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UK person here. I'm so jealous of your national parks. My wife and I went to a few on our honeymoon road trip and the pictures in the OP are making me want to go again (once y'all don't have the Covid that is). We went to Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Every one of them was stunningly beautiful and I feel like we barely scratched the surface in any of them.
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Jul 22, 2020 22:09
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One of the less famous national parks that I'm a big fan of is Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Visited it last year and it was real cool, and not too busy (not much else going on in southwest Colorado). Was also the only time I've ever actually seen a bear in the wild.
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Jul 23, 2020 02:01
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z0331 posted:Reading about the John Muir thing, it's pretty crazy how insanely racist and terrible people involved in conservation and naturalism were in that era. It can be hard to reconcile it, especially since if you are in certain college/career disciplines, Muir, Roosevelt, even Pinchot get put on a bit of a pedestal. Then you learn more and it's like, 'ah, come on, not you guys too!' That's exactly what I was talking about! I was there almost a decade ago and did Precipice. That concept (at the time) was pretty unique in the NPS, that's awesome they still have those trails. You are lucky that you get to keep going back, I Ioved Bar Harbor and Acadia. If I ever cross country move again, it would be to go there.
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Jul 23, 2020 03:55
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Headhunter posted:UK person here. I'm so jealous of your national parks. My wife and I went to a few on our honeymoon road trip and the pictures in the OP are making me want to go again (once y'all don't have the Covid that is). We went to Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Every one of them was stunningly beautiful and I feel like we barely scratched the surface in any of them. Well I'm jealous of your right to roam.  Land owner rights are absolute in the US, it's perfectly legal to block access to public land if one has to cross private land to get there. So we got the awesome national parks, you get to enjoy your whole country. Which is better? Both obviously but it is not to be.
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Jul 23, 2020 04:16
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https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1286021372070830084 weird how they want to pass good legislation when the pitchforks are coming
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Jul 23, 2020 06:05
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That bill is good, at least some of the reason the parks are in trouble is miners and loggers skipping out on the cleanup after making huge profits so being able to pull in some of money that these companies are making would go a long way. Also it would make these areas less profitable, thus less attractive, which also is nice.
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Jul 23, 2020 07:24
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 And then Florida applauded. Hey John Muir? Let's talk about poo poo that didn't happen. Ugh. "A Thousand Mile Walk To The Gulf" is a wonderful tale of exploration, both about the wilds of America and into realizing John Muir was a real shithead racist when he wrote this. The style of dismissive racisim is very enlightening. I definitely reccomend reading it though. Free e-book on Sierra Club's website. https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/a_thousand_mile_walk_to_the_gulf/ Funny enough, I recall I first read that while I was sitting in a Florida State Park (Pumpkin Hill in Jacksonville, it's lovely there) very much like the area he was describing. I was so happy getting to a bit exactly like where I was, and then I threw the book at a tree when I read the above. gently caress you, John Muir, ruining my nice day. Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Jul 23, 2020 |
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Jul 23, 2020 14:46
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I picked up an annual pass today and hit up Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island NWR.  I'll get some wildlife photos up later after I pull them ftom my dslr.
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Jul 26, 2020 06:27
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Merritt Island   
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Jul 26, 2020 19:30
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After having made the pilgrimage to Joshua Tree 3-4 times a year for the past 5 years, my wife and I moved to Yucca Valley to be close to the park. We've lived here for about a year and just now closed on our first house here in YV. I get to catch beautiful sunsets year round, and check out the wildlife all over town (mostly quail, coyotes, cactus wrens, red tailed hawks, great horned owls, kangaroo rats, antelope squirrels, and a metric ton of common ground squirrels). Also Black Rock campground is accessible directly through YV so I can make a quick 5 minute drive to enjoy the fire pits at night. I'm constantly astounded by the natural beauty here, and I'm so glad we're living here permanently. Of course, the tourists from Los Angeles are really annoying about not wearing their masks and I feel like I see one climbing a Joshua Tree every time I go in the park. I love this place and was once also a tourist (but not an rear end in a top hat who climbs the trees!), but I can definitely see why outsiders are seen as such a nuisance here.
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Jul 26, 2020 22:05
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SoR Blaze posted:After having made the pilgrimage to Joshua Tree 3-4 times a year for the past 5 years, my wife and I moved to Yucca Valley to be close to the park. We've lived here for about a year and just now closed on our first house here in YV. I get to catch beautiful sunsets year round, and check out the wildlife all over town (mostly quail, coyotes, cactus wrens, red tailed hawks, great horned owls, kangaroo rats, antelope squirrels, and a metric ton of common ground squirrels). Also Black Rock campground is accessible directly through YV so I can make a quick 5 minute drive to enjoy the fire pits at night. I love Joshua Tree and the high desert. I've never seen night skies as bright and clear as I have out there. There is something about the ruggedness and danger that comes from being in such a harsh place. At first glance you might think that nothing lives out there but when you look closer you see how everything is adapted to survive in the sweltering heat and with so little rain. However, I also lived in Yucca Valley for 7 years and some of the desert folks in San Bernardino county are something else.
