Essential Park Guide Winter 2018-19

Inside

Essential Park Guide / Winter 2018

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Celebrating Cold And Snow

Whether by skis, snowshoes, or snowmobile, Voyageurs National Park is a perfect destination to feast on winter.

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Repairing Bits Of The Past

By Kim O’Connell

Much history is held and showcased in national parks, and when artifacts from the past need repairs the Harpers Ferry Center is one place they’re sent.

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It’s A Hell of a Place

By Patrick Cone

Lucifer left his calling card, if only in name, throughout the country. One of the first spots also happens to be the country’s first national monument.

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30 Experience This Winter

EDITOR: Kurt Repanshek

ART DIRECTOR: Courtney Cooper

24 Friends of the Parks

Caring for national trails, common courtesies on snow, volunteering in the parks, improving your view, teaching teens well, and improving backcountry skier safety are just some of the benefits national park friends groups bring to the park system.

By Kurt Repanshek

Mushing, watching shimmering Northern Lights, snowshoeing, and even beachcombing are among the great activities you can enjoy in the parks this winter.

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Patrick Cone SENIOR EDITOR: Scott Johnson CONTRIBUTORS: Kim O’Connell Voyageurs National Park Association PUBLISHED BY

39 Book Reviews

Whether you like big cats or big trees, sand dunes or deep blue lakes, there’s a book for you in our review section.

Essential Park Guides are published by National Parks Traveler to showcase how best to enjoy and explore the National Park System. National Parks Traveler, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah, 84098. ©2018 Essential Park Guide, Winter 2018. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

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•••• from the publisher

Repairing The Past In The Parks

H

istory, and historic objects, abounds in the National Park System. And, not surprisingly, items occasionally need restoration, and even salvation, from the slights of time or the unexpected flood or hurricane.

There are a few places in the National Park Service where specialists wait to be handed such objects in need of some TLC. There’s the Historic Architecture Conservation and Engineering Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, the Western Archeological and Conservation Center in Tucson, Arizona, the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and the Harpers Ferry Center’s museum conservation lab in West Virginia.

ON THE COVER Most of Glacier National Park’s human amenities close for the winter, but the park remains open for the adventurous.

Some of the park’s beauty was captured

by Rebecca Latson from the shores of Lake McDonald.

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Kim O’Connell recently visited the Harpers Ferry branch, and saw the talents of the staff at work. They field problems such as weapons restoration; rehabilitation of curtains, such as those luxurious draperies from Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park; tattered book pages and covers weary and fragile from time, and; various ephemera that come to the parks in less than pristine condition.

O’Connell describes some of the techniques wielded by these conservators beginning on page 10.

Across the country in Wyoming, Devils Towers was the park system’s very first national monument, but it by no means has a monopoly on Lucifer’s nickname. Why, look out across the park system and you can find Devils Postpile National Monument, Devils Cornfield, Devil’s Den (in a few parks!) and even Devil’s Elbow. Special

Projects Editor Patrick Cone takes a look at how Devils Tower got its name beginning on page 16.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t notice the change of seasons, with winter not too far off. With that in mind, you’ll find a feature on how to spend a long weekend in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota beginning on the next page, and a rundown of some of the more adventurous activities you can indulge in during the snowy months. Dog sledding anyone?

And where might you spot the Northern Lights during the coming months? Those opportunities and more can be found in our roundup beginning on page 30.

The coming months, cold and snowy, might challenge you in the park system, but you’ll be amply rewarded during this beautiful season.

— Kurt Repanshek

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Join in the conversation and keep up to date on park news around the country.

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Winter is a season to get out and explore and try new things.

Snowshoeing in Voyageurs National Park is just one aspect of the environmental education programs there / NPS

Experience Winter, Minnesota Style,

AT VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK

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inter is a cold, snowy, and decidedly solitary season at Voyageurs National Park, where fellow visitors can be hard to spot. Take December 2017, for instance. The park recorded just 110 visitors, down from 196 a year earlier.

But if you relish skimming through the woods on skis or snowmobiles, like to study tracks of what crossed the meadows and frozen ponds, or crave to see the dancing Northern Lights overhead, well, a visit to Voyageurs should be given serious consideration.

Don’t let the average mid-winter high temperatures in the teens, or overnight lows in the single digits, or the four to six feet of snow, discourage you. Today’s winter clothing is engineered to keep you warm and dry, and warming up over a cup of hot chocolate is a treasured experience.

