In the not-too-distant past, planning a visit to a national park -- particularly one in the western United States -- involved little more than choosing a date and packing the car. The availability of a campsite was a given, and you could generally wait until you arrived to decide exactly what you wanted to do. Those days are over. Today, a wise traveler invests a bit of time doing research before arriving at a park. Before setting out for your destination, you should read guidebooks such as this one, contact park offices for maps and current information, check out lodging and camping choices, and make reservations. A smart planner will also research restaurant, shopping, and side-trip possibilities.
There are several reasons for this need for early preparation. As more people -- from this country and others -- discover the parks, crowds increase, and it becomes much harder to find campsites, lodging, and even parking. To combat this problem, it's best to decide what you want to do at the park ahead of time and then to try to schedule your visit for a less-crowded time that best suits those activities. For instance, as you'll discover in the following chapters, guided horseback rides are offered only during the warmer months, the busiest times at Rocky Mountain National Park. If horseback riding is something you want to do but you'd prefer to avoid the masses, schedule your trip for late spring or early fall -- the so-called shoulder seasons -- when the stables are open but before the summer hordes arrive or after they have departed.
Another good reason for advance planning is that you don't want to waste precious vacation time searching for a motel or campsite vacancy. Luckily, there are far more lodging and dining choices in and around the national parks than there were even 25 years ago. Back then we were happy if we found a restaurant that was clean and served basic American food. Today the choices are phenomenal, and dining out has evolved from simply filling the stomach into an important part of the national park vacation experience.
Don't dread the trip research -- like the anticipation of, and preparation for, a birthday party, Christmas, or another special event, planning a vacation to a national park can be loads of fun.
What Should I Take? -- In packing for your trip, you'll want to be prepared for all your favorite activities, of course, but also keep in mind that this is a land of extremes, with an often unforgiving climate and terrain. Those planning to hike or bike should take more drinking-water containers than they think they'll need -- experts recommend at least 1 gallon of water per person per day on the trail -- as well as good-quality sunblock, hats and other protective clothing, and sunglasses with ultraviolet protection.
Summer visitors will want to carry rain gear for the typical afternoon thunderstorms, and jackets or sweaters for cool evenings and the biting winds that can appear at any time. We can't emphasize too strongly that warm clothing will very likely be needed at least once or twice during your visit, even at the height of summer. Winter visitors will want not only warm parkas and hats, but lighter clothing as well -- the bright sun at midday, even in the high mountains, can make it feel almost like June.
Take a first-aid kit, of course, and make sure it contains tweezers -- very useful for removing ticks and cactus spines. Hikers will appreciate having a walking stick, and those carrying cameras may want to consider using one that can double as a monopod. Binoculars are also a very welcome accessory.
