Yellowstone is probably the most famous national park in the USA. I visited it in the early summer in 2014. Every time I think about Yellowstone, I tell myself that I will definitely go there again. Why?
I want to stay inside of the park. Two reasons: (1) I want to be waken up by the sound of forest, not by alarm; (2) I do not want to spend at least two hours a day on the road going in and out of the park. The lodging inside of Yellowstone is so popular that it has to be secured several months in advance. I would love to stay in the Lake Lodge! Last time when we passed the Lake, I really wanted to just sit there for some time…
Yellowstone Lake
I want to look for those secret spots for amazing photos. Or, just have more time to take photos… Meanwhile, I also want to have more time for my eyes to enjoy. Yellowstone’s beauty is everywhere; it varies in different parts of the park; it changes over time within a day.
Yellowstone Cistern Spring in Norris Geyser BasinBeartooth HighwayFlatlands and River
I want to meet with more animals. Yellowstone is home for many species. I was lucky to see a white mountain goat in somebody’s binoculars (wish I could take a photo). And … I was excited to come across with a bear family, while I was thinking I would never see a bear in Yellowstone…
Volcanoes National Park was our first stop after arriving at the Big Island. Since we had an early flight, we were quite early at the national park (open 24h), weren’t we? Anyhow, there weren’t many people in the park. It’s like a lost world. If we had more time (if I go to the Big Island again in the future), I would love to try wondering on that black land.
The lost landDried lava pattern
We drove towards the seaside, hoping to see lava flowing into the ocean. Unfortunately, it was not possible that day.
“River” of dried lava
However, we could see the the path of the flowing lava. Imagine that the black dried lava was boiling red and marching towards the ocean some days in the past…
Lava flowing into the ocean
Then we went to the Jagger museum to see Halema ‘uma’u Crater, one of the most active volcanoes on earth. It was easy to spot from far place, with high and big “smoke” (gas eruption).
Halema ‘uma’u Crater from far placeHalema ‘uma’u Crater Info
The overlook in Jagger museum offers a closer view (still one mile away). I heard that the view would be much more spectacular in the evening. But we had to go to see the Mauna Kea observatories, where we could see a lot of volcanoes (although not nearly as active).
Thanks to our failure in the lottery for the Wave, we had plenty of time in Zion National Park. Being different from other national parks in our Grand Circle trip, Zion has more plants, and seems more family friendly. Zion is only 40 minutes away from Kanab. Private cars are asked to park in the big parking lot close to the visitor center. Shutter buses are running every 10-20 minutes, depending on the season and time.
Zion National Park checkerboard mesa
There are numerous hiking trails in Zion. The two most famous and difficult ones are called The Narrows and Angel’s Landing. We did both!
The Narrows
The trail is actually a section of the Virgin river running in the canyon. It is thus very important to check the weather and the flood potential. There are special preparations needed to be done as well. Keep in mind that the water may be cold! Even in early September when the sun is out and people are wearing shorts, the water is cold. This is because the river runs in the narrow canyon, and does not get much sunshine. Also, prepare “special” shoes because they will get wet for sure. The other thing may be useful is a stick, as walking in the river is difficult – you cannot see how deep the water is or what you are going to step on. We didn’t have sticks, so we were quite slow.
Two ways to hike The Narrows. One can either hike top-down or bottom-up. Top-down is an overnight hike, and requires permits. Bottom-up is easier, and requires no permits. Therefore most people, including us, choose the bottom-up hike. We took the shutter to Temple of Sinawava. After hiking the 1 mile riverside trail, we reached the starting point of The Narrows. I could see that people were excited to hike this special and unique trail! The first step into the water was really cold. After a while, I kinda got used to it. Walking in the river was more difficult than I thought, but it’s a lot of fun! My mom and I sometimes had to hold hand to stabilize each other. We reached the starting point of Wall Street, and then decided to return. In total, we hiked about 5 hours.
