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National Parks

Started by papaT10932, July 20, 2011, 09:04:20 AM

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BigMattFromTexas

Hmm, no one been to Big Bend?! I mean it isn't like Yosemite or Yellowstone, but it's a big surprise sense people (stupidly) think Texas is completely flat, desert, and we all ride horses.. <-- That's a different story though....
I've only been to;
Big Bend National Park
Guadelupe Mountains National Park
Amistad National Recreation Area
Davy Crockett National Forest
Angelina National Forest
Padre Island Nation Seashore*
Fort Concho National Hist. Landmark*

*not sure if they count or not.
BigMatt


agentsteel53

I've been to Big Bend.  was there just this January!  :sombrero:

I tend not to think a spot of land is any more magical because it is designated a "national" anything, or "state" anything, which is why I don't keep track. 
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

formulanone

#27
Yeah, because having a little spot left that doesn't have strip malls, billboards, and ESPN/CNN/Fox News, and a neighborhood of cramped identical homes isn't important at all. I can't wait for the entire planet to look like Coruscan or Trantor 200 years from now!

Seriously, at the end of my days, a bunch of preserved metal road signs have nothing on preserving a few places that are hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years old.

Brandon

Quote from: papaT10932 on July 20, 2011, 09:04:20 AM
Who here is a fan of America's National Parks?  :cool:

Which parks have you visited? Which ones do you want to visit? Have any good photos to share? Natural (Grand Canyon, etc.) and historical (Gettysburg, etc.) are both permitted for this thread.  :nod:

Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Keweenaw NHP
Hawai'i Volcanoes NP
Haleakala NP
USS Arizona Memorial
Yellowstone NP
Grand Canyon NP
Bryce Canyon NP
Arches NP
Grand Teton NP
Mesa Verde NP
Gettysburg National Military Park
Antietam National Battlefield
Mackinac Island (America's 2nd NP - turned over to Michigan in 1895)
Jefferson Nat'l Expansion Memorial
Rocky Mtn NP
Lincoln Memorial
Great Sand Dunes NP
Shenandoah NP
Dinosaur NM
Chicago Portage National Historic Site
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
George Washington Memorial Parkway
John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

agentsteel53

#29
Quote from: formulanone on July 21, 2011, 07:56:13 PM
Yeah, because having a little spot left that doesn't have strip malls, billboards, and ESPN/CNN/Fox News, and a neighborhood of cramped identical homes isn't important at all. I can't wait for the entire planet to look like Coruscan or Trantor 200 years from now!

Seriously, at the end of my days, a bunch of preserved metal road signs have nothing on preserving a few places that are hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years old.

oh, I agree with you completely on this.  I hate development for the sake of development too... but, really, attempting to fence in the salesmen is treating the symptoms, not the cause.  the solution to this problem is to kill all the buyers.

but anyway, from the perspective of choosing which places to visit, I will go just as often for the "unsigned national parks" (see, Antelope Canyon for example) just as often as the signed ones.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

relaxok

I'm a huge fan of the national parks -- Ken Burns' documentary "America's Greatest Idea" was a little bit sappy, but the title and general premise really got me to thinking about how lucky we are to be in this country with such an incredible amount of preserved space.  Europe only realized what they lost when it was too late, everything was developed.   Not only that, but most of what does remain is still in private hands - and usually guarded.  Sad.

I've enjoyed most of them from afar, but I've visited Acadia NP (3 times), Yosemite NP, Olympic NP, and Grand Canyon NP.

All staggeringly beautiful.

Duke87

I have been to two National Parks: Acadia and Rocky Mountain.

As for National Historic Sites, that I can't generate a full list of offhand since I'm not necessarily familiar with what is or isn't a NHS. But let me see if I can figure:
- Ellis Island (New York)
- Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (Philadelphia)
- Fort McHenry (Baltimore)
- Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown, Virginia
- various memorials in DC
- is anything on the freedom trail in Boston NPS maintained?

