My Next National Parks To Hike! — Life With Marianna

Hey everyone! It's finally February! Am I the only one who thinks January feels like the longest month of the year?! We are just one month closer to warmer weather. One thing I hate about the winter is not being able to be outdoors so much. This leads to a lot of time of planning trips. Warmer weather is just around the corner and I am so glad! I've been dying to do some more hiking and getting back in shape to tackle more hikes. Last summer, my best friend and I took an awesome road trip cross country and we visited 7 National parks! ( Read about that trip here ->National Park Roadtrip ) After that trip, it left a longing to see more!

I've been making a list of National parks I want to visit this year and nearby hikes I want to do once it gets warmer outside. I wanted to share you all about my top 5 National parks I want to see next. I am hoping to visit and hike at least 3 of these this year and maybe even more since some of them are close to home!

1. Banff National Park

I have been dying to go here for a few years. It's located in Alberta, Canada and it is Canada's oldest national park too. The pictures of this place are just phenomal! There are so any hiking trails from easy to difficult here and pretty much all of them have a beautiful scenery. I am excited to see Moraine Lake and Lake Louise! Another national park close by that I would love to see if Jasper National park and Yoho National park. I would love to take a trip and be able to see all three of these beauties!

2. Acadia National Park

Acadia is located all the way up in Maine. Its a coastal national park with tons of lighthouses (aka my favorite). It's only a 9 hour drive from New Jersey which makes it possible for a long weekend trip! would love to take a trip up their to hike up Cadallac Mountain which is the highest point on the east coast! A possible summer trip may be in the works!

3. Crater Lake National Park

If you've seen the pictures of Crater Lake, you'd want to hike this park too. It's located in Oregon state (crazy fact: its one of the last 9 states I have left to see). They say crater lake was formed by a volcano and it is the deepest lake in the United States! I would love to see the crystal blue lake sometime this year!

4. Great Smoky Mountains

The Great smoky mountains are just a 13 hour drive from Jersey which also makes it possible for a long weekend trip! It is on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. I have been to the Smoky Mountains but I have never hiked which is why I want to go back. They say the trails here are amazing and the views are worth the hike. There is so much to see from waterfalls to domes!

5. Shenandoah National Park

Another great national park that is so close to home. Shenandoah is about 6 hours away from New Jersey which makes it a nice weekend trip ( I love doing weekend trips). It is located in Virginia and runs into Blue Ridge Mountain! They have amazing waterfalls and great views from the top of the mountain.

There is so much more on my list but these were my top ones for this year. It's hard because I have only my boyfriend and bff who love spending time hiking and are schedules are crazy which makes it so hard to plan things. I also dying to see Denali National park and hike some of their trails but that trip requires lots of planning. Summer 2019 trip? It's a possibility! I hope you continue to follow along my journey and see which national parks I make it to this year! Have a great Thursday :)

XOXO MB