Zion National Park the narrows
Angel’s landing
This is also a unique trail. The first half of the trail is paved road. However, the rest is rocks. There is a thick chain along the trail, so I don’t find it very dangerous. In fact, I liked it a lot! :). It reminded me the Yellow Mountain in China! The trail to one of the highest peaks, Tiandu Peak, is a bit similar. But it’s a lot more steeper on Tiandu Peak! (I recently revisited Yellow Mountain, and I will write about it. D had already finished his blog about Yellow Mountain.) The end of Angel’s landing is the top of the mountain. Many people were sitting there and enjoying the view. We didn’t stay long, because we had to drive to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Zion National Park angel landing chainZion National Park angel landing top
I am sure everybody can find some trails that they enjoy in Zion. I just feel lucky that we could do the two most unique ones!
One more thing about Zion. There are a lot of restaurant in Springdale. We tried one Thai restaurant (Thai Sapa), and the food we had there were surprisingly good!
It’s the second day of our Grand Circle trip, and we planned to see sunrise at Mesa Arch.Since my mom got a little injury in Arches National Park the previous day, she didn’t join us for the sunrise.We also thought it’s better for her to rest more so that she would have energy later.However, it’s really a pity that she missed the best sunrise in the whole trip!
The driving from Moab to Mesa Arch, which is in Canyonlands National Park, was about 45min.In order to get a good spot for photography, we got up and hit the road very early (4:30am, 2h before the sunrise).I kinda remember that I was in the driver’s seat, so that D (my husband) could rest.After all, I am the one who is crazy about sunrise and sunset!It was still dark when we arrived at the trailhead parking area.But don’t worry – we had headlights!So prepared!The trail was said to be a 0.7 mile loop, so it should be only ~600m to the Mesa Arch.However, it took us a while to figure out which way to go, because the trail was not that obvious (remember? It’s dark).
We were among the earliest at Mesa Arch!I tested a few spots with my camera, and finally settled down.More and more people came.My spot was probably good, because several tripods were set up besides me.We were all quietly waiting for the moment.On the other hand, D was walking around – climbing up and down.
Waiting to see sunrise
The east started to show some red.After a while, the first sunshine came out and lighted up the quiet canyonlands.
Sunrise at Mesa Arch
We were still waiting.The moment has not come yet!People’s eyes were all on Mesa Arch.Slowly, the bottom part of the arch started to turn to a burning orange-red color!This magic didn’t last long, as the sun was rising.
Burning Mesa Arch
After the color faded on Mesa Arch, it’s officially post-sunrise.The sky was already bright.We realized that Mesa Arch was right on the cliff edge.Overlooking the vast canyonlands was also an unforgettable experience to us.Unfortunately, not a good time for photos (against the sun).
Overlooking the canyonlands
On the way back to hotel, we were quite excited.Plus, the breakfast in the hotel (Best Western Plus Canyonlands) was great!
We arrived a t Moab in the early afternoon. After checking into the hotel (Best Western Plus Canyonlands Inn), we did grocery shopping (City Market) to prepare for our Grand Circle trip: water and snacks. Our original plan was to leave for Arches around five o’clock. But we arrived one hour early, and didn’t want to wait in the hotel (which turned out to be a bad decision).
Arches National Park is only 8 minutes from Moab. We got a national park annual pass at the gate, for $80. After quickly going through the visitor center (we failed to get the ranger-guided tour to the Fiery Furnace), we headed towards the trailhead of Delicate Arch. The goal was to see the sunset and the moonrise (full moon) there.
After about half an hour, we found the trailhead (Wolfe Ranch parking area). The trail is 1.5 mile one-way, and climbs up ~150m. The thing was it’s really really hot! The temperature in the forecast was 39 or 40 degree C, and it should be much higher on the rock. After hiking about 20 minutes, my mom suddenly fell towards the front when she was drinking, and I couldn’t catch her! She hit the ground (rock), but was still trying to hold the water bottle. Fortunately it’s a relatively flat area, otherwise I cannot imagine! Her nose was scratched by the sunglasses. Her knees were bleeding a little. My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I helped her to move to the shade, and washed her wound. We asked her to drink water and just rest. She probably passed out for a second because of the heat! Plus, we didn’t take any break during the 20min hike… Not to say that we had an early and long flight, and some driving! We really should have rested more in the hotel.