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Jul 28, 2020 01:39
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Going to Shenandoah next week for the first time and have done much less research than I normally do before visiting parks. We’ll be there a few days and know we’ll do Old Rag one day (during the week) but any other favorite recommendations? We’re camping at Big Meadows and down for some long day hikes or just especially fun/cool ones that may not be full of all the people?
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Sep 28, 2020 23:39
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Zero One posted:I picked up an annual pass today and hit up Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island NWR. There is some wicked camping in Canaveral National Seashore with a kayak or canoe. Push off from the mainland and paddle out to one of the many island campsites. You have a whole island (and a million mosquitoes) to yourself.
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Oct 26, 2020 01:42
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Heads up to any us veterans that now national parks are free admission.
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Nov 23, 2020 00:37
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LostCosmonaut posted:One of the less famous national parks that I'm a big fan of is Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Visited it last year and it was real cool, and not too busy (not much else going on in southwest Colorado). Was also the only time I've ever actually seen a bear in the wild. Will vouch for this. Went to college in Gunnison. I go back every year. The Black Canyon will make you feel small and fragile in a big way. The Grand Canyon is longer, but the highest cliffs in North America are in the Black Canyon, and there's no railing at the highest point. If you truly want to poo poo yourself and feel dizzy because you're so far up that you lose the ability to tell which way up is, this is the place for you. Also, park is a complete secret. I believe this is the least used, but in my mind the most amazing, of all the National Parks.
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Mar 19, 2021 23:24
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Alastor posted:Will vouch for this. Went to college in Gunnison. I go back every year. The Black Canyon will make you feel small and fragile in a big way. The Grand Canyon is longer, but the highest cliffs in North America are in the Black Canyon, and there's no railing at the highest point. If you truly want to poo poo yourself and feel dizzy because you're so far up that you lose the ability to tell which way up is, this is the place for you. North rim is usually not very crowded, and the better choice if you want to hike to the bottom. The permits are self serve rather than limited count at the visitors center.
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Mar 20, 2021 00:49
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The Rat posted:North rim is usually not very crowded, and the better choice if you want to hike to the bottom. The permits are self serve rather than limited count at the visitors center. That is also where the tallest cliff is, at Exclamation Point. The site where, for the first time in my life, I felt like I might actually poo poo myself.
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Mar 20, 2021 02:50
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Alastor posted:That is also where the tallest cliff is, at Exclamation Point. I had an experience like that too, but in reverse. Was at the bottom of the SOB draw, about to come back up. (Within sight of exclamation point, at the bottom on the north shore.) I heard some climber up above yell ROCK and I looked up and saw a bigass rock coming off the side of the nearer cliff breaking off about 200m up the draw. It hit the draw and shattered and poo poo started coming all downhill pretty hard. Ducked behind a large rock I was near and waited for it all to go over my head. Also I dunno what these huge bugs are but there were a bunch at the bottom of the canyon and it was super neat. Looked like fairies shimmering in the sunlight as they were flying around. 
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Mar 20, 2021 17:36
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The Rat posted:Also I dunno what these huge bugs are but there were a bunch at the bottom of the canyon and it was super neat. Looked like fairies shimmering in the sunlight as they were flying around. looks like maybe salmonfly?
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Mar 21, 2021 20:41
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I forget what they are called but they are all over the place. I got married at the north rim. Black canyon is one special place.
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Apr 2, 2021 22:58
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I'm actually looking to stop at Black Canyon on my way cross-country later this month, any advice? Also, sorry for neglecting this thread! In penance, have some photos from various parks I stopped by last year: Comet NEOWISE at Grand Canyon:   Sunrise at the Black Bridge over the Colorado:  Hike to Druid's Arch in Canyonlands:   A stark field of black basalt at Craters of the Moon:  Bighorn sheep chillin' in Badlands:  And finally, a wolf standing off against a herd of bison in the early morning mist at Yellowstone:  man parks are cool
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Apr 3, 2021 00:02
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I'm looking into visiting a National Park in Alaska. I've done drive-up camping, and while I want to learn backcountry camping, making my first try in Alaska doesn't strike me as the best idea. Are any of the Alaskan parks (relatively) beginner friendly?
