Tag Archives: trail

Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument

January 30, 2019 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Pipestone National Monument

Minnesota

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1937

282 acres

Website: nps.gov/pipe

Overview

This site is famous as a place people have come for 2,000 years to mine the red quartzite rock (also known as catlinite). The soft sedimentary stone is relatively easy to carve into smoking pipes and effigies. Only American Indians are allowed to quarry here today with the proper permits.

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Highlights

Pipestone quarries, museum, carving demonstrations, Winnewissa Falls

Must-Do Activity

April through October, you can watch American Indian carvers at the National Park Service museum demonstrate how to sculpt this soft yet durable stone into hollow pipes and other beautiful ornaments. It is illegal to remove any rocks without a permit, but you can buy carvings in the gift shop. See where this site fits into our 7-day Minnesota road trip itinerary.

Best Trail

A 0.75-mile trail leads past historic rock quarries to Winnewissa Falls, just the spot to be on a hot summer afternoon. The remnants of tallgrass prairie protected within the park boundaries give an idea of what this entire region might have looked like before it was converted to farms.

Instagram-worthy Photo

28 miles southwest across the border in South Dakota’s Palisades State Park where the same red quartzite rock dramatically rises above muddy Split Rock Creek and is a great place to picnic or watch rock climbers.

Peak Season

Summer, but it is open year round.

Hours

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

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

There is a private campground near the monument entrance and Split Rock Creek State Park is 8 miles south.

Chippewa National Forest (Minnesota)

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (Minnesota)

Nearest National Park

Voyageurs

Explore More – Who is the famous artist that catlinite is named after?

Learn more about the other 137 National Monuments in our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments

Georgia

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park

January 29, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Beginning around 1,100 years ago, the Mississippian Culture became the third and final group of mound builders in the eastern U.S. In contrast to earlier inhabitants at Poverty Point and Effigy Mounds, they were the first to rely heavily on agriculture. Located in Macon, Georgia, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park (formerly National Monument) is one of many examples of temple mounds from this time period.

Highlights

Indian mounds, museum, film, Opelofa Nature Trail

Must-Do Activity

Artifacts dating back to 8000 BCE can be found in the National Park Service museum. On your walk to the mounds, stop in the reconstructed 42-foot wide earthlodge. It was an important meeting place for religious leaders (similar to a great kiva) and offers a glimpse into the Mississippian Culture. There is also evidence of an English trading post from 1690 and trenches from the Civil War.

Best Trail

Walk from the visitor center, under the railroad tracks, and up the stairs to access the top of the 55-foot tall Great Temple Mound. Then watch for wildlife along the Opelofa Nature Trail in the Walnut Creek wetlands.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The Mississippian Culture had a complex social hierarchy, with a royal Great Sun who lived atop this flat-topped temple mound and traveled on a canopied litter carried by servants. When a Great Sun died his people made human sacrifices so he would not enter the afterlife alone.

Peak Season

Open year round

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/ocmu/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved

Camping

Indian Springs and High Falls State Parks are both about 35 miles from the park.

Tiff under the railroad that cut through the park (and through some mounds)

Explore More – What was the population of this city in AD1000?

Texas

Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument

January 22, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Quarrying in this part of the panhandle of Texas dates back 13,000 years to the last Ice Age. The flint found here was especially good for making spear points and was traded across the continent over the centuries. However, the harsh climate meant few humans lived here until recently, except between AD1200 and 1450. Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument is jointly managed with Lake Meredith National Recreation Area by the National Park Service (NPS).

Highlights

Flint knapping demonstrations, 10-minute film, ranger-guided tour of quarries

Must-Do Activity

Outside the NPS visitor center, dedicated park rangers frequently demonstrate the art of knapping points from flint blanks (not from within park boundaries) and other primitive survival skills.

Best Trail

We recommend you take the free ranger-guided tour (offered twice daily) up to the quarries to get the full experience. It is a bit of a climb, but is the only way access the sites.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The flint here not only holds a great edge, it is also beautifully colored. The rangers will be happy to let you take rock samples home from knapping demonstrations (since the flint is not from within park boundaries).

