Tag Archives: National Monument

Castle Mountains National Monument

March 13, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Designated in February 2016, this small monument borders Nevada and is surrounded by the much larger Mojave National Preserve on its other three sides. Its highest point is Hart Peak (5,543 feet), named for James Hart who discovered gold here in 1907 and founded a boomtown that reached 1,500 residents.

Highlights

Hart Peak (5,543 feet), Hart Mine ghost town, view of Castle Peaks

Must-Do Activity

This new National Monument is undeveloped with no trails, no visitor center, and little signage. Drive or walk its network of dirt roads to get a feel for the Mojave Desert.

Best Trail

None

Instagram-worthy Photo

Joshua trees are always photogenic, especially when the jagged Castle Peaks are in the background (though they are outside the monument’s northern boundary within Mojave National Preserve).

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

There are visitor centers in the adjacent Mojave National Preserve that have hours posted here:

https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Walking Box Ranch Road is a groomed dirt road passable to any vehicle from Highway 164 west of Searchlight, Nevada. Access roads from Mojave National Preserve require high-clearance.

Camping

Dispersed camping is allowed within the monument. Hole-in-the-Wall Campground within Mojave National Preserve is accessible by paved road from Interstate 40.

It does snow in the Mojave Desert
Rusty cans are evidence of historic human use
Raven About The Parks was here

Explore More – Piute Spring is charged by the aquifer within Castle Mountains National Monument; when researchers tested it, how long ago did its water fall as precipitation?

Wyoming

Devils Tower National Monument

March 6, 2019 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Overview

Devils Tower was named the United States’ first National Monument by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. Legend has it that its deep stripes were made by the tearing claws of a giant bear attempting to climb after seven girls who were saved when the rock grew from three feet high to its current 867 feet. You can see the girls today as the constellation Pleiades. The bear came to rest in Bear Butte State Park in South Dakota.

Highlights

Tower Trail, Joyner Ridge Trail, Prairie Dog Town

Must-Do Activity

Devils Tower is a distinctive 50-million-year-old volcanic plug, whose steep sides have been an irresistible challenge to rock climbers for years. Watch for them as you complete the 1.3-mile loop trail around the entire tower, as it looks different from every angle. Also look for the colorful prayer cloths left by Native Americans, many of whom would prefer this sacred site be renamed Bear Lodge National Monument.

Best Trail

Joyner Ridge Trail provides a unique view of the tower and forms a 1.5-mile loop or connects to the longer Red Beds Trail that circumnavigates it.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Visit in late September for fall foliage: golden quaking aspens and red chokecherry bushes.

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/deto/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$25 per vehicle or America The Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

Long vehicles must park just below the visitor center and hike a short ways up. The short West Road to Joyner Ridge Trailhead is a good dirt road.

Camping

On the prairie below Devils Tower, a 50-site campground is located within a grove of cottonwood trees, with running water available May through October. A private campground with RV hookups is located near the park entrance.

Tiff on the Joyner Ridge Trail

Explore More – How is park connected with the classic 1978 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind?

California

Devils Postpile National Monument

March 5, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Originally managed as part of Yosemite National Park, this monument was established in 1911 to protect it from demolition by dam builders. It is only 798 acres, so it can easily feel crowded; therefore we recommend getting an early or late start when the shuttles from Mammoth Lakes, California are not running.

Highlights

Devils Postpile, Rainbow Falls, Minaret Falls

Must-Do Activity

Devils Postpile National Monument is named for a 60-foot tall wall of columnar basalt formed by a volcanic eruption that occurred less than 100,000 years ago. These interesting columns are one to three feet in diameter and more than half are hexagonal in shape.

Best Trail

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail runs through the monument, but just outside its boundaries in Inyo National Forest is a 3-mile round trip hike to pretty Minaret Falls.

Instagram-worthy Photo

A short 1.3-mile roundtrip hike takes you to 101-foot-high Rainbow Falls, which usually lives up to its name and is one of the most stunning waterfalls we have ever seen.

Peak Season

Due to high snowfall in the Eastern Sierra, it is generally only open from June through October.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/depo/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$20 per vehicle or America The Beautiful pass, but most visitors have to pay $8 per person for a shuttle bus to enter the monument.

Road Conditions

You are only allowed to drive your own vehicle down the narrow access road if you are staying at Reds Meadow Resort or the Inyo National Forest campground. Otherwise, you must pay to take a shuttle from Mammoth Lakes, California.

Camping

A 21-site campground is located near the National Monument and many others outside Mammoth Lakes, California in Inyo National Forest, where dispersed camping is also allowed in some places.

Devils Postpile
Tiff and Wondon on top of Devils Postpile
Top of Rainbow Falls
Tiff at Minaret Falls
Minaret Falls

Explore More – How did glaciers help expose the Devils Postpile formation 10,000 years ago?

Utah

Cedar Breaks National Monument

February 27, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Cedar Breaks National Monument is a red rock badlands full of hoodoos situated at the edge of the Markagunt Plateau and only open during the summer due to its elevation above 10,000 feet. Its colorful limestone amphitheater is like a miniature Bryce Canyon National Park without all the interior trails.

Highlights

Chessman Ridge Overlook, Point Supreme, Ramparts Trail, Spectra Point

Must-Do Activity

The National Park Service visitor center is open late May through October. From there the short trail to Point Supreme and the longer Ramparts Trail lead to stunning overlooks of the amphitheater. Also stop at Sunset View, Chessman Ridge Overlook, and North View on Cedar Breaks Scenic Drive.

Best Trail

At 10,000 feet in elevation this is no place to try anything too strenuous. Walk the flat one-mile Ramparts Trail to Spectra Point and stop at the many great overlooks along the way while enjoying the riotous summer wildflowers and gnarly bristlecone pine trees (some believed to be more than 1,600 years old).

Instagram-worthy Photo

On our visit in July, we saw columbine, blue bells, larkspur, Indian paintbrush, elkweed, lupine, wild rose, fireweed, and cow parsnip; many of the same species that grow along the coast of Alaska.

Peak Season

Summer, though snowmobilers and cross-country skiers can access the park during the winter.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/cebr/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

$7 per person or America The Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

The paved Cedar Breaks Scenic Drive remains open until snow closes it usually by November.

Camping

The park contains Point Supreme Campground with 30 spaces and running water from June through September. The surrounding Dixie National Forest also offers campgrounds and free dispersed camping.

Explore More – What is the name of the trail outside the monument’s boundaries that drops 2,500 to the bottom of the amphitheater?

California

Cabrillo National Monument

February 21, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Cabrillo National Monument is named for a Spanish explorer that sailed the California coastline in 1542 before mysteriously dying in the Channel Islands. Located on Point Loma peninsula west of San Diego Bay, the steep cliffs offer great overlooks of Coronado Island and the city beyond.

Highlights

Cabrillo statue, 1854 Old Point Loma Lighthouse, tidepools

Must-Do Activity

To find out more about the history of Spanish exploration in this region, check out the museum and talk to one of the costumed actors (it is southern California after all). The national monument is a great place to imagine life at the Old Point Loma Lighthouse or learn the military past of the strategic defense post Fort Rosecrans.

Best Trail

Follow the road downhill to the Pacific Ocean side of the peninsula to a great spot to explore tidepools. Watch for migrating gray whales in the winter and the many unique bird species that migrate up and down the coast. There is also the 2.5-mile roundtrip Bayside Trail.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Old Point Loma Lighthouse was built in 1854, but due to that famous California coastal fog it was retired from service in 1891. Climb its circular stairs for a unique photo that looks like the inside of a seashell.