​Which Parks to Visit and for How Long?
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​The first thing you need to do is figure out how much time you have for your trip. With that, you can decide how many parks to visit and how much time to spend at each. With unlimited time, you could visit all 59 parks and get to know each one of them incredibly well. 

But most people, including us, don't have unlimited time. We wanted to see as many parks as possible, while also getting the most bang for our buck. This meant, in short, limiting ourselves to the more closely packed parks of the West. On our trip, we determined our route so that the drives between parks could all be done in a reasonable day, and we only had one drive of more than 10 hours.

We took six months to see these 33 parks, described in detail below. At a chaotic rush, you could probably see them all in 3 months, but if you want to do the same route as we did, I'd recommend a minimum of 4 months to see them well and do the parks justice. Any less and there's a good chance you'll have trouble experiencing the parks in full and also run into seasonal issues described at right.

​When to Go?

Deciding when to go, of course, depends on which parks you want to visit. The parks in the northern mountains are partially closed down in the late fall through early summer. Similarly, the Southwest can be dangerously hot in the summer. In other words, if you only want to visit northern mountainous parks like Glacier, you should consider starting no earlier than June because the parks' main attractions aren't generally open earlier. 

​Our basic plan was to be in the Southwest in springtime, in the northern mountains in the early summer, and in the Northwest in the late summer. This worked out pretty well for the most part, though we got rained and snowed during an unusually wet and cold May for Colorado. Otherwise, the weather was largely agreeable and we rarely found trails still closed for the season or unopened sections of parks.

By: Ryan 

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks were to be the last stops on our road trip. Sadly, due to the Rough Fire, Kings Canyon had been evacuated, so we could not even set foot in the park, but we did still spend some time in Sequoia.

Sequoia is home to the world's largest tree by volume, General Sherman, so of course that was on the top of our to-do list. We had also wanted to do some more hiking, but the Rough Fire foiled those plans again, as the air quality was rated as unhealthy for strenuous activity in most part of the park. So we kept our time in Sequoia short and did the quick hike to the big tree early on before the smoke picked up. This also meant that we got some quiet time in the grove of Giant Sequoias before the tour buses started arriving. 

General Sherman is not nearly the tallest tree in the world. That's Hyperion at 379 feet in Redwoods NP, where we were just a few weeks ago. It's also not the oldest in the world. That's a 5000 year old bristlecone pine in Inyo National Forest that we haven't seen yet, so we'll just have to put it on our list. Still, at 275 feet tall, 103 feet circumference at the base, and more than 2300 years old, General Sherman is a sight to behold. Even it's largest branch, at nearly 7 feet in diameter (wider than most trees at their base) is impressive.

​So we spent a while taking photos and appreciating the grandeur of GS before retreating from the effects of the fire and heading back for home. And just like that our six months on the road visiting national parks came to a close! Stay tuned for more on overall thoughts and lessons learned later.

Yosemite has over 750 miles of trails so hiking is a must! During our stay, we hiked both in the front and backcountry, and were treated to sublime landscapes, sweeping views, and hauntingly beautiful but charred swaths of the park, ever so slowly being reclaimed by mother nature's greenery. Here are some quick notes about the hikes we did:

• Upper Yosemite Falls/Yosemite Point: The trail head is located in Yosemite Valley, near the entrance of Camp 4 (more on Camp 4 later). Hikers climb 2,700 feet over 3.6 miles to reach the top of Yosemite Falls. The trail is steep and rocky, and winds its way up the mountain affording excellent views of the waterfall, which is typically dry by late summer, but you can see where the sheer granite cliff has been weathered. For the second half of the hike, the trail leads through a valley and pops out at the lookout for Upper Yosemite Falls. Beyond the falls by another half mile and a few more feet of elevation is Yosemite point, which is well worth the extra climb. We were very lucky to have a clear day at Yosemite Point, despite raging forest fires billowing out smoke. Half Dome boldly yet humbly dominates the view from up there while ravens performed airborne acrobatics for us in the gusting winds. Bottom line: excellent but strenuous hike, 8.2 miles of rocky trail, do it anyway. 

Redwood National Park is intermingled with several California state parks. If you plan on visiting RNP, note that most campgrounds are located in the adjacent state parks and cost significantly more than the average NPS-run campground at approximately $35/night. There is, however, a free alternative, which is obtaining permits for backcountry camping, as we did, which not only saves some money, it affords a more intimate experience within the parks boundaries. 

If it is coastal camping you're looking for, we recommend spending a night at Flint Ridge campground. Lucky for us, this campground is set upon a sea cliff, and while you can't hear the waves crashing at night, you can hike down the steep trail and wander along the sprawling beach for hours in the company of other campers, surfers and sea birds. Along a similar trail you can visit Radar Station B-71, an old World War II radar station disguised as a farm. Now defunct, this "farm" housed radar equipment and small arsenal and was one of 22 radar stations on the Pacific Coast. 

A definite must-see at RNP is the Tall Trees Grove, home to the tallest trees in the world rising upwards of 350 feet in height. The world's tallest tree, Hyperion, lives in this grove, although its exact location is undisclosed to the public. To visit the Tall Trees Grove, visitors must obtain a free permit at the Hiouchi Information Center in the near the park's northern boundary. I strongly recommend visiting the Tall Trees Grove, here's why:

Tucked away from Highway 101 at the near-end of a winding dirt road, this grove offers a truly peaceful and quiet getaway. The three and a half mile loop trail weaves around a serene redwoods grove populated by trees so tall you cannot see the top of them! We extended our time in this tranquil space by camping at 44 Camp, along the intersecting Redwood Creed trail. Since we were staying the night, we had opportunities to see the trees at several different times of day. The best time to wander among these gentle giants is an hour or so before sunset. As the sun hangs low in the western sky, its brilliant rays reach through the towering trees and gently caress the forest floor creating a palatable glow. 

Wandering here is truly humbling. These trees rise regally above the earth patiently bestowing their wisdom on those who are willing to listen. On a personal note, the combination of the sun's twilight warmth, the slight