I'm probably missing something.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

SP Cook

Grand Canyon National Park
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
C & O Canal National Historical Park
Boston National Historical Park
Cape Cod National Seashore
Pipestone National Monument
Natchez Trace Parkway
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Statue of Liberty National Monument
Blue Ridge Parkway
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Lookout National Seashore
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Eisenhower National Historic Site
Fort Necessity National Battlefield
Gettysburg National Military Park
Independence National Historical Park
San Juan National Historic Site
Cowpens National Battlefield
Fort Sumter National Monument
Badlands National Park
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Arlington House
Colonial National Historical Park
George Washington Memorial Parkway
Shenandoah National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Constitution Gardens
Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
National Capital Parks
National Mall
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Washington Monument
World War II Memorial
Bluestone National Scenic River
Gauley River National Recreation Area
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
New River Gorge National River
Grand Teton National Park
John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway
Yellowstone National Park

oscar

#33
My non-comprehensive list (especially for the historic sites, and the National Park Service-run parks in the Washington D.C. area), excluding also national monuments like Mt. Rushmore:

Haleakala
Hawaii Volcanoes
Kalaupapa NHP
Puuhonua o Honaunau NHP
Puukohola Heiau NHS
Aleutian World War II NHA
Denali
Glacier Bay
Kenai Fjords
Sitka NHP
Wrangell-St. Elias (added July 2012)
Mount Rainier
Olympic
San Juan Island NHP
Crater Lake (added October 2011)
Lassen
Redwood
Yosemite
Death Valley
Great Basin
Yellowstone
Bryce Canyon
Zion
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Arches
Grand Canyon (both north and south rims)
Petrified Forest
Glacier
Mesa Verde
Great Sand Dunes
Rocky Mountain
Guadalupe Mountains
Carlsbad Caverns
Big Bend (added March 2014)
Badlands
Theodore Roosevelt
Hot Springs
Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home NHS
Shenadoah
Valley Forge NHP
Independence NHP
Everglades
Andersonville NHS
Jimmy Carter NHS
Acadia
Joshua Tree (added February 2016)
Sequoia (added February 2016)
Kings Canyon (added February 2016)
Great Smoky Mountains
Biscayne (added April 2018)
Wind Cave (added August 2018; drove through without stopping)
Pinnacles (added October 2018; drove major roads in both western and eastern parts of park)
Catoctin Mountain (added March 2019)
Petersburg National Battlefield (VA) (added July 2019; drove main park road)
White Sands (became NP in 2019; drove through without stopping while it was a national monument)
Wright Bros. National Memorial (Kill Devil Hills NC) (added April 2022)
Mammoth Cave (added March 2023; drove through without stopping)

In Canada:

Prince Edward Island (PEI)
Prince Albert (SK)
Riding Mountain (MB)
Mt. Revelstoke (BC)
Jasper (AB)
Banff (AB)
Glacier (BC)
Yoho (BC)
Gros Morne (NL)
Terra Nova (NL)
L'Anse aux Meadows NHS (NL)
Cape Breton Highlands (NS)
Wood Buffalo (AB/NT)
Grand Pre NHS (NS)
Waterton Lakes (AB) (added July 2016)                                                                                                                                                                     
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

texaskdog

Big Bend doesn't seem to me like it would be a National Park, though I'm glad it is.  Going back again when they reopen Boquillas next year.

xonhulu

Quote from: texaskdog on July 28, 2011, 02:20:22 PM
Big Bend doesn't seem to me like it would be a National Park, though I'm glad it is.  Going back again when they reopen Boquillas next year.

I've been there twice, and I think it's a great national park.  The canyons of the Rio Grande and the Chisos Mtns. are spectacular landscapes, and the desert scenery has its own sublime appeal.  The Basin is one of the best campgrounds with a view I've ever set up my tent in.  It's a great park for both roadside sight-seeing and hiking, mixing natural and historic sites for a superb overall experience.

