Castlereagh wrote:... I went to Capitol Reef this past March and was absolutely moved by the place. Not the most spectacular, but a favorite in my book.
Aaron Johnson wrote:... Of the ones I've been to, my top three are:
Capitol ReefIt's
FREE! It's absolute solitude. It's a Park for
walkers. It's gorgeous, and a well kept secret. Not crowded. It's remote. It's AWESOME. I'm blessed to be the maintainer for Capitol Reef here at SP:
CAPITOL REEF
Shhh! You guys hush up!
Well, I've been to a few of these parks (LOL), and my favorites have recently shuffled around. Canyonlands is top. It has something for everyone, whether you want to hike, bike, climb, paddle or wheel. Big Bend is number two. Solitude. I have a T-shirt from there that says, "Out here you're nobody. Perfect." That's Big Bend. Number three is Glacier. Stunning beauty, and I was blessed to go there a few days before the Going to the Sun Road opened, so there were no crowds anywhere (and especially on a hike to Grinnell Glacier).
As for the really popular parks: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, etc: Much, much too crowded for my taste. If Disney opened a national park, it would look just like those do. And, BTW, GC can't hold a candle to Canyonlands for sheer, stunning beauty. Period. In four visits, GC has proven to me to be a big hole with horrible photo opportunities because of the persistent haze. Canyonlands has never disappointed me in five visits. Incredible light, clouds, visibility. A photographer's paradise.
And I ain't saying nothing about Capitol Reef. You guys just hush up.
--mark d.