Category: State & National Parks
Guadalupe Mountains National Park Celebrates Anniversary
September 6, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, a desert mountain environment with more than half of its 86,000-plus acres designated as wilderness. El Capitan Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Photo credit: Dustin Nelson/NPS) Authorized on 1966 and established by Congress September 30, 1972, the national park lies along the northern limits of the state’s “boot heel” and shares a border with New Mexico. The park originated with a 1959 land gift from petroleum geologist Wallace Pratt, and was supplemented by the purchase of J.C. Hunter Jr.’s Guadalupe Mountain Ranch a decade later. Pratt loved the country’s rugged beauty enough to build a summer home on his McKittrick Canyon property, a riparian waterway in the northeast corner of the park where bigtooth maples attract hikers in the fall. Hunter’s ranch holdings comprise the lion’s share of the national park, forged from several smaller ranches in the surrounding sierras and foothills. Guadalupe... [Read more...]
Top 10 Scenic Drives in the Northern Rockies
August 28, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
If you are looking for an exciting vacation with beautiful views then consider exploring Forest Service lands in the Northern Rockies for beautiful landscapes, scenic byways, historic trails, and diverse wildlife. For sheer beauty and allure, few regions match the Northern Rockies. Discover a convenient new way to research and plan absolutely incredible Rocky Mountain travel adventures—the Top 10 Scenic Drives in the Northern Rockies. Beartooth All-American Road The Beartooth Scenic Road has 10,000 mountain lakes, 20 peaks reaching more than 12,000 feet in elevation, and 12 national forest campgrounds. Witness the rare transition of lush forest ecosystem to alpine tundra in just a few miles on the highest elevation road in the Northern Rockies. International Selkirk Loop All-American Road The public lands along the loop are home to the largest diversity of wildlife in the lower 48 states. Travel the Selkirk Range of the British Columbia, Idaho, and Washington Rocky Mountains to see... [Read more...]
50 Things To See or Do See in Your RV Before You Die
August 20, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
You might have read it or flipped through it or seen it on a shelf and thought, “I should pick that up.” The first thing many visitors notice about the Alamo is its small size, especially when compared with the buildings of the surrounding city. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved It’s the national bestseller, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.” The list, which includes everything from Asian sailing excursions to African horseback riding sites, might be mouthwatering to the wannabe world traveler. For most, however, the financial ability to travel the world simply isn’t there. But have no fear. Sometimes the best adventures are those in your own backyard. Here, in alphabetical order, are 50 things to do or see in your RV before you die: Acadia National Park, Maine People have been drawn to the rugged coast of Maine throughout history. Thanks to the robber barons that used the park as a private playground in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the... [Read more...]
Top 10 National Parks: Is Your List Better Than Mine?
August 14, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
People like lists. No, check that, they love them. Particularly when they disagree with them and think they have a better list. So, here’s my personal Top 10 list of national parks. How does it match up with yours? 10. Canyon de Chelly National Monument (Arizona) Spider Rock, the unofficial symbol of Canyon de Chelly, is a sandstone obelisk that rises more than 800 feet from the canyon floor at the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved A comparatively little-known canyon, Canyon de Chelly has sheer sandstone walls rising up to 1,000 feet, scenic overlooks, well-preserved Anasazi ruins, and an insight into the present day life of the Navajo, who still inhabit and cultivate the valley floor. The northernmost and southernmost edges are accessible from paved roads—the North and South Rim drives. The South Rim Drive offers the most dramatic vistas, ending at the most spectacular viewpoint, the overlook of Spider Rocks—twin 800 foot towers... [Read more...]
Tips for Dealing with Tsunami Debris
July 31, 2012 by Melissa A. Trainer · Leave a Comment
If, like me, you love to walk the shores of the Pacific Ocean in order to hunt for treasures such as shells, seaweed and driftwood, then you might read this information regarding the wave of tsunami debris that is heading our way and landing on our beaches. Recently, our coastal beaches have experienced an increase in marine debris resulting from the devastating March 11, 2011 Japanese tsunami. I haven’t stumbled upon any myself this summer, but if you plan to head to West Coast beaches, then you should probably be aware of this resource, offering tips, hotlines, and instructions. While researching this blog post, I discovered that a Japanese boat washed up at Cape Disappointment State Park in June. I wasn’t aware of this, but I found it interesting. Here is the official information on how the boat was handled by state and federal agencies. Officials apparently found the boat owner in Japan, but he isn’t interested in gettting the boat back and is okay with it... [Read more...]
