While the New York skyline and the Golden Gate in San Francisco are amazing sights to see, and are where most of us dream of visiting, there is still something much more enticing about the natural beauty that America’s National Parks offer.
If you fancy seeing a different side to America when you next visit, here are five hikes at different National Parks which you can do to see the amazing scenery for yourself. Once you get bitten by the National Park bug you’ll forget all about the concrete jungles, so take a hike!
1. Half Dome Hike, Yosemite NP
We completed the Half Dome hike in Yosemite in June of this year – we had permits for the cables on Half Dome and the aim was to get to the top with ease and tick Half Dome cables off our bucket list. Unfortunately we underestimated the difficulty and after finally reaching Sub Dome we called it a day due to the absence of water in mid day heat! However, we will definitely be trying it once more. We passed through the Mist Trail, a tiny bit of the John Muir trail, etc to get up to Sub Dome. The scenery is beautiful and you won’t regret struggling through the tough inclines and heat to see everything that Yosemite has to offer. Check out our Yosemite hike video to see some of the amazing views that we saw, here!
2. The Narrows, Zion NP
My other half hiked through the Narrows back in 2012 when we were camping in Zion National Park. I was far too broken from hiking the Grand Canyon the previous day to even chance it, but he described it as absolutely awesome. You hike through water in an amazing setting. However be aware of weather reports when you hike this one, because if the narrows fill up it can get really dangerous pretty quickly.
3. Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon NP
Similar to Yosemite, this hike broke me! But thinking about it now it was a breeze in comparison. However if you’re not a fan of steep switchbacks I would sit this one out. It’s a 12 mile hike, 6 down to Plateau Point (where this photo was taken) and 6 back up again. The heat once you are passed the Indian Gardens is insane but the views once you get to the end are magnificent. Read our full experience here.
4. Angel’s Landing, Zion NP
This is one we haven’t done personally, but planned to. It’s pretty dangerous, hence the chains you have to hold on to and is not for the faint-hearted, or people with vertigo! In all honesty that’s what made me back out of it at the time, but from the people I know and the research I’ve done it definitely seems like a worthwhile journey.
5. John Muir Trail
And finally if you are feeling really ambitious, the John Muir Trail is an all singing, all dancing, all camping and hiking experience! We haven’t done it but if you want to go out and try the wilderness lifestyle for a couple of weeks then you should give this a go. Yosemite National Park to Mount Whitney via the Sierra Nevada doesn’t sound too shabby!
*Images 2, 3 & 5 courtesy of Wikipedia, 1 & 2 all rights reserved
