 Utah is home to five of the 63 U.S. national parks, according to the National Park Service. The state also has eight designations as national monuments, recreation areas, historical parks, and historic trails. These areas present magnificent rock formations, alluring landscapes, and breathtaking views. We visited Zion National Park a number of years ago while staying in St. George, and we toured Arches National Park in Moab in 2023 as full-time RVers. This year, while boondocking in the eastern part of the state, we decided to explore CanyonLands National Park and had no idea what we were in for. 3 parks in 1 Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah, but it seems to be much less popular than Arches, Bryce, and Zion, perhaps because it’s not as easily accessible. A 20-plus-mile drive from U.S. Route 191 took us to the Island in the Sky Visitor Center one afternoon in September, with only one vehicle in front of us at the entrance station. Wanting to get a stamp in our National Park Passport Book, we dipped into the visitor center. It paled in offerings compared to the visitor center we had investigated at Yellowstone National Park. Despite that, we watched a documentary there and learned that Canyonlands National Park is divided into three main sections, or districts: Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze. Park officials consider the Colorado and Green rivers, which formed the park, another district, but visitors can get glimpses of them from various vantage points in the other sections. To get to The Needles, so named for its spire rocks, and The Maze, the most remote portion, requires entering from completely different locations. The entrance to The Needles is one hour away from the highway turnoff we took, and getting to The Maze is a five-hour drive in the other direction. Canyon sighting After leaving the Island of the Sky Visitor Center, we crossed the street to get a better view of the incredible Shafer Canyon Overlook. A canyon stretched out in front of us, seemingly all the way to the La Sal Mountains on the horizon.  We carefully watched our steps as we took in the panoramic vistas, not wanting to slip over the edge into the gorge. Seeing a winding dirt road deep in the ravine gave us a healthy respect for the distance between our stance and the bottom. Although Canyonlands doesn’t reach the abysmal depths of the Grand Canyon, it’s at least twice as expansive. In fact, Canyonlands National Park spans nearly 340,000 acres, offering varied scenes of red rocks, deep canyons, and weaving rivers. Awesome overlooks From Shafer Canyon Overlook, we journeyed on, stopping at Buck Canyon Overlook, which left us even more in awe, as it spread as far as we could see into the distance. Light sandstone dotted with short green plants gave way to red rocks and brown chasms set against a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds hanging in midair, giving us great appreciation for God’s amazing artistry.  After taking in the view for a bit, we hopped back into Gulliver and moved on to Orange Cliffs Overlook, the farthest we could go before we had to turn around. Although the scenery there wasn’t quite as far-reaching, it gave us a glimpse of the Green River, but just barely. We headed back the way we came, this time going the other direction when we hit the fork in the road. This gave us an opportunity to explore Green River Overlook, where a couple was getting married against a gorgeous backdrop. We caught sight of the river, but the sun was starting to set, making visibility less than optimum.  On our circuitous way back to the park entrance, we passed a gigantic rock that looked like a whale and visited a small campground, spotting stunning rock structures and sheer cliffs along the way.
Unlike Arches National Park, where most of the scenery is visible from the road, Canyonlands — at least the part we saw — offers mystery and intrigue, with most of the sights hidden below the surface. You might also like Visiting America’s highest suspension bridge.
