National Parks

Mesa Verde National Park

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Mesa Verde National Park

About 1,400 years ago, long before Europeans explored North America, a group of people living in the Four Corners region chose Mesa Verde for their home. For more than 700 years they and their descendants lived and flourished here, eventually building elaborate stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls. Then, in the late A.D. 1200s, in the span of a generation or two, they left their homes and moved away. Mesa Verde National Park preserves a spectacular reminder of this ancient culture.

We visited Mesa Verde National Park in April 2023 while staying at the nearby Mesa Verde RV Resort in Mancos, Colorado. We stopped at the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center at the base of the winding main park road to learn about the fascinating history of the cliff dwellers that lived here over 1,000 years ago.

We took the 15-mile winding park road climbing up to the Far View Area. At this point there is a turn-off to the Weatherill Mesa Road, however that road was not yet open for the season, so we continued a further 6-miles on the main park road to the Mesa Top and Cliff Canyon loops. We chose to take the Cliff Canyon loop which took us to two spectacular cave dwelling viewpoints. The Cliff Palace is a huge, partially restored dwelling that was fully visible from an overlook just off the road. Guided tours through the dwelling are available starting in May but had not yet started for the season during our April visit. The second dwelling we visited was the Balcony House, which was visible from a more distant viewpoint across the canyon at the end of the Soda Canyon Overlook Trail.

In addition to the cliff dwellings, we also enjoyed some spectacular canyon views from the various overlooks along the park roads.

Photos of our visit are provided below. Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.

 

 

Great Sand Dunes National Park

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Who would expect the tallest sand dunes in North America to be in southern Colorado, some 1200 miles from the Pacific Ocean?

We visited Great Sand Dunes National Park in May 2023, while staying at the Alamosa KOA Journey, in Alamosa, Colorado, about 30-minutes away. Entering the park near the southeast corner, we stopped at the Visitor Center a short distance into the park to learn how the unique sand dunes came to be located in southern Colorado.

During a wetter time, thousands of years ago, ancient lakes covered much of the valley floor. Streams carried eroded sediments from the San Juan Mountains and Sangre de Cristo Mountains into these lakes. Over time, a thick layer of sand was deposited at the bottom of these lakes. Through natural climate change, the lakes have largely diminished, leaving a vast sheet of sand on the valley floor. Predominate winds from the southwest funnel sand into a low curve of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Storm winds from the mountains push sand back, forming the tall dune field.

The park includes diverse landscapes of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra, however the tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece and the area that most visitors (including us) will head for. From the dunes there were spectacular views of the snow-capped Mount Herard (13,345-ft) in the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains

The visitor center has a trail to the dunes, however we opted to drive the short distance to the dunes parking lot. In order to access the dunes, visitors need to cross the seasonal Medano Creek in spring and summer. The creek typically has a peak flow from late May to early June. From July to April, it is usually no more than a few inches deep, if there is any water at all. During our visit in late May 2023, the water was a few inches deep at most and we were able to easily walk across.

There are no formal trails within the 30-square mile dune field, but the park map shows typical routes that can be taken to some of the dune peaks. We only hiked about 1/4-mile, or less into the dunes, but that was enough to experience the unique landscape and views of the surrounding mountains, dunes, grasslands, and wetlands. The highest dunes in the park are 741-ft in elevation, and are about a 6-mile round trip hike from the parking lot.

Photos of our visit are provided below. Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.

 

Grand Teton National Park

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We visited Grand Teton National Park in July 2024 while staying at Greys River Cove RV Park in Alpine, Wyoming.

The Grand Teton National Park is named for the spectacular Teton Mountain Range that runs north-south through the park. The principal summits are Grand Teton (13,775 feet), Mount Owen (12,928 feet), Teewinot (12,325 feet), Middle Teton (12,804 feet) and South Teton (12,514 feet).

One reason the Teton Range is famous is because of the dramatic elevation profile visible from the eastern side, which rises sharply from 4,000 to 7,000 feet above the valley floor. Unlike most mountain ranges, the east side of the Teton Range lacks significant foothills or lower peaks which might obscure the view.

We entered the park at its south end, and drove north on Teton Park Road, eventually looping to the east and then south on Hwy-26 back to the south entrance. Near the south entrance we visited the Menor’s Ferry Historic District. Here we got to see what early homestead life in Grand Teton was like. We saw the existing buildings that housed a general store and homestead, as well as a replica of the ferry that used to shuttle traffic across the Snake River. Volunteers in historic costumes were on-site to provide information and answer visitors’ questions. While visiting the Menor’s Ferry area we were lucky enough to see a mother and baby moose crossing the trail a short distance away from us. The volunteers at the site said that it was unusual to see a mother and baby at such close quarters (see the video in this post).

On the north-bound section of our park loop we stopped at several turnouts and viewpoints, as well as the Jenny Lake area. The mountain views were spectacular, and we enjoyed trying to identify some of the 11 active glaciers that exist throughout the Teton range. At Jenny Lake we took a short loop trail along the lake, finding a nice bench to eat a picnic lunch and enjoy the expansive views of the lake and mountains.

On the return section of our park loop, we headed south on Hwy-24, generally following the path of the Snake River. There were several turnouts with great views of the Snake River and surrounding scenery. As we headed further south on Hwy-24 we turned-off onto the short road that dead-ended at Mormon Row, which is highlighted by the two picturesque barns originally built by the Moulton family in the early 20th century. We joined generations of photographers from around the world by taking photos of the famous Moulton barn which capture this iconic historic structure with the Teton Range in the background.

Photos of our visit are provided below. Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.

Grand Canyon National Park

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We visited Grand Canyon National Park in early April 2023, while staying at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park in Williams, Arizona.  We traveled to the Grand Canyon via the Grand Canyon Railway leaving from Williams in the morning and returning the same evening. The trip was just over 2-hours each way and included some fun entertainment and a knowledgeable tour guide in each carriage. For more on our train trip adventure please take a look at this post.

It was a sunny but chilly day with snow still on the ground at the canyon rim. The train dropped us off at the historic Grand Canyon Depot which was a short walk to the South Rim visitor center and historic El Tovar Hotel. Our train schedule gave us 3-hours at the canyon rim, and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll and picnic lunch along the rim trail which afforded spectacular views into the Grand Canyon. We walked along to the Bright Angel Trail head and walked a few hundred yards along the trail that goes down into the canyon. The sheer scale of the Grand Canyon is difficult for the brain and eye to comprehend, and it is truly one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders of the US National Park system.

Photos of our visit are provided below. Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.

 

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