There once was a time when planning a visit to a national park -- particularly those in the western United States -- involved little more than choosing the dates and packing the car. You could be assured there would be campsites available, and you usually had the luxury of waiting until you arrived to decide exactly what you wanted to do. Those days are mostly gone; today the wise traveler invests a bit of time before leaving home, not only by reading books such as this one, but also by contacting park offices for maps and information, checking out lodging and camping choices, making reservations, and even researching restaurant, shopping, and side-trip possibilities.

There are several reasons for this. First and foremost is that as more people discovered the parks, they have gotten crowded, making it harder to secure campsites, lodging, and even parking. To combat this, it's best to decide what you want to do at the park and then try to schedule your visit for the least-crowded time that is best for those activities. For instance, guided horseback rides are only offered during warmer months, but these are also the busiest times at both parks. Therefore, if horseback riding is something you want to do, schedule your trip for spring or fall, when the stables are open but the summer season crowds aren't clogging the park.

Another good reason for advance planning is that you don't want to waste precious vacation time searching for a motel or campsite vacancy. Luckily, there are far more lodging and dining choices in and near the national parks than there were 15 or 20 years ago. At that time, we were happy if we found a restaurant that was clean and served basic American food. Today, dining out has evolved into an important part of the national park vacation experience.

So don't dread the planning work -- like the preparation for any special event, planning a trip to a national park can be loads of fun.