<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-124360591/stock-photo-yosemite-national-park-mountains-and-valley-view.html?src=3_dFHV7iji9zpRJn-WNmpw-1-0">Shutterstock/Mikhail Kolesnikov</a></span></p><p class="caption">Yosemite sure is beautiful, but can get overrun by tourists.</p></div><p></p></div></div>This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.</p><p>The anniversary, and the fact that America is home to so many beautiful parks, just might motivate you to plan a trip to one.</p><p>But before you pack your bags and head to most popular ones, like Yellowstone or Yosemite, consider a trip to a lesser known park - which features equally impressive sites, but fewer people.</p><p><strong>Mammoth Cave National Park, Bowling Green, Kentucky</strong></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/mammoth-cave-national-park-gm453126395-25689794">benkrut / iStock</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Bowling Green, Kentucky, might not be the first place that comes to mind when planning a summer getaway, but it turns out the city is home to Mammoth Cave National Park, which is the world's longest cave system. The over 400-mile system of caves has attracted tourists for 200 years, and new passageways and caves are constantly being uncovered.</p><p><strong>Great Basin National Park, White Pine County, Nevada</strong></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/bristlecone-landscape-gm485477842-72031835?st=4aad885">AvatarKnowmad / iStock</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Great Basin is known for its bristelcone pine, which is over 3,000 years old. The park also offers a miniature glacier and limestone caverns, as well as mountain streams and alpine lakes. If you're looking for a less-visited park, this is the perfect choice. Great Basin doesn't see nearly as many visitors as most other parks in the US do.</p><p><strong>Big Bend National Park, Texas</strong></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/santa-elena-canyon-big-bend-np-texas-and-mexico-border-gm136712208-18852832?st=de5faec">fdevalera / iStock</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Big Bend National Park encompasses the Chisos - a full mountain range - and is the only American national park to do so. It's also the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Dessert in the US. The Rio Grande runs through the park's Santa Elena Canyon (pictured above), forming the boundary between Mexico and the US.</p><p><strong>Isle Royale National Park, Isle Royale, Michigan</strong></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/rock-harbor-lighthouse-isle-royale-national-park-gm486802980-73396435?st=6bdba9d">StevenSchremp / iStock</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Because it sits on the island of Isle Royale in Lake Superior, Isle Royale National Park can only be reached via seaplane or boat. Rugged coastlines and old lighthouses make this park unique, and the 36 campsites that dot the island make it a great destination for campers. Water activities like kayaking, canoeing, and scuba diving are also popular here.</p><p><strong>Valley Forge National Historical Park, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania</strong></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/washington-s-valley-forge-headquarters-gm176988589-20072294?st=f4fb085">Delmas Lehman / iStock</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>An easy drive from Philadelphia, Valley Forge National Historical Park is a must for history buffs. The park served as a winter encampment for the Continental Army from 1777 to 1778 during the American Revolutionary War, and is home to a number of monuments. However, it also boasts plenty of woods, rivers, and wildlife.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-a-world-champion-pastry-chef-can-do-2016-7">Look what a world champion pastry chef can do with dessert</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Jsb25rNDE68JsJW1DOOYWtk3L0ZcP9aW" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Five of the most underrated national parks in the US

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>South Tyrol Archaeology Museum \ Eurac \ M. Samadelli</span></p><p class="caption">Iceman's stomach was full of fat.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Scientists are probing the stomach of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/otzi-iceman-ate-bacon-2017-1">Otzi, a 5,300 year old mummy</a> who was found in the Alps between Austria and Italy in 1991.</strong></li><li><strong>They're finding new clues about what his diet consisted of: a well-balanced mix of meat, leaves and wheat.</strong></li><li><strong>Roughly half of Otzi's stomach contents <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/fat">were fats</a>, a "remarkable" proportion, according to researchers. They think he probably planned it that way to better survive the harsh alpine conditions.</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>Some 5,300 years ago, Otzi (aka "frozen Fritz") was murdered in the Alps with<span> a simple one-two punch move: an arrow to the chest, and a blow to the head.</span></p><p>But first, the roughly <span><a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(08)01194-9">45 year-old</a> ice</span>man fueled up, enjoying one last hearty meal. </p><p>Fortunately for <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword>, his dead body was neatly preserved in a rock hollow and naturally mummified as the glaciers moved in and slid right over him, freezing his stomach contents.