From rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to marveling at the northern lights in Alaska, America's national parks are filled with awe-inspiring, wondrous experiences for curious travelers. Find yours in Adventures of a Lifetime.

Travelers come from far and wide to explore America's national parks. Known for their natural beauty, outdoor adventures, wildlife watching, and cultural attractions, these national parks are the crown jewels of America. Adventures of a Lifetime selects the top experiences from all 63 national parks, and is a must-read whether you're an armchair traveler marveling at the wonders of the parks, or a visitor planning your bucket-list trip. From rafting the Rio Grande at Big Bend, to looking out at Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone, to driving Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, to wildlife-watching for elk and bighorn sheep at Rocky Mountain National Park, this book sparks inspiration and adventures to last a lifetime.

Gorgeously illustrated with full-color photos throughout, Adventures of a Lifetime is essential for any national parks-lover.

About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell—and they can't wait to share their favorite places with you.

For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.

Becky Lomax grew up hiking, camping, and skiing in Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Mt. Rainier National Park (where her dad used to serve as a ranger).

During college, she worked summers in Glacier National Park. After teaching high school English for many years outside Seattle, she and her husband moved to Montana, where she served as a hiking and backpacking guide in Glacier, worked at a ski resort, and began to write about the outdoors. She relishes visiting national parks to hike, bike, backpack, kayak, and raft.

Through her writing, she advocates for conserving wild places for their unique attributes and the renewal they bring to humans. She has written about hiking trails, historic lodges and roads, camping, paddling, skiing, bicycling, wildlife, wildflowers, birds, and climate change. For magazine stories, she has tagged along with biologists into the field to radio collar bighorn sheep and grizzly bears, even touching the bear's claws and smelling its fur to discover its earthy scent.

Becky is the author of the bestselling Moon USA National Parks, and has published stories in several national travel magazines including Smithsonian and Backpacker. She has also authored Moon Glacier National Park and Moon U.S. & Canadian Rockies Road Trip.

H1: Introduction

H1: History of the National Parks
            H3: Indigenous Peoples
            H3: The First National Park
            H3: The National Park Service
            H3: The Parks Today
H1: Alaska
            H2: Denali
                        H3: Seeing Denali reflected in Wonder Lake
CALLOUT: Animals of Denali (moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzly bears)
BURST: Sled Dogs
                        H3: Hiking the Eielson Alpine Trail
BURST: Denali Park Road
H3: Flying over Denali
H3: Marveling at the Northern Lights

H2: Kenai Fjords
                        H3: Photographing the blue ice and crevasses of Exit Glacier
                        H3: Sailing through the fjords
BURST: Ice Climbing
                        H3: Flying over the Harding Icefield

            H2: Lake Clark
                        H3: Bear-viewing via floatplane
                        H3: Kayaking Lake Clark
BURST: Kijik National Historic Landmark

            H2: Katmai
                        H3: Watching brown bears at Brooks Falls
            BURST: The Fat Bear Contest
                        H3: Touring the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
                        H3: Salmon fishing

            H2: Wrangell-St. Elias
                        H3: Scenic driving on McCarthy Road
                        H3: Stepping out onto the ice of Root Glacier
            BURST: Kennecott Mining Town
                        H3: Kayaking to Kennicott Glacier

            H2: Glacier Bay
                        H3: Cruising Glacier Bay
CALLOUT: Glaciers of Glacier Bay
                        H3: Sea kayaking on Glacier Bay
                        H3: Humpback whale-watching
BURST: Healing Totem Pole

            H2: Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley
                        H3: Riding a bush plane into the remote wilderness
                        H3: Backpacking into the Arrigetch Peaks
BURST: Six Wild and Scenic Rivers

H1: California
            H2: Yosemite
                        H3: Watching the sunset at Tunnel View
BURST: El Capitan
                        H3: Overlooking the Valley from Glacier Point
BURST: Sequoia Groves
                        H3: Hiking Mist Trail to Vernal Fall
CALLOUT: Best Waterfalls
                        H3: Scenic driving Tioga Road
            BURST: Tenaya Lake
                        H3: Scaling Half Dome
BURST: Clouds Rest

            H2: Sequoia and Kings Canyon
                        H3: Gazing up at the world’s largest trees
BURST: Giant Forest Museum
                        H3: Going underground at Crystal Cave
                        H3: Climbing up Moro Rock
BURST: The Congress Trail
                        H3: Driving the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway
BURST: Tunnel Log
                        H3: Looping around Zumwalt Meadow
CALLOUT: Mount Whitney

