OT: National Park Week; What's Your Favorite?
Very OT, but it is National Park Week, so I thought it'd be fun to discuss the best of the US, especially as the weather is finally starting to warm in most of the country.
Where are your favorite spots? Any you haven't been impressed with?
I still have a lot to get to for the first time, but the best I've been to so far would probably have to be Zion in Southern Utah. Incredible hiking and such unique landscape. Angel's Landing is unnerving, but if you can handle heights, an all time favorite.
After that, I'd have to say Death Valley in California (Vegas is the closest airport) would be my second; it really pleasantly surprised me and is one of the more underrated parks. You can only really visit between November and March if you want to be active, but it's huge (largest in lower 48), extremely remote/quiet/peaceful, lots of unique landmarks (Dunes, Artists' Palette, mountains, Badwater Basin/salt flats) and even snowy hiking trails in the winter to juxtapoze with the barren desert floor (I visited in January, would definitely die there in July but some ppl think it's an experience to see the heat).
Although I don't think I've ever been to a national park/forest I didn't like, I think Joshua Tree in SoCal near Palm Springs is a bit lackluster. The trees are unique, but otherwise it's just normal desert and relative to the other parks in the region, doesn't pack much punch. Although it is a great park for people who like to camp, and you can do it most of the year (probably its biggest draw).
April 25th, 2018 at 10:45 AM ^
all National Parks have something to offer and I would recommend people seeing as many as you can. One of my favorites would have to be Rocky Mountain National Park. It's beautiful anytime of year. Always great to drive over trail ridge road right after it gets open around Memorial Day.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:05 AM ^
I'll second this. I worked in Grand Lake for two summers, and Rocky Mountain national park is amazing. The window for Trail Ridge road is usually only late May-early August though, so I'm sure a lot of people miss out.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^
...during the summer of 2016. Made Yellowstone look like a parking lot by comparison. I'm only slightly exaggerating.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:56 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
Went to Banff two summers ago. Yes, spectacular lakes and mountains -- well, well worth it.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:14 AM ^
Where is Banff?
April 25th, 2018 at 11:17 AM ^
Canada. Alberta maybe?
April 25th, 2018 at 11:06 AM ^
Went to see the glaciers near Kenai Fjords just outside Seward Alaska in 97, but it was winter, so everything was covered in snow. You couldn't tell where mountains stopped and glaciers started. The scenery was still breathtaking. Moutains perfectly reflected in the waters of the Turnagain Arm.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
is my favorite park, although I'm already breaking rules by choosing a state park rather than national park. Loved going to it growing up.
Live in Plymouth and there are lots of great parks in the city and in the township. Parks in general are great. Need to head out west.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:48 AM ^
Because of the location, it is my favorite. The Glen Arbor area is my ultimate retirement destination, but finances don't match up well with that area.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:38 PM ^
Seconded. My son - a Michigan SNRE/SEAS Alumnus starts his 3rd summer working at Sleeping Bear doing Ecology restoration work. Hoping to turn it into a full time gig at somepoint.
Real Estate prices in the area never really bounced back from the 2008 decline so the cost might not be as expensive as you think. There is a house with 100' of lake Michigan frontage near me (south of Frankfort) for $450k - and it has been for sale for a long time. It is not cheap, especially for a second home but probably about the cost of a house in Ann Arbor.
Where is this waterfront house on Lake Michigan for $450K? I want to see it. Glen Lake is the most beautiful body of water in the world to me. I would take it over the carribean or Hawaii or anywhere else I have been. The economic downturn in 2008-09 didn't affect that area. Peoples are ridiculous and getting worse. Too much money from Chicago Drs and people like Dick DeVos buying up prime realestate and building compounds, not just vacation homes.
I do not spend a ton of time in TC, a few days a summer. A couple of summers ago I was lucky enough to spend the summer at my cottage north of Manistee. Hope to do it again soon.
At one point I would have chosen TC as my favorite place to live and I still love downtown but like anything it's gotten a bit more crowded especially in the summer.
I used to have a place north of Northport at the tip of the Leelanau Penisula near the lighthouse, but driving an hour past TC to get there was tough.
My current place is near Pierport which has an artesian well with a plaque saying it is "Old Facefull", kind of fits this thread. I am a bit south of Arcadia Bluffs golf course - I don't golf anymore and am too cheap to play there anymore but it is near to have nearby. They have a second course opening up nearby.
