The newest of my five travel guidebooks to U.S. public lands is American History 101: National Park Service Sites That Made the U.S.A. and it is available for sale on Amazon.com for a limited time price of $15.99. Please find below a sample of one of the 101 chapters covering Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. My book has a major focus on indigenous peoples, in addition to the sites dedicated to the American Revolution, Civil War, civil rights, and other topics you might expect.
American History 101 takes you on a journey from the Ice Age through 2001, with at least one stop in each of the 50 states. Selected from the 430+ units in the National Park Service system, these places bring you closer to the people, events, and turning points that made the U.S.A. Presented in chronological order, each entry shares the location’s story and lasting legacy, practical guidance for visiting, and one related site worth exploring. Most historical parks offer free admission, and many put you right where pivotal events unfolded and battles were fought.
I hope my newest guidebook inspires you to hit the road and go on an adventure through the past! Keep an eye out for the 3rd edition of my guide to the now 64 National Parks. Adventure on!
American History 101 takes you on a journey from the Ice Age through 2001, with at least one stop in each of the 50 states. Selected from the 430+ units in the National Park Service system, these places bring you closer to the people, events, and turning points that made the U.S.A. Presented in chronological order, each entry shares the location’s story and lasting legacy, practical guidance for visiting, and one related site worth exploring. Most historical parks offer free admission, and many put you right where pivotal events unfolded and battles were fought.
I hope my newest guidebook inspires you to hit the road and go on an adventure through the past!
Thank you to all my readers for their support and inspiration! I will post a sample chapter later this week, and keep an eye out for the 3rd edition of my guide to the now 64 National Parks. Adventure on!
Located downstream from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Summersville Dam (completed in 1965), this area protects 25 miles of the Upper and Lower Gauley River, plus six miles of the Meadow River. The river’s headwaters are in the Monongahela National Forest and after 105 miles it joins the New River to form the Kanawha River. It is the first river to have U.S. Congress mandate dam releases 22 times each fall expressly for recreational whitewater rafting and kayaking (a major boon to the local economy). The Upper Gauley River provides habitat for a small, colorful fish called the candy darter, as well as other rare species like the Allegheny woodrat, cerulean warbler, eastern hellbender, and finescale saddled darter.
Highlights
Pillow Rock Rapid, Sweet’s Falls Rapid, Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park, Meadow River Gorge Trail
Must-Do Activity
Most of Gauley River National Recreation Area is only accessible by rafting the river on six weekends each fall and occasionally after dam releases in the summer. The stream gradient drops 28 feet per mile over the course of 26 miles known as “The Marathon.” The Upper Gauley has five famous Class V rapids: Insignificant, Pillow Rock, Lost Paddle, Iron Ring, and Sweet’s Falls. The Lower Gauley offers 50 Class III–V rapids and scenic cliffs up to 500 feet high in places. Most visitors go with one of several whitewater guiding companies in the area that offer a variety of options, including overnight trips. Fishermen come to the river to catch trout, smallmouth bass, walleyes, and muskies.
Best Trail
Located right off Highway 19, Meadow River Gorge Trail drops 300 feet down to the river and under the bridge to access several popular rock-climbing areas.
Photographic Opportunity
In Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park, a short walk down the Patterson Trail leads to an overlook of Pillow Rock Rapids.
Peak Season
Fall
Fees
None
Road Conditions
The road to Gauley Tailwaters is paved until it turns to gravel at the very end, but some of the other river access points require a high-clearance vehicle. Access is fully paved to Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park and Meadow River Gorge Trail.
Camping
At the dam, Gauley Tailwaters has a primitive campground with bathrooms run by the National Park Service, while the Corps of Engineers offers full-service camping on Summersville Lake. Most of the land along the Gauley River is privately owned, but backcountry camping is allowed for free on public land.
Summersville DamScott on the Gauley RiverSweet’s Falls RapidMeadow River Gorge TrailMeadow River Gorge TrailMeadow River Gorge TrailMeadow River Gorge TrailMeadow River Gorge TrailMeadow River Gorge TrailSweet’s Falls Rapid
Explore More – During the Civil War, on what date was the Battle of Carnifex Ferry fought?
Assateague Island National Seashore was created 22 years after neighboring Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect migratory birds, like the greater snow goose. In combination with Assateague State Park, they protect a 37-mile stretch of undeveloped barrier island that crosses the border of Maryland and Virginia (and is very close to Delaware). The National Park Service (NPS) manages the National Seashore and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the National Wildlife Refuge, each with their own visitor center.
Highlights
Museum, film, wild ponies, camping, kayaking, swimming, beachcombing, Life of the Dunes Trail, Life of the Forest Trail, Life of the Marsh Trail
Must-Do Activity
Stop by the Assateague Island Visitor Center before driving over the Verrazano Bridge onto the barrier island. The beach is the big draw here, and there also are nice hiking trails and kayak rentals are available. The over-sand vehicle (OSV) zone requires a permit for four-wheel drive vehicles to drive on the beach and camp. Keep an eye out for wild ponies, the subject of the classic children’s book Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry (which made our Top 10 NPS Novels list).
Best Trail
Life of the Dunes Trail is a three-quarter-mile loop just inland from the beach, while half-mile Life of the Forest Trail and Life of the Marsh Trail offer boardwalks on the bayside of the barrier island. The best hike may be simply walking down the beach.
Instagram-worthy Photo
Assateague Island’s most renowned residents are its wild ponies, purported to have swum ashore from a wrecked Spanish galleon.
The access roads are paved, but with a permit you can drive 13 miles of beach on the Maryland side and five miles on the Virginia side. It takes about 1.2 hours to drive the highways between the north and south bridges to Assateague Island.
Camping
On the Maryland side, the NPS operates two campgrounds with cold showers, but the one in Assateague State Park offers hot showers. Two oceanside backpacking camps and four bayside kayak-in camps are also available by permit.
I am currently in West Virginia on a road trip and do not have my blog post for Gauley River National Recreation Area completed yet. On Monday, I did a guided whitewater rafting trip down the Upper and Lower Gauley, 26 miles that they call the Marathon featuring some of the most famous Class V rapids in the U.S. That was National Park Service site 418/433 for me. And our raft only flipped once!
I have finished writing my latest travel guidebook American History 101: National Park Service Sites That Made the U.S.A. It is now available on Amazon with a discount for early purchasers in November. I think it is the best written of my five guidebooks and certainly required the most reading for research. I learned so much about my country.
I spent some time in Kentucky last week, which helped with the Kentucky Road Trip Itinerary post. I went to the Churchill Downs Museum and kayaked underground in a limestone mine. I have also added some new photos to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve post after doing the Bridge Walk tour. Bridge Day is this weekend when they shut down Highway 19 for BASE jumping.
I am looking forward to more fun on my road trip and finishing up the two guidebooks. Thanks for reading.