Delicate Arch and people waiting to see sunset
We gave up Delicate Arch, but could see it from the Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint. Then, we went to the Windows Section, because arches there require little hiking. When we were leaving Arches, we saw the moonrise.
Arches National Park Spectacles Arch
The second day, we came back to Arches again, after seeing the sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park (I have to write a separate post for Mesa Arch because it’s too good) 🙂
My mom seemed recovered from the first day, so we decided to try a little bit hiking again! This time Devils Garden. It was also a sunny day. The driving from the visitor center to Devils Garden was half an hour. The trailhead is a big parking lot, and has restrooms. The trail is quite easy. And more importantly, we were more prepared, both physically and mentally! The total distance covering all the trails is 7.2 miles, but we didn’t set a goal. We hiked at a slow pace, and took many water breaks (even when we didn’t feel the need to take a break).
Landscape Arch, Arches National Park
So it was a leisurely hike. We saw Landscape Arch! This arch is very different from the others. So long, and so thin. Interestingly, there were many small rocks below it – looked like debris of collapses. It’s said that Landscape Arch may break/disappear one day?
We didn’t have energy to hike to the Double O Arch, so just took the same way back. We were very pleased with the 2h hiking 🙂
After a quick bite in a cafe in Moab, we started driving towards Monument Valley…
The warm wind reminds me that it’s almost the time to reserve tickets for a special light show in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This show is presented by small insects that all of you are familiar with – fireflies. I guess everybody has good memories of pointing out fireflies in the backyards in summer evernings. Those sudden light ups are like shooting stars… And if there are a lot of fireflies, they look like Christmas lights.
There is one special species of fireflies living in the smokies. They are called synchronized fireflies! As you can guess from the name, these fireflies flash together. Isn’t that amazing? How do they communicate to each other? Why do they synchronize? They are certainly not doing this show for us… I heard it’s for their mating, but I am not sure why the synchronization is important. There are information elsewhere, here I want to talk about my four years’ experience on watching their show – more specifically, how to get a ticket, what to prepare before going, how to get there, and what to expect to see.
So, the most important thing is to get a ticket! The mating season of the fireflies lasts about two weeks. Based on the weather, the National Park Service (NPS) will estimate and announce a 8/9 days window for the peak flashing (late May to mid June) of the synchronized fireflies. The announcement is usually made a few days before April 30th. Please check their website for the dates! Before 2016, part of the tickets (“Advanced Tickets) were distributed online at 10am EST on April 30th. And those tickets were gone within three minutes! The rest of the tickets were called something like “day before tickets” (you get it today and go tomorrow), and were available through phone calls on a first-come-first-serve basis. I have had success with both methods. The key was to be prepared! No waste of one second. I could share some tips, but they have already changed the rules! Since 2016, all the tickets are distributed via a lottery system! Basically, they open the lottery in the end of April, and close it in two/three days. A week or so after the closing date, people will be notified of the lottery results. Last year, I was lucky! Since you can only choose two days in the application, my philosophy was to avoid the weekends so that the chance would be much higher. If you are unlucky, there is another way to get to see the show – camping at Elkmont Campground! From the campground, you can simply walk to the site to see the synchronized fireflies. Remember that those camp sites are also filled quickly. But don’t be too frustrated if you couldn’t get the date you want. Check back often in case there’s cancelation.
Now let’s come back to the “normal” tickets. I haven’t told you that the tickets are actually parking tickets! Most of the tickets are for standard cars, and up to six people are allowed for one car. There are a few tickets for busses, which can take more people. You need to drive to Sugarland Visitor Center. There will be officers doing traffic control and ticket admission. Only the cars with tickets are allowed to park at the visitor center. One car one ticket (the confirmation email that NPS sends out), and the ticket holder must be in the car. The officer will count people in the car, and give a trolley ticket to each person. After parking the car, you get into the line (there’ll be a line, a long line) for the trolley. You need the trolley ticket and 1$ to board the trolley. I think the trolley starts to take people to the Elkmont area from 7-ish. Except for campers, no private car can access the Elkmont area during the show days (the 8/9 days for the synchronized fireflies).
