The Vermilion Cliffs are a red sandstone escarpment that rises 3,000 feet above the plains north of Arizona’s Grand Canyon (and they especially glow vermilion at sunrise and sunset). This undeveloped geologic wonderland is a colorful mixture of sandstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale. The cliffs create thermals perfect for 20 species of raptors, including bald eagles, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and endangered California condors that were first reintroduced here in 1996.
Highlights
Coyote Buttes North (The Wave), Maze Rock Art Site, White Pocket, Paria River Canyon
Must-Do Activity
There are several visitor centers to get information about the National Monument, including at Navajo Bridge on Highway 89A and the seasonal Paria Contact Station off Highway 89, as well as Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices in Utah at Kanab, St. George, and Big Water. Guided tours are available to White Pocket (no permit required) if you do not want the challenge of driving the sandy roads.
Best Trail
It is a 1.4-mile roundtrip hike to the petroglyphs at the Maze Rock Art Site off House Rock Valley Road that may be more than 1,000 years old. Backpacking 38-mile-long Paria Canyon is a world-famous route that ends at Lees Ferry in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Permits are required to overnight, and most thru-hikers set out from White House Trailhead within Utah’s Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument to avoid the slot canyons on Wire Pass Trail or Buckskin Gulch Trail (which often has waist deep mud).
Photographic Opportunity
Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) is one of the most sought-after photography locations in the U.S., but most of us will never win that lottery. Here is a similarly beautiful sandstone formation in White Pocket, which is open to visit by anyone with a 4×4 that can get through miles of deep sand (or hire a guide to drive).
No entrance fee, but a $9 online lottery entry and $7 permits for each person and dog apply for Coyote Buttes North (The Wave), they cost slightly less for Coyote Buttes South and Paria River Canyon
Road Conditions
House Rock Valley Road (BLM 700) runs 30 miles between Highways 89 and 89A to the south, crossing several washes, but it is passable with a passenger vehicle when dry. Most of the roads running east from House Rock Valley Road require four-wheel drive due to deep sand (including access to White Pocket).
Camping
Dispersed camping is allowed in most of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and the BLM runs the free Stateline Campground (that is the official northern terminus of the Arizona National Scenic Trail) on the northern border and White House Campground (fee) in Utah.
Related Sites
Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (Utah)
The Korean War took place from 1950 to 1953 as the first shooting war with Communists during the longer Cold War with China and the Soviet Union. The walls of the memorial were updated in 2022 to list the names of all 36,634 Americans and 7,174 South Koreans who died under U.S. command. The memorial is situated on the National Mall near the Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial. Authorized in 1986, groundbreaking occurred six years later, and it was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the war.
Highlights
The Column statues, Mural Wall, Pool of Remembrance, United Nations Wall, Wall of Remembrance
Must-Do Activity
The main memorial forms a triangle intersecting a circle with black granite walls sandblasted with names and 2,500 archival photographic images from the Korean War. Larger-than-life statues stand over seven feet tall depicting a platoon of 19 soldiers on patrol through rocky terrain. The shorter United Nations Wall lists the 22 member states that contributed troops or provided medical support. The shallow Pool of Remembrance is a 30-foot-wide circle surrounded by inscriptions listing the numbers of casualties and the phrase “Freedom Is Not Free.”
Best Trail
There are paved sidewalks through this memorial and around the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. You will get plenty of steps in if you traverse the length of the National Mall.
Photographic Opportunity
The 19 stainless steel statues designed by Frank Gaylord are known as The Column, composed of 14 U.S. Army soldiers, three Marines, one Navy Corpsman, and one Air Force Forward Air Observer.
Peak Season
Spring and fall
Hours
Open 24 hours
Fees
None
Road Conditions
Traffic can be slow and parking expensive in Washington, D.C., so consider taking the Metro to Smithsonian Station on the National Mall or the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter stop on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Camping
There are National Park Service campgrounds in Maryland’s Greenbelt Park and Virginia’s Prince William Forest Park.
Explore More – When the 19 soldier statues are reflected on the granite walls there are 38 soldiers, why is the number 38 significant to the Korean War?
