This year, having decided that I again wanted to spend the summer in the great outdoors, far from urban distractions such as electricity bills and upstairs neighbors who think that three in the morning is a good time for rap music, I applied as early as possible to a variety of companies running resorts or hotels in national parks across the western United States. Thus far I have acceptances from places in the Grand Canyon (south rim), Denali, and Grand Teton. So, Straight Dope. source of all wisdom, tell me where I would rather spend three months this coming summer.
Are you looking for suggestions out of those particular three, or for any American national park in general?
I’ve been lucky enough to go to several of the parks, though I’ve rarely had an opportunity to spend an extended period of time in many.
I’ve never been to Denali but would absolutely love to go. If it was me, I’d probably choose this place, simply because it’s the one of the three I haven’t been to.
Between the Grand Canyon and the Grand Tetons, I think I’d have to pick the Grand Tetons. The Grand Canyon is beautiful, of course, but in my opinion doesn’t have nearly the variety that the area around the Grand Tetons has.
To be fair, I must admit here that while I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, I’ve never had the opportunity to hike down in to it; I’m sure there’s plenty of fascinating stuff to see down in there that a rim viewer would miss. Having said that, however, while the views of the canyon are spectacular, I could see myself wanting something different after a while. In other words, if I’ve seen the canyon from a dozen different viewpoints, I don’t see myself being especially enthusiastic about going out of my way to get yet another, thirteenth view. Again, though, I want to mention that this opinion would probably be different if I had the opportunity to go explore various hidden corners down in the canyon.
Grand Tetons, on the other hand, have a lot of different things to see. OK, i won’t lie to you, I’m really thinking more in terms of Yellowstone here, instead, but they’re right next to each other. But in that general area, you have spectacular views of the mountains, canyons, many waterfalls, and geysers along with other geothermal features. Lower Yellowstone Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone are pretty spectacular just by themselves, as well. You’ll probably see much more wildlife in the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone area, as well–Even if you just drive through, you’re pretty much guaranteed of seeing buffalo and elk, and there are decent chances for spotting moose, bear, goats, coyotes, and even an occasional wolf.
(There are, of course, other national parks in the neighborhood of the Grand Canyon’s south rim, but none anywhere near as close as Grand Tetons/Yellowstone are to each other).
Anway, obviously this is just my opinion. My favorite “in a nutshell” guide to the national parks is National Geographic’s. Great pictures, highlights of major attractions at each, and a list of nearby attractions for each park. You might want to browse through that to see what strikes your interest.
Some of my other favorites, if you have the opportunity or are interested: Yosemite (possibly the most beautiful area I’ve ever seen), Olympic (great variety–coast, rain forest, and mountains), Badlands (really cool landscape, plus, it’s right by the Black Hills, in which there’s plenty of additional stuff to see).
Of course, if you really want to “get away”, I expect just about all of these parks will be very crowded during the summer. You might look into some of the more remote or less visited parks, such as Big Bend, Theodore Roosevelt (another badlands area in the Dakotas), or Wind Cave (one of the longest caves in the world, also in the Black Hills of South Dakota).
Oh, you lucky devil—getting to work at a National Park. I would love to do that. I will do that some year.
I would also vote for Grand Tetons. It’s so beautiful up there. However, if you are still considering other National Parks, you can guess which one I’d suggest (check my username ;)). I really hope I can work there some summer (or fall, or spring . . . ).
Go to Denali. You can always get to The Grand Canyon, and to The Tetons. Denali is much more out of the way. Go for it.
If you’re looking for isolation go for the Craters of the Moon in Idaho. Nothing but Lava rocks in all directions. Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon south rim all have tourists in droves so unless you’re really leaving the trodden path you’re going to have to deal with them. So Denali sounds likes the best bet of all the acceptances you’ve gotten. I have not been to that one though. So I can’t really say anything about it.
This is a good idea. It’s not often you’ll get the opportunity to get up there, although clouds of mosquitos and other biting insects might be a drawback.
The Grand Canyon is fantastic, but unless you’re on the river I imagine it will too hot to do much of anything.
The Tetons would be my first choice, personally. You can’t beat the scenery, Yellowstone’s right up the road, Jackson’s just down the road, and I think generally there’s just more to do (hiking, mtn. biking, river running, climbing, the occasional night out, etc.).
You can also fly a glider (at Driggs ID - west of the park). Being in a glider over the Teton range on a good day is an amazing experience.
Oh man are you lucky! Given the choice it would be the Tetons for me. I live about 3 hours South and go up there anytime I get the chance!
I’d reccomend Lassen Volcanic Natl. Park. It’s really beautiful country, mostly untouched wilderness, and the volcanos look very tall and awe-inspiring. There’s good hiking, good fishing, and best of all, practically no one goes there. You won’t find the throngs of people you would in, say, Yosemite.
Plus there are boiling mud puddles and hot springs. They’re always pretty nifty.
Getting in actually isn’t difficult, as long as you’re willing to do some crap job like washing dishes. To me that’s a small price to pay for a whole summer at one of the best places on Earth. Last summer I ran a cash register at a place called Grant Village in Yellowstone National Park. I did manage to drive through Grand Teton a couple times and I remember the spectacular scenery.
Here is a website that links to the recruitment pages for all the resorts in the various parks, if anyone is interested.
Denali all the way. Been to all three (but haven’t spent that much time in Grand Tetons). If you just spent time in Yellowstone, then Grand Tetons wouldn’t be that much different (broad generality I know, but still).
The Grand Canyon is, of course, awesome. I just spent my Thanksgiving there. But given the hoards of people who will visit the place in the summer, the south rim in particular will be pretty unbearable. Having the time to go for hikes would be great, but again, you’ll be there in the summer so once you start descending, the temps will get pretty toasty. Keep it on your list.
Been to Denali twice, and each time has been awesome. For starters, the mountain. Maybe not the highest in the world, but since the base is around 2000’, it is one of the largest (volume) to see (tip: best times to see the mountain are early morning - around 4 to 5AM). Next all the wildlife - that truly is wild: grizzly bears (that haven’t been tainted by humans to come begging), caribou, Dall sheep, and moose. Add to that, the park is huge. You can go off wandering for days to explore new places. And last but not least, you’ll be there in Alaska in the summer so close to 20 hours of daylight ! All the more time to enjoy the park.
Downsides: mosquitos - especially out on the tundra and out by Wonder Lake. And rain - sometimes lots of it. There will be a good number of people visiting the park, but since they’re confined to the buses, they tend to be controlled a bit more than at other parks.
If you’re working, I’d say Denali. Being the least well known of the three, you’ll probably have less mindless tourists to deal with. Sure, there’ll be some, but I think only more serious nature people would go there then the other two.
If it were me, Denali all the way. I’ve been to the other two, and while they are both spectacular, Denali has a more exotic cachet. But it’s possible I’m saying that just because I’ve never been there, the Grand Canyon and the Tetons really are both stupendous. I think I’d favor the Tetons slightly over the Grand Canyon, though, because it’s attached to Yellowstone and the two of them together are…amazing.
Check out the season length, job working conditions, pay rates (including actual take home pay after all those deductions you may not be aware), etc. Then look at what there is to see/do on your days off (with and without your own transportation), local flavors, weather conditions, etc.
All three are great places to work, and the experience and memories will last a very long time. You might even enjoy it so much that you will return for a number of summers and work your way up the seasonal work ladder.
Good luck, work hard, have fun, and just remember you owe us a 20,000 word report on your adventures when you return.
