National Parks II (CO/AZ/UT)

Capitol Reef NP: The scenic drive is quite nice, but cannot compete with the splendor of the other parks. In the ghost town of Fruita, a few buildings are conserved; the petroglyphs on the stone walls on the other side of the highway are certainly historically valuable, but can’t really impress us.

Canyonlands NP: The park is divided into three parts by the two major rivers, the Colorado and the Green River; there are no road connections between the individual areas within the park. The landscape is characterized by deep canyons, which can be watched from different lookouts.

Arches NP: The park has the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches, with over 2,000 “arches” counted to date. In addition, there are lots of bizarre stone formations having such strange names as The Three Gossips, Babel Tower or Balanced Rock. The best-known destination is 14 meters high, freestanding Delicate Arch, which decorates the cover of many travel guides of the American Southwest.

Rocky Mountain NP: The national park just outside Denver is crossed by Trail Ridge Road, which stretches from Grand Lake in the west to Estes Park in the east across the Continental Divide. The park is a hiker’s paradise where, with a bit of luck, you can spot moose and other wildlife.