Sand dunes are like giant sandboxes for big kids to play in and hike on, so we came up with a list of our favorites from across the National Park Service (NPS) System. Unlike most NPS backcountry trails, dogs are allowed on many of these dunes if they are leashed and picked up after.
By the time the Statue of Liberty was completed in 1886, New York City was already the gateway to America for millions of “homeless, tempest-tost” immigrants. Between 1855 and 1890, Castle Clinton on Manhattan Island served as a landing facility for 8-million people. The federal government took control of immigration in 1890, within two years opening a processing station on Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Ferry service to Ellis Island and Liberty Island is available from Castle Clinton National Monument in New York City or Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
Highlights
Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island Immigration Museum, ferry ride
Must-Do Activity
Approximately 12-million people were screened on Ellis Island between 1892-1924, though nearly 10% were turned away. Reopened to tourists in 1990, it is a haunting place to visit. The National Park Service museum offers excellent exhibits and films highlighting the travails of immigrants over the centuries.
Best Trail
None, but a special ranger-guided tour of Ellis Island will take you to areas you cannot see on your own.
Instagram-worthy
Photo
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the U.S. ally France, intended to mark the centennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. By the time the 151-foot tall,225-ton copper woman was ready, the U.S. was scrambling to come up with money to build its 154-foot tall pedestal. Pocket change was collected across the nation, a truly grassroots effort that allowed even schoolchildren to claim a part of the monument.
Peak Season
Summer, but these world-renowned monuments are busy year round.
$18.50 per adult for ferry to both sites, plus a parking fee at Liberty State Park. While free timed tickets are available to access the pedestal, you must reserve months in advance if you wish to climb to the Statue of Liberty’s crown.
Road Conditions
Paved, but you will likely have to deal with traffic. There is plenty of parking at Liberty State Park in New Jersey.
Camping
None
Scott with Manhattan behind him
First view of Ellis Island
Tiff on board the ferry
Historic graffiti on the walls
Scott in the Registry Room
Under the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty
A replica of Lady Liberty’s foot (actual size)
Explore More – Why is there a boundary on Ellis Island that divides it between the states of New Jersey and New York?
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
You might know gypsum as the white powder inside drywall panels. Gypsum readily dissolves in water, but here it forms sand dunes because no river drains the Tularosa Basin. The white color of the dunes does make for extra intense albedo, so be sure to bring sunglasses and carry plenty of water. Most of the wildlife here is nocturnal, but during the day you may spot a lizard species evolved to camouflage in the sand.
Update: As of December 20, 2019, the former National Monument is now called White Sands National Park.
Dunes composed of gypsum make a great destination for snow sledding year round, especially after a rainfall. It is fun to see children wearing T-shirts and shorts sliding down the sparkling white slopes.
Best Trail
Follow markers on the five-mile round trip Alkali Flat Trail that goes up and down dunes with views of the San Andres Mountains.
Instagram-worthy
Photo
The white dunes take on the colors of the sunset if you decide to backpack or take the ranger-guided Sunset Stroll.
Peak Season
Spring and fall, since it can be very hot in the summer.
Mostly paved and the packed dirt road is drivable by all vehicles.
Camping
Only backcountry camping is allowed in 10 designated sites for $3 per person, but that is dependent upon whether the military is conducting missile tests overnight so call ahead or check the schedule online. Oliver Lee Memorial State Park offers a full service campground south of Alamogordo.
Bleached earless lizard
Scott’s mother getting ready to sled down a sand dune in October
The white sands blooming in October
Scott’s mother sledding at their backcountry campsite in December
A raven about the park
Sunrise in December
Tiff getting ready to sled in May
This design we created to celebrate White Sands National Park is available on a variety of products at Cafe Press and Amazon.
Explore More – What happens to the deep root system of a soaptree yucca when the dune it is growing on blows away?
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Death Valley is our favorite of the 9 National Parks in California. Ghost towns and abandoned mills abound throughout its 3.4-million acres, including Leadfield on the one-way dirt road through Titus Canyon. Most of the attractions are found in and around the historic Furnace Creek Inn: watch sunrise at Zabriskie Point or sunset at 5,475-foot Dantes View; hike through gorgeous Golden Canyon or under Natural Bridge; drive to the ironic Devils Golf Course or the colorful Artists Drive; and walk into Badwater Basin, which at -282 feet below-sea-level is the lowest point in North America, even more impressive since it sits directly beneath 11,049-foot Telescope Peak.
