How many National Park sites are in the Rocky Mountain Region?
The Rocky Mountain Region has 42 total National Park sites. Fifteen of those 42 sites are major parks, including massively well-known ones like Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Arches, and Zion. There is no shortage of impressive parks in this region, that’s for sure.
Follow the links to find reviews of all the parks I’ve visited in those states. If I didn’t link a state, that means I have not yet visited any parks in that state.
This summer I will be taking a 12 day trip out Colorado and Utah and hitting 8 sites, including the 5 major parks: Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, and Arches. I am so excited to see the other half of the Grand Circle and a completely new state (Colorado)!
Colorado – 12 sites
Montana – 5 sites
North Dakota – 3 sites
South Dakota – 5 sites
Utah – 11 sites
Wyoming – 6 sites
Must-see sites in the Rocky Mountain Region
I have only been to 4 sites in the Rocky Mountain Region. I thought about mentioning sights I haven’t seen yet but are obviously gorgeous parks; however, I don’t think I can do that! I want to be able to use my own thoughts, words, and pictures. I’ll update this page after my Colorado trip. For now, I’ll briefly talk about the parks I have been to.
Zion
I had wanted to visit Zion before I had my passport and before I fully understood the National Park System because I knew how beautiful it was. The main canyon is actually not that big and can be fully enjoyed in about 3 days (though I recommend more). There is another section you have to drive out and around to, but it was closed during my visit (June 2020). I hope to get there some day!
Bryce Canyon
I was worried about being underwhelmed at Bryce Canyon because I was coming from Zion. However, I loved this park. As long as you go in with different expectations, you will too! I loved that each time I went into the canyon I noticed something different. Also, everything looks different at different times of the day because of the sunlight. I recommend staying here for multiple days so you have all the lighting options.
Capitol Reef
Overall, I did enjoy Capitol Reef. However, I do not recommend going in the summer. It was so hot and I could not do all the things I planned to do because of the heat. If you do visit in the summer, as long as you start early enough in the morning you should be fine, but definitely make sure you have air conditioning to come back to.
Last updated: April 25, 2023
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