American inventor Thomas Edison still holds the record with 1,093 U.S. patents awarded during his lifetime. Most of those came while running the massive laboratories in West Orange, New Jersey from 1887 until his death in 1931. After perfecting the incandescent lightbulb in 1879, it was here he employed hundreds to work on improving his phonograph, motion picture camera, alkaline storage battery, and Portland cement (one of his most profitable ventures). The park also includes the family estate, Glenmont, located one-mile away (a tour ticket is required to enter the house).
Highlights
Historic laboratories and workshops, inventions on display, house tour
Must-Do Activity
The multi-story Main Laboratory is handicap accessible and contains 400,000 artifacts from Edison’s prolific career. On display are some of the world’s first electric coffee-makers, waffle irons, and toasters marketed by his company Edicraft in the 1920s.
Best Trail
A self-guided walk around the grounds of Glenmont includes Edison’s gravesite.
Instagram-worthy Photo
At the West Orange laboratory is a replica of “Black Maria,” the world’s first movie studio originally built in 1893 on a track that allowed it to pivot for better lighting.
The only site in New Hampshire administered by the National Park Service (NPS) is dedicated to Augustus Saint-Gaudens, an Irish born immigrant that studied art in Paris and Rome. On this country estate he utilized beginning in 1885, he converted a barn into his sculpture studio. Other artists flocked to “Aspet” until his death in 1907.
Highlights
Home and sculptures of famous 19th-century artist, sculptor-in-residence program
Must-Do Activity
A tour ticket is required to enter the house and is included with your admission fee. While you are waiting, explore the many marble, plaster, and bronze castings of Saint-Gaudens’ work located around the property, including his famous Shaw Memorial whose original can still be found in Boston. A new cast of one of his Abraham Lincoln statues was added in 2016 during the NPS Centennial.
Best Trail
The quarter-mile Ravine Trail starts at the Ravine Studio, the workshop of the sculptor-in-residence. Blow-Me-Down Trail runs 2 miles between the Temple and a swimming hole.
Instagram-worthy Photo
Take a photo of “Aspet” house from the porch of Little Studio framed by the vine-draped arbor.
None at this park, but Mt. Ascutney State Park is short drive away across the border in Vermont.
Covered bridge connecting New Hampshire and VermontScott with a huge honeylocust tree
The Shaw Memorial took Saint-Gaudens 14 years to complete. This cast was completed in 1997.Diana sculptures like this top Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Explore More – Why does the gift shop sell a stuffed animal goat named Seasick?
Originally designated a National Monument in 1922, the area surrounding 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak became a National Park in 1986. This park is so remote that moonless nights offer some of the darkest skies you will see in your entire life. Plan to stay multiple nights to walk along the scenic Alpine Lakes Loop Trail, summit the peak, visit Lexington Arch, hike through a grove of ancient trees, and take a guided tour of Lehman Caves.
Highlights
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive, Lehman Caves, Lexington Arch, bristlecone pine trees
Must-Do Activity
Pass through ancient bristlecone pine trees on your hike to the only remaining glacier in the state of Nevada. This park was once home to the oldest single-stem tree in the world with nearly 5,000 annual rings (a cross-section is on display at the Great Basin Visitor Center). It was killed by a researcher who cut it down to count it in 1964, but he then became a major advocate for creating the national park.
Best Trail
Lexington Arch is located down a long dirt road, the first nine miles of which are passable by any vehicle, but the final two miles require four-wheel-drive. From the trailhead, the hike is 1.7-miles one-way, for a total round trip of 7.4 miles if you park where we did. Lexington Arch is an impressive 60 feet tall and its limestone structure is unique since most arches are sandstone.
Instagram-worthy Photo
Gnarled branches of bristlecone pine trees reach for the sky at 10,000 feet in elevation. Wheeler Peak provides a great backdrop for them.
Peak Season
Summer, with September a great time of year to visit for changing colors in the aspen stands. Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive closes in winter.
None, which is fairly unique for a National Park, but there is a charge for cave tours.
Road Conditions
Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive is paved and most dirt roads are passable to all vehicles, with the exception of the final 2 miles of the road to Lexington Arch which requires four-wheel-drive.