            H2: Death Valley
                        H3: Walking onto the salt flats at Badwater Basin
BURST: Pupfish
                        H3: Sandboarding at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
CALLOUT: Stargazing
                        H3: Overlooking the badlands from Zabriskie Point
BURST: Darwin Falls
BURST: Charcoal Kilns
                        H3: Hiking or biking Artists Drive
                        H3: Climbing Eureka Dunes

            H2: Joshua Tree
                        H3: Driving along Park Boulevard
H3: Rock climbing in Hidden Valley
BURST: Wonderland of Rocks
                        H3: Hiking to a palm oasis
BURST: Cottonwood Spring
                        H3: Encountering ruins from the mining age at Queen Valley
CALLOUT: Ranches
                        H3: Desert camping in the spring
BURST: The Cholla Cactus

            H2: Lassen Volcanic
                        H3: Driving or biking the Volcanic Scenic Highway
                        H3: Hiking up Lassen Peak
BURST: Manzanita Lake
                        H3: Walking through Bumpass Hell
                        H3: Scaling the Cinder Cone
            BURST: Chaos Crags and Jumbles

            H2: Redwood National and State Parks
                        H3: Wending through the movie-famous Fern Canyon
BURST: Gold Bluffs Beach
                        H3: Looping through redwoods and rhododendrons in Lady Bird Johnson Grove
                        H3: Marveling at towering coast redwoods in Grove of the Titans
CALLOUT: Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway
                        H3: Strolling through ancient trees at Stout Grove
BURST: Roosevelt Elk

            H2: Pinnacles
                        H3: Seeing condors up close from High Peaks Trail
BURST: California Condors, North America’s largest birds
                        H3: Scrambling up Bear Gulch Cave
                        H3: Crawling through Balconies Cave

            H2: Channel Islands
                        H3: Hiking to Inspiration Point
            BURST: Anacapa Island
                        H3: Camping and snorkeling Santa Cruz Island
                        H3: Kayaking into sea caves

H1: Pacific Northwest
            H2: Crater Lake
                        H3: Circling Crater Lake on Rim Drive by bike or car
            BURST: Crater Lake
                        H3: Hiking up to the summit of Wizard Island
            BURST: Wizard Island
                        H3: Looking out over the lake at Watchman Peak
CALLOUT: Crater Lake Lodge

            H2: Olympic
                        H3: Stepping into the Hall of Mosses
            BURST: Queets Rain Forest
                        H3: Walking through meadows of wildflowers at Hurricane Ridge
            CALLOUT: Best Beaches and Lakes
                        H3: Watching the crashing surf at Ruby Beach
                        H3: Kayaking on Lake Crescent
BURST: Salmon spawning in Sol Duc River
                        H3: Walking through the Hole-in-the-Wall at Rialto Beach
            BURST: Mount Olympus

            H2: Mount Rainier
                        H3: Viewing Mount Rainier—and its glaciers—from Sunrise [at sunset, too]
                        H3: Scenic driving Stevens Canyon Road
            BURST: Sunrise Park Road
                        H3: Hiking the Skyline Trail Loop
            BURST: Tipsoo Lake
                        H3: Circling the entire mountain on the Wonderland Trail
            BURST: Ohanapecosh River
H3: Climbing Mount Rainier
CALLOUT: Longmire

            H2: North Cascades
                        H3: Getting out onto Diablo Lake
                        H3: Scenic driving along North Cascades Highway
            BURST: Overnighting at Stehekin
                        H3: Climbing up to Cascade Pass

H1: Southwest
            H2: Grand Canyon
                        H3: Gazing into the canyon from Mather Point
BURST: Hermit Road
                        H3: Hiking from rim to rim
            BURST: Hiking motto
                        H3: Rafting through the canyon
CALLOUT: Indigenous Culture at Desert View
                        H3: Spending the night at Phantom Ranch
BURST: Hopi House
                        H3: Driving through dramatic views on Cape Royal Scenic Drive
            BURST: Mule Rides

            H2: Petrified Forest
                        H3: Seeing the colors of the Painted Desert
BURST: Petrified Wood
                        H3: Looping through the badlands of Blue Mesa
            BURST: Puerco Pueblo Ruin
                        H3: Walking through Crystal Forest
CALLOUT: Painted Desert Inn

            H2: Saguaro
                        H3: Cycling the Cactus Forest Loop
                        H3: Seeing ancient rock art along Signal Hill Petroglyphs Trail
BURST: Saguaro East and Saguaro West
                        H3: Hiking up Wasson Peak
BURST: The Saguaro Cactus