</p><p>What Otzi ate remained something of a mystery after he was first found in 1991. His stomach had shifted upwards over time, making it tough to pinpoint what he ate right before he died, and earlier studies focused more on his intestines. Some scientists thought he might've munched on some kind of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/otzi-iceman-ate-bacon-2017-1">prehistoric bacon</a>.</p><p>New research, <span>released Thursday in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30703-6">Current Biology</a>, gives us a closer picture than ever of exactly what the mountain man ate to power his high-altitude journey. </span></p><p><span>Turns out, the guy loved fat. </span></p><p><span>Microbiologist Frank Maixner of the Eurac Research Institute for Mummy Studies said he found a "remarkably high proportion of fat" - roughly 50% - in the mummy's stomach. </span></p><p><span>Probing further into the DNA in iceman's stomach, scientists found evidence of ibex [wild goat] and red deer inside, as well as einkorn wheat. New analysis of the meat fibers in iceman's gut confirms they were probably cooked, barbecued, or smoked and dried in some way before he ate them, because the protein compounds looked different than raw meat would. Previous studies of iceman found some charcoal in his intestine, further suggesting he was a griller.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thilo Parg / Wikimedia Commons License: CC BY-SA 3.0</span></p><p class="caption">A rendering of what Ötzi might've looked like, from the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>It looks like Otzi ate well. </span><span>He had a good mix of nutritional minerals, like iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and sodium in his stomach. These probably came from consuming animal products.</span></p><p><span>He also had smaller concentrations of chromium, copper, manganese, selenium, molybdenum, and cobalt in there. </span></p><p><span>"These data suggest that the Iceman's last meal was well balanced in terms of essential minerals required for good health," the scientists wrote in their paper. That was a smart strategy for someone trekking nearly 10,500 feet high, slogging through the Alps between Austria and Italy.</span></p><p><span>"Iceman seemed to have been fully aware that fat represents an excellent energy source." paleopathologist Albert Zink, also at the Eurac Research Institute for Mummy Studies said <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-07/cp-5il070518.php">in a release</a>. "The high and cold environment is particularly challenging for the human physiology and requires optimal nutrient supply to avoid rapid starvation and energy loss." </span></p><p><span>The iceman functioned using a similar principle to today's popular ketogenic diet. When there are no carbohydrates or sugars left to fuel your journey, the body can switch into ketosis, relying on fats to keep the brain and body moving.</span></p><p><span> But the iceman was not a paleo dieter, nor was he a fan of the low-carb, high-fat keto plan. </span></p><p><span>"The Iceman's last meal was a well-balanced mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, perfectly adjusted to the energetic requirements of his high-altitude trekking," the paper authors wrote.</span></p><p><span>In other words, he wasn't a picky eater, and nibbled on all kinds of foods, including some dangerous toxic bracken ferns. Scientists still aren't sure exactly why he would have eaten a toxic leaf, but suspect it could have been some kind of early stomach medicine, or else it was just an earthy container that some of his other food was wrapped inside, like an early Tupperware. </span></p><p><span>His prehistoric body was not immune to some of the ill effects of a high-fat diet, either. Body scans show that his middle-aged arteries were hardening, and it looks like he was well on his way to developing coronary artery disease. That didn't matter once he was murdered and plunged down into a dark rock hollow, putting his fresh and fatty meal on ice for curious scientists to discover thousands of years later. </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ancient-egyptian-tomb-mummies-and-relics-2017-9">Look inside a newly unearthed 15th century BC Egyptian tomb full of mummies and relics</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

After 5,300 years, the last meal of an ancient Iceman has been revealed - and it was a high-fat, meaty feast

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCIKED88_8&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1686&amp;RH=949#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCIKED88_8&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1686&amp;RH=949&amp;PN=5&amp;POPUPPN=243&amp;POPUPIID=2C04080AHIPEJ">REUTERS/Andy Clark</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>The mountain resort operator Vail Resorts is buying Canada's Whistler Blackcomb in a deal worth about 1.4 billion Canadian dollars ($1.1 billion).</p><p>Vail will acquire 100% of Whistler Blackcomb's stock, paying shareholders 17.50 Canadian dollars in cash and 0.0975 of Vail Resorts common stock, with a total value of about 36 Canadian dollars per share.</p><p><span>"This relationship will bring greater resources to support our current operations and our ambitious growth plans, including the Renaissance project, the most exciting and transformative investment in </span>Whistler Blackcomb's<span> history," said </span>Dave Brownlie<span>, </span>Whistler Blackcomb's<span> CEO.