The Texas park I thought wasn't a big deal was Guadalupe Mountains NP, until my last visit where I got away from the car and did some serious hiking.  The four trails I took -- McKittrick Canyon, Guadalupe Peak, Devil's Hall, and Smith Spring -- led to very picturesque sites.   I would eagerly visit again just to repeat those hikes.

I've discovered every park has its charms, even those viewed as unpopular in some circles.  Steamtown NHP, for example, is widely panned for being too insignificant a site and "pork barrel" park, bu I enjoyed my visit there quite a bit and thought it did a great job interpreting the history of trains.  Granted, I'd rather visit someplace where something significant actually happened, like Golden Spike NHS in Utah, but Steamtown was still worth a visit, as nearly every unit of the Park Service I've visited has been.

SSOWorld

But doesn't the Rio Grande have a large wall running alongside it?
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

agentsteel53

Quote from: Master son on July 28, 2011, 08:16:09 PM
But doesn't the Rio Grande have a large wall running alongside it?

nope, not even close - there's always Mexicans crossing the river on horseback to try to unload their trinkets to US customers.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

TheHighwayMan3561

#38
Acadia NP (twice)
Grand Portage NM
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

texaskdog

Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 28, 2011, 09:53:16 PM
Quote from: Master son on July 28, 2011, 08:16:09 PM
But doesn't the Rio Grande have a large wall running alongside it?

nope, not even close - there's always Mexicans crossing the river on horseback to try to unload their trinkets to US customers.

Yeah so much for border security.  There are 3 canyons there though with 800 feet high walls but there are places with no canyons.  They are opening Boquillas in April with a small crossing, which should actually improve security.  I wish they'd include 170 out to Presidio in the park, very nice area too.

xonhulu

Quote from: texaskdog on July 30, 2011, 09:59:41 AM
I wish they'd include 170 out to Presidio in the park, very nice area too.

Most of 170 runs through the Big Bend Ranch State Park, so there is some recognition for the scenery along the highway.  But I agree, that is a great drive and could certainly be part of the national park.

NWI_Irish96

No good pics to post, but I've visited:

Arches (Utah)
Badlands (S Dakota)
Everglades (Florida)
Grand Canyon (Arizona)
Great Smoky Mountains (N Carolina/Tennessee)
Hot Springs (Arkansas)
Mammoth Cave (Kentucky)
Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
Saguaro (Arizona)
Yellowstone (Idaho/Montana/Wyoming)
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%

Desert Man

I've traveled across the state when I was a child and had been to or through Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, and the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona a few years ago.  I like to take my family (two sons and wife) to the nearby Joshua Tree NP, formerly a National Monument one of these days not in the summer, but up there the summers in elevations at 3,000-5,000 feet are 20 degrees cooler than in the desert floor.
Get your kicks...on Route 99! Like to turn 66 upside down. The other historic Main street of America.

Landshark

Why is Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio a Natl. Park?  It seems like a political move that cheapens the entire system.

Hot Rod Hootenanny

Quote from: Landshark on August 23, 2011, 07:57:33 PM
Why is Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio a Natl. Park?  It seems like a political move that cheapens the entire system.
Because it used be called a National Recreation Area.
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above

texaskdog

2 more days on our trip.  Decided to skip Royal Gorge and go to Great Sand Dunes NP instead (10 NPs & 3 NMs in 18 days).  In Gunnison, CO right now.

berberry

The new National Park quarter honoring Vicksburg's park is to be unveiled today at a public ceremony in the USS Cairo Museum, on the park grounds.




texaskdog

Since I went to 10 National Parks & 3 Monuments in August, decided to rate my fave NPs