            H2: Great Basin
                        H3: Going underground in Lehman Caves
                        H3: Admiring the oldest species on the planet along Bristlecone Pine Trail
                        H3: Hiking up to Wheeler Peak
            BURST: Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive

            H2: Zion
                        H3: Winding along the canyon floor on Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
            BURST: Zion Human History Museum
                        H3: River-hiking the Narrows
                        H3: Twisting through Zion-Mount Carmel Highway
            BURST: Kolob Canyons
                        H3: Pulling yourself up to the 360-degree views of Angels Landing
            BURST: Canyoneering
BURST: Rock Climbing
                        H3: Hiking to the pools and hanging gardens of Emerald Pools
            CALLOUT: Rock formations (Court of the Patriarchs, Weeping Rock, Temple of Sinawava)

            H2: Bryce Canyon
                        H3: Marveling at the Bryce Amphitheater from the Rim
            BURST: Inspiration Point
                        H3: Dropping into the Amphitheater on Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden Trail
CALLOUTS: The Hoodoos
                        H3: Gazing at stars, planets, and nebulae
            BURST: Natural Bridge
                        H3: Hiking among the hoodoos on Fairyland Loop Trail
                        H3: Backpacking along Under-the-Rim Trail
            BURST: Horseback riding

            H2: Capitol Reef
                        H3: Watching the sunset at Sunset Point
                        H3: Admiring petroglyphs from the past
BURST: Notom-Bullfrog Road
CALLOUT: Waterpocket Fold
                        H3: Four-wheeling through Cathedral Valley
                        H3: Hiking Grand Wash Trail to Cassidy Arch

            H2: Arches
                        H3: Admiring Delicate Arch at sunset
                        H3: Wondering at the physics of Balanced Rock
            BURST: Moab Fault
                        H3: Skywatching at Panorama Point
CALLOUT: How Arches Form
                        H3: Hiking below the Windows
            BURST: Park Avenue
                        H3: Wriggling through the Fiery Furnace

            H2: Canyonlands
                        H3: Visiting Grand View Point in Islands in the Sky
CALLOUT: Canyonlands’ Districts
                        H3: Hiking through fantastic geologic formations to Chesler Park and The Joint
            BURST: The Needles
                        H3: Catching the view through Mesa Arch
                        H3: Admiring pictographs in Horseshoe Canyon
            BURST: White Rim Road

            H2: Mesa Verde
                        H3: Climbing up ladders to tour Cliff Palace
                        H3: Walking through Ancestral Puebloan villages at Far View
CALLOUT: Ancestral Puebloan History and Culture [mention Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center and Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum]
                        H3: Scenic driving Mesa Top Loop Road
BURST: What Is a Mesa?
                        H3: Getting a close-up view of ancient rock art at Petroglyph Point

            H2: Great Sand Dunes
                        H3: Sandboarding on the dunes
                        H3: Climbing High Dune
BURST: Sand Dune Formation
                        H3: Floating in Medano Creek
                        H3: Navigating up to the top of Star Dune

            H2: White Sands
                        H3: Playing in the white gypsum sand
BURST: Gypsum
                        H3: Seeing moonlight glinting off gypsum crystals
                        H3: Hiking up and down the shifting Alkali Flats Trail
            BURST: Sunset Stroll

            H2: Carlsbad Caverns
                        H3: Zooming down into the Big Room
BURST: King’s Palace
                        H3: Descending into the Natural Entrance
            BURST: Lower Cave
                        H3: Watching bats flying out of the caverns at twilight

            H2: Guadalupe Mountains
                        H3: Seeing El Capitan up-close from El Capitan Trail
BURST: Visit with Carlsbad Caverns
                        H3: Reaching the summit of Guadalupe Peak
                        H3: Hiking Devil’s Hall

            H2: Big Bend
            BURST: Fossil Discovery Exhibit
                        H3: Exploring Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive [mention Santa Elena Canyon Trail]
                        H3: Rafting the Rio Grande
                        H3: Birding in the Chisos Mountains
            BURST: Balanced Rock
                        H3: Seeing the big views along Lost Mine Trail

H1: Rocky Mountains
            H2: Rocky Mountain
                        H3: Wildlife-watching for elk and bighorn sheep
CALLOUT: Lakes of Rocky Mountain National Park
BURST: Fishing
                        H3: Driving Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in the United States
                        H3: Taking the Keyhole Route to Longs Peak
            BURST: Moraine Park
                        H3: Seeing the alluvial fan from Alluvial Fan Trail
                        H3: Hiking to Lumpy Ridge and Gem Lake
BURST: Rock climbing Lumpy Ridge