</span></p><p>Greenhill &amp; Co. advised Whistler Blackcomb on the deal.</p><p>Whistler, which is about 75 miles from Vancouver, was the location of the Nordic events during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.</p><p>Here's the full statement:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"BROOMFIELD, Colo. and WHISTLER, British Columbia, Aug. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) ("Vail Resorts") and Whistler Blackcomb Holdings, Inc. (TSX: WB) ("Whistler Blackcomb") today announced that they have entered into a strategic business combination joining Whistler Blackcomb with Vail Resorts. Under the transaction, Vail Resorts would acquire 100 percent of the stock of Whistler Blackcomb, whose shareholders would receive C$17.50 per share in cash and 0.0975 shares of Vail Resorts common stock, for consideration having a total value of C$36.00 per share. The share exchange ratio is based upon closing stock prices and currency exchange rates as of August 5, 2016 and is subject to a currency exchange rate adjustment, as described below.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Combining Whistler Blackcomb with Vail Resorts' portfolio of outstanding resorts provides Whistler Blackcomb with increased financial strength, marketing exposure, guest relationships and broadens the geographic diversity of our company with resorts across the United States, as well as in Australia andCanada. This relationship will bring greater resources to support our current operations and our ambitious growth plans, including the Renaissance project, the most exciting and transformative investment in Whistler Blackcomb's history," said Dave Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb's chief executive officer.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Whistler Blackcomb is one of the most iconic mountain resorts in the world with an incredible history, passionate employees and a strong community. With our combined experience and expertise, together we will build upon the guest experience at Whistler Blackcomb while preserving the unique brand and character of the resort as an iconic Canadian destination for guests around the world. We are delighted to add such a renowned resort to Vail Resorts and look forward to expanding our relationships in the Sea-to-Sky community, British Columbia and Canada," said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Mr. Brownlie added, "As the number one ranked and most visited resort in North America, Whistler Blackcomb has enjoyed tremendous success by delivering an exceptional mountain experience for our passionate and loyal guests - both locally and from around the world.  That's going to continue as we work with our new colleagues at Vail Resorts as well as our employees, local businesses, community and government stakeholders to make Whistler Blackcomb better than ever. We will also continue our discussions with the Squamish and Lil'wat First Nations, on whose traditional lands we operate, regarding a business partnership that will benefit our communities, our province and our company for decades to come. Our board of directors has also been monitoring the unique challenges facing the broader ski industry due to the unpredictability of year-to-year regional weather patterns. Whistler Blackcomb, with its unprecedented acreage of high alpine terrain and Glacier bowls, is well positioned, but by no means immune to these challenges. Partnering with the geographically diversified Vail Resorts and extending its successful Epic Pass products to Whistler Blackcomb are customer-focused ways of securing the long-term future of our resort, our industry and our community."</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Whistler Blackcomb will nominate one member of its board to the Vail Resorts board of directors, and Dave Brownlie will continue leading Whistler Blackcomb as the resort's chief operating officer and will become a member of the senior leadership team of Vail Resorts' mountain division."</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"> </p><p><em>More to come...</em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/malcolm-gladwell-revisionist-history-donate-princeton-vassar-bowdoin-tipping-point-outliers-blink-2016-7">MALCOLM GLADWELL: 'Anyone who gives a single dollar to Princeton has completely lost their mind'</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tlNzV5NDE68LblejgkI-6sByYCuoiDZ7" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Vail Resorts is buying Whistler Blackcomb in a $1.1 billion deal

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">Oktoberfest tents get very crowded.</p></div><p></p></div></div>I grew up in Munich, Germany, and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I've been to Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, more times than I can count. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First as a kid, where I ate candy apples and schnitzel sandwiches and rode the "wild mouse" roller coaster until I was green in the face; and later as a teen, when I skipped school to drink liters of beer with my friends.</span></p><p>Oktoberfest is awesome, but I think it's the worst time for tourists to visit my hometown. </p><p>What most foreigners don't know about Oktoberfest is that it's a cultural celebration. It started as a wedding celebration for the King of Bavaria in 1810, and it retains its Bavarian roots and feel. More than 70% of visitors are Bavarian, and only around 15% are from outside of Germany.