a national parks thread

Up to 33 with plans for 6 more this year.
Yosemite has been my favorite.
Too many fantastic hikes to pick a favorite, but arches, Canyonlands, Yosemite, Zion, Grand Canyon have been my favorite places to hike.
This year: big bend, Guadalupe mountains, Carlsbad caverns, white sands, voyageurs, and isle royale.
Aside from the Hawaii parks, Usvi and dry tortugas are the two I’ve been to most people haven’t.

Challenging, especially since we are doing both in the same week. I'm at work and don't have my itinerary in front of me, but driving up from MS. My son likes geography and points of interest, so we will hit Lake Itasca and the source of the MS river. We will also drive up to Angle Inlet, MN (even though its way out of the way) so he can visit the northernmost point in the contiguous US. Then we will spend a couple of days at Voyaguers, but mainly checking it off the list. I would like to have more time and rent a houseboat here, but not in the cards this trip. After leaving Voyaguers we will drive to Copper Harbor, MI to catch a ferry to Rock Harbor, Isle Royale. Staying in the lodge a couple of nights before coming back. The ferry vs. the seaplane was a big decision for us. I prefer the seaplane, but I've read several stories about people being stuck on Isle Royale when the weather didn't cooperate for the seaplane. The ferry schedules don't give you a ton of time on the island unless you stay a couple of nights or more.

When you visited Big Bend did you happen to visit Boquillas? We are staying at Chisos mtn lodge in March. Aside from the rim trail that you mentioned earlier, any suggestions for hikes in Big Bend?

If you aren't scared of heights, even if you are, you should do the bridge walk in NRG. Very unique.

When I booked a month or so back there was no problem for availability in June and July. I see there is still some availability, but not as much. The cancellation policy there isn't as generous as most other lodges in the NPS.

The restaurant and lodge will not be renovated when they are there. The closing dates keep getting pushed back. The restaurant is closed and the lodge is open but having water problems due to broken pumps. The basin is open. I hear that they are having a hard time getting bids due to the logistics of the remote access.

Awesome maps site. I think 22 NP and preserves.

Favorite Yosemite for sheer beauty. Dry Tortugas is the smallest/least visited I think I’ve been to.

I just got back from a Big Bend trip. It's fantastic. Lost Mine trail is a must do. The other big one is The Window, which I believe is around 5 miles out and back, where you descend on the way out and ascend on the way back. I skipped this one, but you can still get a great view of The Window on the short, flat Window View trail that starts at Chisos Basin. I made the choice to do the Lost Mine trail in the day I had allotted to Chisos Basin, and I'm glad I did. You might be able to do both if you get an early start and are very fit. Lost Mine, at 5.3 miles and nearly 1200 feet of elevation gain was enough for me for one day.

Devote a day to Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Start at Santa Elena Canyon and work your way back out.

There are a myriad of trails to choose from. You will not get bored. The landscape is literally like you're in Red Dead Redemption 2 in real life. It changes from desert to mountains in just a few minutes of driving - it's incredibly unique.

If you have time, check out Big Bend Ranch State Park. I did a canoe trip down the Rio Grande with Far Flung Outdoor Center and it was excellent.

On a clear night, the stars are incredible. If you have a camera with a tripod, the night sky photo opportunities are some of, if not the best in the lower 48.

A Northern California road trip to redwoods, Lassen, lava and Yosemite is very high on our list. We loved sequoia but were in a hurry to get east and missed Yosemite the first time we were there, and when we visited SF last august we had to get back home to get prepped for our glacier road trip

I look at the pictures of the trees we took all the time

everyone should go to mesa verde. It will change your outlook on what it means to live in a community. And the park above the cliff dwellings is also spectacular, especially if the wildflowers are blooming

how many have you visited?
33, keep track of them in the NP app. It has the NP and all the other types of parks; monuments, seashores, battlefields, etc. Not National Forest though. Most of those we visited in the past 12 years since I retired.
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Get the app that looks like this if you don't have it.

which are your favorites?
Yellowstone, Redwoods and Bryce

what has been your favorite hike or activity?
Walking through the Redwoods and looking for wildlife in Yellowstone. We’re in our 70s so we’re not doing long hikes.

what parks are next on your list?
The ones in Washington state.

what's the park you've visited that most people haven't? Probably Lassen. I would have said Joshua Tree but recently saw a list of most visited and it was # 10.

“A Northern California road trip to redwoods, Lassen, lava and Yosemite is very high on our list. We loved sequoia but were in a hurry to get east…”
We visited N CA the past two years. Lassen was an unexpected surprise in 2024. It was mid-June and they had just opened the road for through traffic (entrance to entrance) the day we were there. There was still a lot of snow.

The Dixie wildfire in 2021 ago killed everything east of the main road.

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We were driving from Klamath Falls, OR toward Lassen and stopped in Laval Beds National Monument to do a little hike. We had just started and this guy walked across our path. We watched him about 10 minutes and then turned around.

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A couple of pictures of the wildfire damage in Lassen. That's burned trees as far as you can see in the 2nd one.

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This was taken 6/21/24.

how many have you visited?

26

which are your favorites?

Olympic and Mt. Rainier are my favorite, but also my local parks, so I know neat stuff off the beaten path at both.

what has been your favorite hike or activity?


Favorite hikes:

Spray Park - Mt. Rainer
Mt. Tolmie - Mt. Rainer
Olympic Coast Trail - Olympic
Emerald Lake - Rocky Mountain
Drips and Domes tour - Mammoth Cave
Historic tour - Mammoth Cave


Favorite drives:

Going to the Sun - Glacier
Crater Lake Rim Drive - Crater Lake
Badlands Loop Road - Badlands
Lassen Volcanic Highway - Lassen
Park Loop Road - Acadia


what parks are next on your list?

Hot Springs

I visited Haleakala last week.


what's the park you've visited that most people haven't?

Great Basin