Welcome to Dirt In My Shoes, your go-to channel for national park trip planning tips! You’ll find insider secrets and expert advice straight from the boots of a former national park ranger.
My name is Ash, and I’m here to make planning your national park trips easy! As a park ranger, I saw a lot of the mistakes people make when visiting the parks, and the success of your trip starts with the planning.
I can help you avoid the crowds, find solitude, and see the best sights. Subscribe for weekly videos that will make your national park trips epic! From can’t-miss trails to hidden gems to scenic drives, I will show you how to make the most of your national park adventures.
🌲 Get your hour-by-hour itinerary ➡️ dirtinmyshoes.com/national-park-trip-itineraries/ 🎙️ Listen to our podcast ➡️ dirtinmyshoes.com/podcast/ 🥾Start planning your trip ➡️ dirtinmyshoes.com
Great video! Hoping to visit grand teton, yellowstone and glacier national parks next July. The national park lodges seem to be the most convenient to cut down on driving. Im just concerned they dont have air conditioning. What is the weather like in these parks in July? Is air conditioning typically not needed? Also, trying to figure out how many nights for all 3 parks. Is 10 nights enough? Would probably fly into spokane and fly home from salt lake city based on flight and rental car prices. Thank you!
It's usually ok without AC....a little uncomfortable, but being at a higher elevation, things usually cool down nicely in the evenings. For a sample schedule for seeing all three parks, check out this post (near the end) www.dirtinmyshoes.com/how-many-days-should-i-spend-in-glacier-national-park/
So I visited the South Rim as part of a Route 66 road trip last year in early May. Even though you discourage staying in Flagstaff or Williams, it was a must for me because Route 66 runs through both towns (I stayed in Williams, which is a really cool little town for walking through with a bunch of souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, etc.). The next morning I drove up and went out to the Desert View Watchtower first. Then drove back and parked at the Visitors Center and walked probably 2 miles of the Rim Trail and back to get some really good viewpoints of the canyon. Then in order to avoid having to take the shuttle from the Visitors Center to the shuttle transfer station for the Hermit's Rest shuttle (here's the pro tip lol), I found a parking spot at Maswik Lodge and it's maybe a 10 minute walk to the transfer station from there. This was a huge time saver over having to take the shuttle all the way back to the Visitors Center, which makes a lot of stops along the way. I got all of this done in probably 6-7 hours. I didn't do any long strenuous hikes or anything though, but I saw a lot of the South Rim. It should also be mentioned that there is the Grand Canyon Railway that runs from Williams to the South Rim if people are interested in that. You can do a day trip there and back on the train (however you only get like 4 hours in the park until you have to take the train back to Williams), or you can take the train there one day, then stay at one of the hotels for as many nights as you want, and then take the train back to Williams.
It's not that I don't think Williams and Flagstaff are worth a stop...it's just that I don't recommend them as a basecamp for the Grand Canyon if visiting the park is your primary purpose. But we will often stay a few nights at the rim, and then head out to Williams for a night to spend some time in town. On my very first visit to the South Rim (15 years ago or so), we stayed in Williams for the entire time, and it was just too much driving for the 3 days we were there! I've never done that since because it's worth it to me to stay closer to rim to beat the crowds. I'm glad you had such a great trip and that you were able to experience so much! Happy trails!
I am planning a trip for next year; where can you park for a week stay camping at the park? I would just like to park take all the gear to base camp and take the shuttle when need be...is that possible?
You can see the Going-to-the-Sun with the shuttle, so camping anywhere along that road would work for your purposes. But if you want to get to any of the other sections of the park, you'll need to drive or book a tour.
So what's up with the law about not being able to film or take photos to use on social media? Have they ever resolved this? It's basically kept me from visiting national parks these days.
I wanted to motorcycle camp from Tennessee up into Glacier and enjoy the mountains the last two weeks of August, but the more I research, the more it seems like a trip to a crowded Super Walmart. I'm a little discouraged. Should I just re-route? Can you give me new hope? :-)
Glacier is definitely super busy, but avoiding the crowds is my specialty! That's why I wrote this Glacier Itinerary: www.dirtinmyshoes.com/glacier-itinerary/
The funny thing is, it’s often easier to get a campground reservation than it is to get an entrance reservation. You can generally always find a campground reservation at one of the campgrounds. But people often don’t cancel entrance reservations since you aren’t getting any money back if you do. Yes, a campground costs more. But if you REALLY want to go to Yosemite on a particular day and can’t get a ticketed entry, this is an option.
I am very much considering picking up your three day itinerary guide based on this excellent podcast and your RU-vid video. Thanks for your quality and very highly informed content! Looking at spending 2.5 days in the Park in July so expecting serious crowds and crazy squirrel-feeding, bison-hugging ubertourists :(
ALSO: Re-designate Gateway Arch to a National Monument, and designate Ozark National Scenic Riverways into a National Park. That way Missouri keeps a national park.
Honestly, camping along Tioga Pass Road is MUCH nicer than camping in Yosemite Valley. The campgrounds may not be as close to Yosemite Valley attractions. But the campsites are much more spacious, spread out, private, and ‘nature immersing’. It is also easier to get a reservation. By contrast, camping in Yosemite Valley is much more like camping at a music featival or RV park. Also, summer weather is MUCH nicer along Tioga Pass Road than in blazing hot Yosemite Valley. And although Yosemite Valley gets all the love, the high country should NEVER be looked at as a downgrade.
