Yosemite National Park, CA
“There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods…and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred.”
– President Theodore Roosevelt, 1905
Las Vegas, NV
We decided on a whim to stop in Las Vegas, NV after we left the Grand Canyon. Good and bad decision lol.
Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
We had an absolute BLAST visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona! I would add this to the bucket list immediately if you haven’t been! We stayed at Grand Canyon Railway RV Part in the most quaint town of Williams and it was PERFECT! There is a hotel associated with the RV resort and you have access to both the heated pool that’s open late and nice gym. They even have a great size on site pet resort (kennel) with a run, since you cant take your pets to the Canyon. If you stay in Williams, EVERYTHING is within walking distance and the town has a small town movie feel that you’ll fall in love with!
We rode the train (for the first time ever) into the Canyon and it did not disappoint, except we couldn’t get a picture with the sign since it brought us into the park. If you have the chance to take the train, do it! There is a variety of entertainment, including a “train robbery” on your way back into Williams. There are drinks/snacks available on the train, but bring your own to save some money. Same with any parks you go to.
Fun Fact: The #1 animal attack at the Grand Canyon is from …. the ground squirrel! Yes, you read that right! They bite visitors when they are feeding them (which you’re advised multiple times not to do but will see people still doing so) and the day before we came one climbed up a woman’s arm and bit her on the lip! So maybe just don’t feed the squirrels, ok?
Now onto the park…
“Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world” – Gustave Flaubert
As you can tell from the picture, there really are no words to describe the huge beautiful vastness of the Grand Canyon. I’ve never felt so small in my life. It really is breathtaking!
You can visit the South Rim (where most visitors go) or North Rim (more secluded but about 2.5 + hrs further away), take burro rides, raft and even get an overnight (or longer) back country pass so you can camp over night in the canyon! We were glad we decided against the pass because a thunderstorm rolled in towards the end of the day (we got pretty wet but luckily dashed into a restaurant just as a strong gust of wind snapped my cheap umbrella back) that apparently stayed most of the night because we read online the next day a group of campers had to be evacuated due to flash flooding from the rains!
If you plan to eat lunch at any of the restaurants, make sure to check their operating hours and menu as soon as you get there, most close between lunch and dinner shift, and some only offer drinks and appetizers. We had some amazing Bison chili at one of the restaurants and it wont be our last!
There is a main lodge you can visit where you can find gift shops, food and drink, but the best part (and why we entered, besides getting a sticker for Stan) is that ALL of the animal mounts you will see were shot and donated by President Theodore Roosevelt, whom helped us get National Parks, and so much more! You should read up on Teddy when you have a chance, he lived a pretty fascinating life.
You can even see the (pretty muddy) Colorado Rivers at a few spots!
We enjoyed it so much that we plan on going back soon and spending a week or more visiting. There is just so much to do! So if you haven’t already, book AT LEAST a 3 trip to the Grand Canyon as soon as you can, plus add an extra day to go to the Petrified Forest NP!
Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
The Petrified Forest National Park, in the Navajo & Apache countries in Arizona, is an incredibly beautiful “drive thru” park that if you’re in the area you should visit! There is an over abundance of pull off spots for hiking, photography, picnicking, geocaching & bathroom breaks. The park is known for its fossils, especially of fallen trees, that lived in the Late Triassic period of the Mesozoic era, about 225 million years ago. You can even find actual petroglyphs in the park, which amazed us!
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
If you love caves, stalactites or stalagmites, then you need to plan a trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico! Guys, this place is beautiful! There are more that 119 caves below the surface, which was formed when sulfuric acid dissolved limestone leaving behind caverns of all sizes. What’s crazy is all of the cavern used to be underwater and filled with coral reef & aquatic life! They also have a FREE nightly bat flight show (call the office to find out the exact time each day, although it’s normally in the 7-7:45pm time frame) where you can see 300,000 to 400,000 exiting the cave to go hunting! Unfortunately there is no photography or filming the flight but it’s impressive none the less and who doesn’t like free?? The stairway you see winding down wasn’t created until 1925 and before that patrons would take an old guano mining bucket down, yikes! (See picture below from the national park services website)
Fun random fact: Amelia Earhart was briefly a cave guide at the caverns!
Nomadic Wanderers 