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 Spanning 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is the second largest national park in the contiguous United States after Death Valley, which covers 3.4 million acres. Like Death Valley, Yellowstone transgresses state boundaries, stretching from Montana to Wyoming to Idaho. Yellowstone is also the oldest national park, having opened in 1872, according to the National Park Service. That likely explains its popularity, which kept us from visiting for many years. Yellowstone attracts more than 4 million guests annually. When we found ourselves in striking distance of the park after Labor Day and peak tourist season, we decided to take advantage of the proximity, urged on by our wonderful hosts Mike and Barbara in Bozeman, Montana. Like us, you may be wondering, “Is Yellowstone worth visiting?” Find out about our experience to decide for yourself. Wildlife Having recently toured Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where bison surrounded us as we crept along Scenic Loop Drive, we weren’t too sure about venturing into Yellowstone. We did see bison there, but from a much greater distance. We were even closer to the animals on a drive through Ted Turner’s ranch in Bozeman. Despite that, the animals were nice to see. And for many people, Yellowstone is their only experience with bison and other wildlife. We also observed some elk partaking of their evening meal in the Madison River, and we spotted a lone elk midday in the middle of a meadow. We appreciated those sightings, as we hadn’t seen elk or deer at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  We saw no other wildlife at Yellowstone except for swans, geese, and birds. That doesn’t mean other mammals aren’t there. They definitely are, as are fish and reptiles. Many guests have spotted bears, wolves, pronghorns, coyotes, and moose there. Vastness That leads to my second point. Covering millions of acres, Yellowstone is enormous. There’s no way to see it all in one day. Even going two days, like we did, you may not get through it all. There’s a lot to take in. By not hitting every area, you may miss some opportunities to view certain wildlife, as we can attest to. The time of day of your visit can make a difference too. Along with that enormity comes something we found quite unique and fascinating. Yellowstone features a great variety of landscapes:
Everywhere we turned offered something different to look at, making the park an amazing place to explore. Geysers Speaking of geysers, they’re the draw for most of Yellowstone’s guests, who’ve heard stories about Old Faithful, which erupts as a natural fountain regularly throughout the day. When we arrived at the geyser’s location, we had to wait an hour to witness the wonder for ourselves, but we didn’t mind. That gave us time to watch a couple of educational videos and peruse the displays and gift shop in the visitor center there.  Despite its renowned allure, Old Faithful is only one of about 500 geysers at Yellowstone, according to the National Park Service. Because the park is a supervolcano, it’s home to other hydrothermal features as well, including hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles — or openings that let sulfurous gases escape. As we drove through the park, plumes of steam caught our eyes and captured our attention, presenting unfamiliar sights. Although we’ve walked through an active volcano crater in Hawaii, the steam escaping it paled in comparison to the scenes we beheld at Yellowstone.  Conclusion After watching Old Faithful and observing bison far in the distance on our first visit to Yellowstone, we left with a meh feeling about recommending the park. Old Faithful was impressive, but our experience with bison at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and on the Alaska Highway made this park feel ho-hum. Since we were camped in the area for a few days, we decided to make another trip to investigate more and give Yellowstone a fair shot. On our second expedition, we navigated the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, worked our way up a mountain pass, and then turned around and drove through meadows and mud volcanoes to see Lake Village and expansive Yellowstone Lake. That drive changed our minds about the park. The diverse topography, incredible views, herds of bison, and more convinced us that Yellowstone is indeed worth visiting — especially for those who will never make it to other sights we’ve seen. Just be sure you allow more than one day to explore the natural beauty.
You might also like Is the Crazy Horse Memorial worth visiting?  Nestled in the badlands of Western North Dakota stands Medora, a town of fewer than 200 that seemingly exists to provide food, lodging, supplies, and entertainment to the nearly 600,000 annual visitors to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. In reality, the old Western-themed city dates back to 1883, when it served as a military installation. That same year, Theodore Roosevelt made his first visit to Medora to hunt bison, according to National Parks Traveler. For many years after that, he hunted and ranched there, reports the Theodore Roosevelt Center. Despite that, the area surrounding Medora didn’t become a national park until 1947, 28 years after Roosevelt died. Today, the expansive, 70,000-plus-acre park dedicated to conservation and preservation in honor of the 26th president of the United States is one of the biggest attractions to North Dakota. While boondocking in the western part of the state, we made a point to visit the park and quickly discovered why Roosevelt fell in love with the area. Here are four amazing things to see at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. 1. Beautiful badlands  The badlands of North Dakota are rock formations that made navigating that part of the state difficult, especially for horses and wagons. Tan, striped, jagged rocks jut up from the ground, creating an attractive, diverse landscape. Similar to the rock formations in South Dakota’s Badlands National Park, the badlands in North Dakota consist of rock and mineral deposits in varied layers so that no two formations are identical. Today, Interstate 94 passes through the park, offering incredible views of these landforms. But the best views can be found on Scenic Loop Drive through the park. 2. Bountiful bison  We’ve seen bison at Badlands National Park that seemingly posed for pictures. We’ve also seen them on the Alaska Highway. But we’ve never been as near to bison as we were at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Arriving at the park at the end of a workday, we happened upon three different herds of the intimidating beasts. Male, female, young, and old bison foraged on either side of the road, crossed in front of us, and even stood in or walked down the middle of the road — giving us a close-up look at their girth, fur, facial structure, and hairy legs.  