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Apr 7, 2021 22:15
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Ya, Denali has car camping and bus drop off camping, totally newbie friendly. I don't know about the ones you have to fly or boat to. Both Wrangell st Elias and gates of the arctic are pretty minimal as far as services and infrastructure. Very sweet parks, but ya less newb friendly. Kenai fjords seems more about day hikes and glacier cruises, unless you wanna traverse the icefield, oh or kayak. There's of course state parks too, similar wilds with more ATVs.
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Apr 13, 2021 23:43
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Good info. I’ve been trying to get my kids more interested in stuff that doesn’t run on batteries. I just bought an America the Beautiful pass tonight and submitted my vacation leave. The kids get out of school on a Thursday. Saturday morning I throw breakfast burritos at them and we’re off. Basically it’s travel travel Yellowstone, Grand Teton, travel, ft Collins, ft Collins, Rocky Mountain np, ft Collins, Salt Lake City, Reno, home. Is there neat stuff to check out near slc/ Reno that doesn’t add a ton of time to the travel? The idea is that the kids are going to be primarily focused on playing video games** except when we force them to do nature stuff. My little one has some sensory sensitivities. We aren’t doing mud volcano or dragons breath because of the sulfur smells. I’m hoping he grows out of it before our next big trip. Any suggestions for things to modify / avoid? **When I was a kid (6) we went to the Grand Canyon. My brother (8) looked and said, ”oh. Ok. Where are the video games?” Fortunately my boys are... ah crap. 6 and 8.
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May 24, 2021 08:59
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otter posted:Good info. I’ve been trying to get my kids more interested in stuff that doesn’t run on batteries. On the way to Yellowstone, you can possibly try stopping by Craters of the Moon, giant lava field in the middle of nowhere, Idaho. It's also not far from EBR-1, which your kids may not have as much interest in but is a pretty neat stop. If you're driving between SLC and Fort Collins, you could try checking out Dinosaur National Monument. If they're like most other 6-8 year old boys, that should get them excited. On the drive from SLC to Reno, you can also try diverting through Great Basin National Park. Great Basin is notable for having some of the darkest night skies in the country, and if the timing works out you could try and check out one of their astronomy programs. If your kids have never seen the Milky Way, it's a great opportunity to do so. Hope that helps!
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May 25, 2021 18:14
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Seconding Great Basin - the place is gorgeous
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May 25, 2021 19:34
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all of that looks rad. I let the wife know and she is checking out our timeline to see what we can squeeze in. I wish we had 10 extra days to make it the trip of a lifetime, but we will have to do some of it next year I think. Or at least different seasons. I'm definitely going to get my $85 worth from the parks pass. Now I just need a couple more camera batteries
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May 25, 2021 19:40
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I want to go to Dinosaur National Monument.
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May 25, 2021 19:47
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Acebuckeye13 posted:On the drive from SLC to Reno, you can also try diverting through Great Basin National Park. Great Basin is notable for having some of the darkest night skies in the country, If great basin doesn't work for whatever reason, pull up a dark sky map and find a campsite somewhere along the route: https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=4.69&lat=39.5535&lon=-108.5030&layers=B0FFFFFFTFFFFFFFFFF Oregon and Nevada are stuffed with class 1 dark skies that require nothing more than a willingness to get away from an interstate. Yellowstone is pretty dang dark too. If none of that pans out, class 2 works just fine but being in a truly dark area is a holy poo poo eye opener for any city dweller. On a moonless night if you let your eyes acclimate to the darkness the light of the milky way will cast shadows which is maybe hard to get an 8 year old kid to wait for but as an adult it's worth the time. As a kid that was taken on numerous road trips during the OG game boy era, there's not much you can do to prevent them wanting to play games all the time. But if you can get them to unplug for a trail or a campfire you can slowly convince them that the outdoors is kickin' rad.
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May 27, 2021 19:19
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xzzy posted:If great basin doesn't work for whatever reason, pull up a dark sky map and find a campsite somewhere along the route: my 6 year old gets bored of playing games, however we will be in the first couple of weeks of the new fortnite season so he might be hypnotized. He likes hiking and stuff. My 8 year old just whines a lot when he cant play. Living in Oregon sorta rules. we have some cool stuff out here. They did both enjoy watching the eclipse in totality (what up Corvallis, Go Beavs!) so they could probably be ployed with chocolate to look up at the sky. It helps that my Explorer has a huge moonroof so they can sit all warm and still see things above.
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May 27, 2021 19:42
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otter posted:my 6 year old gets bored of playing games, however we will be in the first couple of weeks of the new fortnite season so he might be hypnotized. He likes hiking and stuff. My 8 year old just whines a lot when he cant play. Prineville reservoir (state park, not national) in Oregon was just declared an International Dark Sky park. I don't know how family friendly the park is, but if the sky is interesting to the kids, might be worth checking out.