</p><p>Locals don their traditional dirndls and lederhosen, and often swing by "Wiesn" (what locals call the festival) for a few hours to grab a beer. It's a family event, too: Families often go together, with toddlers in tow. They'll have a nice Bavarian lunch of obatzda and brezn (cheese dip and pretzel), play a few games and go home.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">Not everyone realizes that Oktoberfest is family friendly.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But then there's the other end of the spectrum: <strong>the insanely crowded, completely debaucherous drinking fest that sees 6.3 million annual visitors and puts around 7,900 people into the medical tent each year</strong>. Last year, over 600 visitors had alcohol poisoning.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Inside</strong><span><strong> most tents, mayhem rules:</strong> live oompah music is blasting, everyone is singing along at the top of their lungs, and beer benches groan under the weight of dozens of people dancing on them, raising their glasses in unison and cheersing each other every few minutes with a hearty "eins, zwo, drei, g'suffa!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images / Alexandra Beier</span></p><p class="caption">Eins, zwo, drei, g'suffa!</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><strong>During Oktoberfest, the </strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>city gets packed</strong> and there are drunk people </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">everywhere</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and all the time. </span>The drunken debauchery often leads to fights, aggressive behavior, and bierleichen - so-called "beer corpses," which is what locals call the many passed out drunks lying on the hill behind the tents. </p><p><strong>There are endless lines</strong>, and the tents are packed beyond belief. Locals make their table reservations for the tents around a year in advance sometimes, and even then it's tough. But for tourists, it can be tougher to get inside the most coveted tents. Savvy tourists get to the tents around the <span>opening hour of 10am (9am on Sundays) in order to snag a table, and then they often stay until the tents close at 11:30pm, leaving little time to explore any other parts of the city.</span></p><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Michaela Rehle</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><p><span><strong>During the festival, everything costs about double what it should</strong>. Expect to pay upwards up 10 euros for a single beer (normally it's half that). Flights cost far more than they should, and hotel rooms can be tough to snag then too.</span></p><p><span></span>Munich is a beautiful city, and Oktoberfest just doesn't do it justice. Known as Munich's "fifth season," <strong>Oktoberfest isn't the <em>real</em> Munich. </strong></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Munich prides itself in "Gemütlichkeit," which basically translates to coziness. Life here </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">is </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">cozy, it's comfortable, it's slow. People drink cheap beer in beer gardens and hang out in the English Garden (which is larger than Central Park, mind you). They surf in rivers, they lounge by lakes, they go skiing in the nearby Alps.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table center"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Lukas Barth </span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Munich is a big city with lots of high-brow culture, and tons of art galleries and museums, but it's also super walkable, thus retaining a small town vibe full of old-school Bavarian culture. There's the </span>Nymphenburg Palace, the stunning gothic-period Frauenkirche church, and many incredible museums.</p><p>But Oktoberfest visitors often miss all that since they're inside the tents drinking the whole time.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So if you were to ask me when to visit Munich, I would say avoid Oktoberfest. Go during the winter, when it's a snowy wonderland a stone's throw from picturesque Alpine villages and ski resorts: where winter markets and mulled wine beckon. Or go in the summer, when you can drink beer by one of its many pristine lakes, or go hiking in glaciers.</span></p><p><strong>If you want to see the real side of Munich, and the city at its very best and most beautiful, don't visit during Oktoberfest.</strong></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/stunning-aerial-images-world-photography-landscape-2015-8">11 stunning aerial photos that will change the way you see the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RrMnVzdjoun7Qbl9M88o91ZHQNNfi4c0" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

I'm from Munich, and here's why I think you should avoid Oktoberfest