I probably could have rolled down my window, reached out, and petted a bison if I tried, but I quickly gained a healthy respect for the creatures, and for my security inside Gulliver. While waiting for one of the herds to make room for vehicles to pass by, we watched a man and a woman on a motorcycle slowly move through bison that stood taller than their bike.  3. Wonderful wild horses  Theodore Roosevelt National Park is also home to a number of wild horses. Believed to be descendants of horses from early settlers and ranchers in the area, according to National Park Field Guide, wild horses have been seen in the vicinity since the early 1900s. As we started up Scenic Loop Drive, we spotted some grazing atop a bluff, looking majestic on their perch. Then on our way out of the park, we noticed some cars off to the side of the road and people with cameras to their faces pointed down a ravine. Bob pulled over, and I hopped out just in time to snap some photos of the horses before they ran up and out of the ravine and away from onlookers. 4. Playful prairie dogs  Prairie dogs are fun to watch, despite the damage they do when making holes for their underground villages. While driving through Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we saw a field marked by myriad holes and knew right away it was the work of prairie dogs. Yet we didn’t see any of the playful rodents there.
A little farther down the road, we came across another prairie dog field and caught some of the creatures standing at attention. Bob rolled down his window for a better view. We immediately heard squeaks, chirps, and barks escape the critters’ throats as they communicated with one another. After watching for a while, we moved on. We could have easily spent more time at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, but the sun was setting. We didn’t want to encounter a bison on the road in the dark, so we headed out, grateful we had made the trip. You might also like 4 best-kept secrets of Missoula, Montana.  I’m not sure when we first heard about a life-size Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, Kentucky, but ever since then, I’ve wanted to see it. When planning our 2025 RV travel season, we made visiting the boat of biblical proportions a priority. Answers in Genesis (AIG), the company behind the project, chose to build the floating zoo replica in Kentucky to create jobs and attract tourists to the area. AIG also owns and operates the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, outside of Cincinnati, about an hour north of Ark Encounter. Here’s what our ark experience was like. Answers to common questions As we pulled off the highway, a vast parking lot came into view, with no indication of an enormous vessel on the property — other than a large sign announcing “Ark Encounter.” That made us more intrigued. We stopped at a booth, paid the parking fee, parked Gulliver, and walked to the only building we could see. There, we bought our tickets and boarded a shuttle, which took us down a mile-long, windy road, giving us glimpses of the ark along the way. After disembarking, we entered the Answers Center to hear Dr. Tim Chaffey, the man responsible for building the exhibits at Ark Encounter, address skeptical challenges about Noah and the ark. (The Answers Center provides a schedule of speaking content each day, covering topics such as the building of Ark Encounter, animals after the flood, and animal habitats.) Dr. Chaffey answered common questions, such as:
We gained some new insights but were eager to investigate the ark, so we exited the building and moseyed toward the engineering marvel. We had to pass through a towering rainbow arch to get there.  Orderly refuge As the boat came into view, it didn’t appear all that big against the boundless forested river region of Northern Kentucky. But as we got closer to the 510-foot long, 85-foot wide, and 51-foot high wooden vessel, we gained greater appreciation for its size. Peaceful music played as we wormed our way under the structure to a ramp that led to deck 1. Orderly animal cages stood two levels high in the middle of the interior of the structure, surrounded by clay water jugs secured in wooden crates along the walls. For some reason, perhaps because of Hollywood, I had thought the animals roamed freely in the boat. It suddenly became clear that taking care of about 6,750 total animals for a year required order. Set up like a museum, the displays included plaques that told us important facts about caring for and feeding the animals, as well as what kinds of animals were represented. In all probability, we learned, Noah took young animals that required less food and water and created less waste. A see-through cutaway model depicted the internal design of the ark and how decks and animals were likely organized to provide the most efficient division of labor by Noah and his family. Life on the first cruise ship We went up another ramp to deck 2, where we found bigger animal enclosures taking up more floor space and surrounded by higher wooden walls. Each cage displayed a male and female animal of some kind. We saw the hyena kind, the alligator kind, and the giraffe kind, just to name a few.  We also found exhibits of Noah’s study and workshop, as well as one about disposing of animal waste that was quite interesting. But the big draw on this deck was the tall wooden door through which Noah, his family, and all the animals would have entered. The Bible says in Genesis 7:16, “The Lord shut him in,” indicating that God closed those big, heavy doors.  Deck 3 gave us a glimpse into what the humans’ living quarters might have been like, where they would have rested. We even found a kitchen stocked with food for a year “at sea.” That was another thought that hadn’t occurred to me about life on the ark but would have been essential to survival on a yearlong “cruise.”  This deck also featured exhibits about life after the flood and fascinating details about fossils.
