Reader Participation Day: Which Is Your Favorite Hiking Stick National Park Medallion?

By Kurt Repanshek - December 15th, 2022

Do you have a favorite hiking staff medallion from the National Park System?/Kurt Repanshek

For some years now, I've been purchasing a hiking stick medallion whenever I visited a National Park System unit. I probably have 50 or more, and this summer during a stop at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve I finally bought a hiking staff to showcase the medallions.

Now in the process of attaching the medallions to the staff, I got to wondering which was my favorite. I still have quite a few medallions to nail to the staff, so I'm not ready to announce a favorite. But there certainly are some that standout:

Bandelier National Monument's medallion features talking turkeys.
Both Mesa Verde National Park and Hovenweep National Monument depict cliff dwellings on their medallions.
A Yellowstone National Park medallion shows off the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.
Wind Cave National Park's medallion features a headlamp-wearing spelunker underground.

Which brings me to this question: Do you collect hiking staff medallions, and if so, which is your favorite?

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Reader Participation Day

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Submitted by Molly on December 15, 2022 - 6:30am.

When my sons were little... They are now in their 30s... We did a lot of road trips and loved exploring national parks. I started doing this for my sons and they both have a walking stick with many beautiful medallions on it. We also included some state parks that were of significance And places that have special meaning to them. I love looking at the walking sticks... Brings back so many incredible memories.

Submitted by Kathy Bax on December 15, 2022 - 3:57pm.

I collect state park medallions. My favorites are Nevada Valley of Fire and Cathedral Gorge. I also collect National Park medallions. My favorite is Hawaii Volcanoes.

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