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May 27, 2021 23:42
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also a good excuse to go to Eagle Crest for some golf... I think we are doing a cub scout trip to the high desert museum at some point this summer so that would be a fun tie in.
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May 28, 2021 01:07
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withak posted:I want to go to Dinosaur National Monument. I've been told it's incredibly cool, and not just for the fossils—There's some incredible landscapes and geology in the area that make the whole park worth exploring. 
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May 28, 2021 02:26
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Acebuckeye13 posted:and geology in the area Just look at that fold! https://www.google.com/maps/@40.534...0!7i8704!8i4352 The Yampa river canyon is pretty baller too, but I think you need to be on a raft to see it.. I haven't been able to find any trails on the north side of the canyon.
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May 28, 2021 16:51
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Acebuckeye13 posted:I've been told it's incredibly cool, and not just for the fossils—There's some incredible landscapes and geology in the area that make the whole park worth exploring. spent a night camping in dinosaur national park on my way to flaming gorge UT. can attest that they are both incredibly rad places
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May 28, 2021 19:38
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xzzy posted:Just look at that fold! Meryl Streep thinks the tour guide is sus (is this the joke the kids make these days? am I doing this right?)
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May 28, 2021 20:23
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Oregon trail in reverse day 1: about 2 1/2 hours in an oxen has died. Made it uphill to Sisters, OR and the car is shuddering hard when braking downhill. Probably a rotor. Sisters has a lot of their businesses set up to look like Old West type towns. So Les Schwab and Bi-Mart are dressed up as saloons. There is a really good pizza place here that my kids embarrassed the poo poo out of us at a couple of years ago. Edit: fun stuff. So Les Schwab doesn’t “do brakes” on the weekends. The guy said it’s my rear brakes going bad and I will have to replace them when I get to Colorado. Oxen has been upgraded to “broken leg” and didn’t love the 102 degree heat. Tomorrow we reach Yellowstone! otter fucked around with this message at 06:07 on Jun 20, 2021 |
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Jun 19, 2021 19:29
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Oregon trail in reverse day 3: Rations set to expensive, pace set to grueling. West Yellowstone, Montana was fairly nice except my 6-year-old had a meltdown when mama wanted to look around at stores and demanded instant dinner. There is a McDonald’s right down the street but mama nixed that and we ate at a diner on the main strip. It wasn’t horribly priced but it wrecked my digestive system. Breakfast at the hotel was definitely a grade above that at Red Lion the morning before. We drove around the southwestern quarter of the park and saw Old Faithful. Despite sitting in the sun for an hour and a half it was worthwhile to see the geyser blow. I got a couple pictures that looked pretty good. There were too many people overall and we couldn’t have lunch at the grill / gift shop though people had some kind of bbq sandwich that smelled really good. Wife started having a panic attack over the crowd so we went on to Grant Village which was fantastic because there was practically nobody there. The food option was a hot dog. I ordered one and my 8-year-old had one. My 6-year-old had some of my chips but for some reason (too much salt?) he spat his chewed up chips into my uneaten chips and completely ruined my lunch. Went on to Grand Teton which was fully majestic. I might have enjoyed that drive through to Jackson Hole even more than Yellowstone. Stopped in many places to take pictures. I wish my kids and wife wanted to hike but alas, they all gave up after a few steps. We drove along the trails and it was lovely. I definitely agree with everyone who endorsed the pizzeria at Leeks by the boat landing. Super good food and really reasonable considering. Pizza and the Teton Garlic Bread was less than Wendys in Jackson Hole. Right about when we got to Jackson Hole my kids became absolutely insane poo poo-fit throwing monsters. They ruined the experience which led to Wendy’s for dinner and arguing in the hotel room. Also, Under Armor’s hiking shoes are horrible and they gave me monster painful blisters on the backs of my heels. So after one day they are going to goodwill. I need something more comfortable for Rocky Mountain since there seem to be easy trails there. Recommendations?
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Jun 22, 2021 04:34
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Is your family okay? Or can you maybe swap them for a different family?
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Jun 22, 2021 20:54
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I think the combination of too little sleep, too much time playing video games, too much sugar and not enough time running around caused them to go insane. Today was only about 7 1/2 hours in the car from Jackson to Fort Collins. The kids met family members of mine they have never met or in the case of my 8 year old met once 7 years ago. They got to watch We Bare Bears the movie on a 100+” projector screen and from the sound of it, that was the best. Even though they watched it no less than 5 times on the trip so far. I think Thursday is RMNP and we might take the boys fishing tomorrow.
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Jun 23, 2021 05:26
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