A memorable experience After a three-hour tour of the ark, we took the elevator to the ground floor, which led to a massive gift shop. We wandered around for a while before purchasing a few trinkets. Then we boarded a shuttle to return to Gulliver, eager to sate our hunger. We could have eaten at one of the various options on the premises, including a buffet, but we thought it might be less expensive off campus. If you’re in the area, Ark Encounter is worth a visit. In addition to the ark, the property houses a zoo, a virtual reality experience, a playground, and zip lines. Tickets and parking are a bit costly, but when you see the ark and recognize the vision, work, and cost that went into creating it, it’s easy to understand the reason for the price. We left with a greater appreciation for Noah and his family, life on the ark, and what went into building and designing it. You might also like A Jurassic adventure.  We don’t like to stay at campgrounds. As full-time RVers, we prefer to boondock, living off the grid while relying on our solar panels to power the electricity in our fifth wheel. Our next favorite option is moochdocking, where we camp on the property of friends and family and mooch their electricity and water. (Thank you, friends and family!) Sometimes, however, we have limited choices for where to stay, especially in the hot summer months when we need reliable electricity to operate our two air conditioners. That’s where we found ourselves for a late-June stop in Nashville, so we booked a campground. And staying there paid off. Complimentary event tickets Two days before our scheduled arrival, we received a phone call from the campground offering us free tickets to the iconic Grand Ole Opry on our first night in town. We had heard nothing but good things about the home of country music, so we gladly accepted. While registering at the campground, a friendly worker handed us our tickets and a map with excellent directions to Opry Mills Mall, where we could park for free for the event. We set up our rig and then researched our options for grabbing a bite to eat before the show. After parking at the mall, we navigated on foot to the Bavarian Bierhaus on the property to partake of some amazing German sausages, sauerkraut, and potato pancakes. That may sound like odd food for Nashville, but Music City actually has a pretty significant German contingent, and even an area referred to as Germantown.  Satisfied and running low on time, we hailed a Lyft to whisk us across the parking lot in the sudden cloudburst. As our driver neared the Opry, the downpour eased, and we laid eyes on the building and a throng of people.  Not being big concertgoers, we weren’t sure what to expect. We found the way to our seats and settled in for what turned out to be a night of appreciating incredible talent. Seven musical groups — including Jamie O’Neal, T. Graham Brown, Eric Paslay, and Riders in the Sky — each played three songs. Comedian Brian Bates also took the stage and shared some jokes, making the crowd roar with laughter. This concert was part of the 100th year of the Grand Ole Opry, a show built on tradition. It’s transitioned from a barn dance to Ryman Auditorium to its current 4,400-seat locale in a building bearing its name. Its heritage continues with a six-foot circle of oak from the Ryman stage taking center stage in the Opry House. Downtown shuttle access Located about 12 miles from downtown Nashville, our campground also offered access to shuttle service (for a cash fee) into town. This provided a convenient alternative to fighting traffic to try to find a parking spot large enough to accommodate our big dually truck. At the end of a workday, we boarded a shuttle to the Country Music Hall of Fame. From there, we walked a block to Broadway, aka Honky Tonk Highway. Honky-tonk after honky-tonk blared live music through open floor-to-ceiling windows.  We embarked on a progressive dinner while sampling the sounds of up-and-coming artists hoping to make it big. We noshed on laredo rolls — pulled pork egg rolls over queso sauce — at Broadway Brewhouse and brisket tots at Ole Red. Then we ventured off the beaten path to Printers Alley, a former publishing street, where we meandered to an English pub for a Nashville take on shepherd’s pie — extra cheese and no brown gravy. From there, we wandered down to Cumberland River to work off some food and take in the sights. Then we found ourselves in another honky-tonk, The Valentine, where we devoured mango habanero chicken wings and grooved to some popular live country tunes before boarding a shuttle back to the campground.  Pro tip: If you go to Honky Tonk Highway, take small bills to tip the performers. Location, location, location When booking a stay in the Nashville area, we wanted a campground as close to the city as possible. Two Rivers Campground had a reasonable price and a great location near the Grand Ole Opry, Opry Mills Mall, and the Gaylord Opry Hotel. After returning from downtown, we decided to explore the hotel based on the advice of two friends. To avoid a parking fee, we parked at the mall again and worked our way to the hotel entrance. Voluminous plants created a jungle, complete with waterfalls, in the imposing atrium. I felt like I was at Disneyland. On the other side, we felt like we had been ushered into New Orleans. Southern-style buildings housed eateries and shops. Walking past them led us to a river, where we could even book a boat ride if desired. We’re glad we heeded our friends’ advice to check out the hotel. We’re also grateful we booked a campground in Nashville.
