Results for "national park"

Thin trees in a swamp with green moss at their base.

5 Unique Reasons Congaree National Park is Worth Visiting

Synchronistic Fireflies and Champion Trees are two reasons to visit Congaree National Park. Plus, Congaree is among the least visited parks, making it blissfully uncrowded. I’ve been to 25+ national parks and there are essentially two types: those people go to and those they don’t. Some parks are filled with amenities, trails and things to do and see, and other parks quietly exist to protect rare and spectacular environments. Congaree is one of the latter. It protects the largest intact...

Rene Cizio standing on a white sand dune

5 Reasons White Sands National Park is Worth Visiting

There aren’t very many people at White Sands National Park. I don’t know how many national parks you can say that about anymore. On the days I was there, weekday and weekend, I was mostly morbidly alone. The sand is lovely, but who wants to go to a beach without water? And hiking in the sand, I can now tell you from experience, is precisely as difficult as you might expect it to be. But this place isn’t about the...

Bayou Sign

Touring the Bayou in Jean Lafitte National Park

Before booking a kayak tour through the Jean Lafitte National Park bayou, I messaged the host. The tour promised a slow paddle through the bayou with likely sighting of swamp birds, turtles, and maybe some gators. Kayaking and alligators didn’t seem like they should go together, so I asked,  “Are there alligators? I want to do this, but it seems totally crazy to me. Am I nuts?”  “There are alligators, but you’re not crazy!! It’s an awesome time!!”  A friend...

Saguaro National Park cactus with orange sunset

Saguaro National Park and the Wild Javelina

Seeing Saguaro National Park is like visiting another planet, but somebody should warn you about the pigs. Really, how many people know that Arizona has a wild pig population? I sure didn’t. I was shocked when I ran into these feisty fellows on a trail and hightailed it out of there. Had I known what I do now about Javelinas, I wouldn’t have run so fast. Cactuses in Saguaro National Park Saguaro cactuses are an icon of the old American...

Mount Rainier with pink flowers

Visiting a Live Volcano in Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park is the only park in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest with a large active stratovolcano. That it’s on the “Decade Volcano List” because of the high probability of an eruption soon makes it an especially exciting park to visit. One of my favorite things about national parks is the area around them. The drive to Mount Rainier took me mainly through small towns and two-lane highways. I passed through industrial seaport areas and many...

Utah national park Bryce Canyon

Which Utah National Park is Best? It Depends on What You Value

“Mighty Five” Utah National Parks Ranked I spent five weeks and visited every Utah national park. They call them the “Mighty Five.” What surprised me was that I expected to like the most popular parks most, but I liked them least. Other parks I’d never heard of turned out to be the best. This is my impression of the parks as someone who likes to hike and enjoy the solitude of the wilderness. If you want those things too, you’ll...

Jackson Hole

Visiting Capitol Reef National Park

I’d decided to skip Capitol Reef National Park during my five-week visit to Utah. But it was all the things I didn’t like about the other parks that made me go. I’m so glad I did. It ended up being my 2nd favorite Utah National Park. Why? The number one reason Capitol Reef National Park is worth visiting is the crowds. This park doesn’t have any. My other reason is history. Oh, and the pie. Who am I kidding? It’s...

Utah national park Bryce Canyon

Why Bryce Canyon Was My Least Favorite of the 5 Utah National Parks

I have the most unpopular opinion about Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s beautiful, and the hoodoos are spectacular, but it only ranks third on my list of the big five Utah National Parks. It’s ranked only third, not for lack of beauty or amenities – it has those in spades, but because I found it nearly impossible to get away from the crowds. To me, a national park should be a place to immerse yourself in nature, not dodge hordes...