Theodore Roosevelt National Park was my 49th National Park that I had visited on my journey to the 63 parks. And my 50th had to be special. When I raised it to my partner, she recommended that we visit the spectacular Glacier Bay National Park. At first glance, the name just brought up imagery of vast mountain ranges getting slowly carved by glaciers, and long fjords bristling with tidewater glaciers descending down from the peaks. But after visiting there, I realized that it was so much more than that.
The park isn't easy to access - but it certainly isn't the hardest one to access in the 49th state. It required two flights to get to the lightly populated island of Gustavus, and the Park itself featured only one hotel and one campground, despite encapsulating a substantial area in Alaska. But it was its remoteness and lack of accessibility that made the experience so much better. Compared to the crowds in parks of Utah, this felt completely isolated. And yet, the Park had so much to offer, featuring rich history and culture that felt alive, and, of course, bountiful nature.
Colorful displays in the visitor center tell the story that led to the creation of the park, starting with the rapid advance of the Grand Pacific Glacier in the 18th century that pushed away the Tlingit settlements who had lived there for hundreds of years. In addition, tastefully done ranger programs tell the narrative of the lives of the Tlingit disrupted by the advance of the glacier, the creation of the Park and the subsequent conflict with the Tlingit, as well as the efforts taken now by the Park system to preserve, protect and enrich this rich cultural heritage. And finally, the day cruise into the tidewater basin, which I highly recommended, showcases the complex ecosystem in the nutrient rich waters of Glacier Bay which served as home for humpbacks which rear their calves, seals and sea lions who are year-round denizens, plethora of migratory seabird species, and the iconic grizzlies fishing along the undulating shoreline.
And to frame all this is the vast glacial landscape where tidewater glaciers descend down from the snow-capped peaks to meet the freezing waters of the Pacific. It is a landscape so challenging to explore except by water. And I hope to return one day to explore its rugged backcountry.
Glacier Bay National Park
AK USA
A National Parks Journey - Theodore Roosevelt National Park
For me, the Dakotas, especially North Dakota, was a long forgotten part of the country. I had always considered it as a flyover state, and far away from any other tourist attractions. But it did have one National Park, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, tucked away in the western corner of the state. Its distance from major metropolitan areas (over 250mi from Billings), meant that visiting it required concerted effort, and couldn't have been just a short sidetrip on a cross country journey. Nevertheless, I ventured out to this National Park, without any expectations, as the name didn't reveal what was unique about this park.
There are two parts to this park, both of which encapsulated the Little Missouri river basin . I had planned on visiting only one. However, after spending half a day in this Park wandering around hiking trails around convoluted badlands, seeing wild horses and bison, and witnessing the big sky country, it left me wanting more. Hence, even though I didn't plan on this, I ventured out to the northern unit of the National Park, separated by miles and miles of grasslands and wheat fields.
And here, I was thoroughly taken away. I hiked through trails that wound around the beautiful country, admired colorful rock formations like this one above, and explored badlands rivaling Badlands National Park, played hide and seek with wild wildlife, and achieved a sense of peace, serenity and oneness with nature. I would have been thoroughly satisfied just spending my days under the warm summer sun in this park.
When I had first driven in to the campground, I was greeted by a friendly campground host. As we continued chatting, I asked why he choose to volunteer in this park coming all the way from Texas, his home state. He responded by just waving his arms and asked me to spend a night to understand why. I quite didn't grasp it initially. But after spending just a night there, I did.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
ND USA
A National Parks Journey - Petrified Forests National Park
I had meant to combine a visit to Petrified Forests National Park, tucked away in the north-eastern corner of Arizona, along with Grand Canyon during the spring of 2020. But Covid had put a stop to those grandiose plans. Nevertheless I found myself at the entrance of this Park one year later. It is one of those Parks that you can only visit and explore during the daylight hours, unless you were the few who chose to spend the night under the stars in the vast backcountry wilderness. But on this trip, I hadn't carried any gear to do so, and I chose to remain one of the daytrippers.
I wasn't sure what to expect of Petrified forests, apart from actually seeing petrified wood which I did. But I also found colorful badlands made of layers of blue clay, a desert-like landscape with large swathes of red color painted over, and crystalline wood still resembling buried logs but in various shades of blue, white, green and other colors. After seeing all these, I had wished I could have spent the night to experience this vast desert landscape after dark.
This vista showcases the Painted Desert, one of the likely choices for backcountry camping in the park. With no freshwater available, you would have to haul everything in and out yourself - and that is not for the casual traveler.
Petrified Forests National Park
AZ USA
A National Parks Journey - Joshua Tree National Park
I was surprised that I had put off visiting the 8th National Park in the State of California for this long. Especially since I had lived in California for over 8 years. The Park itself was easy to access from the town of Palm Springs, which makes for a suitable base to visit the Park. And even though I hadn't expected to see much in this park except for its namesake - the Joshua Tree, I was pleasantly surprised to explore a thriving desert landscape with very unique rock formations.
Cacti of different species, including this forest of spiny chollas, called this rocky landscape home, as do the iconic boulder formations that have attracted boulderers from all over the continent. But framing all this are the namesake cacti - the Joshua tree, that is so emblematic of the Colorado Desert Region of Southern California. While heading out of the park on a colorful evening, I found this forest just as the sun dipped below the mountains and lit up the sky.
Joshua Tree National Park
CA USA
A National Parks Journey - Virgin Islands National Park
Covid had impacted all our lives, and living in close confines with my partner for an entire year without the relief of social life and travel was proving to be tough. The cold and gloomy winter of Seattle didn't help either: it had multiplied the stresses of being together. This park, and the islands where the Park was nestled in, was meant to be an escape from reality from the bleak weather. Thankfully, it lived up to its expectations.