William Howard Taft was the nation’s 27th President and 10th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the only person to hold both positions in U.S. history. Taft was born on September 15, 1857, in this house in Cincinnati, the city where he attended law school after graduating from Yale (where he later served as a professor). Taft was promised a Supreme Court nomination by President William McKinley when he sailed for the Philippines in April 1900 where he would stay as Civil Governor until December 1903. After McKinley’s assassination, he would have to wait for his Supreme Court seat until 1921. His mother sold the Cincinnati house in 1899 and it was structurally altered and turned into apartments, so the National Park Service completed extensive restorations. Taft’s son Robert Alphonso Taft served as a U.S. Senator representing Ohio, and his father had been Secretary of War and U.S. Attorney General.
Highlights
Guided tour of restored mansion, museum, film
Must-Do Activity
Visitors can park at the Taft Education Center next to the house where there are museum exhibits, a bookstore, and a film screening room. Guided tours that last 30 minutes are the only way inside the house, a Greek Revival design that is decorated with Victorian-era furnishings.
Best Trail
None
Photographic Opportunity
The museum has an audio-animatronic figure of Taft’s son Charles Phelps Taft II wearing fishing gear and telling stories about members of the Taft family.
Free paved parking is available at this site that is easily accessible from Interstate 71.
Camping
North of Cincinnati, Hueston Woods State Park offers 490 campsites, 59 cabins, and a lodge. The scenic Hocking Hills State Park has 172 campsites (reservations recommended) and is one of the most popular places to camp in Ohio.
Mt. Baker National Forest’s namesake is the 10,781-foot glacier-covered stratovolcano that dominates the skyline of northwest Washington. It is surrounded by the 119,989-acre Mt. Baker Wilderness and the specially designated 8,473-acre Mt. Baker National Recreation Area that allows snowmobiling on the southern slope. About half of this National Forest is designated Wilderness, which also encompasses another active volcano within 566,057-acre Glacier Peak Wilderness. In 1968, part of Mt. Baker National Forest turned into North Cascades National Park and five years later its remaining acres were administratively merged with Snoqualmie National Forest.
Know someone who loves the National Forests? Gift them our travel guidebook Out in the Woods so they can learn more about all 155 National Forests.
Highlights
Mt. Baker National Recreation Area, Heather Meadows, Glacier Public Service Center, Nooksack Falls, Mountain Loop Scenic Byway, Baker Hot Springs, Boulder River Trail, Bagley Lakes Trails, Fire and Ice Trail, Baker Lake Trail, Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, Shadow of the Sentinels National Recreation Trail
Must-Do Activity
Mt. Baker Scenic Byway (Highway 542) passes Nooksack Falls as it heads east to Artist Point (open after snow melts). Be sure to stop at photogenic Picture Lake and the Heather Meadows Visitor Center, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). A recreation pass is at most trailheads around nine-mile-long Baker Lake, a reservoir popular with campers and fishermen. On the lake’s east side, boat-in or hike-in Maple Grove Campground provides amazing views of Mt. Baker on a clear day.
Best Trail
Mt. Baker Scenic Byway accesses several trailheads before dead ending in a huge parking lot at Artist Point, surrounded by snowy mountains. Snow often covers the 4.2-mile one-way trail to Lake Ann well into July. The first two miles share a path with the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, dropping 800 feet to a junction with Swift Creek Trail. From there, a 700-foot climb begins to Lake Ann, a popular destination for backpackers within Mt. Baker Wilderness, which in addition to the normal restrictions prohibits campfires and requires all human waste to be packed out. On clear days, the payoff is unsurpassed views of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan, a 9,131-foot peak in North Cascades National Park reached by continuing up the trail.
Watchable Wildlife
Mountain goats can be seen at high elevations, alongside marmot, pika, and snowshoe hare. Other large mammals include black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, Columbian black-tailed deer, and elk. In 1978, the Skagit Wild and Scenic River System was established along 125 miles of rivers, providing habitat for one of the nation’s largest winter populations of bald eagles. Two types of sea-run trout and five species of salmon are anadromous fish found in the lakes and streams.
Photographic Opportunity
Picture Lake near the Heather Meadows Visitor Center creates wonderful reflections of the surrounding snowy mountains. Plus, it is a good spot for huckleberries in September.
