My Trip Home from Big Bend National Park – An Epic National Park Adventure

On the way to Big Bend, I camped in Hot Springs National Park, stormed through endless logger roads of Mark Twain National Forest and camped there one night, enjoyed the Ozark NSR, Buffalo NR, Cane River Creole NHP, stormed through the Big Thicket N Res, backcountry hiked and camped in the wilderness of Pedernales Falls State Park during a thunderstorm, and marveled at the Lyndon B. Johnson NHP and the town of Fredericksburg. I thought that was a road trip, but it proved to be a small practice run for what was to come.

Once I headed for Sedona and entered Big Bend Country, I knew I had entered a different world. Far from the upper midwest surrounded by grass and pine trees. I was in the land of rolling desert, rumbling with severe thunderstorms and prickly desert plant life.

Fast forward 4 months to the moment I was leaving Big Bend National Park, a month long road trip began. For now, I’ll leave you with a list of most of the places I visited. Later I’ll elaborate in more detail of those that had the biggest impact on me.

1. Big Bend National Park
2. Black Gap Wildlife Mng Area
3. Split Rock
4. Green Mountain
5. Glass Mountains
6. Fort Stockton
7. Red Bluff L
8. Carlsbad National Park
9. Guadalupe Mountains National Park
10. Lincoln National Forest
11. White Sands National Monument
12. Apach Sitgreaves National Forest
13. Rainbow Forest Museum
14. Petrified Forest
15. Painted Desert
16. Painted Desert Inn
17. Route 66 Highway of Dreams
18. Meteor Crater National Landmark
19. Kaibab National Forest
20. Grand Canyon South Rim
21. Desert View
22. Little Colorado River Gorge Navajo Tribe Park
23. Moenkopi Plateau
24. Dinosaur Tracks
25. Cedar Ridge
26. Echo Cliffs
27. Bitter Springs
28. Navajo Bridge
29. Marble Canyon
30. Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
31. Kaibab Plateau
32. Grand Canyon North Rim
33. Grand Canyon Lodge
34. Glen Canyon Dam
35. Paria Plateau
36. Big Water
37. Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument
38. Kanab
39. Coral Pink Sand Dunes
40. Zion National Park
41. Dixie National Forest
42. Bryce Canyon National Park
43. Highway 12 National Scenic Route
44. Escalante Petrified Forest SP
45. Calf Creek Rec Area
46. Circle Cliffs
47. Capitol Reef National Park
48. Wayne
49. Henry Mountains
50. San Rafael Desert
51. Dirty Devil
52. Lake Mead
53. Glen Canyon National Rec Area
54. Cataract Canyon
55. Fry Canyon
56. Red Rock Plateau
57. San Juan
58. Natural Bridges National Monument
59. Manti La Sal National Forest
60. Bears Ears National Monument
61. Church Rock
62. The Needles
63. Canyonlands National Park
64. Wilson Arch
65. Canyon Rims BLM Rec Area
66. La Sal Junction
67. MOAB
68. Arches National Park
69. Canyonlands of the Ancients
70. Cortez
71. Mesa Verde National Park
72. La Plata Mountains
73. Rockwood Hermosa Trimble
74. San Juan National Forest
75. Weminuche Wilderness
76. Box Canyon Falls
77. Uncompahgre National Forest
78. Montrose
79. Curecante Needle
80. Blue Mesa Reservoir
81. Gunnison National Forest
82. Powder Horn Rec Area
83. Rio Grande
84. La Garita Mountains
85. UFO Watch Towers
86. Baca National Wildlife Preserve
87. Great Sand Dunes National Park
88. Great Sand Dunes National Preserve
89. Sangre De Cristo Mountains
90. Browns Canyon National Monument
91. Rocky Mountains
92. Colorado Springs
93. Castle Rock
94. Denver
95. Estes Park
96. Rocky Mountains National Park
97. Apapaho National Forest
98. Medicine Bow Routt National Forest
99. Apaho NWR
100. Medicine Bow Mountains
101. Roosevelt National Forest
102. Great Divide Basin
103. Rock Springs
104. White Mountains
105. Big Sandy Reserve
106. Sublette
107. Old Forte Bonneville
108. Shoshone National Forest
109. Upper Green BLM Rec Area
110. Gros Ventre Range
111. Snow King
112. Bridger-Teton National Forest
113. Jackson
114. Wind River Range
115. Grand Teton National Park
116. John D. Rockefeller JR Memorial Parkway
117. Yellowstone National Park
118. Absaroka Range
119. Gallatin National Forest
120. Pahaska Teepee
121. Old Trail Town
122. Cody
123. Bighorn Basin
124. Shell Falls
125. Bighorn National Forest
126. Granite Pass
127. Wolf Mountains
128. Buffalo
129. Johnson Campbell
130. Blackhills National Forest
131. Deadwood
132. Silver City
133. Mt. Rushmore
134. Crazy Horse Memorial
135. Jewel Cave National Monument
136. Wind Cave National Park
137. Rapid City
138. Badlands National Park
139. Buffalo Gap National Grasslands
140. Pinnacles Overlook
141. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
142. Prairie Homestead Historic Site
143. Sturgis
144. Ft Meade BLM Rec Area
145. Whitewood
146. Rock Mountain Rec Area
147. South Fork Grande
148. Bowman Haley Res
149. White Butte
150. Billing Slope
151. White Lake NWR
152. Black Butte
153. Little Missouri National Grasslands
154. Theodore Roosevelt National Park
155. Medora

From there I hopped on the highway and headed home. The drive from Medora was breath taking and worthy of photographing. North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the fall season are incredible and worth visiting. For me, I didn’t have the time available to explore these states more. I wish I had, but my trip had already given me much more than I ever expected. I went home a very happy man.