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">The Blue Ridge Parkway is a fall foliage fave.</p></div><p></p></div></div>There's something about fall that makes people want to get outside and experience nature. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead of suffering through another round of apple picking in an orchard that's been plucked dry, check out these essential American road trips, where you can see the fall foliage in all its glory.</span> </p><h3><strong>Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina and Virginia</strong></h3><p><span>While beautiful year-round, this is a fall foliage fave (for its epic dogwood, sourwood, sassafras and poplar), and might even get packed during the autumn months. The 470-mile parkway goes from North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountain National Park to Shenandoah National Park and Virginia's Skyline Drive, passing through dozens of beautiful hardwood forests, Appalachian mountain towns, pristine lakes, pastoral highlands and hot spots like Asheville. It's also an All-American Road, and America's longest linear park.</span></p><h3><strong>Blues Highway (US Route 61), Tennessee and Mississippi</strong></h3><p><span>Blues, and more specifically the Delta Blues, is a part of American history, as well as culture, originating in the so-called Deep South. Starting in Memphis, it's the perfect trip for soaking up blues - from the clubs on Memphis' famous Beale Street to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where guitarist Robert Johnson allegedly made a deal with the devil - with a side of legendary barbecue. While US Route 61 spans 1,400 miles from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Wyoming, Minnesota, it can be broken up into Bluesy bites.</span></p><h3><strong>The Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1), California</strong></h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Matt Snodderly / Shutterstock.com</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><span style="font-weight: 400;">Quintessentially American, the famous PCH, aka Route 1, snakes across California's coastline - from LA to San Francisco - for over 600 rugged, cliff-flanked miles. Not designated an "All-American Road" for nothing, while fall colors might be sparse, Americana abounds in the form of boardwalks, beaches, quaint seaside towns and old-fashioned amusement parks. Even better, the trip can easily be broken down into smaller trips, like San Francisco to Santa Barbara, or historic Monterey to Big Sur.</span></p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Route 66, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California</strong></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Of course, no list of US road trips would be complete without Route 66, the "Mother Road" and icon of the American Dream. The route was discontinued, but you can still migrate West by sticking to the various Interstate Highways that have replaced it (like the I-55 from Chicago, or the I-70 from Missouri) or by sticking to those National Scenic Byway portions renamed "Historic Route 66." Stopping by quirky roadside attractions is a US road trip staple, and this route's got plenty of those, like the famous Cadillac Ranch or the Blue Whale of Catoosa</span></p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Green Mountain Highway (Route 100), Vermont</strong></h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Flickr/gingi0</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Vermont is the holy grail of autumn colors in the east as it is almost 80% forest. In fact, local newspapers even track the foliage. This 220-mile route dissects almost the entire state, meandering across sloping mountains, dipping valleys, green pastures, farmlands and forests, all ablaze in shades of yellow, orange, and red. Partake in cider tastings and apple picking in rural villages and old-fashioned general stores, and nosh on local fare like Ben and Jerry's, Cabot Cheese and Lake Champlain Chocolates. In the winter, it's known as part of "Skiers Highway," which connects some of Vermont's most well-known ski resorts, like Wilmington, Killington, and Stowe.</p><h3><strong>Million Dollar Highway (US Route 550), Colorado</strong></h3><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">One of America's most scenic drives is also one of its most dangerous.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Colorado's fall is so incredible it even has its own name: Indian summer. The aspen trees are a fiery red, orange and yellow this time of year, but the main draw of this 20-mile route is that it climbs more than two miles above sea level across the Ouray Mountains, connecting Silverton and Ouray, two legendary and historic gold mining towns. The breathtaking road (both in altitude and sights) is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway, and frequently listed as both one of the most scenic routes in the states, and one of the most dangerous, as it winds across three high-mountain passes with steep cliffs, hairpin curves, and no guardrails.</span></p><h3><strong>High Peaks Scenic Highway (Route 73), New York</strong></h3><p>The Adirondacks have one of the longest fall foliage seasons in the country, and Adirondack Park, which is criss-crossed by various New York State Scenic Byways, including the High Peaks Scenic Highway, even covers six million acres, making it the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi. In fact, it's bigger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined, and boasts 3,000 lakes and ponds, 2,000 miles of hiking trails, and 1,500 miles of waterways. The 30-mile High Peaks Scenic Highway is often considered the park's gateway, and meanders through the High Peaks, which includes 46 mountains that are taller than 4,000 feet, most notably Mount Marcy, which is 5,344 feet.</p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Overseas Highway (US Route 1), Florida</strong></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sathish S/Flickr</span></p><p class="caption">The Overseas Highway is said to feel like you're floating across the ocean.