Sequoia National Park is filled with so much natural history! The trees featured in this park are so old and massive that it will be a bit of a shock to your system at first! Other than that it is an absolutely gorgeous forested area with a few short hikes out to huge viewpoints that are very Yosemite-esque.
To be completely honest my favourite parts were the drive in and out! The south end is a bunch of crazy switchbacks basically going straight up and the north west end is a long sweeping road that would be perfect for longboarding!
Came here once and was slightly surprised as to what it was. First off its way far out! Basically you drive down a dirt road for hours until you reach a parking lot and I highly recommend bringing a GPS as its just flat rock and dessert scapes until you reach the crazy Bisti elements that look oh so cool! It will blow you mind when you stumble upon them! Its easy to get lost though especially if you are walking in the dark so this is where the GPS will come in handy!
Not an overly huge biology geek so I was overly impressed and absolutely loved this place! It was soo cool to get a guided tour through the entire area and see all of the ecosystems and hear all about the sustainability of earth!
Highly Recommend it!
Mount Rainier is one of my all time favourite mountain/wilderness areas! Right from the moment you enter the park (through a big stone gate) you are deep into forest territory and have a really nice drive until you are all of a sudden exposed to the great site that is Mt. Rainier itself! Once you get closer you will realize that its not only the mountain.. but the surrounding area and canyons that are just as breathetaking as the mountain itself!
ProTip: Come during the right time of year (mid July) to see the Lupines in full blossom!
Arches National Park will blow your mind if you have never seen anything like it before. The landscape is like an elevated island of old rock formations that have slowly been worn down by weather over years and years of erosion!
Once you enter the park there will be a few somewhat cool spots but keep driving cause the coolest stuff is further down near the end of the park! There is also a really sweet hike you can do through the canyon or out to the overly famous delicate arch!
Pro Tip: Head into the park early in the morning, have a big lunch in Moab during the day and head back for the evening. The park can get pretty busy during the day but seems to empty out just before sunset!
Multnomah is by far the most grandiose waterfall in the Gorge and is extremely picturesque! The bridge seperating the upper and lower sections is good easy walk/hike to get to and if your a bit more adventurous you can get to the top of the falls for a truly incredible view!
I would encourage you to adventure out from here as well as there are tons of other waterfalls very close by!
This thing is absolutely massive! It is without a doubt in my mind worth the 10 or so dollars to ride in the tiny elevator for the view from the top! Its a must see in st. louis and a place you will most likely not forget as its not something you see everyday!
I'm from the westcoast and was overly excited to see that they had the Stone IPA (from San Diego) on tap!
In other words they have a fabulous selection of beers!
This park is fantastic! Its a bit tricky getting into the park and really easy to miss the turn off as its a small sign but once you get into the park there are a ton of sweet paths and trails you can adventure and even walk up the small creek into an expanse of forest! Great spot to get out of the city and feel like your in nature :)
Regardless of whatever your opinion is on the thousands of people your going to share this place with its going to be worth it.. once :)