You might also like 4 entertaining things to do in Branson, Missouri.  The highest suspension bridge in the world stands at 1,627 feet, spanning the Sidu River in Hubei, China, according to Guinness World Records. Before it was built in 2009, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Canon City, Colorado, held that title, at 956 feet high. It’s still the highest suspension bridge in North America and the tallest bridge in the United States. Since we camped about a half hour away from Canon City while trekking across Southern Colorado, we had to go see this marvel, held in place by 4,100 steel cables.  Once-in-a-lifetime ride The $35 per-person admission includes access to the bridge, a gondola ride across the gorge, and a children’s playland. Having worked up our courage, we paid the fee and headed straight to the gondola, joining a couple in the first of three cars hanging from a heavy cable.  In no time, our compartment left the loading station, slowly starting its 2,200-foot trajectory across the gorge before picking up speed. As our car dangled, we looked way down to the Arkansas River, noting a train track running adjacent to it and seeing rafters in the water. We snapped panoramic photos of the 1,260-foot bridge, a true wonder indeed, before spotting climbers on the rock face as we neared the other side of the gorge. Treacherous walk to remember After pulling into the gondola station, we unloaded and meandered toward the bridge for our chance to walk across the 1,257 wooden planks spanning its length. Flags from each of the 50 states lined both sides.  A golf cart entered before us, giving us reassurance the bridge could support our weight. It was actually designed to hold more than 2 million pounds at one time. We started our crossing, one foot in front of the other. I made a conscious effort not to look down through the gaps between planks. Bob, on the other hand, eagerly peeked through, encouraging me to do the same. I finally gave in and gaped through a crack, quickly realizing how long it would take for a dropped item to reach the ground. We stopped in the middle of the bridge to admire the views on either side. Posted signs warned us not to attempt fishing from the bridge. (Someone must have tried that at some point to warrant such a sign.) Thrilling adventures As we lingered, brave souls seemingly floating through the air caught our attention. These people paid an additional $52 each for the thrilling 2,350-foot zipline — America’s highest. The park also offers a $41 skycoaster ride, where passengers don flight suits and are harnessed to a tower near the edge of the gorge. They’re lifted off the ground and then swung 1,200 feet out over the gorge, at up to 50 mph.  A conception in time
The idea of a bridge across the Royal Gorge dates back to 1900, when a man named T.C. Johnson envisioned the Brooklyn Bridge there. It wasn’t until 29 years later that the bridge became a reality. Built in seven months, it was designed to provide a place for people to admire the scenic landscape, not to build a road across — although cars were permitted on the structure, for a toll, until 2013, when a wildfire damaged it. The bridge reopened in 2015 and returned to vehicle-only traffic for a short time during the COVID pandemic. The gondola became part of the experience in the 1950s.Today the bridge is limited to pedestrians and work vehicles and attracts half a million visitors annually, according to highestbridges.com. You might also like Riding the Durango-Silverton train.  When you hear the word Colorado, you likely think of mountains, snow, and skiing — and for good reason. Even the state’s license plates depict snowcapped mountains. The state boasts 4,053 named mountains, including 58 peaks higher than 14,000 feet, according to PeakVisor. And it averages 67.3 inches of snowfall each year, according to Uncover Colorado. That’s more than 5.5 feet. With those statistics, we weren’t surprised to awake to a white blanket outside our windows near Alamosa in April. Fortunately, it wasn’t a travel day. We lay low, and the snow melted before noon.  We were, however, amazed not to find a muddy mess as a result. We attributed that to Southern Colorado’s high desert geology. Sand covered the ground. Even more surprising was our realization that Colorado hosts Great Sand Dunes National Park, a strange phenomenon surrounded by towering, snowcapped mountains that reach the sky. In fact, the park is home to the tallest sand dunes in North America, rising up to 750 feet from base to crest, according to the National Park Service. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that average sand dunes measure up to 100 meters (328 feet) high. Intrigued, we decided to check them out for ourselves. Visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park As we drew near to the park, the dunes came into view. They didn’t seem like much in light of the colossal peaks looming behind them. And they definitely looked out of place. Like many others, we wondered what had caused sand dunes to be in such a mountainous location.  