Great American Wilderness: Touring the National Parks of the Southwest

The Great American Wilderness:

Touring the National Parks of the Southwest

Larry H. Ludmer

Hunter Publishing, Inc.

Introduction

General Planning

Using This Book

Facts & Figures

Special Activities

Accommodations

Hotels & Motels

Camping

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Southwest

Arches National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Bandelier National Monument

Facts & Figures

Touring

Accommodations

Dining

Big Bend National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Bryce Canyon National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Canyonlands National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Island in the Sky

The Needles

The Maze

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Capitol Reef National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Facts And Figures

Touring

Special Activities

Natural Entrance Route

Big Room Route

King's Palace Guided Tour

Other Tours

The Bats

Accommodations

Dining

Colorado National Monument

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Rim Rock Drive

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Dinosaur National Monument

Facts & Figures

Touring

Utah Section

Colorado Section

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Hiking

Special Activities

Gates of Lodore

River Running

Accommodations

Dining

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area & Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Facts & Figures

Touring

Special Activities

Glen Canyon Dam

Lake Powell

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Grand Canyon National Park

Facts & Figures

Grand Canyon's South Rim

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Grand Canyon's North Rim

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Facts & Figures

Touring

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Great Basin National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Great Sand Dunes National Monument

Facts & Figures

Touring

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations - North Section

Accommodations - South Section

Where Do We Go From Here?

Mesa Verde National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Petrified Forest National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Rocky Mountain National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Saguaro National Park

Facts & Figures

Touring

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

White Sands National Monument

Facts & Figures

Touring

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Zion National Park

Facts & Figures

Auto Tour/ Short Stops

Getting Out/Longer Stops

Special Activities

Accommodations

Dining

Where Do We Go From Here?

Suggested Trips

Suggested Trip 1

Colorado Circle

Suggested Trip 2

Southwest Sojourn

Suggested Trip 3

Marvels of Arizona

Suggested Trip 4

Unique Utah

Suggested Trip 5

Wonders of the Desert

Suggested Trip 6

Three Crown Jewels

For More Information

National Park Service

State Tourism Offices

Introduction

One of America's greatest treasures is the diverse beauty that nature has bestowed upon the its landscape. While many parts of the world may contain majestic mountains, eye-popping geological phenomena, rushing waterfalls, and more, nowhere is there a greater variety or concentration of such wonders as in the United States. The very best of these have been set aside in parks, monuments, and other special areas administered by the National Park Service. They are truly the crown jewels of America. The national parks have been created to be seen, felt, touched and enjoyed by everyone.

And that is precisely what this book is about: seeing and enjoying nature at its most inspiring, its most unusual, and its most powerful. Nearly 400 separate areas are administered by the National Park Service, a great many of which are dedicated to people, places, events or ideas that have played a significant role in the development of our nation. Since the theme of this book is the scenic treasures of America, we have selected those that seemed especially worthwhile, regardless of how popular they are. This eliminates, for example, many heavily visited areas whose primary attraction is miles of beachfront for frolicking in the ocean. However, a brief look at dozens of other scenic NPS sites is given in the Suggested Trips section at the end of the book.

This book assumes you will be visiting the parks by car, which eliminates some highly inaccessible locations that are generally limited to adventure touring. While almost all of the places described in this book can satisfy the desires of the most ardent adventure traveler, they also appeal to a much broader public.

Most of the existing books on our nation's scenic areas may describe park features in exquisite detail, but they don't really tell you how to see what has been described. It also seems that most books are aimed at people who will be spending a great deal of time hiking and camping in the back-country. Admittedly, this is the best way to see what the parks have to offer, but the reality is that many thousands of people have neither the time nor the inclination to rough it in the wilderness; or they may have physical limitations. The primary goal of this book is to show how to make the most out of your time in the park, detailing those highlights that should not be missed even if you can't spend days trekking through the back-country or hiding in a blind with binoculars waiting for a rare bird to appear.

The National Park Service has designated the areas it administers as National Parks, National Monuments, Recreation Areas, and so forth. (Actually, Congress is the only body that can designate an area as a National Park.) Frequently, but not always, national parks are large, famous, and have the greatest attraction for visitors. But there are a number of non-park areas that are every bit as worthwhile. In this book, 53 different areas are described. Three have non-scenic aspects that were of primary importance in establishing the area, but there is enough natural beauty to be seen there to have included them in this book. Four areas aren't administered by the National Park Service at all, but their beauty is such that they had to be included. It's of little concern which agency of the government has jurisdiction when the scenery is so marvelous.

General Planning

Some people like to do things on an ad hoc basis, and there is definitely something to be said for spontaneity. But unless your time is unlimited, proper planning is essential. The longer the trip and the more you wish to accomplish during your vacation, the truer this axiom becomes.

Some major decisions should be made in advance:

What exactly do you want to see?

How many miles are you willing to drive and how much time do you have to spend?

What types of accommodations will suit you?

The first and most important step in the planning process is to write down your proposed itinerary. Block off each day's activities by how long they will take, allowing enough time for driving, rest stops and meal breaks. Once you have a basic outline, it's easy to make adjustments as you secure additional information and decide that you want to add or delete an activity.

When you actually begin your trip, the itinerary serves as your travel guide, and you can always alter it as you go along.

Be sure to bring touring materials on additional sights that may be available should you find yourself running ahead of schedule with some extra time on your hands. Why not put that time to good use?

