One Hour in Joshua Tree National Park
Driving I-10 through the California desert and want to see Joshua trees? Here's how to experience the park in one hour.
What to Do When Rocky Mountain Is Reserved, Crowded, or Snowed In
When timed entry reservations sell out, Bear Lake parking overflows by 7am, or Trail Ridge Road is closed for the season. The Colorado Front Range has options.
Instead of Mesa Verde: Hovenweep National Monument
Ancestral Puebloan towers in solitude. Hovenweep offers ancient ruins without tour tickets, schedules, or crowds.
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Instead of Everglades: Big Cypress National Preserve
The same swamp ecosystem with airboats allowed, fewer crowds, and a wilder feel. Big Cypress offers the Florida wilderness Everglades has sanitized.
Instead of Shenandoah: Blue Ridge Parkway
469 miles of scenic road from Virginia to North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Parkway stretches the Shenandoah experience across four times the distance with a fraction of the crowds.
What to Do When Haleakala Is Clouded In, Sold Out, or Rained Out
When sunrise reservations are sold out, clouds obscure the crater, or the weather at 10,000 feet is not cooperating. Maui has options.
What to Do When the Grand Canyon Is Crowded, Closed, or Snowed In
When parking lots are full, the shuttle line wraps around the building, or you realize six million people had the same idea. Northern Arizona has options.
What to Do When Olympic Is Crowded, Closed, or Rained Out
When the Hoh Rainforest parking lot is full, Hurricane Ridge Road is closed, or the rain has been falling for three days straight. The Olympic Peninsula has options.
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Instead of Grand Canyon: Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Vertical walls that drop 2,000 feet. A canyon so narrow sunlight barely reaches the bottom. Black Canyon offers Grand Canyon drama without the Grand Canyon crowds.
Instead of Hawaii Volcanoes: Haleakala National Park
A volcanic crater, legendary sunrise, and Maui's tropical coastline. Haleakala offers the Hawaiian volcano experience with better beaches nearby.
Rim Drive: Scenic Drive around Crater Lake
33 miles around America's deepest lake. The caldera of a collapsed volcano, filled with water so blue it looks unnatural.
One Hour in Mesa Verde National Park
Driving US-160 through southwestern Colorado and want to see cliff dwellings? Here's what to know about a quick Mesa Verde visit.
Park Loop Road: Scenic Drive around Acadia
27 miles around Acadia's Mount Desert Island. Rocky coastline, glacial lakes, and Cadillac Mountain, where the sun rises first.
What to Do When Joshua Tree Is Crowded, Closed, or Rained Out
When the heat is unbearable, the parking lots are full, or you just need a break from the desert sun. The Joshua Tree area has one of the best backup scenes of any national park.
Trail Ridge Road: Scenic Drive through Rocky Mountain National Park
The highest continuous paved road in the United States. 48 miles across Rocky Mountain National Park, cresting at 12,183 feet.
One Hour in Petrified Forest National Park
I-40 runs directly through this park. Here's how to see 225-million-year-old logs and painted desert in one hour.
Instead of Yellowstone: Lassen Volcanic National Park
Bubbling mud pots, steaming fumaroles, and volcanic landscapes without the Yellowstone crowds. Lassen offers geothermal wonders in Northern California solitude.
One Hour in Grand Canyon National Park
Driving I-40 across Arizona and want to see the Grand Canyon? Here's how to experience the most famous hole on Earth in one hour.
One Hour in Zion National Park
Driving I-15 through Utah and want to see Zion? Here's how to experience red rock walls and the Virgin River in one hour.
Instead of Joshua Tree: Mojave National Preserve
Bigger desert, the same Joshua trees, and sand dunes that dwarf anything at Joshua Tree. Mojave Preserve offers the California desert without the crowds.
Tioga Road: Scenic Drive through Yosemite
Yosemite's high country highway. 39 miles through granite domes, alpine lakes, and the vast meadows of Tuolumne, cresting at 9,945 feet.
Joshua Tree, California: Gateway to Joshua Tree National Park
Bohemian desert town with a crochet museum in a photo booth and a honky-tonk where Paul McCartney plays unannounced sets.
Instead of Zion: Capitol Reef National Park
The same Utah red rock without the crowds, shuttles, or permits. Capitol Reef delivers canyon country solitude and the chance to pick fruit from pioneer orchards.
One Hour in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Driving I-94 across North Dakota and want to see the badlands that made a president? Here's how to experience Theodore Roosevelt National Park in one hour.