The 20-minute film in the visitor center gave us the answer: Every year, the surrounding Sangre de Cristo Mountains and San Juan Mountains shed their snow. As they do, the snowmelt carries sediment and pebbles from the mountains to the flatter ground. Over time, that accumulated to create these sandy hills that continue to be shaped by the wind. Satisfied with that answer, we loaded into Gulliver and drove to the dunes to see these marvels up close. With the wind in our faces, we started hiking, not an easy feat in the oxygen-deprived 7,500-foot elevation. The sand gave way under our feet, making us work for each step forward. Our hearts beat hard, and breath didn’t come easily. We reached a midway crest and sat down to rest and take in our surroundings. Unlike White Sands National Park, where lots of visitors sled down on round saucers, the mode of choice here was a sandboard. Similar to a snowboard, it has footholds. We watched a young man gracefully navigate down a slope, only to fall at the end. The sand, quite the opposite of fluffy snow, has no cushioning qualities. He lay on the ground for a while before eventually getting up. We opted not to attempt a high-speed descent here. As we sat on our perch, wind blew the sand grains all around us, covering our clothes and even filling our pockets. We relished the cooling breeze and magnificent views before making our descent, grateful we had made a point to visit this amazing wonder. You might also like Experiencing the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.   Durango, Colorado, in the Four Corners area, has a long railroad history. In fact, the city was founded by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1880 for mining purposes, and the railroad arrived the following year. Today, the city is still known for railroads — specifically, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Narrow gauge means the rails are about 3 feet, 6 inches apart. As a result, they can maneuver tighter curves than their standard gauge counterparts (4 feet, 8.5 inches apart), making them ideal for mountainous areas. Although most narrow gauge railroads in the U.S. have ended operations, a couple of them are still in service for passenger rides. The Durango and Silverton is one of them. The White Pass and Yukon Route in Alaska is the other. While journeying across Southern Colorado, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go back in time and experience the railroad in Durango. Here’s what it was like to ride the Durango-Silverton train. Climbing aboard Since the train line isn’t open to Silverton until early May, and we were in Durango in April, we opted for the five-hour Cascade Canyon round trip. Not knowing if we’d ever be in Durango again, we splurged for a first-class car, which gave us each a window seat with a wooden table between us, complimentary soft drinks, a breakfast muffin, souvenir cups, and a tote bag.  After getting our fifth wheel situated at the La Plata County Fairgrounds (for much cheaper than a campground in the area), we nestled in for the night, eager for our adventure the next day. We arrived a half hour early for our 9:15 a.m. departure time, parked, and followed volunteers’ guidance across the railroad tracks to get our first glimpse of the train. Heat emanated from engine 482, and white smoke floated into the bright blue sky. We snapped some photos, boarded our car, and settled into 20th-century luxury.  The interior decor beckoned back to the 1880s: wooden beams and tables, padded wooden chairs, wire racks above our heads for luggage, a wooden counter, and a uniformed attendant who served us and shared stories about the train and the experience we were about to embark on.  Chugging along Two long, loud whistles sounded from the engine, and the train chugged into action, moving slowly as we meandered through town, passing people waving and taking pictures. The car moved back and forth, feeling less stable than a B-25 WWII bomber, as it followed the Animas River, offering beautiful views. The curvy, climbing route ascended through the San Juan Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountain Range, as the train rocked to and fro. The smell of burning oil from the engine drifted through the open windows, which offered breathtaking views of steep cliff faces, deep canyons, and the winding river.  