Tag Archives: trail

Big Bend National Park

November 5, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

The park is named for a curve in the Rio Grande which forms the international border with Mexico. This corner of Texas is not easy to get to, so when you do decide to visit plan on staying for at least a few days. The weather can be very pleasant in the winter months.

Learn more about how to visit this National Park in the expanded second edition of our guidebook A Park to Yourself: Finding Solitude in America’s 63 National Parks.

Highlights

Chisos Basin, Fossil Discovery Exhibit, Hot Springs, Balanced Rock, Santa Elena Canyon Overlook, The Chimneys, Dog Canyon Trail

Must-Do Activity

Located down a short dirt road from Rio Grande Village Campground, a quick walk takes you to a riverside hot springs, a great spot to relax after a day of hiking in the dry Texas desert. While soaking there, you are literally a stone’s throw from another country.

Best Trail

From Chisos Basin it is a short two mile canyon hike to The Window for a gunsight view to the west. This trail is especially popular at sunset.

Instagram-worthy Photo

The most popular back road is Grapevine Hills Road which accesses the short Balanced Rock Trail and passes a couple of the most accessible of the 70 primitive backcountry car campsites (which require a permit from a visitor center).

Peak Season

Spring, but we have also had good weather during visits in December and January

Hours

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

Fees

$30 per vehicle or America the Beautiful pass

Road Conditions

We found that many of the dirt roads are passable with a mini-van, but some are four-wheel-drive only, so check with a ranger first.

Camping

There are many choices of campgrounds and backcountry campsites (permit required) throughout the park, but we recommend the Chisos Basin for its roadrunners and nightly ranger programs.

LR BIBE — This design we created to celebrate Big Bend National Park is available on a variety of products at Cafe Press and Amazon.

Explore More – What rare migrant bird do birders annually “flock” to see in this park?

Know someone who loves National Parks? Gift them our travel guidebook A Park to Yourself: Finding Solitude in America’s 63 National Parks.

Kentucky, Tennessee

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

November 2, 2018 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Overview

Crossing the Tennessee – Kentucky border, the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River cuts a 90-mile long gorge that was spared damming in 1974 when 125,000 acres were set aside by the federal government. The area is renowned for its Class IV rapids and 400 miles of trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. Seasonally, a concessionaire runs the Big South Fork Scenic Railway from Stearns Depot to the Blue Heron Mining Community, an outdoor museum.

Fork

Highlights

Natural bridges, waterfalls, whitewater, train ride, trails, new film

Must-Do Activity

The film shown in the 6 visitor centers was released in 2016 and provides an excellent overview of the area. You might want to ask for the subtitles to be turned on so you can understand the regional accents.

Best Trail

We enjoyed our 2-mile hike to Twin Arches (which are actually natural bridges formed by water). We look forward to returning to this park to explore its other trails and waterways, especially to see Wagon Arch, Yahoo Falls, and Devil’s Jump Rapids.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Of the two Twin Arches, North Arch (93-foot span) is easier to photograph than South Arch (135-foot span) because there are fewer trees in the way.

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Peak Season

Summer, though the Spring Planting Festival (April) and “Haunting in the Hills” Storytelling Festival (September) offer many free activities.

Hours

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

Fees

None, except to ride the concessionaire-operated Big South Fork Scenic Railway.

Road Conditions

The dirt roads we drove (Divide Road and Twin Arches Road) were passable for any vehicle.

Camping

There are many options, from full service Bandy Creek Campground in Scott State Forest to dispersed backpack camping along the trails.

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Tiff on the way to Twin Arch

Scott on the "trail" to Twin Arch

Scott exploring a slot — Exploring a slot in the sandstone behind North Arch of the Twin Arches.

IMGP0226 — North Arch spans 93 feet with a 51-foot clearance, making me look small underneath it.

Explore More – How deep is the gorge cut by the Big South Fork River?

WONDON WAS HERE

South Dakota

Jewel Cave National Monument

October 30, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

Sometimes overshadowed by nearby Wind Cave National Park, the third-longest mapped cave system in the world is located within Jewel Cave National Monument. Thick calcite crystals are the sparkly jewels that adorn the walls of this gem in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Know someone who loves exploring new National Monuments? Gift them our book Monumental America: Your Guide to All 138 National Monuments that is available for sale on Amazon.com.

Highlights

Historic Lantern Tour, Scenic Tour, Wild Cave Tour, Canyons Trail

Must-Do Activity

The Scenic Tour is a good option for most first-time visitors, and the Historic Lantern Tour is the only way to go inside the historic entrance (online tour reservations are recommended). The Wild Cave Tour is reserved for those willing and able to squeeze through the 8.5 x 24-inch crawlspace located out front of the visitor center. It is a taste of what is to come during sections like the “Brain Drain.” Thick layers of manganese will permanently stain clothing worn by those brave enough to take this epic 4-hour journey that crawls less than half a mile past rare hydromagnesite balloons and gypsum flowers.

