The shade under the bench is probably pretty inviting to rattlers 'n' such.

At Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site...

We have a goal of hitting every national park-it’s a massive target but we chip away as often as possible.

Here are a few pics of our most recent adventure a few weeks ago.

We visited Congaree National Park in South Carolina this week just a few days after the hurricane remnants blew through. All trails were flooded with the exception of the high & low boardwalk trails so we took advantage of the warm weather and strolled. The boardwalk trail was underwater at one point (crossing the aptly named River Trail) but the boardwalk is a loop, so you could ostensibly go back to your starting point and just finish it from the other side.

Gorgeous area with calm scenery. I know it’s a bit of a sleeper park, due to the geographical make up and location, but it’s really lovely. And free, if that matters. 🌳🪾

Final wildlife tally over 4 days:

Bears: 11 (3 outside the park)

Elk: 2

Salamanders: 4

Deer: 3

Caterpillars: 2

Slugs and Snails: 2

Chipmunks: 10

Brown squirrel: 3

Woodpeckers: 1 but heard them all day camping

Chickens: 5

Crows: an unsettling amount

Turkeys: an infinite amount

Stopped by on the way home from Zion. There is a parking fee, the view is worth the money.

Wright Brothers National Memorial
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Weather was beautiful!

Hi,

I am travelling to the Great Smoky Mountains for 5 days next month and would love some suggestions/opinions on the must do hikes and any other attractions or scenery in the area as well. I will be staying in Gatlinburg. I am looking for the most rewarding hikes regardless of difficulty.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

The comment period runs until Nov 6th.

This PDF lays out the 3 proposed NPS plans for rebuilding and maybe expanding after the Dragon Bravo fire that destroyed much of hte infrastructure of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/showFile.cfm?sfid=868051&projectID=138278

And a nice video describing the various plans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2xzYWuugYw

I went to Sequoia National Park with zero expectations, but I was absolutely blown away by the Sequoias and last week went to Redwoods, it’s just phenomenal, how beautiful our planet is, and it really puts into perspective how we are all just a small part of this vast universe.

I'm buying a sleeve for my America the Beautiful pass. This one on Etsy is in the running, because I love the North Cascades. I think this is Lake Ann? But I'm not sure.

Does anyone happen to recognize this lake?

Everyone warned me about going to Olympic in the fall because of the rain and fog but I didn’t listen to them so here we are.

Whenever I hear about Storm King, all I hear about is the ascent and view from the top. I’ve got a counterpoint though. Nobody told me how beautiful the rainforest here is. I thought I’d have to head to Hall of Mosses or Spruce nature to see sights like this and boy was I wrong.

Having hiked Hurricane Hill earlier today (literally in a cloud) I almost gave up halfway up Storm King, but thanks to a kind stranger whose name I never even caught I found the resolve to carry on. I’m glad I did because I saw this sweet rock at the top and left with a real sense of accomplishment. Thanks Olympic (and kind stranger) for making this a trip to remember.

Edit: I seriously did enjoy the hike. It was challenging and the view would have been a great bonus but I saw plenty of nice sights on the way up.

Waited almost 7 years to shoot this composition with good light! Made my whole trip worth it for me this time ...

And the best part? I had my 2 year old daughter with me. This was my first photography trip with her, and it turned out epic!

We visited Shenandoah today, and got this map at the Dickey Ridge VC. They ran out of the English language maps, so we got Chinese!

For a Christmas gift, I'm trying to collect all the National Park brochures from places my husband and I have visited but forgot/lost our brochures. I found some on eBay but have been unable to find Biscayne Bay, Crater Lake, or White Sands brochures online.

Can anyone...

1. Point me toward a link where they have found these for sale, or
2. Allow me to purchase if you have an extra available? Happy to Venmo ~$5 per brochure and then you mail it to me.

Thanks!

Hi all.

I’m in the midst of a long van trip and am planning on spending the next month and half traveling across the western / central U.S. (mainly California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas).

I’m a little overwhelmed with the sheer number of potential options and would love some help narrowing down the list to the must-see NPS sites.

For reference, I’m traveling by van and don’t mind camping off-grid for a few days at a time. I love visiting national parks / other NPS sites with a focus on moderate hiking (usually not full-day hikes but up to 10 miles), photography, and American history. I’ve also become a little obsessed with collecting unigrids, have about 40 in my collection so far.

Thanks in advance.

Hello all!

My partner and I are heading to the great smoky mountains for our 7 year anniversary Oct 30th-Nov 2nd and are obviously to do some hiking! So far, we’re planning on hitting: Charlies bunion, Andrews bald, kuowhi trail (for sunset), alum cave (to the bluffs, no time for mountain le conte unfortunately), and laurel falls. Given our very limited time, we want to see as much as possible! We’re also coming from a place in the US with very limited fall foliage so we’re wanting to maximize seeing that as well. Any suggestions welcome!

We are very experienced hikers and don’t shy away from a challenge! Our biggest constraint is honestly time and the fact we’re flying in so we can’t bring all of our usual gear. Thanks in advance!