Virgin islands are not a hard place to get to as there are plenty of flights that ply to these Caribbean US territories. A short cab and ferry ride from the island of St Thomas lands you in St John, where the Park is actually located. But getting around the Park, especially to the remote reaches on the eastern side of the island, necessitated renting one of the colorful Jeeps available by the ferry terminal. And that gave me the freedom to explore various trails and relax by the white sand beaches normally not visited by day trippers from St Thomas, the commercial hub of Virgin Islands.
And while sailing remains the best way to explore these territories, staying in and exploring the island of St John by road works was a welcome substitute for the solo traveler.
Virgin Islands National Park
USVI
A National Parks Journey - Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Over the past decade, I had visited two of the three major National Parks that dominate the north east- Acadia and Shenandoah. The last one on that list was Smokies, one of the most visited National Parks in the country due to its popularity, ease of access and proximity to tourist centers. This made it a foolhardy decision to visit the park in fall, and yet I persisted with this task.
Despite visiting during the peak of Covid infections in the country, the crowds were far worse than I had anticipated. The tourists in the getaway towns of Gatlinburg and Cherokee, threw away any social distancing or sensible mask precautions to the wind. Driving in the long lines of traffic leading in and out of the park, and on its major thoroughfares, proved to be an exercise in patience. Nevertheless, we did find our moments of zen, both along trails that meandered along small creeks doused in blazing yellows, or at the top of Clingmans dome, watching the surreal colors of sunrise and dawn creep across the ranges of blue mountains to the east. In spite of the throngs of tourists, these are memories I would preserve for a while
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
TN USA
A National Parks Journey - Saguaro National Park
The winter was proving to be depressing, and in a bid to escape to a sunnier climate, we chose to explore deserts of Arizona and White Sands. Saguaro National Park, in South-Central Arizona, made for a quick day trip from the neighboring town of Tuscon. The Park, so named for its spectacular forests of the nation's cacti, offers plenty of hikes where trails explore the diverse Sonoran desert ecosystem.
The park is divided into two parts - the Tuscon Mountain District and the Rincon Mountian District. We chose to spend the day exploring the former due to its proximity to the city of Tuscon. The latter, on the other hand, offers plenty of wilderness opportunities, including backcountry camping. If we were to come back, the Rincon would be the place to explore.
Here is one of the spiky Saguaros under a moody grey sky of the Sonoran desert.
Saguaro national Park
AZ USA
A National Parks Journey - Haleakala National Park
My primary reasoning to choose Maui over the other islands of Hawaii for a winter trip to the tropical islands was Haleakala National Park. It was November of 2019 and I hadn't visited a single new National Park in that year. Covid was barely in the news at that time, and travel concerns seemed far on the horizon. Thus, when we were choosing the islands, we ended up settling on Maui. Due to the throngs that visit Hawaii during the month of December, our Last minute planning meant that we couldn't stay the hotels we desired. However, I was willing to sacrifice all that for a chance to stay within the crater of the National Park.
We snagged the walk-up permits by being first in line at the Park HQ - thankfully very few others had ideas of backpacking while in Hawaii. Hiking into the core of a volcanic crater and viewing the desolate moonscape of volcanic ash mingled with dry vegetation made for a memorable backpack. The icing on the cake was waking up in the middle of the night to watch the star-studded night sky that denizens of the main towns of Maui would hardly be able to experience. This alone makes the National Park a worthwhile visit for any traveler to Maui.
This particular scene is a silhouette of the various tourists posing against the setting sun at the rim of Haleakala.
Haleakala National Park
HI USA
A National Parks Journey - Acadia National Park
Having been established in 1916, this 100+ year old park was one of the older parks that I had visited in my National Parks Journey. Due to its age, I had envisioned a Park that captured rustic New England culture in a region that faced long harsh winters and lush summers. I also knew that, similar to other parks in the North East of the country, the area the Park preserved was not a place to escape away from civilization to nature, but to protect a region where the the two coexisted and even when humanity encroached on nature. And just like those other Parks, Acadia was replete with beautiful parkways that wound their way through the island offering plenty of turnouts to stop and enjoy the scenery. But in addition, Acadia also featured carriage trails preserved from the age of romanticism, along with hiking trails that wound through the forests and around lakes.
I had timed my visit for the autumn, hoping to capture some of the fall color magic that permeates this Park during this season. However, neither the colors nor the weather was cooperative. Nevertheless I still managed to find moments of zen in the crowded season in this small park.
Acadia National Park
ME USA
A National Parks Journey - Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde, the third in the trio of National Parks I visited on a trip to Colorado in 2019, is not a traditional National Park that protects places of outstanding natural beauty. Instead it has the best preserved ancestral peublo villages that were carved into sheer cliff faces in the American Southwest. Strategically located away from the bright sunlight where the Puebloans could find water natural seeping between the clefts, these villages are not often visible from above, and accessing it required climbing down narrow footsteps on slippery sandstone walls and shaky ladders. Thankfully, the conveniences of modern technology means that sturdy iron ladders and walkways now provide access for the guided National Park tours that now visit these villages.
Arriving late in the evening after exploring the Rocky mountains along the San Juan Skyway, I was not expecting to find any tickets to the timed tours. But once again, luck was on my side as I managed to snag the last of the tour tickets for the next day. Planning for getting tickets for the tours, which have now re-opened, is highly recommended, as you get to understand the culture of the Pueblo dwellers, and grasp the harsh realities of their everyday life.
Mesa Verde National Park
CO USA