Best Trail

Most of the forest within the monument has burned, but Canyons Trail makes a 3.5 mile loop from the visitor center or Historic Ranger Cabin.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Most cave tours do not allow you to touch anything, but on the Historic Lantern Tour at the historic entrance to the cave (summer only) you can feel the 4-inch long calcite crystals (also called dogtooth spar) that formed like a bathtub ring as water slowly drained out.

Peak Season

Summer when the Historic Lantern Tour and Wild Caving Tour are offered.

Hours

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

Fees

None to park, but there is a charge for all tours.

Road Conditions

All roads paved. Note that the Historic Lantern Tour at the historic entrance to the cave is not at the main visitor center where the elevator is.

Camping

None, but plenty of places at Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Black Hills National Forest.

Related Sites

Mount Rushmore National Memorial (South Dakota)

Buffalo Gap National Grassland (South Dakota)

Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

Nearest National Park

Wind Cave

A July 2017 525 — Wild Caving Tour patrons have to prove they can squeeze through this 8.5×24-inch crawlspace.

A P1000224 — …so they can do this later inside the cave.

A P1000232 — Thick layers of manganese will permanently stain clothing worn on the Wild Caving Tour.

August 2012 448 — Ranger at the entrance for the Historic Lantern Tour.

August 2012 505 — This formation is known as “Madonna and Child.”

Explore More – How many miles of the cave’s passages have currently been mapped?

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

South Carolina

Congaree National Park

October 29, 2018 Raven About The Parks Leave a comment

Overview

The last uncut bottomland hardwood forest in the southeast was originally preserved as Congaree Swamp National Monument in 1976 then became a National Park in 2003. These forests once covered 52-million acres of the southeastern United States and today this park contains some of the tallest examples of its native tree species in the world.

Highlights

Baldcypress trees with knees, hiking, birding, paddling

Must-Do Activity

Hop in a canoe or kayak to explore remote sections of this primeval forest. As you might imagine, all of this standing water is a great breeding ground for mosquitoes; just another reason to come in the winter. At the visitor center, a handy rating system helps prepare you for the onslaught or the “All clear.”

Best Trail

Even if the ground is flooded, stick to the wheelchair accessible boardwalk and you can still hike through the forest for 2.4 miles without getting your feet wet.

Instagram-worthy Photo

Our favorite tree here is the baldcypress, one of the few deciduous conifer trees (meaning it loses all its needles every autumn). Baldcypress trees are famous for their “knees” which rise from their roots up to seven feet in the air, helping the roots breathe when underwater.

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Peak Season

We prefer the winter when mosquitoes are absent, but anytime is good at this park that only saw 159,595 visitors in 2017.

Hours

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

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads paved, except right at the Cedar Creek Landing boat launch.

Camping

Longleaf Campground has 8 sites and Bluff Campsite has three about a mile from the visitor center. Backcountry camping is allowed with a free permit.

30 IMGP0923 — Paddle a kayak or canoe for a special look into these primeval floodplain forests.

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31-[003593] — Winter is a good time to visit if you want to avoid the “ruthless” mosquitoes.

33-[000274] — The boardwalk keeps your feet dry even if the forest is flooded.

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LR CONG.jpg — This design we created to celebrate Congaree National Park is available on a variety of products at Cafe Press and Amazon.

Explore More – How tall are the record-holding water tupelo, cherrybark oak, and swamp hickory trees in the park?

WONDON WAS HERE

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Oregon

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

October 22, 2018 Raven About The Parks 1 Comment

Overview

There are three units of this National Monument named for the John Day River that drains this region in the rain shadow of the Cascades. It is less green than much of Oregon, but that lack of vegetation allows the wonderful colors of the soil to show through in places like the Painted Hills and Blue Basin.

July Oregon 1777.JPG

Highlights

Scenic views, geologic formations, fossils, museum

Must-Do Activity

The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center gets our vote for the best museum in the entire National Park Service System. Across from Sheep Rock, it has awesome exhibits on the 40-million years of mammalian history this monument protects. Plus, watch real laboratory specimens being prepared by archaeologists. Across the highway, have a picnic at the James Cant Ranch Historic District and learn about sheep and cattle ranching in this region.

Best Trail

The Blue Basin is accurately named at the end of the one-mile Island in Time Trail.

Instagram-worthy Photo

If you can only see one unit of the monument, make sure it is the surreal Painted Hills. Stunning colors on large clay hills with several interpretive loop trails describe the geological history and fossils found there.

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Peak Season

Summer, though wildfires can cause road closures.

Hours

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

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Dirt roads at the Painted Hills are passable with most vehicles when dry.

Camping

None within the monument, but there are several campgrounds in the area, including a nice one we stayed at in the town of Fossil, Oregon.

July Oregon 1732 — The John Day River running through the National Monument.

Rock formations like the ones at Devils Postpile NM — The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center gets our vote for the best museum in the entire NPS System.

July Oregon 1746 — The blue badlands at the end of the one-mile Island in Time Trail.

Group shot

2016ORjohnday6 — There are several trails through the Painted Hills for up-close views of the colorful soil.

Explore More – Which unit of the National Monument is known for its fossil plants in mudstone?

Start your U.S. National Parks, National Forests, and National Monuments adventure here!