Let me start by saying that I love, love, love our national parks in the United States. They are breathtakingly beautiful and chock-full of opportunities to get outdoors in some of the most dramatic settings on earth. What I don’t love are the traffic jams, the crowds, and the general chaos that often goes along with a national park visit. Sure there are ways to bypass these issues, but sometimes you just have to hit up the Grand Canyon when your kids are on school vacation. I’m definitely not going to advocate for skipping a visit to these national treasures, but I do want to suggest some alternatives for those days when you just need a break from the throngs of people and cars waiting in long lines to catch a glimpse of a lonely moose meandering across a field. Please, dear reader, follow this advice if you can, and explore your national parks with every bit of your heart and soul. BUT, when the going gets rough and the crowds are just too much, here’s your ...