Highlights
Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, Golden Canyon Trail, Devils Golf Course, Artists Drive, Salt Creek Interpretive Trail, Titus Canyon, Telescope Peak, sand dunes
Must-Do Activity
Death Valley averages less than 2 inches of precipitation annually, yet less than 10,000 years ago Badwater Basin was the bottom of a massive inland lake, the remnants of which be found along Salt Creek Interpretive Trail. Here tiny desert pupfish survive in the salty, hot water. The related and endangered Devils Hole pupfish can be seen at a disconnected part of Death Valley National Park surrounded by Nevada’s Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
Best Trail
There are great trails throughout this park, but we prefer walking wherever we want on the many sand dunes. The best are the Panamint Dunes; tucked on a mountain slope they require a three mile hike to reach. That means when you drop your sleeping bag on top you will likely have the place to yourself. More centrally located are the popular Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. In the northern section of the park the steep Eureka Dunes have a free primitive campground at their base.
Instagram-worthy
Photo
A dry, flat lakebed in the northwestern corner of the park provides a racetrack for rocks of all shapes and sizes. High winds and ice crystals are the key to their movement, which is clearly shown in their wake. Do not let the 26 mile dirt road stop you from visiting this spectacular site. It is passable by most vehicles when the road is dry (we drove our mini-van there)and when the Racetrack is wet you should refrain from walking on it anyway.
Peak Season
Spring and fall, with summer’s being incredibly hot except at the highest elevations. However, it can snow just about any month of the year.
The main roads are paved, but to really enjoy the park you should drive a high-clearance vehicle (rental 4x4s are available near Furnace Creek). As of December 2018, Scotty’s Castle is still inaccessible due to flood damage on the road.
Camping
There are campgrounds, but a unique aspect of this National Park is that you can disperse camp for free along many of its dirt roads. Backcountry camping is also free and does not require a permit.
Sunset on the Panamint Dunes
Tiff backpacking on the Panamint Dunes
Scotty’s Castle will be inaccessible until at least 2020
A March wildflower bloom
Scott with some salt formations at Devil’s Golfcourse
Zabriskie Point sunset
Desert pupfish on the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail.
Raven in Death Valley
This design we created to celebrate Death Valley National Park is available on a variety of products at Cafe Press and Amazon.
Explore More – What is the connection between Death Valley, 20 Mule Team Borax, and Stephen Mather (who in 1916 became the first Director of the National Park Service)?
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
The only thing that is nearly as fun as visiting National Parks is reading about them. Here is a list of our 10 favorite non-fiction books that cover multiple units of the National Park Service (NPS) System. Our previous list was limited to those set in a single park.
10. Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America’s National Parks by Jim Burnett (2012) Like the historic Oh, Ranger! books, this one covers the lighter side of interactions between NPS employees and tourists.
9. Before They’re Gone: A Family’s Year-Long Quest to Explore America’s Most Endangered National Parks by Michael Lanza (2012) The writer travels to some of the most imperiled National Parks with his family to experience them before they are permanently altered by climate change.
8. Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America’s National Parks by Mark Woods (2016) This Florida journalist received a grant to explore National Parks across the United States of America and brings an interesting perspective on them.
7. The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest by Timothy Egan (1990) The author visits many National Park Service sites in this good introduction for outsiders to the landscapes and people of Washington and Oregon.
6. Travels in the Greater Yellowstone by Jack Turner (2008) The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem also includes Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, and this is an interesting journey across its many corners by an always opinionated and interesting writer.
5. Desert Time: A Journey through the American Southwest by Diana Kappel-Smith (1992) The author’s pencil illustrations add a wonderful layer to her vivid descriptions of American deserts from Idaho to Texas, including numerous National Park Service units.
4. House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization across the American Southwest by Craig Childs (2007) Craig Childs has written several great non-fiction books set in the Southwest U.S. This one describes the world of the Ancestral Puebloan (formerly called Anasazi) people at multiple sites including Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, and Mesa Verde National Park.
3. The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell (1874) The author, a one-armed Civil War veteran, led the first expedition down the unmapped and untamed Green and Colorado Rivers through the Grand Canyon in 1869.
2. Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey through Every National Park
by Conor Knighton (2020)
During the NPS centennial year in 2016, this TV reporter visited all 59 National Parks (now there are 63).
…and finally our #1 non-fiction book set in multiple National Parks:
1. Our National Parks by John Muir (1901) Famous preservationist John Muir wrote many colorful descriptions of America’s wonderlands in his books (especially his beloved Yosemite), but none covers as wide a range as Our National Parks.
Honorable Mentions Travels with Charlie in Search of America by John Steinbeck (1962) Perhaps a bit dated now, but this is a cherished travelogue from a national treasure.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (2012) The Pacific Crest Trail crosses many parks in the National Park Service System and is considered an affiliated unit. This sometimes painful-to-read autobiography contains beautiful descriptions of the natural landscape.
My Wild Life: A Memoir of Adventures within America’s National Parks by Roland H. Wauer (2014) The first half of this autobiography of a National Park Ranger is an interesting look at research in Big Bend, Death Valley, and other National Parks before devolving into his life list of international bird species.
Start your U.S. National Parks, National Forests, and National Monuments adventure here!
Raven About The Parks 