VACATION AND TRAVEL
Grand Circle National Parks
Article by Michael Joseph Lynch
In this article, I will be talking about nine National Parks that are part of the Grand Circle. The Grand Circle is located in the Four Corners region of the United States and covers most of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and a small portion of Nevada.
Out of these nine National Parks, I have personally been to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1999 and the South Rim in 1997, both in Arizona. I have also visited Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado in 2000, and Zion National Park in Utah in 1999. Zion and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon were my personal favorites among them.
Anyway, the first park I will talk about is Grand Canyon National Park, which is the first park in the Grand Circle and receives millions of visitors annually. Grand Canyon National Park You will find that the South Rim gets more visitors due to its easier access from nearby cities like Flagstaff and
Williams. The South Rim also offers better accommodations within the park, along with more restaurants than the North Rim. In contrast, the North Rim sees fewer visitors and has fewer accommodations, giving it a more remote, “roughing it” kind of experience.
At the South Rim, we stayed at the Thunderbird Lodge, while at the North Rim we rented a log cabin. Both rims also offer shuttle service to some of the most popular locations within the park, making it easier to get around and see the highlights. At each stop, you can get out, explore the area, and gaze down into different canyon sections.
The Zion Lodge in Utah.
Now, the North Rim is the jumping-off point to our next National Park, Zion National Park. Zion National Park On our way there, we made a stop at Glen Canyon Dam, which is truly spectacular to see in