National Parks Week

It is National Parks Week, and all my students know that I just love national parks.  I even have an entire wall of my classroom devoted to them.  This is a small part of that wall.  It grows every year because my family also loves national parks, and my dad loves photography.  We hit at least one every year.

As a person who is generally mostly conservative, I am prone to think the federal government should not be involved with things unless it has to be.  There are some things that require federal management, like defense.  There are probably some conservatives that wouldn't think parks should fall under federal jurisdiction, but I am not one of them.

If you have ever been to the Grand Canyon, you may understand that it is not just an Arizona treasure but a national treasure.  There are certain parts of the country that should be set aside for everyone to see, photograph, and enjoy.  This is why I am with Ron Swanson (of Parks and Recreation) when he says, "National Parks are the only part of the federal government worth a thing."  I'm with Ken Burns when he says they are America's Best Idea.  Protecting unique and beautiful areas of the country for the enjoyment of everyone in the country is how I like my taxes spent.

In honor of National Parks Week, please allow me to recommend a few of my favorite parks for their uniqueness and/or their beauty.

Yosemite - Yosemite National Park in central California is one of the most stunningly beautiful places I have ever seen.  Unless you are a hiker, you probably won't spend more than a day in the valley itself, but it is close enough to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and San Fransisco to spend some time in the area.  I am not married, but I remember thinking it would be a lovely place for a honeymoon.  If you are a super hiker or rock climber, it has everything.

Carlsbad Caverns - This park is in New Mexico, and it would require quite a bit of driving to get anywhere else.  I am recommending spending a day or two there because of its uniqueness.  While you can take an elevator down to the bottom of the cavern, I really recommend spending a few hours to take the walk down.  It is not strenuous, and it is an incredible way to experience the cave.  The temperature is lovely, and you see things you obviously would not if you just take the elevator.  If you go to Carlsbad, take this advice.  STAY FOR THE BAT SHOW!  I wouldn't have thought I wanted to do this, but it is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  When a half million bats come spiraling out of the cave at sunset, you will not want to miss it.

Grand Canyon - No parks recommendation list would be complete without the Grand Canyon.  Its beauty and grandeur cannot really be put into words.  Whether the weather is clear and sunny or a storm is rolling in, whether you are there at mid day or sunset, you will get completely different views standing in the same spot.  There are a variety of animals; we saw a deer in the parking lot.  Everyone should experience the Grand Canyon before they die.  While you are there, take a couple of hours to visit Meteor Crater.  It is a state park nearby, and it is quite interesting.  The Apollo astronauts even did some of their geological training there.

Monument Valley - This is not technically a national park as it is on a Navajo reservation, but I couldn't leave it off my list.  Don't take your car down.  The money you spend on hiring a guide be worth the suspension work you will save on your own car.  They do not pave the road.  Monument Valley is the single most impressive place I've ever seen.  Stay until sunset when the monuments turn fiery orange with blue and pink and gold in the sky.  They have a wonderful visitors center, restaurant, and gift shop if you have to wait a while for sunset.

Arches - If I could revisit one park and spend an entire week hiking, it would be arches.  While you can see a lot from your car on the main loop in just one day, you will not get to the truly cool part of arches without getting out and hiking a bit.  Delicate Arch is the image you see on Utah license plates, and takes a couple of hours to hike up to the best view of it.  It is totally worth the hike, but plan your times well.  You don't want to do it mid day in the summer as there is zero shade on the hike.  Drive all the way to the end of the road on the map, and you are a five minute hike from my favorite part of the park - Sand Dune Arch.  I have a photograph, but it doesn't do the experience justice.  The arch is hidden away (kind of inside another rock formation), so all the sand that came out of it as at your feet.  It is so fun to take off your shoes and wander around in this spot.  It is also about ten degrees lower temperature than anywhere else in this park.

Parks Near Arches - Don't have a lot of time but you want a lot of national park bang for your buck.  Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands State Park, and others are not far from Arches.  Drive another half day to Monument Valley.  You can easily plan a week around Arches without spending the entire week IN Arches.  All these parks are very different from each other, so you get a lot of cool park exposure.

Denali - This park is in Alaska, so I know it is unlikely you are just going to hop in the car or RV and go there.  However, if you like photographing wildlife, this is THE park for you.  Take the wildlife viewing bus ride with the park rangers.  Get near a window if at all possible.  In 8 hours (including lunch), we saw mule dear, big horn sheep, grizzly bears, herds of caribou, ground squirrels (I think - some kind of ground mammal), etc.  The ranger would have been worth the trip even if we hadn't seen anything.  My only complaint about Denali is that I never saw the mountain.  It was pretty overcast the few days we were there.  However, I think that is why the animals were so active; so I'll take the trade off.  I'd like to go back sometime and photograph the mountain.

Yellowstone - When I retire from teaching, I want to work in the Yellowstone gift shop.  This park, located mostly in Wyoming is unique.  I imagine that when people discovered Yellowstone, they probably thought they had wandered into Hades.  Boiling water shooting out of the ground with a smell of sulfur would conjure those thoughts.  Yellowstone is more than just geysers, but you don't want to miss the geysers.  Old Faithful is famous for its regular schedule, but it is not the most impressive or the most beautiful geyser there.  Daisy Geyser is lovely, and Castle Geyser has created an interesting home for itself.  DO NOT MISS GRAND GEYSER!  Trust me on this.  While its schedule is not as predictable, it is worth the wait.  A chat with a park ranger will usually narrow down the time pretty well because those guys know things.  There are also beautiful hot springs, mammoth mineral formations, and stunning waterfalls surrounded by a yellow-walled canyon (hence the name Yellowstone).  They have an incredible variety of animals, from bison to moose (and perhaps a bear or two if you are lucky).  There is almost nothing there you won't want to photograph.

We have seen others, and there are many you might not think of.  Did you know, for example, that Alcatraz is a national park?  The Statue of Liberty is too.  While we are at it, Mt. Rushmore is awesome, but every part of South Dakota that isn't Mt. Rushmore is even better.  Spend a couple of hours at Rushmore, and spend the rest of the week everywhere else.  Lots of battlegrounds and homes of famous people are also National Parks.  America's "backyard" covers 85 million acres.    Visit the park website to plan your next American Adventure.  It is well worth the trip.