1:  Yellowstone (Wy).  Just so much to do there.
2:  Bryce Canyon (Ut).  Great hiking and beautiful canyons
3:  Arches (Ut).
4:  Glacier (Mt)
5:  Rocky Moutain (Co)
6:  Grand Canyon (Az).  I don't rate it as high as most people but still in my top 10
7:  Big Bend (Tx)
8:  Badlands (SD)
9: Zion (Ut)
10: Carlsbad Caverns (NM)

relaxok

Quote from: relaxok on July 24, 2011, 06:09:36 PM
I'm a huge fan of the national parks -- Ken Burns' documentary "America's Greatest Idea" was a little bit sappy, but the title and general premise really got me to thinking about how lucky we are to be in this country with such an incredible amount of preserved space.  Europe only realized what they lost when it was too late, everything was developed.   Not only that, but most of what does remain is still in private hands - and usually guarded.  Sad.

I've enjoyed most of them from afar, but I've visited Acadia NP (3 times), Yosemite NP, Olympic NP, and Grand Canyon NP.

All staggeringly beautiful.


Reading further in this thread made me remember I've been to Joshua Tree NP as well!  So, adding that to be completely and accurate.

I am really jealous of the people that have a complete national park set of stamps.. maybe i'll do that when i'm retired..

CanesFan27

Quote from: xonhulu on July 21, 2011, 02:21:07 PM
Quote from: texaskdog on July 20, 2011, 11:32:18 PM
Quote from: NE2 on July 20, 2011, 07:06:44 PM
I like Jefferson National Expansion Memorial because it's right next to a bunch of Interstates. There's a reason nobody visits Yellowstone.

Hmm Yellowstone's gift shop was sure busy when I worked there

I suspect that was a joke, coming from a couple recent suggestions of building an interstate through Yellowstone.

I have been to too many National Park units to list.  I build trips around visiting them.  Most of them are interesting and well-interpreted. 

About the only parts of the country I've never been to the park units in are the southeast and Hawaii, where I've never been.  Then are a scattering in states I've visited that I missed, like Nicodemus in KS, a few in IN, OH, VA, KY, TN, and the off-the-road-network parks in Alaska.  Interestingly, I've never technically been to North Cascades NP or Lake Chelan NRA even though I've lived only a couple hundred miles from them my entire life, but I'm planning to take care of that next month.

Sounds a little obsessive, but I've met people who collect NPS Passport stamps, and they put me to shame.  They can tell you exactly what visitor center in Mesa Verde to visit to get the stamp for Yucca House NM, a very old site with no facilities protecting an unexcavated pueblo.  One told me exactly where to get the stamp for Rosie the Riveter in CA (Richmond City Hall, of all places, but you have to ask the receptionist to get the stamp pad for you -- that was several years ago, so it may be different now).

There are two things that I have begun to do vs. getting the passport stamps because I usually forget to get the stamp or forget to bring the passport.  I buy a pin from each park - at least the park gets something back out of it.  And I also have slowly built a collection of replica WPA posters for various parks I have visited.  The site is: http://rangerdoug.com/store/posters/index.html

He has reproduction of all of the original WPA and have made 'new' posters for a number of different parks like Mesa Verde that never had one made.

I have a total of five (Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, Blue Ridge Parkway, Fort Marion (Castillo de San Marcos), and Great Smoky).  I still need to purchase Shenandoah.  I currently have Mesa Verde and Petrified Forest framed and they look great in the open entrance hall of our home.  I recently purchased the latter three last year and just have to get those framed. 

As an aside, over the years I have made the National Park System, State Parks, and other attractions (like the Biltmore Estate, hockey and other sporting venues, things like that) as a reason for roadtrips vs. just pure roadgeeking purposes.  The roadgeeking is an added bonus!

This summer my wife and I are going to take a weeklong vacation visiting the Smokies, driving the entire BRP and Skyline Drive, visiting some battlefields and some Shenandoah Valley backroads, before finishing up at a family Reunion in Central PA.  I've never driven the Blue Ridge Parkway in its entirety so I am looking forward to that!





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