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Exploring the Parks

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

Exploring Canyonlands National Park In Spring: A Primer

It wasn't much more than a goat path. Or, more appropriate for the setting, a desert bighorn sheep path. With the wind swirling about us and a lapis lazuli sky overhead, we played connect-the-dots with the small stacked cairns that looped across the sandstone amphitheater and took us higher and higher. This was Canyonlands National Park at its best.

Mojave National Preserve And Castle Mountain National Monument: California’s Desert At Its Finest

The rental car was taking a beating so we decided to turn around. Recent rains had eroded the road and created serious ruts in the shortcut we were taking from Mojave National Preserve into the new Castle Mountain National Monument. After the car went up on three wheels climbing out of the last arroyo, we slapped high fives for successfully retracing our track back to the main road.
  • By stratto - August 1st, 2024 1:24am

Fort Bowie National Historic Site: Conflicts With The Apache

In the far eastern reaches of Arizona, nestled in the pass between the Chiricahua and Dos Cabezas mountains, 20 miles or so from its border with New Mexico, sits the well-preserved remains of Fort Bowie, which was established as a National Historic Site in 1972. Apache Pass, and its year-round water supply, hosted Fort Bowie from 1861 to 1894 and was a key site in the decades-long battle against the Apache.
  • By stratto - August 1st, 2024 1:24am

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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.

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The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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