The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters).

With its layered bands of red rock, the Grand Canyon reveals millions of years of geological history. With is the immense size it just overwhelms the senses and makes you feel somewhat insignificant in the “grand nature scheme” of things. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the continental United States. During the warmer months it can get quite busy but during the winter months quite cold and foggy. We have seen it during both seasons and in each of them, it looks amazing in its own way.

The South Rim

We visited both times the South Rim and have the North one on our to-do list for the future. During both our visits we found that the South Rim is very well maintained in terms of roads and logging and it is a perfect place for a vacation trip with the family. The majority of the viewpoints do not require hiking and is as convenient as parking your car and walking two minutes to the viewpoint.

Winter Season

During the winter the weather is very unpredictable at the Grand Canyon and if you are planning a visit make sure it is for more than a day. We spend around 3 days there and each of the days was completely different. Day one was foggy most of the time:

During the second day, the fog started to disappear and what we waited to see started to present itself slowly and majestically. The weather got warmer and we had the perfect conditions to explore the canyon:

The last day we had clear skies and sunny days to work with. Interestingly enough the number of people was not as many as we expected. Probably due to the rough weather the days before and the short amount of time many have to stay in the park premisses. We got amazing views:

If you have a choice in regards to the season to visit the Grand Canyon national park most would recommend being during the warmer months. We ware extremely lucky to catch plenty of great views during the winter season but many of those who were leaving were quite disappointed. Some people spend two-plus days with zero visibility due to the fog and snowfall. So plan accordingly. We recommend both seasons as each is beautiful in its own way 🙂

Lodging

During our last trip, we stayed at The Grand Hotel which is located outside of the park in the Grand Canyon Village. It is ten minutes’ drive to the park entrance and we absolutely loved our stay there. We also have visited El Tovar Hotel which is right on the actual rim of the canyon and it has unbelievable views right from the rooms. It is however tricky to get a room there due to availability and price. Another place we have stayed in the Yavapai Lodge. Below is a link/info of The Grand Hotel:

Links

Here are some useful links to have in mind when planning your trip:

1. Grand Canyon Official Web Site
2. Grand Canyon Weather Conditions
3. Grand Canyon Logging (inside the park)

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During our visit (early January) the park was packed which was due to the fact that the government was shut down (Mr. Trump wall fiasco) and entrance to the park was free. There were however a decent amount of park rangers around the park (which apparently was not enough since the park was completely closed a few days later due to people not following the rules).

Overall we loved how different the park was to the ones we visited before. The huge rock formations in combination with the Joshua trees and the desert feel makes it a really awesome place to spend time away from the busy everyday life.

Skull Rock

This attraction was problematic to get access to due to the number of people taking selfies etc. We manage to get close for a moment and take a picture. Overall it is once of the famous attractions of the park and worth seeing.

Cholla Cactus Garden

Very interesting place. The cacti are everywhere and look surreal. It is a huge garden of cacti in a desert and one we recommend visiting if you have a chance when in the park.

The Valleys

We hiked through the valleys for the majority of the time we were at the park and truly enjoyed it. There are plenty of great views and the overall terrain is easy to walk through.

Keys View & Arch Rock

These two we were not able to visit since one was completely closed by the park rangers (due to the government shutdown we assume) and the other was not in agenda we had. The paragraph, however, is here since they are on our list for our next visit to the Joshua Tree National Park 🙂

Conclusion

Overall we liked the park. It showed us unique views which you can’t really see in many other areas in the world.

For more information about the park:

Joshua Tree National Park Official Web Site

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Anacapa Island

Anacapa is only a mile long and as per Wikipedia has a population of only 3 people. We personally did not see anyone there other than the people who were with us on the boat. There is no food or water available on the island. There are bathrooms however as well as few shaded places to rest. We noticed also that camping on Anacapa is quite popular. About 30 percent of the people arriving with us were there to camp.

We arrived via boat to the island (island transportation schedules). You would need to be careful when transferring from it to the island since the actual process is border-lining dangerous (and there have been few very bad accidents). The boat backs to a cement platform with a ladder on it on which you need to climb. There are crew members from the boat that help with the process but you need to really pay attention and be careful. Once you are on the platform there are few more steps to go through and you are at the starting point. The boat would be at that same point at the scheduled time for the pickup via the same process.