            H2: Black Canyon of the Gunnison
                        H3: Catching sunrise on the North Rim
                        H3: Seeing the sheer cliffs along South Rim Road
            BURST: Curecanti National Recreation Area
                        H3: Scrambling into the Inner Canyon

            H2: Yellowstone
                        H3: Watching Old Faithful shoot up from the ground
                        H3: Spotting wildlife in the Lamar and Hayden Valleys
BURST: Yellowstone Lake
                        H3: Feeling the thundering falls at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
            BURST: Lone Star Geyser
                        H3: Looking out over Grand Prismatic Spring
            BURST: Point Sublime
                        H3: Walking along the travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs
            BURST: Visiting in winter
CALLOUT: Hot Springs

            H2: Grand Teton
                        H3: Scenic driving Teton Park Road
                        H3: Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail
BURST: Climbing Grand Teton
CALLOUT: Wildlife Watching
                        H3: Boating on Jenny Lake
            BURST: Mormon Row
                        H3: Biking from Moose to Jenny Lake
            BURST: Jackson Lake Lodge
                        H3: Hiking to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point
            BURST: Rafting the Snake River

            H2: Glacier
                        H3: Biking—without cars—up to Logan Pass
            BURST: Going-to-the-Sun Road
                        H3: Taking in the beauty of Avalanche Lake
            BURST: Trail of the Cedars
                        H3: Getting up close to Grinnell Glacier
CALLOUT: Glaciers of Glacier National Park
                        H3: Hiking Highline Trail to Granite Park Chalet
BURST: Waterton Lakes National Park
                        H3: Paddling Lake McDonald
            BURST: Blackfeet Culture

            H2: Badlands
                        H3: Scenic driving through Badlands Loop Road
                        H3: Climbing up the Notch Trail
            BURST: Fossil Exhibit
                        H3: Peering through a door and a window in the Badlands Wall
BURST: Roberts Prairie Dog Town

            H2: Wind Cave
                        H3: Inspecting cave formations
CALLOUT: Formations [describing the formation of popcorn, boxwork, etc.]
                        H3: Exploring all the levels of Wind Cave
BURST: Tour by Candlelight
                        H3: Hiking the Centennial and Lookout Point Trails

            H2: Theodore Roosevelt
                        H3: Winding through the South Unit Scenic Drive
                        H3: Watching wild horses
            BURST: Elkhorn Ranch
                        H3: Seeing the colors of Painted Canyon
                        H3: Hiking Petrified Forest Loop
BURST: Cannonball Concretions

H1: Great Lakes and Northeast
            H2: Acadia
            H3: Catching a sunrise from the Cadillac Mountain summit
H3: Cycling Mount Desert Island’s carriage roads
CALLOUT: Hike Through Fall Foliage
H3: Driving Park Loop Road
            BURST: Fishing heritage
            BURST: Schoodic Peninsula
                        H3: Taking a photo of Bass Head Lighthouse
H3: Overnighting on the remote Isle au Haut
            BURST: Swimming Echo Lake Beach or paddling Long Pond

            H2: Cuyahoga Valley
                        H3: Hiking Ledges Loop
BURST: Brandywine Falls
            H3: Exploring the Cuyahoga River by Land, Water, and Rail
BURST: Wildlife at Beaver Marsh and along Towpath Trail
CALLOUT: Cuyahoga’s Historic Landscape
            H3: Soaking in Summer Sounds at Blossom Music Center


            H2: Indiana Dunes
                        H3: Hiking the Dune Succession Trail
            BURST: How dunes form
H3: Birdwatching during the spring/fall migration
H3: Swimming and Sunbathing
BURST: Watching the sunset over Lake Michigan
            CALLOUT: Dunes through the Seasons

            H2: Isle Royale
H3: Paddling the island waters
            BURST: Wildlife watching
                        H3: Camping in the backcountry

            H2: Voyageurs
H3: Cruising the Lakes by Boat
BURST: Catching a meteor shower or the northern lights
H3: Exploring Voyageurs’s lakes by canoe or kayak
                        H3: Finding Rest in Remote Places (Kettle Falls Hotel, houseboat, camping)


H1: The South
            H2: Great Smoky Mountains
            H3: Driving Newfound Gap Road
BURST: Greenbrier Cove
H3: Looking over the mountains from Kuwohi
            BURST: Cataloochee Valley
H3: Catching a synchronous firefly show at Elkmont
            CALLOUT: Appalachian Trail
H3: Cycling Cades Cove Loop Road
            BURST: Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
H3: Hiking to Andrews Bald
            BURST: Ramsey Cascades

