at night. Great Sand Dunes is certified as an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association. On a good night you can see the Milky Way from here.

Bring goggles, hat, face mask, sunscreen and water.

Mammoth Cave NP is the world's largest and most extensive cave system in the world. An estimated 350 miles of passageways have only been uncovered so far. The rest of the underground network remains a mystery. Also it is the most diverse cave ecosystem known to man. There are over 200 indigenous species in the ecosystem ,42 of which have completely adapted to living in complete darkness. Geologists estimate that the oldest part of the cave was formed 10 million years ago by the Green River and its tributaries.

Mesa Verde National Park is not only a National Park but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2021 it also became certified as the world's 100th International Dark Sky Park.

Mesa Verde is home to the largest cliff dwelling in North America and holds more than 4000 archeological sites. Not to mention that these are some of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the world. Home to the Ancestral Puebloans, traces of inhabitants can be traced back as far as 550 AD.

These cliff dwellings were built under the overhanging cliffs of Mesa Verde. The rooms range from anywhere to one room to villages of more than 150 rooms. There are self guided tours and ranger tours that will take you inside these dwellings but they fill up very quickly so reserve your tour online ahead of time.

We may have missed the tour to inside the cave dwellings but the real MVP is this space zoom 100x on my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th picture is zoomed in all the way from the Overlook perch we were standing on.

Bring lots of water and sunblock. Extremely hot temps and high altitude not a good mixture.I would definitely come back here.