Earth Day: Best of US Parks
Our Cosmic Address: Earth, The Solar System, Orion Arm, The Milky Way, Local Group, Virgo Cluster, Virgo Super-Cluster, Universe … One?
We all live on a pretty cool rock that is 4.54 billion years old, just 3 planets from the Sun, and is the only planet in the entire Universe known to support life. With the celebration of our home occurring last week on Earth Day, I wanted to reflect on some of my favorite locations in the USA by celebrating the National Parks.
Today there are 63 National Parks in the USA with Yellowstone being the first NP established in 1872.
Although I haven’t been to them all, here are my favorites:
1. Rocky Mountain: Elk, Bighorn sheep, and Marmots, oh my! The geographic diversity at Rocky Mountain is special – from a glassy, clear-water hike around Bear Lake, to a fast-moving waterfall of Alberta Falls, to driving 14 miles up Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Tundra over 11,000 feet, there was lots of beauty and diversity at this park just outside of Estes Park, and near the town of Boulder and Denver.
2. Yosemite: California’s most-visited NP contains unique granite rock formations like Half Dome and El Capitan and impressive waterfalls, such as Vernal Falls. Tunnel View Overlook offered panoramic views of the Yosemite Valley. The park also had bikes to rent to navigate through the paved trails and down to the rivers.
3. Bryce: Hoodoos are odd-shaped spires of rock left from erosion forces. This NP in Utah has tons of hoodoos, hiking opportunities, and horseback riding. The Queen Garden trail, which is 1.8 miles as you descend into a Canyon, may be my favorite trail yet traversed.
4. Zion: Despite the heavy crowds, the strenuous 5.4 mile hike up 1,500 feet of elevation on top of a mountainous cliff is certainly special at Angels Landing. Also, the watery trek in the Virgin River of the Narrows Trail is humbling as you gaze upon walls of the canyon.
5. North Cascades: Less than 3 hours from Seattle, this remote park offers a great mix of hiking, boating, and camping. Whether relaxing at Diablo Lake, or a strenuous 7.4 mile hike to satisfy any hiker’s desires from wildflowers in summer, brisk lakes, snow-topped mountains, and the occasional big horn sheep.
Disclaimer: Yet to visit Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grant Teton
Question: Which did I miss? Which National Park is your favorite?
We enjoyed Grand Tetons NP a lot - much quieter than Yellowstone up the road, good camping and great rafting adventures. Lesser known is Acadia NP in Maine on the Atlantic coast. Great hiking in a variety of settings - mountains, ocean shoreline, meadows and woods. For variety, see the alligators and birds in Everglades NP between Naples and Miami.