West Coast National Parks: Part 3 (June 2024)
Our 31st national park was Lassen Volcanic. It has a lot of geothermal activity like the pictured boiling mud pot. We planned to do a lot of hiking to see all the geothermal activity. Unfortunately, the main park road was only open for one mile because of snow accumulation. So we drove in then walked another mile on the closed road for some pictures.
We left early and headed to Sacramento where we visited Old Sacramento for lunch. Old Sacramento is the riverfront historic district, with Gold Rush-era buildings, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages. It has lots of museums, including the Sacramento History Museum and the state Railroad Museum. There are also the typical souvenir shops, various levels of restaurants, and a few bars. We only stopped here because we could not spend the time we wanted in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Next time we come to California we will spend more time investigating Sacramento.
One thing you notice driving through California are all the orchards. There are orchards everywhere growing citrus fruits and almonds. We decided to stop at a produce market as we were driving to get some oranges and almonds.
Yosemite, wow! This is the crown jewel of the California national parks. Known for its stunning valley views, waterfalls, and wilderness. The tunnel view was amazing. We got up close with three waterfalls and took two short hikes. We even saw a bear run in front of our car. Yosemite is our 32nd national park which means we have hit the halfway mark of visiting all 63 national parks. Just a few more to see on this trip.
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
Kings Canyon (33) and Sequoia (34) were the next two National Parks on our trip. These parks are right next to each other; they are administered by the same park rangers, and they even share the same website. You drive from one park to the other without even realizing it. Both of these parks are about Sequoia trees. We saw Mark Twain's Stump, the Centennial Stump, Grant's Tree, and Sherman's Tree, plus many others. Sequoia trees and Redwood trees are very different in size and shape. Redwoods grow taller but Sequoias grow wider and are more massive. According to the signs, Sherman's Tree is the biggest (in mass) tree in the world. Both parks were stunning but very crowded.
Grand Canyon National Park: South Rim
Our last full day on this trip we drove out of California and back into Arizona to spend a day at the Grand Canyon (South Rim). We had previously visited the Grand Canyon (North Rim) 2 years ago, so it doesn't add to our national parks total. This was my first trip to the South Rim, but my wife had been as a child with her family. The South Rim is much more developed that the North Rim and has many more tourists. Walking up to the rim of the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring experience. Besides the wonderful views we also got a relatively close encounter with a female elk.
My wife does not have a healthy fear of heights (see video). She got a lot closer to the side than I would have.
And that is a wrap on our longest national park trip. We put on over 5,000 miles on our rental van. We visited 12 national parks in Arizona, California, and Oregon. We visited 2 national monuments, the River Gorge, Route 66, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Time to get home and get some rest.