Yoho National Park, British Columbia

Yoho is just over the border from Banff National Park and borders Kootenay National Park on the south. It is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’ve always wondered why the 4 adjoining national parks in the Canadian Rockies weren’t just one big park, or at least 2 parks …

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Glacier National Park, British Columbia

The name of this park can be confusing as there is a Glacier National Park in Montana as well as a Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. Glacier is a Rocky Mountain national park which is not part of the core group centered around the Continental Divide. (Yoho, Kootenay, Banff, and Jasper). It is approximately …

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Planning a Road Trip from California to Oregon

Planning Your Southern Oregon-Northern California National Parks Road Trip

Southern Oregon and Northern California is a sparsely populated part of the country with some of the best scenery and natural attractions in the United States. Across California there is no shortage of beautiful places to visit, and that includes in the north of the state, where fewer travelers venture. Those road tripping the area …

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Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mesa Verde is another really under-appreciated national park. While it is one of the first national parks in the U.S., it’s a cultural attraction, not a natural one. In fact, North America is seriously lacking in ancient structures (due do the nomadic nature of the original inhabitants), and Mesa Verde is one of the finest. …

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George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, Indiana

George Rogers Clark National Historic Park, Indiana

The George Rogers Clark National Historic Park commemorates George Rogers Clark, the man who led several of the most successful and famous military actions in the western theater of the Revolutionary War. This National Park Services site is located in Vincennes, Indiana which was the location of his most famous victory, when he and a …

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina

From the World Heritage inscription for Great Smoky Mountains National Park: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a major North American refuge of temperate zone flora and fauna that survived the Pleistocene glaciations. The park includes the largest remnant of the diverse Arcto-Tertiary geoflora era left in the world and provides an indication of …

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Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite is one of the major parks in the U.S. and one of the first national parks in the U.S. Park Service. The Yosemite Valley is one of the most photographed and special places in the country. If I had to come up with a shortlist of places to visit in the United States, this …

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What to Do in Redwood National Park, California

Redwood National Park, California

Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world. These majestic giants tower over nearly all over species of tree—the closest I’ve seen was the giant eucalyptus trees of Tasmania, which are almost as tall as the redwoods. Tasmania’s trees aren’t quite as impressive as the redwoods in California mostly because they’re hardwoods and have a …

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Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Idaho/Montana

Yellowstone National Park is not only the first national park in the United States but the first national park in the world. Created in 1872, Yellowstone has held its position as the greatest of the parks in North America. It was also one of the first 12 sites to be named a UNESCO World Heritage …

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