DaY ONE  We fly from Chicago to the city that never sleeps—no, not New York-- Las Vegas, where we will begin our adventure visiting the wonderful parks of Southern California and Nevada. Bill has a special treat for you to kick off this all new national parks trip. 

Day Two  Our destination for today is Great Basin National Park, but along the way we will stop at Cathedral Gorge State Park.  This is an extraordinary State Park with geological formations that will dazzle even those that aren't rock lovers. We will end the day at Great Basin which is part High desert, part Aspen forest and all wildlife Haven. 

 Day Three The day is dedicated to exploring the park. Here you can find the oldest trees in the world-- Bristlecone Pines, as well as one of the most decorated caves in the US.  Lehman Cave is an easy paved walkway  loaded with stalagmites, stalactites and columns.  This is one of America's unknown gems that you will be privileged to enjoy.

Day four Devils Postpile National Monument is one of nature's greatest masterpieces. Created by a combination of volcanic flow, the erosion of the San Joaquin River and 1000 foot thick glaciers have created lava columns that will look more like organ pipe stone rocks. From Postpile, we enter Yosemite National Park in a way we have never done, and few others do—via the high meadows Tioga Roads. This is a side of the park rarely seen by the public. If you think you've seen  Yosemite before you are in for a treat.  We overnight in Yosemite Valley 

Day Five  We begin our day with visions of Yosemite Falls (tallest in the US), Half Dome, Angel Falls and El Capitan. As we leave the park, we will follow the Sierra Nevadas to a special treat. You know you have a special day set for you when you start in one park and then entered 2 adjoining National Parks on the same day.  Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are explored today with literally, the largest trees in the world set on the backdrop to the tallest mountains in the lower 48. Bill has some old favorites and some new site selected for this day of superlatives.

Day Six We spend the day exploring two  great parks, Kings Canyon and Sequoia. We will see the biggest trees in the world, the incredible vistas over Kings Canyon and the scenic Sierra Nevada mountains. We will spend a second night inside the park giving us extra time to watch for mule deer, black bears and the squirrels that help the forest rejuvenate itself.

Day Seven  Not all National Park facilities feature wildlife are happy stories, a few hold a mirror up for us to reflect and remember, Manzamar National Historic Site is one such place. Here 10,000 Japanese Americans were interned during World War II.  The site is actually located on the backside of Sequoia National Park where we can see the highest mountain in the lower 48-- Mount Whitney. This peak makes for a super photo .   Wen end the day at one of the iconic National Park lodges. 

Day Eight There is no place more daunting yet more beautiful than Death Valley National Park.  With the lowest point in the United States, rare fish found nowhere else and some of the most scenic roadways in any National Park--this is a treasure.   Bill will interpret the geology, flora and fauna as well as the human history (remember the 99 mule team Borax?)   You might think that the largest National Park facilities would be the most well known and visited, that is not true, Mojave National Preserve is one of the biggest, twice the size of Yosemite, and gets few visitors.  Here three of North America's deserts merge-- the Mojave,  Great Basin and Sonoran-- making it rich in flora and fauna.  In fact it is home to 300 species of animals from bighorn to desert tortoises. 

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Day Nine Today we have a little history and big wildlife. Cabrilla National Monument honors the 1500s expedition launched from Mexico that explored the future US coast as far North as Oregon. This was the beginning of a European settlement of the West. In the afternoon, we hit the water on the lookout for the largest animal that ever lived, the great blue whale. San Diego has become a feeding ground for the endangered leviathan making this a whale watching paradise. 

Day Ten Today we had home with mountains, forests, desserts and oceans swirling our heads. No other National Park trip can offer such a diverse look at America's ecosystems. 

 

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