One place that I KNEW I had to visit in Colorado is Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Located about 3 1/2 hours south of Denver, I made this a stop along the way to Durango. Here’s how I spent one day in this park and why Great Sand Dunes National Park is worth a visit.

Colorado National Monument is an untapped gem here on Colorado’s western slope. The best way to experience the park is taking the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive which follows the canyon edges and provides spectacular views. With many of the trails only around 1-mile, I managed to get five awesome hikes in within a couple of hours. Here are five easy hiking trails in the Colorado National Monument.

With interest in outdoor experiences at America’s iconic parks and landmarks at an all-time high, ExploreBetter.com is sharing tips to help set visitors up for a great experience. The travel planning tips are culled from the experience of ExploreBetter.com’s publisher, Delaware North, a longtime national park concessionaire and partner in the stewardship of many of the country’s cherished outdoor destinations.

Yosemite Ziplines and Adventures is a family-owned and operated ziplining ranch and is about 1 hour away from the east entrance of Yosemite off Highway 140 near the town of Mariposa. It was a perfect way to escape the busy summer Saturday Yosemite crowd.

The Half Dome hike has amazing scenery with up close views of Vernal and Nevada Fall. Whatever your level or desire, there are multiple hikes and stopping points along the Mist Trail and you can turn around at any time. So here is a breakdown of the hike up to Half Dome and some facts you'll need if you're lucky enough to get to the summit!

The next stop was the popular Hidden Valley Trail. This hike is a popular one for many reasons, it's surrounded by picnic areas and a nearby campground, it's right off the main road, it's only a one mile loop, and it's a gorgeous nature walk that is well maintained and easy for all levels.

49 Palms Oasis is a 3-mile roundtrip hike to a fan palm oasis and takes between 2-3 hours to complete. It's considered moderately strenuous and ascends 300 feet each way. This hike has it's own access road off Park Boulevard and therefore does not require an entrance fee.

The Emerald Pools hike is an easy and quick hike that is great for all ages and hiking abilities. There are three stops along the way; the lower, middle, and upper pools so you can plan your hike accordingly or hit all three for a 3 mile roundtrip hike. This is one of the parks most popular hikes so it gets very crowded on the narrow parts of the trail, but it is worth every busy step.

The Narrows is one of the most unique and beautiful hikes in America. It was ranked #5 in National Geographic's America's Best 100 Adventures. This gorge runs along the Virgin River in Zion National Park. The entire trail is 16 miles in length and goes from the Temple of Sinawava to Chamberlains Ranch where there is a campground for two-day hikers.

I knew the Angels Landing hike was going to test me. Zion National Park is a part of the Mighty 5 parks in Utah (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands, and Capital Reef). Located about 3 hours from Las Vegas, we were able to get there, park, take the shuttle to the visitor center, and then shuttle to The Grotto (the start point for Angles Landing) by noon.