Santa Cruz Island

The second island we explored was Santa Cruz. Very different in size (96 miles) and quite nice if you are into hiking and long walks. There are more than a few famous points there but to see them all you would need more than one day so plan accordingly. We were able to visit only a few of them in the 5+ hours we had on the island but with a small kid that was enough for us to get the idea and enjoy the experience.

One thing that we noticed as a big difference between the Anacapa and Santa Cruz was the number of activities you can choose from enjoying there. A lot of peopleware kayaking, diving, and snorkeling. You can also bring on the actual boat your own kayak and enjoy it on the island (space however is limited).

Another thing to note is that the Anacapa was significantly less packed with people. Santa Cruz seemed quite crowded at times. Being a much larger island with a lot more places to camp and see that is understandable.

Here are the few pics we took from the island:

Santa Catalina Island

We visited prior to Anacapa and Santa Cruz the Santa Catalina Island. As you can see from the photo below that the island is populated and a place for a few days vacation with plenty of hotels and entertainment.

You can read more about our trip to Catalina Island here. Overall we truly enjoyed the islands we visited and we are actively planning to explore the remaining ones as well soon.

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The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot (655 m)-deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 (± 150) years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years.

Wizard Island

Inside of the crater resides the so-called Wizard island which in combination with the surrounding lake and crater has made this such a beautiful attraction. Nature is amazing!

The Wizard Island is nicely exposed in the initial few stops and gets further away as you continue on the road. Viewpoints are nicely maintained and have enough space for more than a few cars to stop at a time. Take your time and enjoy the breathtaking views.

The Park

Park is very well maintained and absolutely worth the entry fee (which lasts for an entire week). The road goes around the entire crater and provides amazing views of almost every angle you can imagine. It is quite windy during our trip there (middle of October) so have that in mind. At some of the stops (Watchmen Overlook especially), there was no way to safely take a picture due to the strong winds.

There are quite a few viewpoints around the crater but some are really special. The Watchman for example we will remember due to the extreme winds that we faced. It was impossible to take a photo at all so we came back again the next day. Other viewpoints require some creative thinking for great pictures.

It was worth it, the view is really something else since you are face to face with the Wizard Island. Hillman Peak and Discovery points are also great with similar views. If you have time and end up going all the way around the lake check out the Phantom Ship Overlook. We could not just get a good quality picture while there for some reason.

Lodging

Note that the park is not open the entire year and lodging inside the park is seasonal. During the winter the park is closed due to the harsh weather and road conditions. There is only one hotel on the premises and it is usually booked years ahead so finding logging inside the park is difficult. We stayed outside the park (about 20 mins drive) and really enjoyed it. We booked via AirBnB.

Links

1. Crater Lake National Park Official Web Site
2. Park Map (PDF)

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Getting There

You can get to it by ferry (Catalina Express) from four mainland ports in Southern California – San Pedro, Long Beach, Newport Beach, or Dana Point – in about one hour or 15 minutes by helicopter. Helicopter services are available from Long Beach, San Pedro, Burbank Airport, and John Wayne Airport/SNA. We traveled by boat and really enjoyed it.

The Island

It is a small island filled with various restaurants, lots of things to do, and beautiful views. The main means of transportation there for tourists and locals alike are the golf carts. We rented one both days we were there and drove through the island. There are few stops at the top where you can see the entire harbor so have your camera ready.

Food & Entertainment

The restaurants we tried were all very good and if the island was very active during the day at night it gets even better. Various bars become alive, street musicians are out and people are dancing on the streets and having fun. There also are many galleries and little shops on the main street where you can spend time exploring the work of local artists etc.

Things to do

The beach is very small there and if you would want to get a piece of it you should go there early. We skipped it since waking up early during our vacations is rarely a thing for us :). Island is packed with various activities for every age. There are kayaks, boats, and all kinds of submarine-like excursions, etc. It also seemed that diving was super popular there as well.

Channel Islands Archipelago

Santa Catalina as mentioned before is one of the islands from the Channel Islands National Park. We visited also Anacapa and Santa Cruz on separate trips. You can read more about those trips here.

Links

1. Catalina Island Web Site
2. Catalina Island Transportation

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Sequoia National Park, the home of the giant sequoias is located in Tulare County, California. World’s largest single trees and largest living thing by volume (average height of 50–85 m (164–279 ft) and 6–8 m (20–26 ft) in diameter). We passed through the park on our way out of Yosemite National Park and overall had enough time to visit some of its attractions.

