Big Bend is home to the Chisos mountain range and much of the Chihuahuan Desert. In fact, when we spoke to Anwar Mamon, executive director of the NatGeo show America’s National Parks, he revealed that Big Bend was by far his favorite park. Because it is so remote (300 miles from Paso, the nearest city) Big Bend is well off most people’s radar, but this fabulous desert landscape has loads to offer those who love hiking, backpacking and a true backcountry experience. Carlsbad Cavernsīig Bend is the only National Park to have an entire mountain range (The Chisos mountains) contained within its borders (Image credit: Richard Shattuck / 500px)ĭown in Texas, you’ll find Big Bend National Park near the Chihuahuan border. It's close enough to Great Sand Dunes to visit both in one Colorado road trip.įun fact: The Gunnison River drops, on average, 43 feet per mile as it rushes through the canyon – that’s six times more than the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Fourteen miles of the canyon were declared a National Park in 1999 offering visitors the chance to marvel at geological history like the 2,250ft Painted Wall, the tallest sheer cliff in Colorado as well as activities like hiking, rock climbing, kayaking and camping. Carved out by the Gunnison River, and time, this near-vertical canyon is so-named because it is so deep that parts of the river receive no more than 33 minutes of sunlight per day. This 48-mile long canyon plunges over 2,000ft into the earth and is easily big and deep enough to be vertigo-inducing. This National Park is sometimes described as the Grand Canyon in miniature, but don’t let that description fool you into thinking it’s small. This 48-mile long canyon plunges over 2,000ft into the earth and is easily big and deep enough to be vertigo-inducing (Image credit: Patrick Leitz) The Virgin River cut this 15 mile long canyon up to 2,640ft deep into the earth leaving high red sandstone walls, sparkling waterfalls, emerald rock pools and hanging gardens.įun fact: The word “Zion” is a hebrew word meaning “sanctuary” or “refuge” and the area was so-named by mormon settlers in the 1800s Great Sand Dunes
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Easily one of the best National parks in a state that’s chock full of them, the park centers around Zion Canyon, which frankly should be on everyone’s bucket list. While the best day hikes in Zion National Park are by no means lacking in red sandstone canyons and spires, they also feature magical waterfalls, pools and streams that turn this canyon into a desert sanctuary rich with rare flora and fauna. Magical waterfalls, pools and streams turn this canyon into a desert sanctuary rich with rare flora and fauna (Image credit: Michal Lotocki / EyeEm)Īlso in Utah but down in the southwest corner of the state lies another treasure trove of geological phenomena in Zion National Park.
The best hikes in Grand Canyon National Park range from short, easy strolls along the rim to epic overnight trips all the way down to the canyon floor and back up, and all of them take in the splendor of this geological marvel.įun fact: The Grand Canyon is bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island. The Grand Canyon is home to the Hualapai, Hopi and Havasupai tribes, the latter of which live in the canyon’s only town, Supai Village, an eight-mile hike from the canyon’s rim.
Scientists don’t know how old it is, but some estimate parts of it may be 70 million years old. The canyon is 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide, making it one of the biggest canyons in the world. The canyon was carved by the Colorado River on its journey from the Rockies to the Gulf of California, though at over a mile deep you can rarely see it. Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is about a three-and-a-half hour drive from Phoenix, four-and-a-half from Las Vegas.
The Grand Canyon is bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island (Image credit: Cavan Images)
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