Letting off steam One long whistle burst from the engine as the train slowed to a stop to refill its water supply. A few minutes and whistles later, the train roared back into action. After a couple of hours, we had navigated 26 miles and climbed about 1,500 feet in elevation to the Cascade Wye, where the train stopped moving and then backed up to get into position to take us back down to Durango. It came to a complete halt and let all 200 passengers off to wander the expansive area and enjoy lunch while the crew recharged. The destination gave us opportunities to capture more pictures with the train, this time in a mountain setting. We ambled away from the group to the rushing river and basked in its peaceful burbling, the wind in our faces. We lingered there, exploring the variety of colorful rocks. After trekking to the last of the 16 train cars, we noticed a wooden pedestrian bridge spanning the river and hurried toward it for a different perspective on the location, which featured fire pits and picnic tables. Contented, we slowly worked our way back to the train, not wanting to get left behind. Although we found the area inviting, we had been warned that the next train wouldn’t arrive until the following day. Backtracking We returned to our seats about five minutes before the engineer blasted the train’s whistle to warn passengers that we were about to depart. Since the train had made an about face, the journey back into town highlighted different scenery. We traded stunning glimpses of canyons and valleys for close-ups of craggy rocks that nearly hugged the train in places. We walked to the deck on the back of our car to experience the outside views for a bit before settling in for the duration. The way down the mountains offered different sensations as the couplers between train cars jerked from slack to taut. Still, we enjoyed the excursion into the valley and the captivating scenery it provided.  After two hours of descent, the train reached the end (er, beginning?) of the line and pulled back into the Durango station. We exited our car grateful that we had taken advantage of the opportunity to embark on such an amazing adventure.
You might also like 3 adventurous things to do in Alamogordo, New Mexico.  In five years of full-time RVing, we’ve seen a lot that this great country has to offer, from vast oceans to towering mountains to broad prairies to rolling hills to expansive deserts. Although we had managed to stand in three states at one point — South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa — one goal eluded us: visiting the Four Corners Monument, the only place in America where you can stand in four states at once. A brass plate in the ground marks the junction of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.  Much of the Four Corners region belongs to the Navajo Nation, as does the monument. Getting there from any direction requires driving through reservation land. We had traveled through the Navajo Nation from north to south on two different occasions — once on the western portion and once on the eastern. But we’d never driven through it west to east or vice versa. We used the Page, Arizona, area as our jumping-off point. After spending a week about 45 minutes southeast of Page in alluring Marble Canyon near Lees Ferry, we were ready to move on. We navigated to U.S. Route 160, which, coincidentally, is also known as the Navajo Trail — for good reason. It starts in the midwest section of the Navajo Nation and takes travelers northeast, directly to Four Corners before continuing into and across Southern Colorado and ending in Southeastern Missouri. In a three-hour span, stretching high desert gave way to beautiful red rocks, fascinating formations, and panoramic views. Eight flags flying in the wind signified we had reached the Four Corners Monument. We stopped at a booth, paid our $8 per-person entrance fee, and found a parking spot to take advantage of this rare opportunity and snap photos as proof.  Where to from here? From Four Corners, exploration opportunities abound in every direction, all rich in Native American history. Northeastern Arizona showcases Monument Valley, also part of the Navajo Nation and the most famous area of the Four Corners region. Featured in numerous movies and popularized by Forrest Gump’s enduring run in the eponymous film, the spectacular red rock formations draw more than 400,000 annual visitors to see the marvels for themselves, according to bluffutah.org. We had the privilege of glimpsing the incredible buttes in 2021 and found ourselves in awe of the amazing landscape, although we opted not to pay the fee to get up close.  Southeastern Utah boasts its own red rocks and magnificent formations en route to Moab and stunning national parks, including Canyonlands and Arches. Northwestern New Mexico features the largest city of the Four Corners region, Farmington, with a population greater than 46,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The area is also home to Zuni Pueblo, the state’s largest, as well as Aztec Ruins National Monument and Navajo Lake State Park. In Southwestern Colorado, vast farmlands coexist with historical sites, including Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park, which displays one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings. Finding direction Having spent ample time in Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico — though more in the Albuquerque area than the northwest — we opted to head to Southern Colorado. We had originally planned to spend much of our 2025 travel season in Colorado but changed our minds after driving Interstate 25 from Wyoming to Albuquerque in 2024. The traffic congestion, on a Saturday, made us want to avoid our old stomping grounds in the Denver area, where we had lived as newlyweds. During that time, we didn’t explore much of Colorado outside of Denver. The state offers a different landscape and climate than the other parts of the Four Corners region, with breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains that make us grateful for our Creator and the RV life we get to lead. You might also like 3 cool things to do in Yuma, Arizona.   South Dakota is known as the Mount Rushmore State. It’s also our state of domicile. As such, we made a point to visit its eponymous monument to the birth, growth, development, and preservation of our country while boondocking near the Badlands. The 60-foot-tall granite faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln took 14 years to complete. Today, those faces greet more than 2 million visitors annually on a mountain that stands 5,725 feet high in the Black Hills, a 5 million-acre forest plagued by controversy. Only 16 miles away is another, much larger granite monument we didn’t know about at the time we visited Mount Rushmore. This one, of Crazy Horse, is a tribute to Native Americans. Like us, you may have heard of Mount Rushmore and wonder if the Crazy Horse Memorial is worth visiting. Read on to decide for yourself. Envisioning Another Monument The entire Black Hills area was sacred to numerous Native American tribes and was granted to the Sioux and Arapaho tribes through a treaty in 1868. When Colonel George Custer and his expedition team found gold in the area in 1874, the Americans wanted the land for themselves. This led to the Battle of Little Bighorn, which ended with the tribes losing their rights to the land. Before the completion of Mount Rushmore, Lakota Sioux Chief Henry Standing Bear commissioned New England sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who assisted sculptor Gutzon Borglum on Mount Rushmore, to carve another sculpture in the area to honor Native Americans. “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too,” Chief Standing Bear wrote. Ziolkowski met the chief in 1940. After serving a call of duty in WWII, Ziolkowski agreed to take on the project to create a 100-foot sculpture of Crazy Horse, the Lakota war leader who fought the U.S. government to preserve Native American land and the Lakotan way of life. In 1946, Ziolkowski sculpted a scale model of Crazy Horse. A year later, he moved to the Black Hills to begin working on the full-scale project. Upon arrival, Ziolkowski decided to enlarge the sculpture to 563 feet, even though he knew he could never finish it in his lifetime. While five of the nine survivors of the Battle of Little Bighorn looked on in 1948, Ziolkowski made the first blast on the mountain, seven years after the completion of Mount Rushmore. Forgoing a salary and rejecting funding from the federal government, he pledged that the project would be nonprofit and educational. Exploring Crazy Horse Seventy-six years later, donation-funded work continues on the Crazy Horse Memorial, which became quite a sight to behold on its 50th anniversary in 1998. At that time, during a dedication ceremony, Ziolkowski’s widow, Ruth, unveiled the complete face of Crazy Horse. Although the sculpture is visible northbound on US Highway 385, more than 1 million visitors pay $30 to $35 per carload to navigate the winding road to the Crazy Horse Welcome Center. There, they pay their respects and glimpse the world’s largest mountain carving.  From the parking lot, they’re greeted with a side view of Crazy Horse’s face, outstretched arm, and pointer finger. A round window in the granite marks the beginning separation between Crazy Horse and his horse.
True to sculptor Ziolkowski’s commitment, the memorial grounds include museums, a university, and a conference center. In the welcome center, guests find an informative film, a gift shop, and a restaurant. From the welcome center, visitors can hop on a bus to the base of the mountain for $5 per person — weather permitting (if there’s lightning in the area, tours stop) — to get a better perspective of the size of the mammoth monument. For an extra $125 per person, a van provides a guided tour to the top of the mountain. Even without taking a tour to get closer, the sculpture is truly a sight to behold and worth the visit. We’re glad we got to see it. You might also like Exploring Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. |
AuthorThis is the travel blog of full-time RVers Bob and Lana Gates and our truck, Gulliver, and fifth wheel, Tagalong. Categories
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