Peak Season
Summer
Fees
$5 Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful pass) required at the end of Mt. Baker Highway and at trailheads around Baker Lake; Washington State Sno-Park permit is required November 1 through April 30 at some sites
Road Conditions
Mt. Baker Highway (542) received the National Forest Scenic Byway designation in 1988. The 57-mile-long paved route from Interstate 5 is open most of the year between Bellingham and Mt. Baker Ski Area, but it is usually closed beyond that from October well into July because of heavy snowfall.
Camping
There are several campgrounds around Baker Lake, including the boat-in or hike-in Maple Grove Campground. Marble Creek and Mineral Park are two free campgrounds on the Cascade River Road. There are no campgrounds in the Heather Meadows area, but at lower elevations on the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway are Douglas-Fir and Silver Fir Campgrounds.
Wilderness Areas
Alpine Lakes Wilderness (also in Wenatchee National Forest)
Boulder River Wilderness
Clearwater Wilderness
Glacier Peak Wilderness (also in Wenatchee National Forest)
Henry M. Jackson Wilderness (also in Wenatchee National Forest)
Mt. Baker Wilderness
Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness
Norse Peak Wilderness
Pasayten Wilderness (also in Okanogan National Forest)
Baker LakeHeather Meadows Visitor CenterMountain goatsPicture LakeBanana slugBaker Lake at Maple Grove CampgroundBaker Hot SpringsNooksack FallsRavens about the forest
Formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, in 2018, this 193-acre site was named the country’s 60th (and smallest) National Park. It has a new museum and theater, and the claustrophobia-inducing tram cars still take visitors to the top of the arch for excellent views of St. Louis and across the Mississippi River into Illinois. The city is also home to 1,371-acre Forest Park (site of the 1904 World’s Fair), with many attractions like a zoo, art museum, ice skating rink, outdoor musical theater, history museum, and science center.
The antebellum plantation of White Haven is where the future General and President raised a family in the 1850s following his initial resignation from the U.S. Army. A thought-provoking museum is housed in the former horse stables, while access inside the house is only on a free ranger-guided tour. It is located next to Grant’s Farm that offers free Budweiser brewery tours and a chance to see the famous Clydesdale horses.
The celebrated author’s hometown of Hannibal on the Mississippi River is a pilgrimage site for a half-million visitors annually. The museum has eight buildings, including the house his father built in 1843. Across the street is the Becky Thatcher House, where Twain’s childhood sweetheart (Laura Hawkins) lived. Held every July, National Tom Sawyer Days features frog-jumping and fence-painting contests.
Named in honor of a U.S. Congressman, these 3,750 acres provide a variety of wetland habitats for migratory birds along the Mississippi River floodplain.
Day 3
Jefferson City
The capitol building is known for its stained glass, murals, carvings, and statuary, as well as being home to the Missouri State Museum. Nearby, Jefferson Landing State Historic Site preserves the Lohman Building and Union Hotel that were restored along the Missouri River.
Spread across nine separate units, this sprawling jurisdiction used to be two National Forests until 1976 when the more northerly Clark National Forest was administratively combined. Between Jefferson City and Columbia, Pine Ridge Recreation Area accesses Cedar Creek Trail, which has multiple trailheads and four loops totaling 36 miles.
Day 4
Kansas City
The city that crosses the western state border has more than 200 fountains, the most of anywhere outside Rome, Italy. Kansas City is best known for its barbecued meats slathered in thick, tangy sauce, a tradition dating back to 1908. The two oldest contenders for best barbecue in K.C. are Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue and Gates and Sons Bar-B-Q, but it is hard to find a bad restaurant due to the stiff competition.
The most photographed spot in the city might be the giant shuttlecock sculptures on the lawn of the free art museum (where there’s also a free mini-golf course). Near Union Station, the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial features a 217-foot-tall Art Deco tower with an Egyptian motif.
The visitor center in downtown Independence offers a film and a few artifacts, as well as first-come, first-served tickets for ranger-guided tours of the Truman Home. About a 30-minute drive from Independence, take a self-guided cell phone tour around the ten acres surrounding the 1894 Truman Farm Home, which once stood on a 600-acre farm that is now the suburb of Grandview.
