Great Smoky Mountains National Park — America's Most Visited Park
Founded in 1940, for "the permanent enjoyment of the people", the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America's most visited park. (Who knew?)
Read MoreNear and Far: Big Bend and Davis Mountain Parks
If you want a little bit of everything Big Bend National Park is the place for you. You just have to get there. It is REMOTE! We ended up spending a lot more time in the Davis Mountains, in the state park and national historic site, which both provided lots of opportunities to enjoy both hiking & history.
Read MoreMesa Verde National Park: Find that Ancient Pueblo!
Mesa Verde National Park became such in 1906. In that year, it had just 27 visitors. It now has over 500,000 visitors a year. We dubbed it the park of tours — you can see a lot but most of it is through ticketed tours. We opted to take two smaller tours, of about 12 people, which were more than worth the price of the tickets.
Read MoreCanyon of the Ancients & Hovenweep
Although Mesa Verde boasts some of the largest pueblos in the country, the Canyon of the Ancients and Hovenweep offer the opportunity to explore thousands of pueblos in the Great Sage Plain, at your own pace. It's a bit like the difference between backcountry camping and staying at the KOA. Pro tip: A four-wheel drive vehicle helps!
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