ilana25841

I am a little dizzy from reading about all of them, yet inspired by the Ken Burns series.
Criteria-2 adults 50-65, in good shape
Starting point- Detroit area
Season-summer
total vacation time available 5-6 days
accomodations: lodge (not big hotels, not roughing it types) or outfitter camping
mountains, water, dessert- flexible on these
would like not to have to drive more than 2 hrs from an airport

Suggestions? Thanks

christabir

Please get to Isle Royale someday. It is in Lake Superior and just an amazing place.

If you want to go this year, you might be out of luck with in the park lodging for most of the popular parks. I prefer to stay in park. Any lodging with a private bath is fine with me - but some are pretty rustic and some are amazing.

Close to airports narrows it down some.

You can fly right into Jackson and see Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone. OK in 5-6 days.

Fly Fresno for Yosemite, Kings and Sequoia. Better in 7 days but doable in 6.

Fly Kalispell for Glacier. 5-6 days is perfect. Split your time between the east and west areas of the park and maybe the Canadian part for a night.

Fly Seattle for Mt Ranier and Olympic.

Grand Canyon from Las Vegas (I LOVE the north rim) or Phoenix is alittle longer than 2 hours, but everyone should see it. If you go to the north rim, Zion and Bryce are pretty close and great, too.

I just read this a couple of hours ago:
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-33575754

No matter where you go, you will love it. Pick one or two every year and GO!! Our country is spectacular.

alexislovesspain

yellowstone and grand teton .. fly into Jackson Hole

Temperatures are wonderful .. variety of hikes for all expereince levels and the wild life is so diverse.

Enjoy

christy1

You can indeed fly into the smaller airports listed above and see the nearby parks, but it can be very expensive to fly to someplace like Jackson, Kalispell or Fresno. If budget isn't an issue, I think the above list is great. One that was left out was Denver and Rocky Mountain NP. But, if you find flights to the smaller airports too pricey, Seattle (or Denver) and Rainier/Olympic might be your best bet. Or, if you are willing to drive further, you'll have more options. For instance, Las Vegas for Zion and Bryce; SF or Oakland for Yosemite; Salt Lake City for Arches and Canyonlands; Phoenix for the Grand Canyon.

If you can wait until just after Labor Day, when kids have gone back to school, you will find the parks much more peaceful, it will be much easier (and maybe less expensive) to find lodging, and in the warmer parks, you'll have better weather.

PaulRabe

One other place to consider: fly into Calgary and then drive to Banff/Jasper NPs. You absolutely MUST have a passport to fly into Canada, so this may be an added expense you don't want to bother with. But the area has lots of different kinds of lodging, and the scenery is some of the best in North America.

boom_boom

I'd go for Ranier/Olympic or take PaulRabe's suggestion and head for Banff/Japser, out of this world great scenery.

dbdurand

I have been to many of the National Parks mentioned in this thread. I watched the Ken Burns specials and my recommendation, like those of others, is Yellowstone. That's where he started his series and for good reason, it's the granddaddy and 800 pound gorilla of them all.

There are two options for airports. If Jackson is too expensive, check fares for Idaho Falls.

emalloy

I agree with the Yellowstone and Grand Canyon options mentioned by many. If you get hooked on the parks as some of us have, consider flying into Grand Junction, CO for Arches and Canyonlands best in spring or fall. Vegas is about 2 hours from Death Valley best October to April and often has cheaper fares than many places.

Most of the parks have motel/hotel/campground/ type places to stay in them. Some of these are not too expensive and IMHO part of the experience of some of them is waking up and walking out the door to a fantastic view and no ride to get there.

tekwriter

With your criteria, I would suggest that Rocky Mountain National Park would be one area to consider. It's a very easy drive, less than 90 minutes, from the Denver airport, it has a myriad of comfortable lodging options right outside the park in Estes Park and can be thoroughly seen in 5-6 days. It has a lot of spectacular scenery and wildlife. Every park out west is worth the time and effort, but this one might be a little easier and cheaper if that's a part of your consideration.

christabir

I just booked a r/t flight to Jackson Hole from JFK. I don't think $224 is expensive for that flight.

emalloy

Now get lodging. If you call the park it will probably be all booked up but people cancel all the time since they made reservations a year ago so keep trying.

When you get to the park get a pass. The person who is over 62 can get one for $10 that is good for a lifetime and lets everyone in the car in to all the national parks.

alexislovesspain

The Park Pass .. EXCELLENT IDEA! but with lodging .. try to book a different hotels around the park .. it is a BIG park and you don't want to spend the entire time driving from point a to point b .. then point a to point c ... see where I am going with this

And 224 .. is a great price for summer. IMHO

christy1

That's a fantastic price. I wonder if there are nonstop flights from JFK that are usually not too bad. I've looked into flying to Jackson from Seattle both in summer and winter, and have never seen a fare lower than $400, more often $500+.

christabir

No nonstops from the NY area - stops in Salt Lake or Atlanta (Delta). I was just trying to make the point that sometimes the smaller airports are not more expensive - especially if Southwest or Air Tran fly there. I also found a flight from NY to Kalispell in June for under $350. The tarmac at JFK is under construction this year. Avoid at all costs if possible! There will be lots of delays.

iliana - if you go to Yellowstone, don't miss Grand Teton NP while you are there. It is spectacular (and my favorite spot in the US up to now).

christy1

Alaska Airlines just sent me a promo email--every day they are having a sale to a different national park gateway. They serve a lot of the smaller airports, too, like Kalispell.

ilana25841

Thank you for so many good suggestions- helps me narrow it down a bit. I'll get back to researching. Since I'm a little wary of leaving a high school senior home alone (learned the hard way), we either need to go in the summer when kids are away working at summer camps, or wait another year. This gives me time for some of those hotel reservations too.