I fell in love with National Parks on my first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park when I was eight years old. Since then, I’ve been to many National Park sites, and hope to go to many more. On every single visit, I’ve learned something about history, culture, or nature. I can’t imagine not being able have these amazing experiences.
As this is National Parks Week, I decided to go back through some of the photos I’ve taken at National Parks sites we’ve visited. I’ll start with the site closest to me–Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site. This photo was taken Sept. 11, 2023, during the “Second Life” activity at the Fort. Unfortunately, the fort is currently closed due to structural issues. Trails are still open. Currently the park store is operating out of the John W. Rawlings Heritage Center and Museum in Las Animas.
This one is also in Colorado, although a bit farther away. Great Sand Dunes National Park near Alamosa, taken Aug. 10, 2018. If you go in the Spring, you might find Medano Creek flowing, which is always fun to wade in. Did you know that people slide down the Dunes in sleds?
One of my favorite National Parks sites near New Orleans is John Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. One time we saw baby alligators, but of course, this is no baby! Dec. 27,2024.
I’m just going to jump around a bit, both by place and time. For our 30th anniversary, we went on an Inside Passage Cruise to Alaska. One of the highlights was being able to cruise into Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Watching the glaciers calving, not to mention hearing them, was a fantastic experience! June 9, 2013.
Zion National Park, Utah; more specifically, Zion Narrows. I’m proud to say that yes, I walked the Narrows! We rented special shoes and walking staffs which made navigating the river much easier. Aug. 6, 2018.
A hawk flying over Valles Caldera National Preserve. Sept. 24, 2016. What an amazing, beauiful spot! It’s a 13.7 mile wide volcanic crater in New Mexico. As we were leaving in late afternoon, we parked above the preserve and watched a large herd of elk and heard the bulls bugling.
Yellowstone National Park, Montana. We watched this bison swim across the lake. Note the steam from his breath. Sept. 24, 2022. This was my first trip to Yellowstone, and although we were there for several days on a Road Scholar trip, there is still a good deal of territory to see. Yellowstone in winter sounds intriguing!
Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. May 14, 2022. The geologic formations are very reminiscent of Bryce Canyon National Park, which isn’t all that far away, especially if you’re a crow.
Since I mentioned it, here’s Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, and a few hoodoos. Aug. 7, 2018. I think it’s great that there are all sorts of activities to pursue in National Parks, such as trail riding.
Fort Union National Monument, New Mexico. This was another fort on the Santa Fe Trail, used by the military. For my 68th birthday, I wanted to go to Las Vegas, NM, and stay at the Castaneda Hotel there, which was once a Fred Harvey Hotel. When I was a volunteer for the NPS Trails and Rails program, we were able to watch as the Castaneda was restored, so I was excited to book a room there when it reopened. Fort Union is not very far away. March 14, 2020. Note that date. We were probably some of the last people who visited Fort Union, because COVID shut it down shortly afterward.
White Sands National Park, New Mexico. A stop on my 70th birthday trip to Carlsbad Caverns. The sand really is white; it’s composed of gypsum. Although we went there in the afternoon, we stayed until twilight, to view the full moon. March 24, 2022.
After our trip to Yellowstone, we drove through part of Idaho to visit Grand Teton National Park. Those mountains are jaggedy! Sept. 26, 2022.
Grand Canyon NP (south rim). We visited the north rim several years ago, but I’d never been to the south rim. Sept. 24, 2023–which happened to be our 40th anniversary. Photos just don’t do it justice.
Cane River Creole National Historic Park (Oakland Plantation), Louisiana. This plantation and its sister, Magnolia, are two of the most intact Creole cotton plantations in the U.S. Generations of the same families: enslaved and tenant workers and owners. We visited right after a heavy downpour. Dec. 29, 2019.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM. The ultimate stop on my 70th birthday trip. Oh my. There are views all over: up, down, ahead, and behind. We spent a couple of hours in the great room, simply amazed at its size and beauty.
Sept. 20, 2023. A stop on a Road Scholar trip: Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, with Spider Woman’s Rock in the center. According to Navajo legend, Spider Woman lives here. Our Navajo Guide told us that her elders told her that Spider Woman is always searching for disobedient children.
On the same trip, we toured Chaco Culture National Historic Park (NM). Sept. 22, 2023. The structures at this park are from ancestral Puebloan culture between 850 and 1250 CE. Very awe-inspiring to think of how advanced this civilization was.
There are many more National Park Service sites, which are places to discover America’s stories. Each site and each trip is unique. NPS.gov is a good place to start. Look for the site you’re interested in, and be sure to check operating days and hours. Some have changed due to the firings of many National Park Service personnel. Although park visitation has gone up the past few years, funding was already lacking. Look back at the photos and imagine an oil or gas well in the middle of the scenery. That idea bothers me. I hope it bothers you.
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