“Several canyons of the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none combines the depth, sheerness, narrowness, darkness, and dread of the Black Canyon.”
— Duane Vandenbusche, author of Images of America: The Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Have you ever heard of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park? No? Well, you’re not alone. But when we stayed in Grand Junction for a week last month, we were so close to Black Canyon that I couldn’t resist the chance to check off another National Park from my personal list.

Matt had never heard of it but was also happy to make the 1.5 hour drive and spend the day exploring. And the more we researched it, the more excited we were to visit. Keep reading to find out why you should visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. [Read more…]

Out of the 29 National Parks I’ve been to, there’s one that I’ve returned to time and time again: Arches National Park. Located in eastern Utah, not far from I-70 and near the small town of Moab, Arches wasn’t even a park I knew about until my family visited for the first time in 2012 during our annual road trip. Our memories of its fiery red rocks and blue skies came second only to our memories of a particularly ill-advised hike.

Let me just say… hiking to Delicate Arch at 3pm in the middle of July with inadequate shoes and insufficient water isn’t something I would recommend. Also, it’s 1.5 miles each way, not round trip like we’d thought. All I remember is both of my sisters crying the entire time — Becky because she had a migraine; 10-year-old Carrie because with each corner we turned, we weren’t yet at the famous arch. [Read more…]