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Those that aren't quite ready to switch their iced coffee for pumpkin spice lattes should head to Florida, Sunshine State and land of eternal summer. The 113-mile Overseas Highway is one-of-a-kind, flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, connecting mainland Florida with Key West, and the 100 islands of the Florida Keys with 42 bridges and causeways. As kitschily American as it can get, the route features classic gift shops and old school burger shacks peddling milkshakes to a stunning backdrop of beautiful beaches and sparkling water.</span></p><h3><strong>Lake Superior Circle Tour, </strong><strong>Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada</strong></h3><p><span>The greatest Great Lake, Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake (by surface area), and you can circumnavigate it </span><span>via its 1,200-mile shoreline, which features a series of highways (like Highway 61, Highway 28, and the Trans-Canada Highway to name a few) that will have you crisscrossing three states (Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin) as well as Canada. You'll feel oceanside thanks to near constant water views due to the lake's size, and will come across waterfalls and wildlife, lighthouses and cliffs, shipwrecks and 200-foot sand dunes.</span></p><h3><strong>Olympic Peninsula (Route 101), Washington</strong></h3><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Flickr/sbeebe</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Starting in Seattle, you can drive 350 miles across the northern coast of this<span> 3,600 square mile peninsula of </span>still untamed wilderness. You'll be traversing rain forests and alpine forests, rugged ocean fronts and beautiful waterways and snow-capped mountains and glaciers, literally crossing through different ecosystems and jaw dropping vistas at every turn, while stopping for hikes, like Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park, or Lake Crescent's Marymere Falls.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-abandoned-eastern-island-2015-7">This abandoned Chinese island shows what the world might look like without humans</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="I2M2RndjosXm8VL4fbzK63gmuLVmFiGc" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

10 iconic US road trips you should take right now

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">Oktoberfest tents get very crowded.</p></div><p></p></div></div>I grew up in Munich, Germany, and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I've been to Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, more times than I can count. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">First as a kid, where I ate candy apples and schnitzel sandwiches and rode the "wild mouse" rollercoaster until I was green in the face; and later as a teen, when I skipped school to drink liters of beer with my friends.</span></p><p>Oktoberfest is awesome, but I think it's the worst time for tourists to visit my hometown. </p><p>What most foreigners don't know about Oktoberfest is that it's a cultural celebration that's really meant for locals. It started as a wedding celebration for the King of Bavaria in 1810, and it retains its Bavarian roots and feel. More than 70% of visitors are Bavarian, and only around 15% are from outside of Germany.</p><p>Locals don their traditional dirndls and lederhosen, and often swing by "Wiesn" (what locals call the festival) for a few hours to grab a beer. It's a family event, too: Families often go together, with toddlers in tow. They'll have a nice Bavarian lunch of obatzda and brezn (cheese dip and pretzel), play a few games and go home.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">Not everyone realizes that Oktoberfest is family friendly.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But then there's the other end of the spectrum: the insanely crowded, completely debaucherous drinking fest that sees 6.3 million annual visitors and puts around 7,900 people into the medical tent each year. Last year, over 600 visitors had alcohol poisoning.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>I</span><span>nside most tents, mayhem rules: live oompah music is blasting, everyone is singing along at the top of their lungs, and beer benches groan under the weight of dozens of people dancing on them, raising their glasses in unison and cheersing each other every few minutes with a hearty "eins, zwo, drei, g'suffa!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images / Alexandra Beier</span></p><p class="caption">Eins, zwo, drei, g'suffa!</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>During Oktoberfest, the <span style="font-weight: 400;">city gets packed and there are drunk people </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">everywhere</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and all the time. </span>The drunken debauchery often leads to fights, agressive behavior, and bierleichen - so-called "beer corpses," which is what locals call the many passed out drunks lying on the hill behind the tents. </p><p>There are endless lines, and the tents are packed beyond belief. Locals make their table reservations for the tents around a year in advance sometimes, and even then it's tough. But for tourists, it can be tougher to get inside the most coveted tents. Savvy tourists should get to the tents around the <span>opening hour of 10am (9am on Sundays) in order to snag a table, and then they often stay until the tents close at 11:30pm, leaving little time to explore any other parts of the city.