What is there to do at Voyageurs from December to March? With more than a little help from the staff at Voyageurs National Park Association, here are some ideas for a three-day excursion.

Snow? Check. Snowshoes? Check. Ranger? They can be arranged to lead you on a snowshoe hike at Voyageurs / NPS NationalParksTraveler.org

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Winter often brings out the silent beauty of Voyageurs National Park / NPS

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Embrace the cold, crisp air and fresh snow by immersing yourself in the tranquility of Voyageurs with some crosscountry skiing. There are plenty of options for a day outing.

The Echo Bay Trail is located three miles from the Kabetogama Visitor Center (closed in winter) off County Road 122. This trail offers a wide path that takes you from aspens to pines as you glide through lowlands and rocky outcrops. Sections of this trail are groomed for skiing in the winter months—perfect for novice skiers—while other parts of the trail are of intermediate difficulty.

No worries if you don’t have your own gear. The Rainy Lake Visitor Center offers a limited number of adult and child-sized skis, boots, and poles free-of-charge. Call the center at (218) 286-5258 for availability.

From the visitor center, you can access the Tilson Creek Ski Trails (just outside of Voyageurs) via a mile-long connector trail. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources manages this ten-mile network of interconnected ski trails. Several routes are possible, ranging from short loops to longer excursions.

This system has several hills to enjoy, but none are

Essential Park Guide | Winter 2018

particularly challenging. At the southernmost point skiers can look out over Black Bay. There are three shelters, one on the connector trail, one at the end of the Green Trail that runs one mile in from the Tilson Bay Ski Trail head on Highway 11 East, and one on the Red Trail on the way to Black Bay. By heading a mile north from the visitor center across the frozen Rainy Lake Ice Road you can access the Black Bay Ski Trail. This classic-only ski trail groomed by park staff is a delightful excursion across frozen beaver ponds and into the pine forest of the Kabetogama peninsula. There are three connected 3-mile loops, plus a one-mile beginners loop.

The main loops, the Pine Ridge and upper Pine, are challenging trails with substantial hills to climb and descend. There is a shelter at the intersection of the Pine and Upper Pine where you can take a break, bask in the sun, and listen to the surrounding forest.

You can also launch your cross-country skiing exploration from other gateway communities around the park. Try the Kab-Ash Trail or follow these links for trail information near Crane Lake and Ash River.

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You could spend half a day, a day, or a week cross-country skiing in Voyageurs / NPS

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Cross training is always wise, and after a day of cross-country skiing some time spent on snowshoes offers your leg muscles a nice change of pace. And the slower pace (unless you’re an experienced ‘shoer on racing snowshoes) can be a godsend. As you move about the forests and clearings in Voyageurs on snowshoes you’re more apt to pause and glance around your surroundings and notice the subtler aspects of winter.

A beauty of snowshoeing is that you really don’t need a set trail, but can simply follow your nose. That said, there are some established trails for snowshoers.

The Blind Ash Bay Trail consists of a 2.5-mile loop of moderate difficulty. It’s accessible via the Ash River Visitor Center trailhead. The narrow, winding trail will allow you to experience the wonders of the boreal forest and view spectacular scenery.

Along with skis, the Rainy Lake Visitor Center has a number of snowshoes in many sizes and shapes available free-of-charge. Just call ahead for availability (218-286-5258). From the visitor center you can access the 1.7-mile Oberholtzer Trail, snowshoeing through forests and wetlands.

Elsewhere in the park, all open trails are great for snowshoeing as long as there’s enough snow.

If snowshoeing seems too sedate, head to the hills with sled in hand. Once the snow piles up Voyageur’s Sphunge Island Sledding Hill is open and accessible from the Kabetogama Lake Ice Road near the Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center.

It even has picnic tables and a fire ring for lunch or snack breaks and warming up. There’s also a skating rink here.

Experienced skiers and snowshoers shouldn’t overlook the chance to camp in the backcountry.

Camping offers amazing opportunities for night sky and wildlife viewing (moose and bald eagles are among the species that call Voyageurs home).

Perhaps you’ll even catch the Northern Lights, or hear a wolf pack howling.

Keep in mind, though, that all overnight stays at campsites within the park require a reservation in advance. You can make a reservation at https://www.recreation.gov/ camping/campgrounds/249981.