I agree...I love camping along the Tioga Road! But it has a much shorter season and isn't as convenient for first-time visitors. When we return to Yosemite, now that we've been many times, we tend to stick to those more off-the-beaten-path areas and campgrounds!
What a comprehensive and awesome video this was. I think we are probably going to visit in mid-September this year, and I realize that we won't need any reservations beyond Sept 8. After this video finishes, I am going to look at the links to your Glacier Itinerary. Have you ever worked at, or visited, Kenai Fjords?
Hi, I really enjoyed your videos. Question, I am not a hiker, but love exploring. Do you know of a few easy trails that are doable for beginners inside Badlands Park?
One thing I would add to the driving time is it can take you 30 minutes to go a half mile like it did me and my wife. We were traveling to West Yellowstone from Old Faithful and traffic was at a near standstill about 5 miles east of West Yellowstone due to a herd of bison on the highway. You don't honk at a Bison or tail gate it if you're smart.😊
Heres an idea for a video: how to go to national parks with kids. Do you bring any games while camping, do you deny electronics for the trip, whats the longest most kids can hike, etc.
What a choice! I'm a national park junkie, so Badlands -- you can hike, look for fossils, and visit Wall Drug. But if you're wanting a more traditional Black Hills experience, Custer has mountain hiking, swimming/floating, more restaurants and gift shops, etc.
Hi! Great Video! Do you happen to know how early the park rangers are at each of the entrances if we are attempting to purchase a visitor pass before 7 AM? Thank you!
i moved to Whitefish, Mt in 1982 to take a job at KTXX radio (located on the river where Pine Lodge currently is). immediately began hiking and exploring. spent 35 of the next 39 years putting on well over 6000 Glacier Park trail miles, over 100 mountain summits, dozens and dozens of nights back country camping, spring biking, and winter skiing. the crowds were extremely manageable until about 2000. i could find a place at Logan Pass at 11 am. Two Medicine and Many Glacier required no reservations - EVER! North Fork campgrounds were never full. spring biking had about 25-30 bikers a day pre 2000. i have a RU-vid video showing 175+ bikers on a 10 mile stretch in 18 minutes (downhill) in 2016 (yes. at age 62 i was still biking to Logan Pass and NO DAMNED e-bike used). that was before noon that day. i'm sure there were at least double that by mid afternoon. by 2015, my twice monthly climbs of the peaks around Logan Pass had me getting to the parking lot before 7am just to find a spot to park. it changed fast from 2000 to 2015. a zoo. crazyland. it was getting worse year by year nothing but rude, inconsiderate, pushy, arrogant, know-it-alls with a sense of privilege and entitlement. the friendliness and kindness quickly disappeared and the behavior became untenable. what a bunch of assholes. i finally had enough and come retirement - i couldn't get the hell of there fast enough. not because i didn't love Glacier Park and it's employees.....it was the "citified" rudeness of the newcomers that drove me away. loving the Andes now. i miss Glacier Park.....but not the people. i don't miss those assholes one bit. good riddance.
@@DirtInMyShoes I do to (love Glacier). i'm still culling through 5000+ pics to chose wall hangings for my apartment in Cuenca Ecuador. but it's a whole new ballgame. glad i had the opportunity to enjoy it unperturbed. my many good experiences will never be forgotten. but the last few years soured me on what the American public has become. it's a cultural thing.
I was planning a trip to Glacier next year...but reading some comments with various channels; a lot of you home bound people of Glacier are saying the same thing. I am feeling I should reconsider my trip! I have never been, but I enjoy & love nature and hate that the rude city crazies mess it up. I dont like a lot of people/crowds especially hiking. I was going to plan last week of September or 1st week of October just to avoid all the chaos-but what I am reading I dont think all the people can be avoided at this point? It seems like this is happening in every state that has some kind of nature attraction, people just flock to it...why cant people just go to the zoo where they belong or a sport game haha?!
WHY do several trees look like they were cut into sections by modern machinery??? I think when a tree dies, breaks and falls naturally... the point of breakage is VERY JAGGED... NOT cut perfectly smooth into sections which MANY of those trees were. Someone, please explain this.
The park explains it in their FAQS: Why do the petrified logs look like someone cut them with a saw? Petrified wood is mostly silica-quartz. The logs are very hard (7.8 on the 1-10 Mohs hardness scale!), but brittle. After petrification, but while the logs were still encased in matrix rock, the logs cracked under stress. As the logs eroded out, from gravity and ice wedging, the cracks widened and segments separated. Silica naturally breaks on a clean angle.
I used to feel that way every time I visited Yellowstone, but when I finally figured out the timing of when to be where, Yellowstone rarely feels super busy to me anymore, even in the middle of the summer! You'll find my timing recommendations here: www.dirtinmyshoes.com/yellowstone-itinerary/
Thank you for all of the information on Olympic National Park! Your podcast and videos are so helpful. Do you have any recommendations for books on the history of Olympic National Park? I'm particularly interested in non-fiction stories about the people who explored the park or adventures in the park.
