The Sunday Times - UK (2022-02-06)

The Sunday Times February 6, 2022 17

GRAND TETON NATIONAL

PARK

WYOMING

Best for Abundant valleys,

alpine lakes and world-class

fishing

Annual visitors 3.3 million

Often overshadowed by

Yellowstone next door,

Grand Teton National Park

is a magnificent pocket of

wilderness in its own right,

full of scenic wonders that

have inspired mountaineers,

photographers and artists

for decades (Kanye West is

one of the park’s biggest

fans, featuring it on the

cover of his 2018 album, Ye).

At the heart of the action is

the two-mile-long, 250ft-deep

Jenny Lake, which you can

use to fish, swim or boat.

camping spot in advance.

Stay Desert Pearl Inn is a

boutique hotel set against

Zion’s fiery cliffs with its own

large saltwater pool (room-

only doubles from £141;

desertpearl.com).

nps.gov/zion

ROCKY MOUNTAIN

NATIONAL PARK

COLORADO

Best for Climbing and cliff

camping

Annual visitors 3.3 million

Split by the Continental

Divide, which dictates the

direction in which rainwater

flows, Rocky Mountain

National Park is lush, forested

and green in its western half,

while the eastern side is

barren, dusty and

mountainous. Both offer

superb hiking trails, while

the latter also has incredible

climbing opportunities, and is

one of the few places where

novices can experience cliff

camping (sleeping on a

portaledge halfway up a sheer

rock face). The gateway town

of Estes Park is your base

camp, and is also home to the

Stanley Hotel, which inspired

the Overlook Hotel in Stephen

King’s The Shining (the ghost

tours here are predictably

very popular). Within the

national park proper there

are 150 lakes, as well as more

than 60 mountains over

12,000ft, including Longs

Peak, one of Colorado’s 14-ers

(mountains over 14,000ft).

Stay The Stanley is

surprisingly luxurious these

days, with corridors that are

almost entirely free of boys on

trikes (room-only doubles

from £238; stanleyhotel.com).

nps.gov/romo

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Will Smith, left, bungeed in the Grand

Canyon; Desert Pearl Inn, in Zion

National Park, above; oysters and

wine at Under Canvas Acadia, right

The 7.5-mile hike around its

banks is a must. For something

a little more white-knuckle,

Snake River with its

whitewater rapids makes for

fantastic rafting, while those

with even loftier aspirations

will be looking to the mighty

Grand Teton, a jagged,

13,770ft snow-covered peak

that is possible to scale in a

day, but only by experienced

climbers or those with a

qualified guide.

Stay Jackson Lake Lodge

is a 385-room eco-hotel that

serves as the park’s activity

hub and has its own large

outdoor heated swimming

pool (room-only doubles

from £294; nationalpark

reservations.com).

nps.gov/grte

“Mighty Five” national parks,

Zion is famed for its red peaks

and deep, twisting slot

canyons as well as for being a

great day-trip option from Las

Vegas. Highlights include the

vertigo-inducing 5.4-mile

round-trip up to Angels

Landing, a viewpoint

overlooking the park from

1,400ft that you reach via a

series of heart-in-mouth

switchbacks and by grasping

chains during your final climb.

Zion’s other world-famous

hike, the Narrows, is even

more dramatic: a renowned

back country route involving

a 16-mile trek through skinny

slot canyons along the Virgin

River. You should be prepared

to get wet on this one: at least

half of the 12-hour hike is

in the river and at certain

times of the year you’ll be

swimming rather than

walking. Most people split

the Narrows into two days,

reserving an overnight

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camping spot i

Stay Desert Pe

boutique hote

Zion’s fiery clif

large saltwater

only doubles f

desertpearl.co

nps.gov/zion

ROCKY MOUN

NAT IONAL PA

COLORADO

GRAND CANYON

NATIONAL PARK

ARIZONA

Best for An unforgettable trip

to one of the seven natural

wonders of the world

Annual visitors 2.9 million

“Grand” doesn’t even begin to

do justice to this canyon. You

have to see the immensity of

this epic work of nature with

your own eyes to truly

appreciate its vastness. For

first-time visitors, Grand

Canyon Village is the most

popular entryway into the

park and is also home to

Yavapai Point, one of the

best places to view

the canyon in

anything

approaching its

full glory (aside

from the ever-

popular

helicopter

tours). From

here there is

a wealth of

attractions to try, from

riding the 120-year-old

Grand Canyon Railway to

bungee jumping into the

void (Will Smith took the

plunge for his 50th birthday).

Hiking into the canyon is not

to be undertaken lightly, but

is an unforgettable experience

when properly planned (our

tip: take the Bright Angel Trail

and pack lots of water).

Stay Sheridan House Inn

is a cosy, hot-tub-dotted

guesthouse surrounded by

pine forests, within easy reach

of the Grand Canyon (room-

only doubles from £184;

sheridanhouseinn.com).

nps.gov/grca

CUYAHOGA VALLEY

NATIONAL PARK

OHIO

Best for Chasing waterfalls

on horseback

Annual visitors 2.8 million

Plenty of travellers (including

plenty of Americans) still

haven’t heard of the Cuyahoga

Valley National Park in Ohio,

but its popularity has been

soaring since it was granted

official status in 2000. This

was mainly due to the efforts

of the National Park Service,

particularly in restoring the

Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath

Trail at its heart. The Scenic

Railroad bisecting the park has

also been key to its rise, with

quirky themed trips including

murder mystery rides and the

raucously popular Ales on

Rails tour. Yet the biggest stars

here remain the waterfalls: the

thundering 60ft Brandywine

Falls as well as Bridal Veil Falls,

Blue Hen Falls and the like. If

saddling up to chase cascading

torrents and babbling creeks

through sumptuous woodland

on horseback sounds like

your thing, Cuyahoga

Valley is the place

for you.

Stay Shady

Oaks Farm is

a supremely

relaxing,

elegant B&B

with horses

grazing in the

back pasture, less

than two miles from

Brandywine Falls (B&B

doubles from £112;

shadyoaksfarmbnb.com).

nps.gov/cuva

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

MAINE

Best for Spectacular sunrises

and stirring seascapes

Annual visitors 2.7 million

The “crown jewel of the North

Atlantic coast”, ocean-facing

Acadia is, somewhat

surprisingly, New England’s

only national park. Miles and

miles of craggy, windswept

coastline make for fantastic

hiking and biking as well as

whale-spotting between May

and October. The park’s most

famous date is New Year’s Day,

when early risers gather atop

Cadillac Mountain, the highest

point on the US’s eastern

seaboard, to see the first rays

of sunlight of the year.

Stay Under Canvas Acadia

offers glamping in a luxury

colony of coastal tents with

king-size beds, en suite baths

and locally sourced dishes

(room-only doubles from

£274; undercanvas.com).

nps.gov/acad

Miles of craggy,

windswept

coastline make

for fantastic

hiking

500PX ASIA, MATTEO COLOMBO, ROGERT RENTHAM, TERESA KOPEC, VCG/GETTY IMAGES; BAILEY MADE