4 National Parks You Need To Visit This Summer

By Connor Moynihan

It's road trip season and in no specific order we made a list of some of the top national parks that you don't want to miss this summer. 

1. Zion National Park, Utah 

With crosshatches of canyons and faults filled with beautiful views, this place will leave you in awe. Hiking angels landing with thousand ft. drops on each side of you, with nothing to save you but a linked chain, is quite the adrenaline rush. Don't just hangout on the ground with all the tourists either, checkout out the plethora backcountry backpacking. 

2. Yosemite National Park, California

Holding 1,169 square miles of designated wilderness, Yosemite is jarring. John Muir said it best, Yosemite has "innumerable lakes and waterfalls and smooth silky lawns; the noblest forests, the loftiest granite domes, the deepest ice-sculptured canons, the brightest crystalline pavements, and snowy mountains soaring into the sky twelve and thirteen thousand feet" . From my personal experience the ground floor of the Yosemite valley is like Disney World with its gift shops and hotels, but once you get up into the backcountry, it is filled with immense solitude and beauty. 

3. Arches National Park, Utah

73,000 acres of geography that reminds you of a 60's Mars movie. Arches is must. The stars at night in Arches are some of the best in all the popular national parks. Check out the short hike to delicate arch around sunset to experience all the marveling colors of the desert. 

4. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Claiming 349 miles of trails to hike, RMNP is filled with Colorado back country beauty. This place has peaks above 14,000 ft. in every direction you look, and when hiking in the park you will most definitely see an animal that is big enough to kill you. 

You might need a hammock for all these adventures, get one here, and help us eradicate poverty in the process.