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Yellowstone National Park is the world’s oldest and best-known national park. Yellowstone is renowned for its wildlife and geothermal wonders and it is probably most famous for being the home of Old Faithful and hundreds of other geysers and other geologic features.

The geysers in Yellowstone are actually hot springs with extremely high temperatures which result in eruptions of extremely hot steam on a periodic basis through a vent on the surface of the earth. Geysers are found in areas of recent volcanic activity. Water seeps downward under the surface of the earth till it reaches an area of high temperatures, and then it erupts due to activity or young solidification of hot magma.

Yellowstone is also the home of many other features such as free-flowing rivers, hundreds of waterfalls, free- roaming elk and bison herds, wolves, bears, and other wildlife.

Yellowstone National Park is a major vacation destination throughout much of the year. The most popular time to visit Yellowstone is during the summer, when temperatures are the warmest.

However Yellowstone National Park is also finalizing winter use plans for the 2008/2009 winter seasons.  This plan should allow for ample snow coach numbers inside the park, as well as the ever popular snowmobiling packages for which Yellowstone is renowned during the winter months.

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most popular destinations in the world for avid snowmobilers to enjoy a thrilling winter adventure. However, in recent years, the future of snowmobiling in the park has been called into question due to the added pollution and potential danger to the natural beauty of the area.

Summer in Yellowstone is nothing short of spectacular. Outdoor activities allow you to enjoy the park from a variety of venues. Yellowstone’s rivers, geysers and lakes are at their most beautiful during the late spring and early summer.

Yosemite weather can be variable and sporadic during much of the year.

Spring can be quite variable and unpredictable.  You should be prepared for anything if you plan to visit Yosemite between April and early July as you could easily wake up to frigid mornings, be shedding your clothes down to shorts and a tank top by mid afternoon, and requiring a heavy coat again by late evening.  However if you are a waterfall aficionado, then June and July are the ideal months for you to visit the park. Spring, with its heavy runoff of snow melt, offers the most spectacular waterfall show inside the park.

Summer offers the warmest weather but is also the busiest tourist season. Summers are very warm and at times quite hot with occasional rain or thunderstorms (especially in the higher elevations.)  Summers can book up very early as the park can get quite busy during this time of the year, so it is recommended that you make your lodging and or camping plans well in advance if you plan to visit during the peak season.

Fall is variable with conditions that can run from warm to cold, wet to dry to snowy. Most of Yosemite National Park stays open through November, but short-term closures can occur due to snow.

Winter is a spectacular time of year in Yosemite National Park. Pristine snow falls blanket the mountains trees and valley floors creating a winter wonderland for everyone to enjoy. Winter temperatures can range from the high 40s to the mid-20s, with some occasional extremes where days will be in the mid-60s and perhaps a few that go as low as 5 to 10 degrees above zero.

For more details about Yosemite National Park, and the activity and lodging options available to you there, visit http://www.NationalParkReservations.com/yosemite.htm

Yellowstone National Park

Have you considered taking a vacation to one of America’s oldest and most popular national parks this year?  Yellowstone National Park is America’s first nationally recognized national park, and it is still today one of Americas favorite vacation destinations, and for good reason.

A vacation to Yellowstone National Park is an experience that can be enjoyed by everyone, whether you are planning a romantic vacation with your spouse, a get together with your old college buddies, or a fun-filled getaway for the entire family, Yellowstone National Park has something exciting waiting for you.

As varied and multi-faceted as the in-park activities, are the range of lodging options surrounding Yellowstone National Park.

When you are arranging your lodging in Yellowstone National Park, it is important that you carefully consider your needs and desires prior to actually booking any lodging accommodations.  Your choice of lodging could vary greatly based on your circumstances.

For example if you are traveling with children you would probably be happier with one of the larger hotel accommodations in or near West Yellowstone.  Options such as Yellowstone Lodge, Grey Wolf Inn, or the Holiday Inn Sunspree in West Yellowstone provide amenities such as indoor pool, Internet access, Cable/Satellite TV, and are pet friendly.

If a romantic rendezvous with your special sweetheart is more what you are searching for, you cannot go wrong with accommodations at Rainbow Ranch just north of Yellowstone park, or perhaps the secluded luxury of one of the Romantic King Suites at Hibernation Station.