Things to See

The sequoias are absolutely humongous and majestic, as you can see from the photos below you can’t really believe how vast their trunks are until you try to “hug” them (and we did!). The park is well maintained and one that we highly recommend.

General Sherman Tree

There was a big line to take pictures next to the General Sherman Tree so we did not take any good quality photos there but rather enjoy the enormous size and beauty of the tree. This thing is literally larger than life having more than 2000 years under its belt! Think about that … 2 with 3 zeroes as a number representing a living being age. You have to see it to believe it. Just the mind-blowing age number makes you stare at it and think.

General Sherman Tree Trail

We spend most of the time in the Sequoia National Park exploring this trail and waiting for our turn to take a few photos here and there. Park overall is busy and packed by our standards. It is a very easy trail which explains why there are so many people in that section of the park.

Crescent Meadow

This section of the park was not busy at all … probably due to the fact that there was a reported bear sighting and people were abandoning it in numbers. We did the same after taking a few photos quickly.

Moro Rock

Now we consider ourselves pretty adventurous (for a family with a small kid) and (not very) afraid of high altitudes but man … Moro Rock is intimidating. The whole foreplay with the steps before you get on the top of it and read the “warning signs” about static electricity and how you should not (ever) go outside the rails. The air there … just makes you question your mental strength and confidence. I will confess I was scared. The video makes it look easier than it actually is and less scary so don’t think you won’t be afraid when you are there. Be there and then see for yourself.

Beetle Rock

Not a major attraction but close by the parking and the Giant Forest Museum. Not a lot of people were there and after we waited for a few minutes we were by ourselves. We took a few photos of-course.

Tunnel Log

I remember when I was in college I noticed somewhere an old photo of a car passing through the Tunnel Log (had no idea back then this was the park and what was the name of that “tunnel”). I told myself one day I will go there so taking a photo and see this log was one of the items from my life achievements list. For many people, it does not mean much I know but for me personally, it meant a lot 🙂

Links

1. Sequoia National Park Official Web Site

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Located in the western Sierra Nevada of Central California, Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the world. It covers an area of 747,956 acres (1,168.681 sq mi; 3,026.87 km). The park is famous for its granite cliffs, streams, and waterfalls. Millions of people had Yosemite photographs on their desktops thanks to Apple and their 10.10.5 Yosemite upgrade to their operating system.

We spend more than a few days in the park and made a decent attempt to see as many park attractions as possible. We left very impressed by Yosemite and enjoyed every moment spent there. Except for the few hours running from apparently starving and vicious mosquitos on the trails.

Things to See

There are many things to see in Yosemite and if you like hiking and camping then you probably would not want to leave this amazing place. Here are the attractions we ware able to visit:

Glacier Point

Probably one of the most breathtaking views in the park. It overlooks the Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Yosemite’s high country.

Tunnel View

This one is super convenient and beautiful as well. You simply park and enjoy the view of the El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall. No hiking is required at all.

Olmsted Point

We took few pictures of this famous vista of the northern side of Half Dome, Tenaya Canyon and Tenaya Lake.

Then decided to climb higher for an event better view:

Tenaya Lake

Tanaya Lake was as cold as it was calm and beautiful. We spend more than an hour at its shore enjoying the views. Our son relocated a significant amount of rocks to the bottom of the lake 🙂

Merced River

The river runs near the road and there are more than a few places you can stop for pictures. This particular stop was somewhat crowded due to the great view but with some patience, we were able to get few good shots.

Other stops

It is hard to find a view in Yosemite which you would not like and we stopped quite often to enjoy the views and take even more pictures. There are the ones which we do not remember from where exactly but we loved how they ended up looking:

Logging and Food

Yosemite has more than a few camping grounds and hotels. We stayed at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee Hotel) which is inside the park and is somewhat pricey for the quality of the rooms and food. Location and convenience wise however it is hard to beat. It also looks good on pictures 🙂

Sequoia National Park Combo

Since we wanted to see both parks in one week on our way out of Yosemite we visited Sequoia National Park as well. You can see our article on that here and bellow is the video we did as a retrospect of our trip to both parks:

Links

1. Yosemite National Park Official Web Site
2. Yosemite National Park Weather

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