The trolleys will take you to the Elkmont area. From there, just follow the crowd. At the entrance, you will be given a handout introducing the synchronized fireflies. You can also get a piece of red cellophane and a rubber band to cover your flashlight/phone. This is very important, as the white light will disturb and confuse the fireflies! You are there to see the show, not to be part of it.
Since it’s early June, the sky does not get dark until 9pm. You will have plenty of time hanging around and looking for a good spot. You probably want to take a light and foldable chair with you 🙂 Not a bad idea to have a picnic there.
You sit down, and wonder what the show will be like… While the sky gets darker and darker, you see more and more white dots flashing (somehow yellow in photos). At the beginning, they are not synchronized. But as the show proceeds to peak time, you will see a wave of flashing. I mean, not all the fireflies are synchronized to one rhythm. It’s more like: this region of fireflies synchronized to this rhythm, and that region of fireflies synchronized to that rhythm. Another thing is that those fireflies have different levels of performance in the 8/9 days window. I have seen the light show six times (once or twice a year), and I can tell there’s clearly a difference (sometimes a big difference)! Nevertheless, it’s always an incredible experience.
Being immersed in flashings, you will forget about the time! And soon you realize that people are leaving. When you get back to the entrance (where the trolley drops you), there’s a long long line. We have once waited for more than an hour. So, might be a good idea to slowly move towards the entrance between 10 and 10:30.
Lastly, I just want to say that be nice to the fireflies, and be nice to people. Don’t do things that you don’t want other people do to you. Pay attention to your flashlight and phone!
Bryce Canyon National Park was the last stop in our Grand Circle trip. Since we spent three days around Kanab (for The Wave lottery), and we needed to drive 6 hours to Grand Junction, we didn’t have much time in Bryce – only one night and one morning!
When we arrived at Bryce, it’s almost the sunset time. I think we went to the sunrise point for the sunset (counterintuitive). Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy that day. Thinking about our whole Grand Circle trip, we seemed to have better luck for sunrise than sunset. Anyways, we were still impressed by the hoodoos!
Shortly after the sunset, we went to our hotel Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn (right outside of the park). The hotel is like a big resort. The lobby is Mountain style, and has a lot to offer. Still, the best part is its easy access to the park!
For the first time in our Grand Circle trip, we went out to do star gazing. And truly, Bryce is the best place that I have been for stars. The clouds were all gone, and the starry night sky is breathtaking! I have never seen so many stars before! I felt my body was immersed in stars. I felt lost… it seemed more difficult to tell constellations with so many stars. To me, who has loved star gazing for two decades, that place was like heaven!
I took out my camera, and tried a few long exposures. I have always wanted to shoot the Milky Way and the star trails! It’s cold and windy up there, but I was excited. If I was more crazy, I should have gone down the canyon and took the shots on one of those hiking trails so that I could have hoodoos in the foreground… Next time!
Since we planned to see sunrise, and we would have long driving the following day, we went back to the hotel to catch some sleep. Then, the second day we went into Bryce for the third time! I forgot where exactly we went to see the sunrise… probably the Inspiration Point? Again, it was a bit cloudy… but better than the previous day. Where did the clouds come from? It was clear in the night! We were among the early ones, and could find a good place to see the amphitheater. Just like those hoodoos – we were waiting quietly. It also felt like we were waiting for a show. It’s a amphitheater, isn’t it? When the light shined upon the hoodoos, they became alive. So, at one moment, this part of the amphitheater was playing; and at another moment, the other part of the amphitheater became active. With sunlight, the color of stones are so glorious – burning orange. In my eyes, that color felt young and full of energy!
We then drove back to the sunset point, and did about one hour’s hiking on the Navajo Loop Trail. It was a nice morning hike in the sunshine and cool air – very different from other hikes we did earlier. Getting close to the hoodoos also allowed us to admire those creatures in another angle. We were very pleased to finish our Grand Circle trip with such a relaxing hike.