If you make it to Independence, pay to visit this museum located where emigrants once departed to begin their long journeys on the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California National Historic Trails.
When Carver died in 1943, this site became the first National Park Service unit to honor an African-American. The scientist was born into slavery on this farm but went on to earn a master’s degree in botany from Iowa State University in 1896 and to work at Tuskegee Institute for 47 years where he popularized peanut, sweet potato, and soy agriculture. There is a museum with interactive exhibits and a self-guided one-mile loop trail with interpretive signs.
The original Bass Pro Shops in Springfield has almost 500,000 square-feet dedicated to outdoor recreation, including the Archery Hall of Fame and this impressive aquarium (fee).
Missouri stayed in the Union throughout the Civil War despite the $10-million in property damage caused by guerrilla fighters, making it the third most fought-over state. Start your visit by watching a short film, then peruse the excellent museum before taking the five-mile driving route that provides an overview of the battle at eight interpretive stops.
Day 6
Branson
The entertainment capital of the central U.S. has a main strip lit up like Las Vegas without the casinos. The main draw is the variety of live music and magic shows offered every day of the week in 37 theaters, but do not miss the historic downtown with the iconic Dick’s 5 & 10 Cent Store on Main Street. There are also mini-golf courses, a wax museum (topped by King Kong), an amusement park, a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium, and a building shaped like the bow of the Titanic hitting a giant iceberg.
Spread throughout the Ozark Mountains, 1.5-million-acre Mark Twain National Forest is full of caves, sinkholes, springs, and streams. Greer Spring is the second largest in Missouri, with a daily flow of 222-million gallons as it drains 1.2 miles into the Eleven Point National Scenic River. Several long trails explore the National Forest’s seven designated Wilderness areas, including sections of the 350-mile Ozark Trail. Mark Twain National Forest also has three designated Scenic Byways: Blue Buck Knob, Sugar Camp, and Glade Top Trail.
Optional stop at the “Tri-Lakes”
The reservoirs of Table Rock, Taneycomo, and Bull Shoals offer opportunities for boating, fishing, and water sports. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs a museum at 252-foot-tall Table Rock Dam on the White River.
The Jacks Fork and Current Rivers flow freely within Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The best way to explore the serpentine park boundaries is on the water, but roads access several swimming holes and the bright red Alley Mill. The dolomite and limestone karst underneath this park is riddled with caves and sinkholes, like Devils Well, Round Spring Cave (offering ranger-guided tours for a fee), and Jam Up Cave (only accessible from the Jacks Fork River).
After suffering catastrophic damage from a 2005 dam breach, this park has been redeveloped and still has the chutes and waterfalls that provided its name. Its campground is considered one of the nation’s best for RVs on public land.
Established in 2020 to protect the French colonial-era houses of Missouri’s first permanent settlement where residents still go all out to celebrate Bastille Day. The oldest standing structure is the Bolduc House that dates back to 1792, while the Old Brick House from 1804 is now a restaurant.
This geologic wonderland features a natural bridge, caves, sinkholes, limestone bluffs, and a large natural spring, but may be best known for the burned-out ruins of a mansion.
The M-K-T (Missouri-Kansas-Texas) Railroad has been converted into the 240-mile-long Katy Trail, running across the state from north of St. Louis to Clinton (75 miles southeast of Kansas City). Camping along the trail is an option, but it passes through many towns with hotels.
Accessed from the same trailhead as the state’s high point, Mina Sauk Falls is a 132-foot cascade accessed via a three-mile out-and-back hike that gains 430 feet in elevation. Missouri’s tallest waterfall typically flows best during the spring season; otherwise, it is reduced to a trickle.
The park’s billion-year-old granite rocks are broken into vertical cracks and eroded into huge “elephants” like 680-ton Dumbo (27 feet tall and 35 feet long). The park even has a one-mile paved path designed specifically for the visually impaired with signs in Braille.
In northwest Missouri, winter is the time to visit to see nearly one-million snow geese, plus trumpeter swans, bald eagles, and a variety of shorebirds and waterfowl.
Raven About The Parks 