10 places to go in the Mid-West of the USA

Road trippin’ in the USA. Big ass truck and shitty motels. We did the trip with the 4 of us, saving a considereable cost on renting a truck, gas, and sometimes extreme hotel room rates.

Nature is abundant in this area and we had seen so much magnificent sites that after 3 weeks the Grand Canyon didn’t even blow our socks off. Anyhow, take your camera and your binoculars.

Canyonlands National Park aka Grand Canyon’s little brother with only a fraction of tourists.
Zion National Park. Angel’s Landing is a great half-day hike and provides some awesome views at the top. Challenging walk for people with fear of heights. Another great day walk: The Narrows: follow the river upstream through a canyon that gets more narrow and narrow. Some daredevils walk it for several days and camp at the stream. Hit Grafton ghost town if you still have some time left.
Craters of the Moon. If you’re heading to Yellowstone from the south, this is only a small detour. Vulcanic hills, fields and caves provide strange views. Well-worth it.
Hava Supai. Probably the most heavenlike place I’ve visited so far. Great hakuna matata feeling, torquoise blue falls and an authentic Indian village. Take another day to hike to Beaver Falls (and further). You can swim there and discover a hidden cave under the Falls. Hiking there takes a few hours and going back is a tough climb. Book accomodation well in advance.
Yellowstone. Oh my god Yellowstone. So much diversity in one park. Hands down a must-visit for any nature and wildlife lover. Grizzly, wolf, deer, elk, osprey, beaver … all of it amid gushing geysers, majestic falls and pine forest. Take the detour to visit Lamar Valley for wildlife spotting early morning and hike up the hill for the stunning view of rainbow Grand Prismatic. We slept at Yellowstone Under Canvas. A great place to feel connected with nature in your comfy tent, gazing at the stars.
Grand Teton. A great park with lakes and mountains and stuff. Hiking lovers will appreciate the fewer crowds here.
Peekaboo canyon. A hidden gem not many tourists visit but a lovely walk through Wave and Antelope Canyonlike alleys of swirly sandrock.
Salt Lake City. Not a big fan of the city centre but the views over the Lake are stunning.
Horseshoe Bend. Near Page and Lake Powell another beautiful view of the curving Colorado River. Take your wide-angle lens and try to visit at sunrise.
Antelope Canyon. Don’t be disappointed if you fell in love with the perfect Google-pictures and find the place swarming with tourists. Try to filter out everybody else and behold this magnificent example of flash flood erosion. Still worth the pricy entrance ticket and if you play it smart, you’ll be able to snap your shot without another soul on it. Keep the myth alive.