</span></p><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Michaela Rehle</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><p><span>During the festival, everything costs about double what it should. Expect to pay upwards up 10 euros for a single beer (normally it's half that). Flights cost far more than they should and hotel rooms can be tough to snag then too.</span></p><p><span></span>Munich is a beautiful city, and Oktoberfest just doesn't do it justice. Known as Munich's "fifth season," Oktoberfest isn't the <em>real</em> Munich. </p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Munich prides itself in "Gemütlichkeit," which basically translates to coziness. Life here </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">is </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">cozy, it's comfortable, it's slow. People drink cheap beer in beer gardens and hang out in the English Garden (which is larger than Central Park, mind you). They surf in rivers, they lounge by lakes, they go skiing in the nearby Alps.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table center"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Lukas Barth </span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Munich is a big city with lots of high-brow culture, and tons of art galleries and museums, but it's also super walkable, thus retaining a small town vibe full of old-school Bavarian culture. There's the </span>Nymphenburg Palace, the stunning gothic-period Frauenkirche church, and many incredible museums.</p><p>But Oktoberfest visitors often miss all that since they're inside the tents drinking the whole time.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So if you were to ask me when to visit Munich, I would say avoid Oktoberfest. Go during the winter, when it's a snowy wonderland a stone's throw from picturesque Alpine villages and ski resorts: where winter markets and mulled wine beckon. Or go in the summer, when you can drink beer by one of its many pristine lakes, or go hiking in glaciers.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you want to see the real side of Munich, and the city at its very best and most beautiful, don't visit during Oktoberfest.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/stunning-aerial-images-world-photography-landscape-2015-8">11 stunning aerial photos that will change the way you see the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RrMnVzdjoun7Qbl9M88o91ZHQNNfi4c0" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">The Blue Ridge Parkway is a fall foliage fave.</p></div><p></p></div></div>There's something about fall that makes people want to get outside and experience nature. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead of suffering through another round of apple picking in an orchard that's been plucked dry, check out these essential American road trips, where you can see the fall foliage in all its glory.</span> </p><h3><strong>Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina and Virginia</strong></h3><p><span>While beautiful year-round, this is a fall foliage fave (for its epic dogwood, sourwood, sassafras and poplar), and might even get packed during the autumn months. The 470-mile parkway goes from North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountain National Park to Shenandoah National Park and Virginia's Skyline Drive, passing through dozens of beautiful hardwood forests, Appalachian mountain towns, pristine lakes, pastoral highlands and hot spots like Asheville. It's also an All-American Road, and America's longest linear park.</span></p><h3><strong>Blues Highway (US Route 61), Tennessee and Mississippi</strong></h3><p><span>Blues, and more specifically the Delta Blues, is a part of American history, as well as culture, originating in the so-called Deep South. Starting in Memphis, it's the perfect trip for soaking up blues - from the clubs on Memphis' famous Beale Street to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where guitarist Robert Johnson allegedly made a deal with the devil - with a side of legendary barbecue. While US Route 61 spans 1,400 miles from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Wyoming, Minnesota, it can be broken up into Bluesy bites.</span></p><h3><strong>The Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1), California</strong></h3><p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-288922823/stock-photo-the-pacific-coast-highway-is-a-spectacular-coastal-drive-between-los-angeles-and-san-francisco.html?src=oyWfTjSamGbnsVJYdEPO4g-1-3">Shutterstock/Scottt13</a></span></p><p class="caption">The Pacific Coast Highway might not scream fall, but it sure is stunning.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Quintessentially American, the famous PCH, aka Route 1, snakes across California's coastline - from LA to San Francisco - for over 600 rugged, cliff-flanked miles. Not designated an "All-American Road" for nothing, while fall colors might be sparse, Americana abounds in the form of boardwalks, beaches, quaint seaside towns and old-fashioned amusement parks. Even better, the trip can easily be broken down into smaller trips, like San Francisco to Santa Barbara, or historic Monterey to Big Sur.