5 Lesser Known National Park Gems and Tips to Avoiding Crowds
Explore America / Explore The Parks / U.S. National Parks

5 Lesser Known National Park Gems and Tips to Avoiding Crowds

If you’re already planning for spring, summer and fall travel, getting in the outdoors might be high on your list.  Popular national parks like Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon can be packed in summer, especially in July and August.  There are 423 national park sites, including the 63 national parks.  Here are some tips … Continue reading

Exploring Fantasy Canyon near Vernal, Utah
Explore The Outdoors / Explore The Parks / U.S. National Monuments & Sites

Exploring Fantasy Canyon near Vernal, Utah

Fantasy Canyon near Vernal is unlike anywhere else I’ve visited in Utah. It’s filled with faces, animals and images created over time in the weathered sandstone rising out of the clay beds. The landscape looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. This is a place to let your imagination run wild as you … Continue reading

See Petrified Ancient Redwoods at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument near Cripple Creek, Colorado
Explore Colorado / Explore The Parks / U.S. National Monuments & Sites

See Petrified Ancient Redwoods at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument near Cripple Creek, Colorado

Did you know Colorado was once home to giant redwood trees, similar to those found in California and Oregon?  Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is considered one of the world’s richest fossil deposits.  It has yielded more than 50,000 museum fossil specimens from over 1,700 species including 1,500 insects, 150 plants and one of the … Continue reading

Want to See a Moose? Explore the West Side of Rocky Mountain National Park
Explore America / Explore Colorado / Explore The Parks / U.S. National Parks

Want to See a Moose? Explore the West Side of Rocky Mountain National Park

The west side of Rocky Mountain National Park is the wetter side. The Grand Lake side is also the less traveled side. Your odds of seeing a moose are much higher on the west side. I was spending one night at Grand Lake Lodge because I was doing some live and taped television segments from … Continue reading

Sound of Silence Hike in Dinosaur National Monument
Explore The Outdoors / Explore The Parks / Explore Utah / U.S. National Monuments & Sites

Sound of Silence Hike in Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument is one of the most unique places on earth, partly because it is home to one of the richest known fossil beds.  There are bones from over 500 dinosaurs and ten species entombed in ancient river sediments called Morrison sandstone.  The remains date back to the Jurassic Period 150 million years ago.  … Continue reading

Overlook Trail Hike in Zion National Park
Explore The Outdoors / Explore The Parks / Explore Utah / U.S. National Parks

Overlook Trail Hike in Zion National Park

It was my second visit to Zion National Park and I only had a couple of hours to get in a hike.  I decided to do an early morning drive from Springdale up the curvy Mount Carmel Road.  The scenic road is scenery galore.  It’s magical watching the sun’s glow overtake the shadows in the … Continue reading

Hiking McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Explore Texas / Explore The Parks / U.S. National Parks

Hiking McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

McKittrick Canyon has been called “the most beautiful spot in Texas.”  With good reason.  It’s where Guadalupe Mountains National Park started.  Hiking in the national park was one of the main reasons I made a trip to El Paso.  I spent three days in El Paso exploring its missions, food, ancient pictographs in Hueco Tanks … Continue reading

Tour a Historic Fort in Georgia:  Fort Pulaski National Monument
Explore The Parks / U.S. National Monuments & Sites

Tour a Historic Fort in Georgia: Fort Pulaski National Monument

While staying on Tybee Island, Georgia, for a few days I had a chance to check off another national park site. Fort Pulaski National Monument is on Cockspur Island, between Savannah and Tybee Island. Fort construction started in 1829, but it took 18 years to complete. In 1833, it was named after Casimir Pulaski, a … Continue reading