            H2: Shenandoah
            H3: Winding through the park along Skyline Drive
            CALLOUT: Highlights of Skyline Drive
BURST: Rapidan Camp
H3: Hiking Old Rag Mountain
BURST: Bearfence Mountain Trail
H3: Exploring Whiteoak Canyon-Cedar Run Loop
H3: Climbing Hawksbill Mountain
            BURST: Blue Ridge Mountains
H3: Descending to Dark Hollow Falls

            H2: Mammoth Cave
                        H3: Exploring Frozen Niagara Falls
            CALLOUT: Cave Tours
                        H3: Spelunking through crawl spaces in Mammoth’s smaller caves
            BURST: Domes and Dripstones
                        H3: Hiking the Sinkhole-Echo River Springs-River Styx Trails
            BURST: Green and Nolin Rivers Blueway

            H2: New River Gorge
                        H3: Floating the New River
            BURST: Nuttallburg
                        H3: Seeing Sandstone Falls up close
            CALLOUT: African American Heritage Tour
                        H3: Hiking Endless Wall Trail
                        H3: Cat-walking the New River Gorge Bridge
            BURST: Fayette Station Road

            H2: Gateway Arch
                        H3: Taking the tram to the top of Gateway Arch
                        H3: Seeing the arch from a riverboat cruise of the Mississippi River
            BURST: The Old Courthouse
                        H3: Touring the underground museum

            H2: Hot Springs
                        H3: Soaking in mineral-rich waters at Buckstaff Bathhouse
                        H3: Exploring Bathhouse Row and the Grand Promenade
            BURST: Hot Springs Mountain
                        H3: Enjoying a beer at the only brewery inside a national park

            H2: Congaree
                        H3: Watching the synchronous firefly light show
                        H3: Paddling Cedar Creek Canoe Trail
            BURST: Congaree River Blue Trail
                        H3: Strolling the Boardwalk Loop

            H2: Everglades
                        H3: Canoeing or kayaking the glades
            BURST: Anhinga Trail
                        H3: Biking Shark Valley
            BURST: Mahogany Hammock (largest mahogany tree in the US)
                        H3: Watching wildlife in freshwater ponds and rivers
            CALLOUT: Everglades wildlife (American alligator, American crocodile, manatees, flamingo and other waterbirds)

            H2: Biscayne
                        H3: Snorkeling or scuba diving to shipwrecks along the Maritage Heritage Trail
            BURST: Elliott Key
                        H3: Paddling the mangroves along Biscayne Bay
            BURST: Adams Key
                        H3: Exploring Boca Chita Key

            H2: Dry Tortugas
                        H3: Snorkeling coral reefs
                        H3: Exploring the Moat Wall surrounding Fort Jefferson
            BURST: Touring Fort Jefferson
                        H3: Birdwatching at Garden Key and Bush Key

H1: Islands
            H2: Haleakalā
                        H3: Watching the sunrise from Haleakalā crater
            BURST: Sunset at the Haleakalā summit
                        H3: Driving up the volcano along Healakalā Road
                        H3: Hiking Sliding Sands Switchback Loop
            BURST: Pipiwai Trail
                        H3: Exploring the Pools of ‘Ohe‘o

            H2: Hawai‘i Volcanoes
                        H3: Seeing Kīlauea Caldera from Crater Rim Drive or Crater Rim Trail
CALLOUT: Halema‘uma‘u Crater
                        H3: Summiting Mauna Loa
            BURST: Nāhuku Lava Tube
                        H3: Exploring Chain of Craters Road
BURST: Kīlauea Overlook
                        H3: Hiking Kīlauea Iki Trail
BURST: Steam Vents and Steaming Bluff
                        H3: Seeing ancient petroglyphs along Pu‘u Loa Petroglyphs Trail

            H2: Virgin Islands
                        H3: Hiking Reef Bay Trail
                        H3: Snorkeling Waterlemon Cay
            BURST: Annaberg Ruins
                        H3: Exploring Cinnamon Bay

            H2: American Samoa
                        H3: Seeing the iconic Vai‘ava Strait
H3: Reaching the summit of the park’s tallest peak from Mount ‘Alava Adventure Trail
            BURST: Ta‘ū and Ofu

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Adventures of a Lifetime Extraordinary Experiences in USA National Parks

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Rewards Program