I have not made it up north much because I am living in a fixer in Ann Arbor and trying to get much of it fixed before I get too old and more broken down.
real estate prices up here in northwest michigan aren't as high as you might believe; the prices in Traverse City proper, and of course, along the lakeshore, have been slowly bouncing back from their 2008 lows, but there are lots of river-front and smaller, inland-lake properties where you could get water access for much, much less, and if you weren't worried about that, you can get great property throughout the region for very little money
April 25th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
as it's privately owned, but DeSoto Caverns in Childersburg Alabama (near Talledega) is incredible. Going underground, getting to experience total darkness, the pond, rock formations.....it's definitely something to experience.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^
I've driven past them, going from Bama to Michigan to visit family, but never had time to stop. I did also visit Rickwood caverns in Alabama, which aren't as large as DeSoto, but they are longer and more winding.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^
Wind Cave & Jewel Cave National Parks are better than Mammoth. But Mammoth is still cool.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^
forward to checking out Pictured Rocks this summer. Was planning on taking a boat tour. Any other suggestions you would have for seeing it.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:49 AM ^
the Thaddeus Kosciuszko memorial-- mainly because it's a cool sight about an unheralded Revolutionary War Engineering hero. It's also the smallest National Park site.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:50 AM ^
I love Arches in Moab, but it's gotten extremely crowded over the past 4 or 5 years. There's frequently a lne 20 to 40 minutes long just to get into the park and now there's talk about limiting access. So yes whilst it's one of the most beautiful places on Earth it's being runed because now people know it's one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:15 AM ^
Yikes. That was one of the places I wanted to get to this summer.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:33 AM ^
Still go. It's worth it even with a wait. Plan to get there at opening, and just be laid back about the fact that there's going to be a bit of a wait. Call ahead and book the fiery furnace hike. Stop at the Moab brewery after you're done.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:39 AM ^
Many years ago, I went on a business trip to Malta, and while there we went to see the Azure Window natural arch over the Mediterranean Sea.
About 2 years ago, it collapsed and is now gone. I'm glad I got to see it while it was still there.
So go. You never know when the arches might be gone.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:25 AM ^
That's one of the parks that summer has become an unfortunate time to go. Probably best in the October-April timeframe. Arches with snow still is beautiful! In the summer it is overrun though.
April 26th, 2018 at 12:19 AM ^
April 26th, 2018 at 12:21 AM ^
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April 25th, 2018 at 10:51 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 11:09 AM ^
Mary Jane grown in them thar hills, if you are willing to spend weeks searching for it and want to risk getting shot by a crazy mountain person.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^
if they even find 20 per cent of it.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:24 AM ^
I went there like 12 years ago with some friends. On the map we saw a few ways to go west from where we were in North Carolina, a couple were a little curvy but basically looked to be taking a long way around something. In the middle, there was something called the Cherohola Skyway (spelling might be off). It was just a road winding back and forth right through what those other roads appeared to be avoiding. We were getting to the area pretty late in the day, still in the trees, and then boom. It totally opened up and you could see how the Smokies get their name with the sun starting to set. Absolutely gorgeous. Then we spent hours on the windiest roads ever in the dark and you could smell the brakes. Good times.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 10:51 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 11:00 AM ^
April 25th, 2018 at 11:19 AM ^
When I went to see Bryce Canyon a few summers back, I was more amazed with the pictures of it in the wintertime than the summertime. Bryce is definitely one I'd want to see in the offseason and as mentioned earlier, Death Valley is better in the offseason as well. However, I can't imagine you'd see much of Glacier in the offseason.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
Generally true, but some parks it's literally not possible.
Lassen Volcano National Park in California and Crater Lake in Oregon are two where the roads are literally only snow-free/open from the end of June through September.
in t-shirts in the spring. An hour of beautiful skiing to reach some hot springs was way cool.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:53 AM ^
There's only one recognized week, and it's SHARK WEEK.
GTFO with this soft shit.
/s
April 25th, 2018 at 10:53 AM ^
I went there in March once for Spring Break and was blown away then. Late May is a great time to go because you can also view the whales.
Smoky Mountain and Shenandoah are pretty underrated parks. It's pretty cool to drive to the Tenn/NC border and stand above the clouds. Also, Smoky Mountain NSP is free.
I don't know how much the annual park pass costs, but it's a great investment if you have time to view the parks over the summer.