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How to prepare for a visit to the National Parks in the USA

Summer time is approaching and I bet you are getting eager to hit the road or hop a flight right? Well, as the world is slowly opening up, many of you are thinking, wow look at these flight costs, where should I venture to next? 

I have some advice for you. Travel hacking 101 is the first piece of advice I am going to share with you, but in a separate email. The suspense is officially there for you to read my next           e-mail which will appear in your inbox in the next 24 hours, so stay tuned.

I write to you from the road (well I am not driving) en route to my next destination and I instantly thought what would my readers want to read about?

Since I finally have a place to rest with working wifi; here I am to share some words of wisdom with you.

First piece of advice I have for you is try your best to plan ahead, but if you have a flexible schedule, know that it is okay to be spontaneous and not have it all figured out. 

Sometimes, the most exciting part of the journey is not knowing where your next stop is.       
I understand if you are a party of more than one with kids and a family, you may have to have a destination in mind and a place to lay your head at night. Now, if you are like me and enjoy being a bit more on the spontaneous side, than wait until two weeks before your trip to figure it all out (face plant emoji).

Second slice of advice is pack appropriately for your trip. If you are going to an area where the weather is going to be more on the extreme side, than it is best to check for adverse weather conditions before you leave home.

For example, I just left the Arches of Moab National Park and Canyonlands, in Utah and the temperature reached over 100 degrees, so appropriate clothing and plenty of water is a must. I highly recommend having a camelbak or water pack of some sort, as you may be sweating and not even know you are losing water because Utah has very dry conditions and hot summers.

I saw many families and individuals carrying heavy water bottles, which I do not recommend on longer hikes and treks. I highly recommend the camelbak or another brand like Osprey, who both make quality water packs. These water backpacks hold anywhere from 1L to 3L of water. They are also very easy to fill and carry too. A local REI stores or outdoor gear store sells them, so of course I recommend you support local retailers if possible.

Third piece of advise would be to bring extra pairs of shoes, socks, walking sticks and clothing and have them accessible.  You never know if you are going to get wet, trek through water or just sweat and need a change of clothes.

Fourth and foremost along your trek make sure you fill up your gas take at the half way mark as much as possible. Many of these roads in the National park reserves have smaller towns and less options for gas stations, so it is really good to ensure you always have a full tank of gas. There are also no gas stations or anything inside the national parks, so don’t expect to be stopping at a gas station if exploring a place like Yellowstone, which has miles of roads to explore and adventure on.

 With that said, also write down any phone numbers you may need, just in case your cellular phone dies and you may need to phone a friend or family member. 

Lastly, make sure you have plenty of food, water and matches (to light a fire or use as a flare) in case you get stranded. This is so you can survive in the wilderness for a few days, which proves to be true as a ranger told me this when I chose to drive 13 miles down a dirt road to the Devils Garden playground. Don’t worry I made it back safely to write all about it. Sorry mom, you raised an adventurous daughter and I just had to take the AWD down the road less traveled.