For our Grand Circle trip, Antelope Canyon is a must see in the list. It is the heaven for photographers! The access to the canyon is restricted, because it is in the Navajo Nation. Only guided tours are allowed to enter Antelope Canyon. Thinking that it’s so popular, we booked our tours one and a half months earlier. Still, the Photographer’s tour was already fully booked. So we just took the Sightseer’s tour for the Upper Antelope Canyon, which was $50 each. We could pick a good time – 11:30 to 1:10, when the sun is up high in the sky.
It was a sunny day! We arrived at the tour company 30 min before the tour, and got the tickets. The tour trucks took us to the canyon. Forgot how long it took, but it was not very long. The tour trucks were open aired but with roofs. You probably don’t expect to see clean and air-conditioned bus anyway. In fact, the funky shaky tour truck made everybody even more excited!
Entering the canyon was like entering a magic land. Outside – so bright so hot; but inside – so quite so mysterious. With that perfect amount of sunlight – no more and no less – the rocks, in my eyes, looked like flowing water that stopped at some point in the past. It seemed like time has stopped. I guess I can’t find a way to describe my feeling… I could feel that everybody was amazed.
Since the canyon is narrow, we had to keep moving. There’s no time to look for the best angle and the best setting for photos. On the way, we passed a few photography tour groups. They are all with tripods and quietly waiting for us to pass by!
In 2015 summer, my mom visited us in the United States. We took the opportunity to go to those national parks in the (mid-)west. It’s a nice trip!
Here’s the overview of the Grand Circle we did:
Day 1. We took an early flight to Grand Junction. Had a quick lunch at Subway in the airport. Picked up the rental car (4wd), and drove to Moab (1h46m). Checked into Best Western Plus Canyonlands Inn. Got takeout from a Sichuan Restaurant. Drove to Arches National Park ~4:30 (got a NP annual pass).
Day 2. We got up really early to go for the sunrise at Mesa Arch (49m drive). Then went back to the hotel to have breakfast. Checked out the hotel, and visited Arches NP again! After some hiking in Devil’s Garden, we left Arches NP, and drove to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (2h44m). Stayed in The View Hotel, which gave us stunning views!
Day 3. Sun rises behind the monuments. We can enjoy sunrise from the balcony. However, I still went out to have a better angle. In the morning, we did about 3h hiking around the monuments (wildcat trail, 4 mile). After that, we checked out the hotel, and drove the 17 mile scenic drive. Driving to Page was about 2h. We had dinner at Lake Powell.
Day 4. A special day – we went to White Pocket (2h57m)! Since it’s kind of unplanned, we did not fill the gas. So we worried about running out of gas all the day! We even kept the AC off to save gas. White pocket is a place that no help can be found. We then went to Kanab (2h51m).
Day 5. I did the lottery for the Wave, but did not have luck. So we drove back to Page to visit the Antelope Canyon. Our tour was around noon, which should give the best light effect in the canyon. After the tour, we went to see Horseshoe Bend. The short trail actually took much longer time due to the hot weather and the sand surface. We went back to Kanab.
Day 6. Lottery for the Wave, again! This time my husband did it, but he did not have luck either. Therefore, we went to Zion NP (1h). We did a special hike – The Narrows. Dinner was Thai food – amazingly tasty! We never thought tourist place has so good restaurant.
Day 7. Last day of lottery! Planned to let my mom do it, but it’s done when my mom just entered the room. A group of six got the last six permits! What a luck! At least we tried. Then, we went to Zion again. This time we did Angel’s landing. We drove to Bryce Canyon NP afterwards. Caught the sunset, but the weather was not great. However, the starrynight was unbelievable. I could, for the first time, photograph the Milky Way and star trails.
Day 8. Sunrise at Bryce Canyon NP. After a short hike, we started to drive the long way to Grand Junction (5h39m). We stopped briefly at Capital Reef NP on the way.