For group travelers, reunions and/or multi-party vacations, you might want to consider going in together on a Yellowstone vacation home or a vacation cabin at Pines Island.

There are lost of varieties for accommodations around Yellowstone National Park, with options available near every entrance.  To learn more about all of the options available to you , and exactly what each hotel or lodge has to offer, please visit the Yellowstone lodging page at http://www.NationalParkReservations.co,/yellowstone.htm or call one of their friendly agents at 1-866-875-8456

Have you ever been able to count the number of feathers on a Bald Eagle’s head through the lens of your camera? Have you ever been completely immersed in the splendor of a meadow full of various wildflowers and felt the freshly pure mountain breeze on your face? What would it be like to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life? Want to find out? Come and join us when you take a vacation in Yellowstone National Park.

Although the history of Yellowstone National Park starts with the early Native American tribes in the early 18th century, the region became known to society through reports dating back to 1806 from mountain men and trappers who dared to venture into the unknown. Many of their stories were disregarded as nonsense and gibberish tales of old men. The first detailed expedition to Yellowstone was reported in 1869 by the Folsom Expedition, where many of the “myths” were proved to be true.  Yellowstone National Park was officially created in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant when he signed the legislation that finally made Yellowstone the first national park in the world. Take a vacation in Yellowstone National Park and see the wonder and history for yourself!

Yellowstone National Park has shaped the American Public’s definition of nature for more than a century. It is home to magnificent geysers, colorful hot springs, dazzling water falls, and over one thousand different types of plants and animals, both endangered and common. A vacation in Yellowstone National Park will amaze even the youngest of the family members when you immerse yourself in the rich beauty and unexplainable wilderness of Yellowstone National Park.

Take your family on an enticing journey into agrarian beauty when you take a vacation in Yellowstone National Park. Call 1.866.875.8456 now and talk to one of our friendly reservation agents and we will be more than happy to help you find the perfect accommodations for your vacation in Yellowstone National Park. Fill your senses with the astounding elegance and splendor of the blue colored mountains and lush green meadows of Yellowstone National Park.

vacation in Mesa Verde National Park

Have you ever dared to wonder what lies hidden in the hills of Mesa Verde National Park in Utah? What lurks in the ancient cliff dwellings of the mysterious Anasazi? Where did these simple people go after they left these protected dwellings? Take a vacation in Mesa Verde National Park and find the answers out for yourself!
Deemed as a national park in 1906, the Mesa Verde National Park has over 52,000 acres of protected land and features more than 4,000 known archaeological sites. Included in these sites are more than 600 cliff dwelling sites for our discovery. Mesa Verde is the only national park entirely devoted to the protection of the works of humans.

Step back into history and visualize mesa-top pueblos, pit houses, and subterranean  kivas jutting from the cliffs for the excited viewer. Dating all the way back to 500 AD, the Puebloans (or Anasazi) built magnificent communities on these cliffs as they developed from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to the calmer, largely agrarian lifestyle. These mesa-top pueblo villages were built under the protection of the cliffs for the safety of the families. However, for reasons still unknown, around the year 1300 AD the residents left their homes, leaving their story behind for us to bring to the light once again.

A vacation in Mesa Verde National Park means numerous adventures into the life of the Anasazi. Discover the wonder for yourself of the intricate Cliff Palace where the towers, walls, and underground kivas spark your curiosity. Wander over to the Balcony House, which is only accessible by a 32 foot ladder, and inspect the inner dwellings. Let your imagination carry you away as you explore the magnificent Long House, Step House, and the Spruce Tree House.

Your vacation in Mesa Verde National Park will be a treasure you will never want to forget. Stay a couple nights at our fabulous hotels and relax while you play! Make sure you make your lodging reservations early to beat the rush of people! Call one of our reservation agents at 1-866-875-8456 today and we will be more than happy to assist you with your lodging needs.

Death Valley National Park is a region of singularity, with a distinctive landscape and unique character all it’s own.

Offering a stark contrast to many of Americas other national parks, Death Valley caters to those who are looking for an escape from the ordinary, and a refuge from cold temperatures in other parts of the country.