Peak Season

Spring and fall, as it can be very hot in the summer.

Hours

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

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Paved to the National Monument and many good dirt roads surround Lake Meredith National Recreation Area.

Camping

Free primitive camping is available around Lake Meredith where there are many dirt roads to explore, as well as developed campgrounds (fee).

Throughout the day, NPS rangers demonstrate flint knapping and fire starting
Alibates flint is very hard
This flint outcrop has been mined for millennia
For 13,000 years humans have quarried flint here to create millions of tools

Explore More – What is the origin of the interesting name “Alibates?”

Alabama

Russell Cave National Monument

January 17, 2019 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Humans have been visiting Russell Cave in northeast Alabama since about the time its limestone roof collapsed creating an entrance around 10,000 years ago. A timeline of human invention was preserved in the floor of this hunting camp for millennia, from atlatls to bows, pottery to pump drills. The park rangers were the friendliest we encountered during Pretirement and often offer demonstrations of prehistoric tools and weapons.

Highlights

Museum with American Indian artifacts, boardwalk to cave entrance, nature trails

Must-Do Activity

There are a select few artifacts displayed on site in the National Park Service (NPS) visitor center. From there a short boardwalk leads through the forest to an overlook of the archaeological digs at the cave entrance, which you cannot enter.

Best Trail

Two nature trails (0.6 and 1.2 miles long) split off from the boardwalk to explore the surrounding hills.

Instagram-worthy Photo

This cave is not famous for its pretty cave formations, but for its incredible archaeological record. If you want to see beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, I recommend you head west to the impressive Cathedral Caverns State Park.

Peak Season

Summer, when it can be muggy and buggy.

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/ruca/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved, but RVs are not recommended on Highway 156 if entering from the north.

Camping

DeSoto State Park has a campground and primitive camping is allowed at three sites in nearby Little River Canyon National Preserve.

A limestone sinkhole on a nature trail
Scott with the champion blue ash tree (the largest in Alabama)

Explore More – How far down into the cave floor did archaeologists dig in the 1950s?

Utah

Timpanogos Cave National Monument

January 15, 2019 Raven About The Parks 2 Comments

Overview

East of Provo, Utah in Uinta National Forest lies tiny Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Accessing the cave requires a guided tour (fee) and a one-and-a-half mile hike that climbs 1,092 feet, but the destination is completely worth the effort as it has an amazing collection of helictites and other cave formations.

Highlights

Cave tour, Canyon Nature Trail, Alpine Scenic Drive, Timpanogos Peak, camping

Must-Do Activity

The cave tour actually takes you through three caves that were connected by manmade tunnels after the National Park Service (NPS) took over management in 1922. It is a bit strange to find yourself turning a door handle when inside of a mountain, though.

Best Trail

Most caves run by the NPS have an elevator, but Timpanogos Cave requires a one-and-a-half mile hike that climbs 1,092 feet, which might not sound too bad until you consider it starts above 5,600 feet in elevation. The paved trail has many scenic overlooks at which you can stop to catch your breath. Canyon Nature Trail is a flatter option near the visitor center if you are not hiking up to the caves.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Timpanogos Cave has the best collection of gravity-defying helictite crystals we have ever seen.

Peak Season

Summer, closed October to May

Hours

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

Fees

There is an entry fee ($6) for Alpine Scenic Drive through American Fork Canyon, which is covered by the America The Beautiful Pass. Tickets ($8 per person) for cave tours often sell out on weekends, so reservations are recommended (they can be made 30 days in advance).

Road Conditions

Alpine Scenic Drive is paved, but parking is limited at the NPS visitor center.

Camping

There are numerous campgrounds (both developed and primitive) along the 20-mile Alpine Scenic Drive through Uinta National Forest. They can fill up due to its proximity to Salt Lake City, Utah, but backpacking is free and does not require a permit.