The information in this book will enable you to create an itinerary for each park. This does not mean that you will not need or want other information. One source that is a natural partner to this book is the National Park Service itself. Each park or area has a superintendent's office that will be happy to furnish you with brochures. The information they send is generally clear, concise, and extremely useful. Moreover, most Park Service literature will include an excellent map. While narrative description is important, a good map is absolutely indispensable, except perhaps for the smallest of our national parks. The maps in this guide should be used as a base to draw from. When you arrive at the park, pick up the Park Service's map, usually found at the Visitor Center. It will help you keep on track once your trip actually begins. You will also need adequate maps of your routes to and from the parks. AAA maps are excellent, as are many state maps that can be purchased in book or travel stores or are available from state tourism offices. Do not rely on the small maps in pocket-sized road atlases.

Look for detailed maps. The more detail on a map, both in and outside the park destinations, the easier it will be to find what you are looking for without getting lost or going far out of your way.

You also might want to consider picking up an Auto Tape Tour. These can be rented or purchased at many of the larger national parks or you can get them in advance (purchase only). The company that specializes in such tapes is CC Inc., PO Box 385, Scarsdale, NY 10583. Tapes are not available for every area.

Using This Book

Each chapter begins with a brief narrative that introduces you to the park and its outstanding features. It is meant to spark your interest rather than provide a comprehensive description. Subsequent sections are as follows:

Facts & Figures

LOCATION/GATEWAYS/GETTING THERE: Where the park is located and how to get there from the nearest large city or cities (which I refer to as the gateway).

ADMISSION FEES: The user fee per private passenger automobile is listed. This includes the driver and all passengers. Admission is for a specified number of days, depending upon the area. It is always at least three days and more commonly for a week or 10 days. Rates for trailers, where allowed, will be higher. Individuals entering via motorcycles, as pedestrians, or by bus are charged on a per-person basis, which is usually about half the private automobile charge.

Special Passes

The Park Service provides three special forms of admission. One is the Golden Age Passport, available to any person over 62. It can be obtained from any National Park Service office upon presentation of proof of age and is good for a lifetime. The cost is $10. Besides admitting the senior citizen, anyone traveling in the same car will also be admitted at no additional charge. The Golden Eagle Passport is available for $50 to persons of any age and is good for one year. It also admits everyone traveling with the bearer in the same car. Certainly, if you are going to be visiting several park areas that have user fees, the Golden Eagle is well worth the small initial outlay. The Golden Access Pass is issued free of charge to any person who is disabled under federal program guidelines. Each passport is valid at all Federal fee areas. This includes, besides the National Park Service, areas administered by the Bureau of Land Management, Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, the Forest Service, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The daily user fee and the Passports admit you to the park only. In most instances, tours and other special activities, whether conducted by the Park Service or a private concessionaire, will involve an additional charge. If such a fee is charged, the cost will be indicated in the text. However, passports often entitle the holder to discounts on other activities. In the case of the Golden Age Passport, the discount can be as much as 50%.

CLIMATE/WHEN TO GO: Unless you are the hardy type and are interested in mushing through the snow in the bitter cold, most of your visits will be in summer. In fact, many of the most scenic park roads are closed in winter. However, summer is not always the best time to visit. The chapters that follow will give you information on climatic conditions in each park, along with road closings and the availability of services.

CONTACT INFORMATION: In the past couple of years many of the parks have instituted automated information systems where you can call at any time and, using a touch-tone telephone, hear recorded information on topics you select. The downside is that it can be more difficult to speak with a real live person!

Auto Tour/Short Stops

This, along with the next section, forms the heart of each chapter. In this part the park roads and what can be seen from them will be described. There is also information on short walks (those that can be accomplished in under 20 minutes, round-trip), visitor centers, museums, the best scenic overlooks, and more. A minimum time allotment is suggested.

Getting Out/Longer Stops

This section is for those who have more time to spend at each park. It has useful descriptions of some longer walks that are well worth the time and effort they may require. Not included are any hikes that take more than half a day or that require unusual stamina or special skills, such as mountain climbing. These trips assume that you will be capable of walking up to several miles on terrain that isn't always level and is, generally, unpaved.

If you have any health limitations, remember that many of the parks are located in higher altitudes, which makes even an apparently simple walk somewhat more difficult.

Note: Because some parks are small or otherwise not suited to the previous categories, for those we combine the Auto Tour and Getting Out sections into a single Touring section.

Special Activities

This section won't be found in every park description. Guided tours, unusual means of seeing a park (for example, river rafting or by horseback), and other activities not included in the preceding sections will be described here. Virtually all National Park Service areas in this book have nature walks, escorted hikes and campfire programs, conducted by Park Rangers. Information on these activities can best be obtained by contacting the park directly (either by mail or telephone). They will gladly send a listing and schedule, which often changes from year to year and depending on the season. Otherwise, inquire at any Visitor Center upon your arrival at the park.

Accommodations

This section deals with hotel/motel accommodations and camping. Places to stay are listed within the park and nearby.

Hotels & Motels

Price categories are indicated as follows:

$$$$ More than $125 per night

$$$ $100-125 per night

$$ $61-99 per night

$ $60 or less per night

All prices are for double occupancy. When two price ranges are shown it usually indicates that there is a wide variety of rooms available for different fees. There may be great differences as to the quality of these rooms. The price range is accurate at press time.

Camping

Almost all of the areas covered in this book offer on-site camping. The few that don't aren't far from nearby commercial establishments. In-park campground information is listed under each locality. Some campground reservations can be made through the National Park Reservation Service, tel. (800) 365-2267. The offices are open daily from 10 am to 10 pm, eastern time. You can write for reservations at PO Box 1600, Cumberland, MD 21502. Or, you can reserve online at http://reservations.nps.gov. Be sure to give a second and third choice of dates. If