One thing that Death Valley is known for is it’s warm temperatures. June is the driest month inside the park, and temperatures during the summertime range in the upper 90’s and low 100’s during the day, and often cool into the mid 60’s to mid 70’s during the night time hours.

Due to the extreme temperatures, Death Valley sees most of it’s visitors in the late fall, winter and early spring. During the winter months, Death Valley offers a “safe-haven” from the cold, for many ‘snow-birds’ from across north America.

Winter temperatures are much more pleasant with daily highs in the 50’s and 60’s, and cool nights that can dip into high 20’s and mid 30’s. Light snow showers are not uncommon on the valley floor during the wintertime, although the snow is usually gone by mid morning.

February tends to be the wettest month inside the park, with the majority of that precipitation falling as rain.

Death Valley National Park is a large park, 1 1/2 times the size of Delaware and there is a plethora of sights to see, and fun activities to enjoy.

Mountain biking is a popular activity within Death Valley National Park all year round. Mountain bikers flock to Death Valley in the winter months when other biking hot-spots from around the country are covered in snow.

Hiking is also a popular activity within the park. However one should use caution when hiking inside Death Valley National Park, especially during the summertime when the temperatures can be extreme.

Death Valley National Park comprises more than 3.3 million acres of spectacular desert scenery, rare desert wildlife, complex geology, undisturbed wilderness and sites of historical interest.

There are more than a half-dozen ghost towns in the region that provide a glimpse into Death Valley’s historic past. Panamint City for example is a postcard right out of a western movie. Known as one of the toughest and most rowdy little “hell-holes” that ever passed as a civilized town, Panamint City was actually founded by a couple of outlaws who were hiding out from the law in the Panamint Mountains. While hiding out, these outlaws discovered silver in Surprise Canyon, and traded in their outlaw ways and set down roots in the area by founding the town of Panamint City.

The life-span of Panamint City was short and sweet. The town experienced the height of it’s boom in 1874 when there were approximately 2000 residents in the area. However by the Fall of 1875 the boom was over, and a year later a flashflood swept through the area and destroyed most of the buildings in the town. Today, the ruins of Panamint City can be accessed via a 5 mile hike from Chris Wicht’s Camp, which is located about 6 miles northeast of Ballarat, another popular ghost town in the area.

To learn more about Death Valley lodging, activities and tourist attractions, visit NationalParkReservations.com/deathvalley.htm . There you will find a complete listing of lodging options both inside the park as well as near the parks perimeter. You can also learn more about Death Valley’s many ghost towns and other tourist attractions.

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park has many stories waiting to be told, and a world of beauty that can renew and bring peace to the body and spirit.

Shenandoah National Park is a sanctuary for more than 100 varieties of trees, 200 species of birds, and 1,100 species of flowering plants.  Surrounded by such unbelievable beauty and tranquility it is hard to believe, when you are hiking or driving through Shenandoah National Park, that you are barely an hours drive from the hustle and bustle of our nations capital.

Shenandoah National Park lies in a picturesque setting high above the classic American panorama.  Consisting of 300 square miles stretched out along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah National Park is a precious reminder of the great hardwood forest that once blanketed the northeastern United States. This area is full of trails for biking and hiking or even a nice drive along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Blue Ridge Mountains make up a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Range.  The Blue Ridge Mountains got their name from the hydrocarbons that are released into the atmosphere from the trees that cover the mountainsides.  These hydrocarbons when released into the air produce a distinctive bluish haze in the atmosphere.

The beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains stretch between two of Americas favorite national parks, connecting Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smokey Mountains.  One of America’s most beautiful stretches of highway, the Blue Ridge Parkway also runs through the area between Shenandoah Park and Great Smoky Mountains.

To learn more about Shenandoah National Park and discover what lodging and activity options await you there, visit National Park Reservations online at http://www.NationalParkReservations.com/shenandoah.htm or call one of the friendly and helpful agents at 1-866-875-8456.

If you are interested in other vacation travel destinations across America and around the world, visit the adventure travel blog at TravelingAdventure.net.

A vacation in Glacier National Park is an unforgettable treat for the heart, the mind and the soul.

Often called the ‘crown of the continent,’ Glacier Park is teaming with monolithic rocky mountain peaks that are unlike anything you will see anywhere else in the continental United States.