</span></p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Route 66, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California</strong></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Of course, no list of US road trips would be complete without Route 66, the "Mother Road" and icon of the American Dream. The route was discontinued, but you can still migrate West by sticking to the various Interstate Highways that have replaced it (like the I-55 from Chicago, or the I-70 from Missouri) or by sticking to those National Scenic Byway portions renamed "Historic Route 66." Stopping by quirky roadside attractions is a US road trip staple, and this route's got plenty of those, like the famous Cadillac Ranch or the Blue Whale of Catoosa</span></p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Green Mountain Highway (Route 100), Vermont</strong></h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Flickr/gingi0</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Vermont is the holy grail of autumn colors in the east as it is almost 80% forest. In fact, local newspapers even track the foliage. This 220-mile route dissects almost the entire state, meandering across sloping mountains, dipping valleys, green pastures, farmlands and forests, all ablaze in shades of yellow, orange, and red. Partake in cider tastings and apple picking in rural villages and old-fashioned general stores, and nosh on local fare like Ben and Jerry's, Cabot Cheese and Lake Champlain Chocolates. In the winter, it's known as part of "Skiers Highway," which connects some of Vermont's most well-known ski resorts, like Wilmington, Killington, and Stowe.</p><h3><strong>Million Dollar Highway (US Route 550), Colorado</strong></h3><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">One of America's most scenic drives is also one of its most dangerous.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Colorado's fall is so incredible it even has its own name: Indian summer. The aspen trees are a fiery red, orange and yellow this time of year, but the main draw of this 20-mile route is that it climbs more than two miles above sea level across the Ouray Mountains, connecting Silverton and Ouray, two legendary and historic gold mining towns. The breathtaking road (both in altitude and sights) is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway, and frequently listed as both one of the most scenic routes in the states, and one of the most dangerous, as it winds across three high-mountain passes with steep cliffs, hairpin curves, and no guardrails.</span></p><h3><strong>High Peaks Scenic Highway (Route 73), New York</strong></h3><p>The Adirondacks have one of the longest fall foliage seasons in the country, and Adirondack Park, which is criss-crossed by various New York State Scenic Byways, including the High Peaks Scenic Highway, even covers six million acres, making it the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi. In fact, it's bigger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined, and boasts 3,000 lakes and ponds, 2,000 miles of hiking trails, and 1,500 miles of waterways. The 30-mile High Peaks Scenic Highway is often considered the park's gateway, and meanders through the High Peaks, which includes 46 mountains that are taller than 4,000 feet, most notably Mount Marcy, which is 5,344 feet.</p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Overseas Highway (US Route 1), Florida</strong></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sathish S/Flickr</span></p><p class="caption">The Overseas Highway is said to feel like you're floating across the ocean.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Those that aren't quite ready to switch their iced coffee for pumpkin spice lattes should head to Florida, Sunshine State and land of eternal summer. The 113-mile Overseas Highway is one-of-a-kind, flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, connecting mainland Florida with Key West, and the 100 islands of the Florida Keys with 42 bridges and causeways. As kitschily American as it can get, the route features classic gift shops and old school burger shacks peddling milkshakes to a stunning backdrop of beautiful beaches and sparkling water.</span></p><h3><strong>Lake Superior Circle Tour, </strong><strong>Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada</strong></h3><p><span>The greatest Great Lake, Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake (by surface area), and you can circumnavigate it </span><span>via its 1,200-mile shoreline, which features a series of highways (like Highway 61, Highway 28, and the Trans-Canada Highway to name a few) that will have you crisscrossing three states (Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin) as well as Canada. You'll feel oceanside thanks to near constant water views due to the lake's size, and will come across waterfalls and wildlife, lighthouses and cliffs, shipwrecks and 200-foot sand dunes.</span></p><h3><strong>Olympic Peninsula (Route 101), Washington</strong></h3><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Flickr/sbeebe</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Starting in Seattle, you can drive 350 miles across the northern coast of this<span> 3,600 square mile peninsula of </span>still untamed wilderness. You'll be traversing rain forests and alpine forests, rugged ocean fronts and beautiful waterways and snow-capped mountains and glaciers, literally crossing through different ecosystems and jaw dropping vistas at every turn, while stopping for hikes, like Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park, or Lake Crescent's Marymere Falls.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-abandoned-eastern-island-2015-7">This abandoned Chinese island shows what the world might look like without humans</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="I2M2RndjosXm8VL4fbzK63gmuLVmFiGc" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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