Wildflowers
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There is going to be a great variation from year to year in what to expect in the first week of April judging by my experience. You can definitely expect some snow on the ground and it's likely to snow on and off. However, there are times it is not snowing, and my my experience, if you hike into the canyon it gets warmers and drier the farther down you go. I have hiked the Grand Canyon once in the last week of March and another year in the second week of April. Both times there was snow on the rim, intermittant snow fall, but once getting about a mile or mile and a half down the trail, no more snow. In fact, at the bottom each time, it was clear, springlike warm weather with trees having new green leaves and wildflowers in bloom. However, when hiking back up the canyon, in both instances within about a mile or mile and a half from the rim, snow again fell and the trail was a little slushy.
I definitely prefer hiking the canyon that time of the year to avoid the humid heat of the late summer or just plain hot hotness of earlier in summer. Hiking up with the air temp being 50 degrees was just perfect.
But there's a great variation in weather so your experience could be entirely different.
My advice would be (if you were hiking the canyon trails) to bring some yak traxs or pietons for improved traction (but plan on removing them at some point) as well as 2 hiking poles so you don't slip and fall on the trail. Oh, and of course, water and some type of electrolye powered additive. That is, if you're planning to hike.
It would be hard for me to imagine going there and not hiking.
Also check out the recommendations on our Sights to See and Things to Do pages. Our Only ad Day and Just for Kids sections will also have some good tips!
Lastly, check out this list of 22 fun things to do with kids!
We hope you have a great trip! Be sure to come back and let us know how it goes!
All Arizona State Parks provide accessible access to parking areas, visitor centers, restrooms, and picnic ramadas. For more information about specific facilities, special services or group access for people with disabilities, please contact the ADA Coordinator at (602) 364-0632. TTY service is available at (602) 542-4174.
More information is also available at www.AZStateParks.com.
Mount Rainier is known for its spectacular subalpine meadows! The best place to see them is in the Paradise section of the park, especially near the Jackson Visitor Center and on the Sourdough Ridge Trail.
You can read more about what to see and do in the Paradise section of the park here.
To track fall color trends and fine-tune your travel plans to Yellowstone, check out the Foliage Network for the latest updates.
Have a wonderful time leaf peeping in Yellowstone this fall! Be sure to check back in with us after you trip to share your leaf-peeping adventures with your fellow park enthusiasts.
This is actually not an easy question to answer as there are a lot of wonderful things to do. It really depends on how much time you have. The first thing you should do is just take a look. The canyon is magnificent and all the pictures you have seen don't do it justice. Take a walk around the canyon. I assume you will be visiting the south rim and around the rim there is a nice easy trail you can walk on to get different views of the canyon. If you are up for a more rigorous hike, go down into the canyon. Either the Bright Angel Trail or the South Kaibab Trail will provide you different perspectives of the canyon and you can hike as little or as much as you want. Get up early to watch the sunrise or find a spot to watch the sunset. At the beginning and the end of the day you can watch the colors of the canyon change and get the most dramatic views. And stop at one of the visitor centers and talk to the park rangers. There is a daily schedule of ranger led talks and walks where you can learn about Grand Canyon history, geology, animal and plant life, etc.
We were just there in May and had a wonderful time. I hope you do too.
Hi Kaitlyn, thanks for the question. Mt. Rushmore is a carved stone statue in the hills of South Dakota and truly an amazing part of our American History. You can learn a lot about the reason it came to be, how it was carved and much more on OhRanger.com. Below is a sample taken from the website that is a good general overview.
We're always here at OhRanger.com to answer your questions. Make sure to tell all your friends!
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Mount Rushmore National Memorial
"The four figures carved in
stone on Mount Rushmore represent the first 150 years of American
history. The birth of our nation was guided by the vision and courage
of George Washington. Thomas Jefferson always had dreams of something
bigger, first in the words of the Declaration of Independence and later
in the expansion of our nation through the Louisiana Purchase.
Preservation of the union was paramount to Abraham Lincoln but a nation
where all men were free and equal was destined to be. At the turn of
the Twentieth Century Theodore Roosevelt saw that in our nation was the
possibility for greatness. Our nation was changing from a rural
republic to a world power. The ideals of these presidents laid a
foundation for our nation as solid as the rock from which their figures
are carved. Each man possessed great skills and leadership of the brand
our nation needed for the times. Today millions of visitors come to see
Mount Rushmore and gain inspiration from these four great men."
See here for how it was built:
http://www.ohranger.com/mount-rushmore/making-mount-rushmore
Great question! Unfortunately, NPS does not know the exact number of fern species in the Hoh Rainforest. They do know that there are over 130 species of moss, lichen and fern within the rainforest.
Please come back to OhRanger to come to post more questions or to use your park knowledge to answer a few!
I've spent a lot of time in the Hoh. And while I can't tell you how many fern species exist there, I can share perhaps the four most common.
1) Sword Fern : This is perhaps the most common fern you'll see, and easily the biggest. These are the big bushy ferns that dominate much of the landscape. I've seen entire hillsides covered in this fern. This fern gets its name from the shape of each individual leaf, which does indeed represent a sword, including a bulbous hilt at its base. These ferns are a favorite food of the native elk populations. As you walk through the Hoh rainforest, you'll notice that a lot of these ferns have been trimmed down by the foraging elk.
2) Licorice Fern : These fern are easy to spot, because they are usually well off the ground, nestled in the crooks of Big Leaf Maple trees or in the moss on those trees. They usually have just a single short stem with leaves in that classic fern shape. Apparently it gets its name because the root is said to taste like licorice.
3) Deer Fern : These fern grow on the ground, and are much smaller in stature than the Sword fern. This fern has many stems that are low lying, but the easiest way to identify this fern is by the presence of a single tall stem that grows straight up from the center, with very delicate leaves on the end. It is said that this tall stem is a favorite food for deer (hence the name).
4) Bracken Fern : This fern is distinctive because of a ridged, almost woody stem that shoots from the ground about 3 feet in the air before it splits and grows the leaves in that classic fern arrangement. I live in an urban environment, and this fern is so common it is often considered a weed - albeit a pretty one.
http://www.ohranger.com/gear/search.html?q=down+jacket#http://www.altrec.com/down+jacket/search.htm?format=json&max_display=20&format_type=callback&return_var=searchCallback
One note of caution, keep your speed down as you go through the parks, especially at Yellowstone, as there are animals looming around every corner. There are also a number of construction zones, so be extra careful on the gravel sections that are being reconstructed. If you're lucky, you'll round a corner and see a moose and calf crossing the road, just far enough to be safe (ideally 100 yards minimum distance from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards from other wildlife). I had this experience on the pass coming into the park. If you do encounter an animal, drive slowly and give it a wide-berth, as the one constant about wildlife is that wild animals are unpredictable. Finally, I recommend against driving at night, as the roads are dark and many animals find it easier to walk on the pavement than in the dirt. Bison are especially dangerous, as they sometimes lay down in the middle of the road and there's nothing reflective about their anatomy, so you may not see the until the last-minute. Numerous animals die every year due to collisions in our parks. A little precaution will keep your rubber side down and ensure you a fantastic time in the park.
I welcome you to come back often to OhRanger.com to share your experiences, ask more questions and apply your own knowledge to answer the questions of your fellow park-lovers!
Happy riding...