Glacier National Park is an amazing place to work, play, fish, explore, or just sit back and relax and breathe in nature’s beauty and majesty.

Glacier National Park is home to a decent population of wildlife including grizzly bears, marmots, mountain goats, big horn sheep, wolves, elk, deer, moose and more.  A vacation in Glacier National Park is an opportunity to see some amazing creatures that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

Glacier is located at the northern tip of Montana along the border of Alberta Canada.  In fact the park actually crosses over into Canadian territory, although the Canadian portion of the park is called Waterton. The two parks together make up the Glacier/Waterton International Peace Park, a symbol of peace and friendship between these two nations.

A vacation in Glacier National Park is easy, as there are multiple ways to access the park both by ground and by air.  Glacier is just a short thirty minute drive from Montana’s picturesque Flathead Valley where there are several decent sized resort towns, including Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Bigfork. These towns provide a variety of dining and entertainment venues, as well as additional lodging options, and a major international airport.

If you have not yet considered a vacation in Glacier National Park for you and your family, I would strongly urge you to do your research and find out more information on this beautiful national park.  You can get more Glacier Park vacation information by visiting http://www.NationalParkReservations.com/glacier.htm

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde is a Spanish phrase meaning “green table.”  It is easy to assume that the name was given by the Native American people who once inhabited this area and whose homes can still be found carved into the sandstone walls within the boundaries of Mesa Verde National Park, however that is not the case.  The name actually originated when Spanish explorers happened upon the region in the 1760’s and 1770’s while seeking a rout from Santa Fe to California.

Although these Spanish explorers are credited with naming the area and consequently the national park, they never did discover the ancient stone villages which are carved into the steep sandstone walls.  The remarkable stone villages would remain a secret for another century.

In the late 1800’s ranchers started moving into the area and as these ranchers started to discover the ruins they began to loot the area and destroy many of the structures.

In 1891 a Finnish/Swedish explorer named Gustaf Nordenskiold began to document and photograph the ruins.  He published a book called “The Cliff Dwellers of the Mesa Verde” which is largely responsible for getting the word out about the area, and eventually leading to it’s establishment as a national park.

Mesa Verde National Park was established as a national park on June 29, 1906 amidst growing concerns for the preservation and archeological well-being of the ruins for which the park is so well-known.

In addition to the cliff-dwellings, Mesa Verde boasts a number of mesa-top ruins such as the Far View complex, the Sun Temple, and the Badger House Community.  The park also contains many hiking trails, a campground and facilities for lodging, dining and fueling up your vehicles.

To learn more about Mesa Verde National Park and the Mesa Verde lodging options available, visit: http://www.NationalParkReservations.com/mesaverde.htm

Mesa Verde has long been known for it’s “hotels” or at least for it’s dwelling structures, and that idea rings true even today. Not much has changed inside the boundaries of the park over the last 200 years. Today, just like two centuries ago, you will be hard-pressed to find too many man-made structures inside the park other than the rock-carved ‘sandstone hotels’ for which the park is so well-known.

There is however one modern-style accommodation option that is worth making note of, and that is the impressive Far View Lodge.

The Far View Lodge is one of the only hotels inside Mesa Verde National Park. This impressive lodging facility is set high atop a shoulder overlooking the mesa. It is easy to see where the Far View Lodge got it’s name when you are gazing out over the high-dessert countryside that stretches out over three different states.

You will be happy that you made the choice you did when you opt to spend your vacation at the only hotel inside Mesa Verde National Park - the Far View Lodge. This rare lodging option inside the park provides you with quick and easy access to all the parks features, attractions and guided tours.

The lodge includes a delicious dining option with a wonderful range of casual dining choices and a wide variety of menu items.

There are 150 rooms at Far View Lodge and each of them is equipped with a patio or balcony offering magnificent views of the surrounding mesa and unsurpassed star gazing opportunities.

Each of the hotel rooms at the Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde are free from the distractions of telephones and televisions to keep with the solitude and ambiance of the natural setting.

To learn more about Mesa Verde National Park and Mesa Verde Hotels and accommodations, visit http://www.NationalParkReservations.com/mesaverde.htm