National Parks in the Southwest

We’ve recently added content from Moon Grand Canyon [1] to Moon.com. With the long Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to start planning for a getaway to Grand Canyon National Park [2].

Hiking is king at Grand Canyon, and author Kathleen Bryant has reviewed the most popular hikes on the canyon’s South Rim [3], North Rim [4], and in the Inner Canyon [5], including important details about each hike—like distance, duration, elevation gain, and effort required—to help you better plan your time.

Whether you’re planning a family outing [6] or a romantic weekend for two [7], Kathleen has worked up several suggested trip strategies to get you well on your way to creating the perfect vacation.

If you’ve already visited Grand Canyon and want to try some place new, we’ve also added our national parks content from Moon Utah [8] to the website. Always popular, Zion National Park [9] and Bryce Canyon National Park [10] are located in Utah’s southwest corner and are probably the most easily accessible parks in the state.

But if you really want to get away from the crowds and still soak up that canyon vibe, venture out to some of Utah’s other parks. With 1.9 million acres of protected land, you’ll definitely be able to find room to breathe at Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument [11].

If variety is truly the spice of life, then you’re not likely to get bored in southern Utah. With Capitol Reef National Park [12], Glen Canyon National Recreation Area [13], Rainbow Bridge National Monument [14], Arches National Park [15], and Canyonlands National Park [16] to choose from you could quite literally try a new park each day! (But we highly recommend hanging out a few days at each park before moving on to the next.)

So gather up your hiking gear, get a gallon of sunscreen, and check out our National Parks content [17] to plan your next escape.

Gayle Hart
Moon.com Content Editor