Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [7]
Information
Doing your homework can help you make the most of your trip; it can also help you avoid crowds. For park brochures and general planning information, contact each park directly, at the addresses included in each of the following chapters.
A WORD ON NATURE ASSOCIATIONS
Throughout this book, you'll read that a certain nature association or organization operates a particular park's bookstore. Practically every national park has a bookstore, and some have several. Bookstores are excellent sources for maps, guidebooks, videos, postcards, posters, and the like. Most of the nature associations also offer memberships (usually $25–$30 per year for individuals) that entitle the member to discounts of 15% to 20% on all purchases. You'll also usually get a quarterly newsletter. And for frequent travelers, here's the really good news: Membership in one nature association almost always entitles you to a 15% to 20% discount at other nature association bookstores and at national parks, monuments, historic sites, and recreation areas. For those of us who like to collect books, topographical maps, posters, and so on, the savings add up quickly. And we can also feel very smug about what a good deed we're doing in supporting these nonprofit groups.
Planning a National Park Itinerary
Even though distances seem vast in the western United States, it's possible to visit more than one of the region's national parks in a single trip. In fact, people often combine visits to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Yosemite and Sequoia, and Zion and Bryce Canyon.
You can knit the parks of the California desert (Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Mojave Preserve) into a nice itinerary that might even leave you time to stop off in the resort town of Palm Springs. A popular trip for families is a drive through Badlands National Park and the Black Hills of South Dakota, all the way through Devils Tower to Yellowstone. It's not a small stretch, but it's doable if you have more than a week.
Although it can be a lot of fun to combine several national parks in your vacation trip, try not to make the all too common mistake of attempting to see everything there is to see in too short a period of time. Be realistic about how much you want to see at each park, and create an itinerary that lets you thoroughly enjoy one or two aspects of a park rather than just glimpsing every corner as you speed by. And try to schedule a little relaxation time, especially for trips of more than a week— perhaps loafing in the campground one afternoon, or lounging by the motel swimming pool.
Following are two of our favorite national park tours.
THE SOUTHWEST CIRCLE
This long circle drive hits five states and involves a lot of driving (or flying regional airlines and renting cars), but it takes you to a fantastic variety of parks—desert, cave, mountain, and deep canyon, plus one of the world's most fascinating archaeological preserves. We begin and end in Phoenix, Arizona, where almost all major airlines serve the airport, and car and RV rentals are available. We've laid it out for just under 2 weeks, but allowing more time would make it more satisfying.
DAY 1: PHOENIX, ARIZONA
After arriving and picking up your rental car or RV, Phoenix is a good spot to stock up on supplies. The city is also famous for its golf resorts, so you may want to hit a few balls before heading south.
DAY 2: SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
This is one of America's few national parks dedicated to protecting one specific plant—the saguaro cactus. Here you will see forests of them. But you'll also see a variety of other plants and animals, such as javelinas—odd pig-like animals that have mouths so tough they can bite through prickly pear cactus pads. The park has two good scenic drives