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Traveler's Top Overlooks In the National Park System

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Viewing the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River from Artist Point is one of the great views in the national parks. Kurt Repanshek photo.

Where can you find some of the best overlooks in the National Park System? Some are easy enough to drive to, while others require a little more exertion on your park. In either case, though, the payoff is well-worth it.

Here, in no particular order, are the Traveler's picks for where best to stand to soak in the grandeur of the national parks:

* Artist Point, Yellowstone National Park. If it was inspiring enough for 19th century landscape painter Thomas Moran, it'll be inspiring to you as well.

* Half Dome, Yosemite National Park. This vantage point takes some getting to, but it offers some perks, such as another great overlook from atop Nevada Fall, the view down into the Yosemite Valley, and the gander you can take up towards Cloud's Rest.

* Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park. True enough, stand atop this mountain at certain times of the year and you can be among the first in the nation to see the sun rise. But that requires timing your visit and getting up awfully early. Sunrise aside, Cadillac offers sweeping views of Frenchman Bay and the Gulf of Maine. While you can drive to the summit, a hike to the top is more rewarding.

* Grand Teton, Grand Teton National Park. The views of Jackson Hole down below, north towards Yellowstone National Park, east toward the Wind River Range, and west into the Jedidah Smith Wilderness will take your breath away. Of course, so will the climb to the 13,770-foot summit.

* Point Sublime on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. A great vantage point for sunset photographs.

* Logan Pass, Glacier National Park. Sculpted glacial valleys, the Garden Wall, cascading streams fueled by snowmelt, mountain goats.

* Top of the trail to Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park. From here you can gaze down, and figuratively back in time, onto an architectural wonder from an ancient civilization.

* Angel's Landing, Zion National Park. No better view of Zion Canyon than from this perch.

* Grand View Point Overlook, Canyonlands National Park. From here you can truly appreciate the ruggedness, and beauty, of this national park.

* Mount LeConte, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A view across the park's rumpled landscape from atop this mountain is particularly picturesque in fall when the forests slip on their colorful fall outerwear.

Comments

I'll take this as an invitation to add to the list:

Wind Canyon, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Standing at the rim near the mouth of this deep and narrow canyon, you look out over the wilderness of the northwest corner of the park's southern unit. The Little Missouri River meanders through scrublands filled with bison and pronghorn. Come here at dawn for a surreal experience.

Pyramid Point, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. After a steep climb through birch-maple forest on the back of a perched dune, you emerge on a flat summit with the vast blue of Lake Michigan suddenly filling your vision. 500 feet below and about 10 miles out is the park's wilderness area, North Manitou Island.

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park. 360 degree views. Glacier filled valleys, elk-filled fields, snow-capped mountains, the town of Port Angeles, the Straight of Juan de Fuca....you can see everything from up there.


Good additions, Kirby. I thought about Hurricane Ridge. Definitely a great place to get the lay of the land.


If I recall correctly, there's a sign at the trailhead for Harper's Corner in Dinosaur National Monument, that proclaims it to be the best overlook in the National Park system. Some boast. It sure is a fine view, but it's hard to pick which one is the 'best'.


While getting to the top of Half Dome is quite an accomplishment, I didn't think the view itself was that great. My recommendation for a better view from a peak in Yosemite would be from Clouds Rest.

http://img161.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img4745.jpg

Other vehicle accessible overlooks in Yosemite are Tunnel View as well as Washburn Point and Glacier Point.


Permit me to add one I just visited: the Visitor's Center in Utah's Cedar Breaks National Monument. An absolutely stunning vista overlooking The Amphitheater, one of the truly great viewpoints that isn't well known among the average tourist. For my money, it rivals anything the Grand Canyon offers.


What's missing from the summit of Half Dome is the view of Half Dome itself! My favorite overlook in Yosemite National Park is Glacier Point. In fact, I believe the best view of Half Dome is obtained from this vantage point. For a view of Half Dome without crowds, try signing out for a scramble/climb up the old Glacier Point Ledge Trail above Camp Curry. The views are terrific along this steep hike, but watch out for falling rock. This hike most definitely is not for everyone, which is why it is now classified as a registered climb.

At Zion, Angel's Landing offers a fantastic view of the mouth of Zion Canyon. I would also rate as outstanding the view from the top of the geological formation known as the Rockville Bench south of the Virgin River above the towns of Springdale and Rockville, below and just to the west of the Eagle Crags, looking north into the mouth of Zion Canyon at early sunrise or just prior to sunset. This viewpoint is accessible by car, but requires driving on dirt roads once crossing the Virgin River at Rockville. Another viewpoint worth mentioning is the Canyon Overlook. A one-mile trail ends at the top of the Great Arch of Zion with a view into Oak Creek Canyon, the Temples and Towers of the Virgin, the Alter of Sacrifice, the Beehives, and the Great West Temple. This walk is well worth the effort. It's best taken early in the morning to observe the change of color on the red and whilte cliffs with sunrise.

At Crater Lake, my favorite is the view over the lake prior to sunset from the top of the Watchman, watching the shadow of Wizard Island extend across the lake. As the sun sets in the west, the full moon rises over the eastern horizon near Cloud Cap and Mt. Scott. The overview from the summits of Mt. Scott, Garfield Peak, and Dutton Cliff are also worth mentioning. The hike to the top of Dutton Cliff requires cross-country hiking through pumice. The summit of Dutton Cliff is an abrupt drop off with a view directly upon the sails of the Phantom Ship. After hours at Crater Lake, any place along the rim offers an unforgettable view of the great caldera and the brilliant starry night sky, with the Milky Way seen in its full glory at this time of the year.

Owen Hoffman
Oak Ridge, TN 37830


Enjoyed thinking of these posted here.

I have an interesting Paleo-Indian overlook in a national park site to add, but don't want to post it yet until I know that these don't have to be mountain-related.

Thanks for the list.


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