Winter, according to the calendar, is still nearly two months off. But that doesn't mean you can't start planning for your cold and snowy national park excursions. Traveler's Essential Park Guide, Winter 2018-19, can help you do that, and also reveal some hellish places in the park system.
But there's more to read in this issue.
History, and historic objects, abounds in the National Park System. And, not surprisingly, items occasionally need restoration, and even salvation, from the slights of time or the unexpected flood or hurricane.
There are a few places in the National Park Service where specialists wait to be handed such objects in need of some TLC. There’s the Historic Architecture Conservation and Engineering Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, the Western Archeological and Conservation Center in Tucson, Arizona, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and the Harpers Ferry Center’s museum conservation lab in West Virginia.
Kim O’Connell recently visited the Harpers Ferry branch, and saw the talents of the staff at work. They field problems such as weapons restoration; rehabilitation of curtains, such as those luxurious draperies from Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park; tattered book pages and covers weary and fragile from time, and; various ephemera that come to the parks in less than pristine condition.
O’Connell describes some of the techniques wielded by these conservators beginning on page 10 of the guide.
Across the country in Wyoming, Devils Towers was the park system’s very first national monument, but it by no means has a monopoly on Lucifer’s nickname. Why, look out across the park system and you can find Devils Postpile National Monument, Devils Cornfield, Devil’s Den (in a few parks!) and even Devil’s Elbow. Special Projects Editor Patrick Cone takes a look at how Devils Tower got its name beginning on page 16.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t notice the change of seasons, with winter not too far off. With that in mind, you’ll find a feature on how to spend a long weekend in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota beginning on apge 5, and a rundown of some of the more adventurous activities you can indulge in during the snowy months. Dog sledding anyone? And where might you spot the Northern Lights during the coming months? Those opportunities and more can be found in our roundup beginning on page 30.
The coming months, cold and snowy, might challenge you in the park system, but you’ll be amply rewarded during this beautiful season. You can start reading the magazine now in flip-book format, order a hard copy via MagCloud for $10.95, or wait as we roll out the stories one at a time over the coming months. Watch for a digital version in Traveler's e-Library that you can download for $1.99 to add to your personal library on national parks.
By Kurt Repanshek in National Parks Traveler
42 pages, published 10/31/2018
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