Yellowstone National Park (WY)
A true “outdoor-lovers” paradise, Yellowstone National Park offers hiking, biking, boating, camping, fishing, exhibits, ranger-led programs and more! With approximately 370 miles of paved roadway and 2,219,789 acres of immense wilderness, Yellowstone National Park offers the perfect opportunity to feed your inner “wild”.
Campsites: Up to $45 per night; including full hookups with 50 amp electrical service.
You've been to Seattle and the Pike Place Market, you've been up and down I-5, and now you want to vacation in Washington State, but see something different. Well, you're in luck. Washington is actually two states in one; the lush greenery of the west side of the state, and the high desert terrain of the eastern side. The Cascade Mountains split the state in two, and there is plenty to see on either side of the divide.
Mount Shasta is both a small town (around 4,000) and a mountain. Located just off Interstate 5, about an hour south of the Oregon border, you'll find this area a recreation paradise. The area surrounding the mountain is gorgeous any time of year, but especially in the spring and fall. There are numerous trails, from easy to difficult, waterfalls, boating and fishing, as well as both public and private campgrounds if you decide to stay a while.
If you plan to visit the northwest area of our nation any time soon, you won't want to miss Washington Wine country. Didn't know that the state had vineyards? Well, you will be pleasantly surprised by what meets your eyes and palette. While the state of Washington has several wine-producing regions, one of the best-known is the Yakima Valley, located some 150 miles from Seattle. The area offers a wide variety of wine types, and places its main focus on Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riseling, and Chardonnay.
If you are like most people who don't frequent Oregon, you probably did not realize that there are vineyards in the state. But there are ' exceptional ones ' and if you are anywhere in the area, you will want to add them to your to-do list. In addition to getting a great back-country view of what the state has to offer in the way of wine, you will be able to taste some great wines and tour some family-owned vineyards that will give you a great appreciation for smaller wineries.
If you are looking for a great place to tour wine country in California, no trip through the state would be complete without a stop in the Napa Valley. California is home to several famous wine country areas, including vineyards in Sonoma and Santa Barbara. But the Napa Valley is what most often comes to mind when people think 'wine' in California, and for good reason. Driving through this beautiful area is a wonderful experience, and taking a tour of the wineries is as rewarding as it is memorable.
You probably remember reading about the Petrified Forest in science class when you were a student in elementary school. With one of the largest displays of petrified wood in the world, amazing views, fossils and archeological sites, and varied animal habitat, the Petrified Forest National Park is a wonderland for exploration and observation of sheer natural beauty.
The ancient Redwood forest ' known for its towering, wide-girthed trees ' is believed to be about 2,500 years old. Located mostly in the northern California ocean coastal region, a section of the vast wilderness extends up into southern Oregon.
The forests were once home to several Native American tribes, and now many of America's redwoods are protected and preserved within state and national parks. Those include Redwood National Park, Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwood State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwood State Park.
When you think of a national park you envision beautiful trees, well kept trails and a serene place to escape the grind of everyday life. But there is a different kind of national park where the show takes place underground, Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, New Mexico. More than 85 caves underlie the park making the caverns among the largest and most spectacular underground formations in the world. Carlsbad Cavern is filled with stalactites, stalagmites and an incredible variety of other formations that began more than 500,000 years ago after much of the cavern had been carved out naturally.
