sandr087

I spent Memorial Day 2016 in Capitol Reef National Park , in Torrey , Utah (listed by The Weather Channel as Utah's best kept secret ). The best way to get there is to fly to Salt Lake City and then drive the approximate three hours south to Capitol Reef National Park. (Check out my prior post for touring ideas in Salt Lake City , but with two added recommendations - Mexican food dinner at Red Iguana and staying at Little America or Grand America - don't get a garden room at Little America though - be sure to get a tower room.) We grabbed lunch on the way to Capitol Reef National Park (note that after you hit the Flying J rest stop, there aren't many dining options) and checked into our hotel, the Capitol Reef Resort, upon arrival. The hotel doesn't look like much from the outside, but it was a great place to stay. It's the closest hotel to the park (well, tied with the hotel across the street from it), with nicely appointed rooms with wonderful views, a pool, a ...

VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK Unlike my other national park trips, a trip to the Virgin Islands National Park doesn't require a detailed itinerary. It basically just requires a bathing suit and some flip flops - maybe some sneakers and shorts if you want to do a hike . Virgin Islands National Park is located on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands . To get there, fly to St. Thomas International Airport and then take a boat to St. John - most of the hotels on St. John have their own boat, and there are public ferries you can take, as well as water taxis . To get to one of the public ferries , you have to take a taxi from the airport. Be sure to take a shared taxi if you don't want to spend $90 getting to the ferry. I've been to St. John and Virgin Islands National Park twice. Both times I stayed at the Westin , which is wonderful. Caneel Bay Resort is another lodging option. It looks amazing, and it is located within the national park. (I highly recommend getting dinne...

Breakfast in Hollister Hollister Hog Rally During the fourth of July of 2014, I flew from JFK to San Francisco International Airport direct via Jet Blue to spend the weekend in Pinnacles National Park and Big Sur . I arrived in San Francisco late Friday night and spent the night at my friend's apartment in the Dogpatch neighborhood in the city. On Saturday morning, we woke up early and drove approximately two hours to Pinnacles National Park , currently our nation's newest national parks . The drive to Pinnacles is nothing special. The most exciting part was stoping at a diner in Hollister for lunch. Interestingly there are two Hollisters in California, and the one we stopped at is not the one known for surfing. It is known, however, for a Fourth of July hog rally (which we did not participate in).  Heat warning in Pinnacles After stopping for lunch, we arrived in Pinnacles and were greeted by a number of signs warning us of the dangers of heat stroke. Undeterred, we...

ZION NATIONAL PARK : PLANNED ITINERARY DAY ONE     Fly to Las Vegas and then drive to Springdale, Utah (approximately three hours). Spend the afternoon hiking in Zion National Park .   (Fun fact - Utah has five national parks, but Zion was its first.) Spend the night at the La Quinta Inn in Springdale . DAY TWO Drive two hours to Bryce Canyon National Park . Do a half day horseback riding tour of Bryce Canyon . Have dinner at the Bryce Canyon National Park Lodge . DAY THREE Go on an ATV tour near Zion National Park . ZION NATIONAL PARK : ACTUAL ITINERARY   DAY ONE Fly to Las Vegas and drive to Springdale, Utah . Arrive in the late afternoon, check into the La Quinta , and spend the evening relaxing.  Springdale is a great town. It is very small, but very cute with a number of restaurants and art galleries. So far, on this adventure to see all of the national parks, Moab and Springdale are my favorite national park towns. Interestingly, St. George, Uta...

Labor Day of 2014 took me to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Getting to Arches and Canyonlands is easy from New York; we hopped a direct flight from JFK to Salt Lake City on Jet Blue . ( Salt Lake City is about a 3.5 hour drive from Arches National Park .) We arrived in Salt Lake City close to midnight and drove about a half hour to Park City where we spent the night at the Hyatt Escala Lodge . We got a great deal with Priceline Name Your Own Price ; the resort did not disappoint. Our room was huge and gorgeous with multiple fireplaces. We easily could have fit more than just the two of us in there. (The only downside to staying at the Hyatt Escala Lodge in the off season is that there is no room service. I also regret not bringing my dog; the Hyatt Escala Lodge is dog-friendly.) Park City, Utah We spent the first morning of our trip enjoying our luxurious room at the Hyatt Escala Lodge and seeing the beauty that is Park City . The real highlight of the day was visi...