Dean and I have spent almost a full year planning our epic honeymoon. It first started out as where could we go that would still be here in 50 years. When we decided National and State parks were the way to go we began looking for classic locations that seemed like fun. Top choices included: Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and Crater Lake. We developed trip plans to each of these individual locations, but we kept saying: "If we are going to be that close, we might as well... " visit this other place. We worked together during my long nights working 1st shift at the Co-op dispatch office to make maps on Google Maps and lists of activities we wanted to do and places we wanted to see. In the end, our trip became a large circle around the Western United States.
We not be going to all of original places we talked about, but overall we are visiting so many more.
In all stages of planning we have relied on various websites and guide books. Some of the most helpful are:
The National Park Service Website- this website has a wealth of information from operating hours and seasons to campgrounds, fees, and services offered. If you are visiting any National Park, Monument, or Forest, check out this source!
Fodor's The Complete Guide to The National Parks of the West- Love this book! Just has National Parks, but everything from trails to nearby camping and attractions are listed. Its easy to read and very helpful!
Other people's trips!- I found this trip on yahoo travel. It was really neat to see all the places we wanted to visit and what other people thought of them.
We leave in about 24 hours on our epic journey and we can't wait to share it with you!
If you could visit any of our nation's amazing national park areas, where would you go?
No comments:
Post a Comment