The best national parks in the western United States
Visit the National parks in the western United States is one of the most awe-inspiring experiences you can have, thanks to nature's magnificence and the visible effects of time on the earth and rock.
These are 9 of the National parks most impressive Western United States:
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Zion National Park
- Arches National Park
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Monument Valley
- Antelope Canyon
- Grand Canyon of the Colorado River
- Yellowstone National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
Located in the south of the state of Utah, the Bryce Canyon National Park It is one of those places that makes you keep asking yourself, How is that possible? How could such a place have been formed?
It lies at an altitude of 2700 m and has unique features, including the world’s greatest formation of hoodoos or fairy chimneys.
Ochre, orange, red and white rocks in unusual formations make this one of the most beautiful places in United States.
In 1919 the Zion National Park, located in town of Springdale, became the first national park in the state of Utah. It owes its fame to the unrivalled panoramic views offered by its magical landscape: steep cliffs, sandstone canyons and very high rock formations.
The Zion Canyon is the park’s main attraction and gives it its name. It is a gorge which extends over 24 kilometres, with a average depth of 800 metres, carved out over millennia by the Virgin River, a tributary of the Colorado River.
The Arches National Park, located in the state of Utah, protects Amazing landscape including the increased proliferation of arches of the world.
The sandstone formations define not only the landscape but also its plants and animals. Low precipitation and extreme temperature ranges combine to limit life among the rocks to the few species that can adapt to such a harsh environment.
In the Mesa Verde National Park lies in south-western Colorado and preserves the largest and most important archaeological area of Native American culture in the United States.
The Anasazi inhabited this area from AD 500 to AD 1300. They originally lived on top of the plateaus. As their culture developed, they learned to build homes in fortified settlements, which are still preserved in the Mesa Verde National Park.
The Monument Valley is in the reserve of the Navajo Nation, located in southern Utah on the Arizona border. It lies between 1500 and 1800 metres above sea level. The valley is within the Navajo reservation and is famous for its rock formations.
Its distinctive landscape was the setting for numerous films such as: “Back to the Future Part III”, “Easy Rider” or “Forrest Gump”
The Antelope Canyon, located in the municipality of Page, is one of the most photographed canyons in the United States. The narrow walls allow only a little light to enter, giving the reddish sandstone spectacular colours. As with Monument Valley, the canyon lies within a reservation of the Navajo people.
Unlike the Grand Canyon, where you can look out from a viewpoint, Antelope Canyon is hidden beneath the ground, reached in some areas 40 metres deep.
The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, declared one of the seven natural wonders of the world and renowned for panoramic views that take the breath away of anyone who visits.
Sculpted by the channel of Colorado River over millions of years, the Grand Canyon stretches for 446 kilometres, and its enormous red walls bear witness to the history of the world over the past 2 million years.
In the Yellowstone National Park you can see more than half of the geothermal found on the planet, with around 10,000 different examples. It also has more than 300 geysers, that is, about two thirds of all those on the planet.
In the wonderful Grand Teton National Park, located north-west of the state of Wyoming, you can see the contrast between an immense valley and majestic mountains, with peaks rising almost vertically more than 4000 metres and several Huge lakes in whose waters the mountains and spectacular landscapes.
In Tuareg we are going to United States in a trip 18 days. Travelling through all these spectacular parks. Starting from the Colorado Plateau where we will visit the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Arches, we head north to visit the two most iconic parks in the region: Grand Teton and Yellowstone.
A trip a must for lovers of wide-open spaces.
Do not miss out on a place!
