Best flights to United States National Parks

Containing, bizzare rock formations, sun-baked sand, huge dunes, and surrounded by moutains, Death Valley is full of extremely varied, interesting geological phenomena; it's not the boring, empty desert that most people imagine it to be. It's also the site of the hottest recorded temperature. You can easily rent a car and make a day trip from Las Vegas to the valley, and enjoy the hiking and available sights, then cool down back in the city that never sleeps.

This is one of the few places in the world where it is easy to see lava. I love rocks and find a fascination with the workings of the world, but that fact alone is enough to bring me out to Hawaii. You can find updates on the best viewing locations and volcanic activity on the National Park Service website.

Mount Rainier is an active volcano an hour and a half south of Seattle.

My favorite experience at Mount Rainier was stumbling upon a magnificent blue lake nestled in the slopes. The mountain is good both for day long hiking trips, and extended camping at the various provided camp grounds. Later, I was able to save my legs and drive to a peak that gave 360 degree view of the surrounding area, with peaks dimly poking out of the mist in the distance.

I drove around the US for a year, and one of the most memorable spur-of-the-moment side trips I took was through the Petrified Forest National park. It blew my mind that the things I was looking at were rocks and not the trees they seemed to be. Furthermore, you are allowed to actually go wander around areas of the park and see parts of 'trees' up close.

The park is right off of Interstate 40 between Flagstaff and Albuquerque. You can easily drive there from either city for a day trip, or there is camping nearby.

The park is famous for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree, one of the largest trees on Earth. The General Sherman tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five out of the ten largest trees in the world. The Giant Forest is connected by the Generals Highway to Kings Canyon National Park's General Grant Grove, home to the General Grant tree among other giant sequoias. The park's giant sequoia forests are part of 202,430 acres (81,921 ha) of old-growth forests shared by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. You can find more information at its entry on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_National_Park

Yellowstone holds the memory one of my all-time favorite vacations. The summer before I moved to New York for school I hopped in an RV with my friend and his family and drove across the midwest to this grand place. Spanning over 3,400 square miles, this national park boasts of breathtaking canyons, lakes, rivers, mountain ranges with Bison grazing throughout, and, oh yeah, the largest supervolcano on the continent.

Plus you've also got Old Faithful to go check on.

My first experience visiting Grand Teton National Park left me feeling quite small. As you drive towards them, they tower suddenly, and sharply out of nowhere. We had to stop several times along the highway before even entering the mountains just to take in the sheer magnitude before us. And with over 1,000 drive-in campsites and over 200 miles of hiking trails, there is plenty to see here.

The Rocky Mountains were probably my family's favorite vacation destination growing up, as my uncle and aunt own a cabin deep in the mountains of Estes Park, CO. There are countless hiking trails, each with their own, unique, breathtaking views. But my favorite memories come from driving the great Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the United States (not for the faint of heart).

The giant redwoods of northern California will make you feel like a foreign tourist in a city of massive skyscrapers: head tilted back, jaw open, camera on face. But that's ok, because these colossal trees could likely be the largest living things you will see in your lifetime. It truly is a surreal place. And it doesn't take much planning, just drive in and wander to your hearts content.

I've always been fascinated by archeology and past civilizations, which is probably why even after 15 years I still remember visiting Mesa Verde like it was yesterday. The harmony of the natural and man-made worlds displayed in the hundreds of cliff dwellings preserved here is remarkable. It can be a bit touristy, with plenty of guided tours taking over the trails throughout the day, but it's definitely worth it.

Yosemite is probably the most surreal place in the U.S. I have ever been, all in all. This California park features spectacular granite cliffs towering into the sky, Giant Sequoia groves, waterfalls, all surrounded in a lush variety of vegetation. Bring your camera, but just know, unless you're Ansel Adams your photos probably won't even come near to doing it justice. You just have to see it with your own eyes.

Two billion years worth of geological activity is exposed to you from the rim of the Grand Canyon. I fell in love with the majesty of the place on my first visit, and what started as a 2 day trip extended to over a week. Every morning I rode my motorcycle along the rim until I found the perfect spot to sit and contemplate time and how I wanted to use the bit of it available to me.

Descending into the Canyon on a mule is the classic experience, but it's also possible to hike it yourself with the appropriate permits. Even for those who just want to peer over the edge there's quite a few facilities built up to teach you about the canyon. My favorite is a path that you can walk on that keeps you informed of you the age of the stone under your feet as you travel from the past to the present day.

To get to the Grand Canyon, you fly to Phoenix, and drive 4.5 hours to the park. There are both campgrounds and a hotel available, though you'll need to make reservations in advance during the busier season.