High Sierra Topix

Say what? Zion is an absolutely incredible place with so much to see and do....

Totally agree, the Narrows, Angels Landing, Checkerboard Mesa, Emerald Pools, Great White Throne, and the secret Subway are just some of the few!

zion like arches is a zoo and i cant stomach the traffic etc...
I prefer the backroads, backcountry of canyonlands,capitol reef,mexican hat,mon.valley and a ton of blm land.I dont think i spend much time at all within the parks probably more blm land that borders them.

zion like arches is a zoo and i cant stomach the traffic etc...

Yes, compared to the ones you mentioned it is more busy, though the Subway is much less frequented. My favorite in Utah, is the Grand Staircase Escalante NM.

I drove from big water to escalante before it became gse.It was a bit wild in a 2wd.The Smokey Hollow area is lunar.I can just sit and gawk for hours in these places.Utah is out of this world.Nature,time and our insignificance in it is immediately apparent in those badlands.Humbling.

Yeah, that place is out of this world, could easily spend a month there.

If you want out of this world, try going to Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in NM.

maverick wrote:If you want out of this world, try going to Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in NM.

Out of this world!

The cost of an annual pass is well worth it if you use the parks a lot. It is too bad there is not a bit of a discount for low income. I now have the free "senior" pass. Although I appreciate it being free, I would be willing to pay half price if the other half discount could go to a low income family. The pass is good for a car-load of people. So if you go with others it is a better deal.

Put into perspective of other costs, I thin the interagency annual pass is a good deal. The California State Park Pass is way more expensive. I just spent $100 getting my teeth cleaned. Just skip this once and you have a park pass. Or haircuts? Go without a few. Before I qualified for the Senior Pass, I bought a pass every year. It was one expense that I did not feel bad about because I feel it goes to support the public lands. Even when I had little money, I would never think of "cheating" the system. In my mind I sort of figured it was a donation to a good cause.

Wandering Daisy wrote:The cost of an annual pass is well worth it if you use the parks a lot. It is too bad there is not a bit of a discount for low income. I now have the free "senior" pass. Although I appreciate it being free, I would be willing to pay half price if the other half discount could go to a low income family. The pass is good for a car-load of people. So if you go with others it is a better deal.

Put into perspective of other costs, I thin the interagency annual pass is a good deal. The California State Park Pass is way more expensive. I just spent $100 getting my teeth cleaned. Just skip this once and you have a park pass. Or haircuts? Go without a few. Before I qualified for the Senior Pass, I bought a pass every year. It was one expense that I did not feel bad about because I feel it goes to support the public lands. Even when I had little money, I would never think of "cheating" the system. In my mind I sort of figured it was a donation to a good cause.

Great post, Daisy. Us, too. We never mind paying for the stuff we love...and we love the idea of using some of the money we've saved with our senior pass to pay for someone else who might not be able to afford it otherwise.

We take our company (20+ people ach year)_ for a camping trip every year in the Sierra--sometimes a national park, sometimes a state park or national forest. We pay all the associated fees for the employees and their families/friends/significant others. We've done it for 22 years now. And over the years, we've seen quite a few "hesitant" or even "resistant" campers turning into enthusiastic ones. Best of all, at least two of our employees got so enthusiastic that they organized additional trips for their own friends to turn them on to the idea. Our parks need all the friends they can get!

DAVELA wrote:zion like arches is a zoo and i cant stomach the traffic etc...
I prefer the backroads, backcountry of canyonlands,capitol reef,mexican hat,mon.valley and a ton of blm land.I dont think i spend much time at all within the parks probably more blm land that borders them.

It can be...but you just gotta know where to go! It was relatively empty when I went