National Parks versus State Parks

Arches National Park

We live in a beautiful state with some of the most varied National Parks in the United States.  We can go from red rocks to beach front property in a matter of hours.  But in between, there are numerous state parks that shouldn't be missed.  I didn't realize how many organizations it took to plan, maintain, and prepare the parks for visitors.  So, how do you know which group (state or national) actually "controls" the parks near your home?

Well, here's a handy website that we use when we decide to go camping.  It's very helpful whenever you want to make reservations for camping but don't have the time to drive to the campground hours before to get just that right spot.

Bison on Antelope Island

Recreation.gov takes care of all of your federal camping, national parks entrance fees, and other national agencies as well.  The website has the ability to narrow down your search from a wide selection of campgrounds, to a narrow field for group camping with disabilities, or even if you need to camp with animals.  We've used this a few times in January to reserve popular campground locations for the summer time.  When we decided to take a trip to Arches National Park in Utah, we found that the campground fills up before the end of February.  Great!?  Now what?

Well, there's always a Google search for local campgrounds.  But what about state parks?  There are a host of these.  But how do you find them when you thought your local campground was a part of the National Parks Service?  That took some digging.

Goblin Valley, Utah

In most states, the parks are maintained by a branch of the Department of Natural Resources (or DNR).  You can do a Google search and look up individual state parks.  For Utah, the web address has little to do with the DNR so it was a bit more difficult to find.  But the benefits are endless.  There were places listed that I had never even dreamed of before...and what's better:  they were close to home and didn't cost as much as the National Parks.

This year, we've planned a few camp outings and we'll discuss all the joys of camping with small children and how to cook for an army in later posts.  Remember when planning your own weekend excursions to keep in mind those less known sites in your own state.  They might not be "popular" enough to make it to a national level, but that's just fine with us.  We don't mind taking the less traveled road to see something just as amazing and beautiful, and possibly with less visitors too.