Maui vs Yellowstone and Grand Teton

Maui packs an astonishing range of Hawaii into one island: a 10,023-foot volcano where the sun rises above a sea of clouds, a rainforest coastline threaded by the famous Road to Hana, and golden beaches where green sea turtles graze on the reef a few feet from shore. In five days you can snorkel the clear waters of Molokini Crater, watch dawn break from the summit of Haleakala, wind past waterfalls and black-sand coves on the way to Hana, and end each evening with a sunset over Lanai and Molokai from Kaanapali or Napili Bay. Plan ahead, because Maui now runs on reservations: Haleakala sunrise entry, Waiʻānapanapa State Park and Iao Valley all require advance bookings for visitors. Base yourself in Kihei or Wailea for the south shore and upcountry, then move to Kaanapali or Napili for West Maui. Travel with care and respect for local communities, too. Lahaina is still rebuilding after the August 2023 wildfire, and the burn zone is not a sightseeing stop; the best way to help is to spend with open West Maui businesses, follow posted closures, and keep to the island's slower, aloha-minded pace.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton sit side by side in northwest Wyoming, linked by a short parkway, and together they make one of the great American road trips. Yellowstone, the world's first national park, holds more than half the planet's active geysers, including Old Faithful, plus the rainbow-colored Grand Prismatic Spring, the thundering Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and terraced hot springs at Mammoth. It is also the best place in the Lower 48 to see big wildlife: bison herds in Hayden and Lamar valleys, elk, pronghorn, bears and, with patience and a spotting scope, wolves. Just south, Grand Teton's jagged peaks rise straight out of the valley floor above Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake, with sunsets that rival anything in the West. Fly into Jackson Hole or Bozeman, rent a car and plan on long but rewarding drives. Neither park uses timed entry, but in-park lodging books up months ahead, parking at Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic fills by late morning, and most of Yellowstone's roads close to cars from early November to late April, so summer and early fall are the main seasons.