Camping
There are several campgrounds in the park, plus dispersed sites along two dirt roads available with a permit. Dispersed camping is allowed on roads outside the park boundaries without a permit.
Wheeler Peak protects the only remaining glacier in Nevada from the afternoon sun.The steep trail to Wheeler Peak climbs over 3,000 feet in about four miles, but the destination is always in view.There was fresh snow atop 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak when we summited in mid-September.The Great Basin Visitor Center in Baker, Nevada displays a cross-section from the 4,900-year-old bristlecone pine tree.Ranger-guided tours of Lehman Caves are only a half-mile long and worth the price of admission.On the trail to Lexington ArchTiff standing on cave flowstone beneath Lexington Arch.Our original logo is for sale on a variety of products on Amazon and Cafe Press
Explore More – If the flowstone formations at its base indicate Lexington Arch was once part of a cave, is it actually an arch or a natural bridge?
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The turquoise waters of Lake Superior beneath the sandstone cliffs of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore make it seem warmer than it actually is. Glaciers carved this shoreline thousands of years ago, but the Ice Age never seems far off in the lake’s cold waters. Minerals leaching from the stone paint the cliffs in many hues, hence the name Pictured Rocks.
Highlights
Petit Portal, Miners Castle, Munising Falls, Sable Falls
Must-Do Activity
Kayaking through Petit Portal is an unforgettable experience. Guides can provide the necessary gear and know-how, as well as commercial boat operators that get close to but do not actually pass through the natural arch.
Best Trail
Not far from the visitor center is a short trail to Munising Falls, one of several waterfalls in this 42-mile stretch of shoreline.
Instagram-worthy Photo
It will be hard to maintain a flat horizon line while bobbing on the waves in your kayak as you pass through Petit Portal, so take plenty of pictures.
Peak Season
Primarily a summer destination, but even then be prepared for sudden storms that can suddenly blow across Lake Superior.
No entry fee, but there is a charge for backcountry camping permits that are only available online.
Road Conditions
All roads are paved (to our knowledge).
Camping
Three campgrounds, plus 14 backcountry camping areas in the National Lakeshore. More backcountry campsites can be found offshore in Grand Island National Recreation Area, administered by Hiawatha National Forest, which also offers dispersed camping opportunities.
Munising Falls near the south Visitor Center
Explore More – What valuable mineral stains the sandstone cliffs green and blue?
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Archaeologists have found evidence of exploration dating back 4,000 years when torches of cane were used to light the way. Mammoth Cave does not get its name from hairy prehistoric mammals, though, but rather from the vast size of its tunnels. It has been a tourist attraction since the 1700s when slaves served as tour guides, but only became a national park in 1941.
Highlights
Bottomless Pit and Fat Man’s Misery on the Historic Tour, Frozen Niagara flowstone formation on the Domes and Dripstones Tour, Wild Caving Tour
Must-Do Activity
There are many great options to explore the cave, including the Violet City Lantern Tour, but we most enjoyed the Wild Caving Tour. Make an advanced reservation online to secure your spot (and your blue jumpsuit to keep the mud off your clothes).
Best Trail
There are nearly 80 miles of hiking trails in the park, but start by hiking downhill past the Natural Entrance of Mammoth Cave to the River Styx Spring, a short walk from the visitor center.
Instagram-worthy Photo
Keep your eye out for 2-inch long cave crickets on the Domes and Dripstones Tour. Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed on the Wild Caving Tour.
Peak Season
The park receives the majority of its half-million annual visitors in the summer, making December a great time to visit the park (though not all tours are offered).
No entrance fee, but cave tours have varying prices.
Road Conditions
All roads paved
Camping
A large, shaded campground is located near the visitor center, as well as a smaller one at Houchin’s Ferry (not suitable for trailers or RVs).
Tiff at the Natural Entrance to the cave where you start the Historic TourScott on the Historic TourFrozen Niagara flowstone formation on the Domes and Dripstones TourTiff traversing Fat Man’s Missery.
Ready for the Wild Caving TourThis design we created to celebrate Mammoth Cave National Park is available on a variety of products at Cafe Press and Amazon.
Explore More – Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the entire world; how many miles of cave have been explored and mapped?
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