Reddit reviews Your Guide to the National Parks: The Complete Guide to all 59 National Parks (Second edition)

My wife and I have camped pretty extensively across the West and a bit around the East (we’re just down from you in NE Ohio). First, I have to say that the Western US is where the natural beauty of North America is at its best, so spend as much time as you can out there!

We started camping around with a really basic and cheap Coleman Redwood tent that definitely did what we needed. We didn’t do trips as long as yours though, and we found some disadvantages for camping in the mountains and on the Great Plains. At first we used an air mattress and two cheap Coleman sleeping bags. We threw all our little stuff in plastic bins you buy at Target or Walmart, which kept rodents out of our food and random sundries like lighters, dish soap, duct tape, cooking fuel, etc. separate from our eating utensils. It makes it way easier to load/unload everything from the car onto a picnic table or wherever to use them. We cooked over our campfires using the grill on the firepit and cast iron skillets my wife found at thrift stores.

We camp mostly the same way now, but we learned a ton from our first Western road trip—most especially that it’s extremely cold to sleep on a bare air mattress, especially at high elevations in the mountains where temperatures approach freezing at night even in July. It’s also cumbersome to set up an air mattress, since you need the blower and batteries to inflate one, which is annoying when you camp in super remote places or you get to camp when everything is already closed. Therefore here is the gear I’d recommend for sleeping:

• Get a small tent—sleeping in a car is not comfortable, especially if it’s full of your gear. Small tents stay warmer at night because you have less air space to heat up with your body, and less surface area for heat to escape. We upgraded from our Coleman 4-person to an REI Half Dome 2 Plus which fits the two of us and maybe a little room for shoes/flashlights/water bottles at your feet and vestibules outside to keep stuff like boots/shoes dry. Get a footprint for it too, so you have easier setup than with a tarp, and so it doesn’t channel rain under your tent.
  
  
• Buy a blow-up camping pad—we got Therm-a-Rest NeoAir sleeping pads that are human inflatable in 1-2 minutes (no batteries needed) and are lined with Mylar, which reflects your infrared back at you to help you stay warmer. You could use an air mattress and lay a space blanket down between you and your sleeping bag, but it’s much more cumbersome. We also found these pads were more comfortable as well as easier and faster to set up. They are also super small and light, and work well for backpacking, which we eventually want to get into. Get something that suits you, but don’t feel like you have to buy it right away. You could upgrade during your trip at an outdoor equipment store after you get a couple weeks of camping experience under your belt. These things were pricey, but they were worth it!
  
  
• Buy a cheap sleeping bag, and ignore the temperature ratings. Read the reviews of each bag and see what people say about the one you’re interested in. You can get more expensive ones that pack smaller and are lighter, but they aren’t necessary for staying warm and comfortable. We haven’t upgraded from our Coleman Green Valleys, which are rated 30-50 degrees but get a tad chilly in the 30s if you’re not wearing extra layers (which you need if you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night).
  
  
• Get a set of Mylar-lined base layers—these things are A M A Z I N G ! We stumbled into a Columbia store when we were in Portland and got a set on sale and we never leave home without them now! They are comfortable for hiking or sleeping, and keep you so much warmer than long underwear ever could.
  
  
• Wool hiking socks—but a bunch of these—because you’ll never want to wear any other socks again if you get decent ones. I found a whole bunch on clearance at Dick’s Sporting Goods one September and I wear them summer or winter, because they are über-comfortable and keep my feet dry whether it’s hot or cold. They keep your feet much warmer when you sleep too.
  
  Besides the sleeping gear, we’ve also added a little camp stove we got at Aldi. It’s super small and light, and saves us the trouble of building a fire to cook things up in our cast iron skillet. The only problem is that some places out in California don’t sell the butane cans the thing takes for fuel—so you might want to buy a cheap propane stove instead, since you’ll probably get a lot of use from it. Definitely make sure you learn the wonder of the potato! You can make them in so many ways that are awesome and they’re wonderful for energy.
  
  As far as wild animals go, learn how to camp in bear country—there are tons of vids from the National Park Service about this, and they will increase your confidence. We’ve done tons of trips with plenty of camping in developed campgrounds and have had zero problems with them. Just follow whatever local rangers tell you, and you should be fine. To abbreviate, never bring food into your tent, so the smell of food doesn’t sink in—and keep your food and eating utensils in hard-sided vehicles out of sight or in a bear box (a big cabinet at most campsites). Bears are attracted to scented items—even a stick of gum, a tube of toothpaste, or dish detergent can get them rummaging through your tent.
  
  And whatever you do, don’t rush and try to see everything in one trip! Spend a few days in the best places, and assume you will be back to see more someday. I don’t feel like I need to drill this into your head all that much compared to most people, but don’t expect to see even just the Western US in 2-3 months.
  
  As far as destinations, make sure you hit Yosemite (my personal favorite), Yellowstone/Grand Teton, Glacier, and Olympic if you’re going in summer months. If you’re going Sept/Oct or Apr/May, then definitely hit Zion, Arches, Grand Canyon, and anything else in Southern Utah, Southern Nevada, or Northern Arizona. And buy a book, Your Guide to the National Parks, as it makes researching and planning so much easier!

This one doesn't necessarily have THE most detailed maps, but I've used it dozens of times per year for a number of years now, and I can't recommend it enough. It's like my Bible while I'm on the road:

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Guide-National-Parks-Complete/dp/1621280675/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

No problem! I also forgot to mention, there's an amazing guide book that I had with me on my 5 month road trip Your Guide to the National Parks. Read the reviews, but if you plan to hit parks and want some guidance there's no better resource - it has all the info on fees, campgrounds, best hikes, best places to stay in and around parks, other sites nearby, etc.

I’ve been to several national parks with my dog and while it is true national parks are often not dog friendly, not all are against hiking with your pup. One off the top of my head is Petrified Forest.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It has a section for ever national park on where you can take your dog, if it’s not entirely limited to paved trails and roads. Your Guide to the National Parks: The Complete Guide to all 59 National Parks (Second edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621280675/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_egiSAbTXMY30A

Good luck!

I strongly recommend this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Guide-National-Parks-Complete/dp/1621280675/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1486072088&sr=8-6

I have the first edition, and it is absolutely wonderful. Great maps, provides itineraries for 1-3 days in each park, and gives a concise "don't miss this" highlight list. I think it would help the scope of your planning with trying to visit 10 parks.

One thing that comes to mind with your plan is the winter season conditions don't clear up until June really (Trail Ridge Road at RMNP and some stuff in Yellowstone come to mind) in some parks. Definitely something to plan for!

I got this book and it was been super helpful for planning my trip this upcoming August.