Slipping beneath the rippling surface of the Caribbean at Virgin Islands National Park is something not soon forgotten. Snorkeling in this aqueous world brings you face-to-fin with clouds of neon-hued blue tangs drifting nonchalantly by, while black-and-yellow striped sergeant majors flit about, lacking the tangs' more formal-appearing approach to life in the ocean. And when you pull yourself out of the Caribbean, you plop down onto some of the most idyllic beaches in the world, certainly among the most incredible in the National Park System: Brilliant white sands, coconut palms offering shade, the warm turquoise waters beckoning you to return to exploring rainbow-hued coral reefs.

For complete article including Olympic National Park and Lake Powell, click here