Any mention of national park lodges causes most people to envision park icons such as Old Faithful Inn, El Tovar, Ahwahnee, or Many Glacier Hotel. Dozens of other national park lodges are scattered across the country, of course, although many receive little publicity and remain virtually unknown to many experienced travelers.
During 2009, Traveler posted 67 national park-themed quizzes, mystery photos, mystery spots, and mystery plants. They’re all listed here, complete with links.
A fresh new year is upon us, one still brimming with hope, confidence, and high expectations. So, what better time to sort through our list of things we'd like to see happen across the National Park System in 2010?
It's certainly true that travel schedules and seasonal weather patterns dictate that the heaviest traffic flows to national parks come during the summer months. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to do in the parks in winter. At Dinosaur National Monument, for instance, a park that showcases geology, paleontology, and rivers in summer, winter brings opportunities for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and even snowmobiling.
The trail to the top of Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park is in need of work to improve safety, install turnouts along the 2.5-mile path, and add a new trailside toilet. Plus, the park is proposing a trail to connect the Manzanita Creek Trail to the Lassen Peak Trail.
Well, a full year has gone by since the Traveler tossed out some ideas of what we'd like to see take place across the National Park System in 2009. Let's take a look back and see how things turned out.