Lewis & Clark Caverns, Three Forks, MT…
July 28, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
So often I find that my family takes our home state for granted. While we love to explore new places all across the country, we still have so much to discover right here in Montana. We’ve decided that, while we are ‘back home’ for the summer, we need to keep up our exploring; just here close to home. One thing that we have discovered tho, is that if we don’t set a specific time or date aside, the time goes by and we never get around to exploring around here. So, our family decided to set each Monday aside and visit someplace that is either new to us or that we haven’t visited in years. The Lewis and Clark Caverns Montana State Park was a destination that we haven’t visited in years – in fact, none of our kids, who are ages 22 and under, and ever been there. My husband and I had each been there, but not since grade school (and a lot had changed since then!). The Lewis and Clark Caverns are located approximately 20 miles west of Three Forks, MT, and... [Read more...]
Lewis and Clark Historical Trail Interpretive Center, Great Falls, MT…
July 26, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
One of the really great things about summering in our hometown of Helena, MT, is the fabulous nearby destinations. Helena is centrally located between the cities of Great Falls, Missoula, Butte, and Bozeman, MT. We are enjoying spending our summer as camp hosts on a lake in the Helena valley (be nice to your camp hosts – you would NOT believe some of the stuff they have to deal with!), yet we quickly found out that if we don’t leave the park on our days off, we end up working those days. So, for the past couple of weeks we have been taking our Mondays and going on field trips to nearby tourist destinations that we haven’t been to in years! This past Monday, we took a little road trip to Great Falls, which is 90 miles north of Helena. Great Falls has some really great places to stop and visit, and this trip we decided to tour one of our favorite museums – the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center. The LCIC is unique in that it is managed by the... [Read more...]
Utah: The Ultimate Road Trip
July 17, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
Utah is a place of unfathomable natural beauty—with its unique natural formations, colorful history, and culture, and exciting recreation opportunities—it is a state that contains the best elements of the great Mountain West and the Desert Southwest, from red rock splendor to mountain peaks with The Greatest Snow on Earth®, Utah is a four-season world-class travel destination. Hiking and photography are two favorite activities at Zion National Park. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Home to five national parks, Utah is the perfect place for your next family road trip. Utah’s five spectacular national parks stretch across the southern half of the state. Each park offers the traveler unique, world-class scenic vistas, and geological phenomena. In fact, Utah’s National Parks feature some of the most astonishing landscapes in the world. Each park shows off a completely different scenic view of the state’s natural beauty. These national parks are perfect for camping, mountain... [Read more...]
Part 3 – Big Trees State Park, Calaveras County, California – Exploitation of the Sequoias
June 30, 2012 by Traveler8343 · 2 Comments
My wife standing on top of the “Discovery Tree” stump.The photo really brings home what a massive tree it was. The “Discovery Tree,” top and bottom right. The “Mother of the Forest,” bottom left, as it appeared during exhibitions. Calaveras Big Trees State Park’s “Discovery Tree” is one of the first trees that were exploited to prove that this incredible grove exists. Located in the North Grove, the tree stump and what’s left of the its trunk have lain on the ground for over 150 years. The fallen trunk actually served as a bowling alley and bar during the 1850s. The stump of the “Discovery Tree” was used as a dance floor for a 4th of July 1854 cotillion. Felled in 1853, it measured 24 feet in diameter at its base and was judged by ring count to be 1,244 years old when it was cut down. The “Discovery Tree’s” stump, which is now bare, also once had a structure built on its flat surface. Used as a dance hall during the 19th... [Read more...]
Part 2 – Big Trees State Park, Calveras County, California
June 27, 2012 by Traveler8343 · 1 Comment
The Big Trees State Park contains two campgrounds with a total of 129 campsites, six picnic areas and hundreds of miles of established trails. Located in the Stanislaus National Forest, Big Trees S.P. has a water spigot near every site, but not close enough or compatible with the RVs city water connection (unless you have a “water thief” or serious plumbing skills to temporarily extend a hose over to the RV to fill the fresh water tank.). There’s also no electric or sewer hookups. Well, that’s not too much of a problem, you might be thinking, as long as they have a dump station, but they don’t (we were told that the dump station was “out of order.” It’s been that way for quite a while; coincidentally during California’s budget crisis, when parks were being closed to save money). We guess that it’s easier to tell campers that the dump station was out of order than to tell them that it was working, but no one was allowed to use it so that the... [Read more...]
