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Exploring the Parks

A Home Away From Home: Exploring National Parks Via RV Or Camper

After decades of roaming the West, I took the plunge last summer: I bought a camper. There have been countless times when I’ve arrived at my camp to be faced with putting up my tent in the pouring rain, howling wind, or extreme cold. More than a few times I ended up sleeping in the back of a car not nearly meant for that. Once in Arches National Park, around New Years, we had set up the tent, eaten dinner, read for an hour and it was still only 7 p.m. That meant we would be in our sleeping bags at least for the next 12 hours in the biting cold. You can only sleep so long, after all.

Tuzigoot And Montezuma’s Castle: Ancient Cultures In A Fertile Arizona River Valley

In the center of Arizona lies the fertile Verde River Valley, one of the longest free flowing rivers left in the state. This area has long supported human habitation, and the remnants of these ancient cultures are protected and preserved at Tuzigoot and Montezuma’s Castle national monuments. I was recently there to learn about these early residents and score a couple more stamps in my national parks Passport.
  • By stratto - August 1st, 2024 1:24am

24 Hours On The North Rim Of Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

Anyone who has studied a national park long enough realizes there is no way to fully appreciate what they have offer in 24 hours. Changing light and changing seasons can make the most familiar features new again. In our recent June visit, my wife, Kellie, and I attempted to absorb, in a 24-hour visit, the less-visited vertical landscape of the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in western Colorado.

Where In The National Park System Are You Headed This Summer?

Spring’s rains portend summer weather. Long, comfortable days in the sun are upon us. But what are your plans; where in the National Park System will you go? Will you go in search of paleontological relics or active volcanoes; long trails or quiet lakes? Or, will you just sit on the beach and fly a kite? The park system can handle every dream, and more, as we point out.

Walking The Cades Cove Loop Without Vehicles At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Sometimes, you just have to take advantage of the less hectic side of the national parks. Contributor Danny Bernstein did that recently when she left her car behind and took to walking the 11-mile loop around Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

3 Days In "The Place," Acadia National Park

By any name, Acadia National Park's glacially-carved mountains, serene lakes and ponds, pristine forests, sand and cobble beaches, jagged granite headlands, abundant wildlife, and historical remnants attract more than three million visitors a year, all who come to find their place in “the place.” Are you ready to find yours in “heaven on Earth”?

A Daring Journey Into The Big Unknown Of America’s Largest National Park

With a trekking pole in one hand and an ice ax in the other, I am naked except for the rigid mountaineering boots on my feet. With all my clothes in my backpack, I cross three braids of the glacier-fed Chitina River in Alaska, stopping to partially recover from the cold on the gravel bars in between. But I know the last ford is going to be the trickiest.

Play Hard, But Play Safe

Every day we are overwhelmed with stunning photos from the National Park System. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, along with other websites and social media outlets, feed us spectacular photos of high country lakes, wild grizzlies, bison, glaciers, and stunning peaks. While they provide the inspiration to head out into the parks, they don’t always show how difficult and, sometimes, how dangerous, it can actually be.

Fredericksburg, Petersburg, & Richmond: Experiencing Civil War Battlefields

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I learned about the Civil War through books, movies, and plastic action figures. There just weren’t any battlefields in Oregon for a ten-year-old to experience first-hand. So, when I started traveling east, I was drawn to iconic battlefields like Gettysburg and Antietam. Until I started my quest to visit all the national park units, I had no idea of the sheer number of battlefields or how integrated into local communities they were and still are.
  • By stratto - May 22nd, 2018 1:15am

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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