Wolves are some of the locals at Voyageurs, and they can be easier to spot in winter, if only by their tracks / NPS

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The Oberholtzer Trail is a popular winter destination for snowshoers and cross-country skiers at Voyageurs / NPS

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Voyageurs is one of the national parks that fully embraces snowmobiling. There are 110 miles of staked and groomed trails for cruising through the park. Be sure to obey all closure signs, speed limits, and familiarize yourself with the park snowmobile map. Areas may be closed for your safety and to protect sensitive resources.

One particularly beautiful trail runs from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center down Black Bay to Gold Portage and then east through the Chain of Lakes. It exits onto Lake Kabetogama, runs west and north across the ice, and returns on the Gold Portage Trail back to Rainy Lake.

You could use your snowmobile to reach

Essential Park Guide | Winter 2018

an ice-fishing site. Winter quiet, rugged piney shorelines, and outstanding angling make Voyageurs an ice angler’s paradise. Just follow the rules: Place ice houses at least 50 feet from the center of snowmobile trails and the ice road; check ice conditions before going out; be sure to have a fishing license and ice house registration.

Exploring the Rainy Lake Ice Road in your own rig is another great way to experience Voyageurs. It departs from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center boat launch. Another option is the Kabetogama Lake Ice Road, which travels between the boat launches of the Ash River and Kabetogama Lake visitor centers.

Fresh air, fresh snow, friends, and snowshoes make for a perfect morning or afternoon in Voyageurs / NPS

Top: Ice roads are something you won’t encounter in many other places in the National Park System. Just check with park staff to ensure the ice is strong enough to drive on / NPS

Above: Wildlife abounds in Voyageurs National Park, though the white donned by the snowshoe hares can make them hard to spot / NPS

The speed limit on these routes is a slow and steady 30 mph. Familiarize yourself with safety on the ice roads, and know that ice road routes change from year to year depending on ice conditions. Contact the Rainy Lake Visitor Center for the latest ice conditions, or check the park’s website before planning a trip to see which ice roads are open for the season.

Start, or end, your day, or days, in the park with a visit to the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.

You can glean park information from the rangers here, learn more about the history of Voyageurs National Park, and pick up skis or snowshoes for the day. Come back after your day of winter activities to warm up and browse the park bookstore.

No matter what winter activities you choose, you’ll come away from Voyageurs National Park with a new appreciation for winter and the beauties of the park when it’s snowbound.

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THE CARE

KEEPING

OF HISTORY

By Kim O’Connell

The conservators of the Museum Conservation Services facility at the National Park Service’s Harpers Ferry Center meticulously preserve some of the nation’s most important and fragile historic objects.

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As I enter one of the National Park Service’s conservation labs in Charles Town, West Virginia, I see what look like black shards of various sizes arranged on a large white table.

It’s clear that this artifact has gone through something dramatic and destructive. It was “something involving heat,” Theresa Voellinger tells me with a smile. It turns out that the shards are actually the paper remnants of an old mining claim from Joshua Tree National Park in California. The document arrived at the lab folded up, stiff and brittle and likely to crumble to dust in the wrong hands. But Voellinger—one of the lab’s conservators—was able to tease apart the fragile paper, hoping to stabilize the material so that it could at least be read and recorded.

Each of the hundreds of artifacts at the lab is a mystery to be solved. Here, the National Park Service employs a team of a half-dozen museum conservators, all who have studied art history, studio art, and chemistry. Many have advanced degrees in art conservation and have served extensive internships in some of the nation’s best-known art and history museums as well as other heritage institutions.

Their workplace, in an unassuming 41,000-square-foot building, is part of the agency’s Harpers Ferry Center, which provides all national parks with interpretive media, planning and project management, and conservation assistance. Although museum conservation takes place in other NPS locations, such as

Before and during treatment images of a mining claim from Joshua Tree National Park. The very fragile claim was gently humidified and coaxed apart by Theresa Voellinger, revealing information that was not accessible before treatment. It will be mended with Japanese paper and housed to make it as safe as possible to handle / NPS photos

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the Historic Architecture Conservation and Engineering Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, the Western Archeological and Conservation Center in Tucson, Arizona, and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training in Natchitoches, Louisiana, the HFC’s museum conservation lab presently is the most extensive museum preservation facility in the park system.

Although the facility also houses a permanent artifact collection, I’m here to see the conservation lab in action. According to its mission statement, the National Park Service is tasked with preserving nearly 175 million objects, which include documents, books, furniture, paintings, sculpture, clothing, drapery, basketry, leatherwork, weaponry, and much more, and the labs have treated many examples from every category. In addition to the paper labs, the facility includes wooden artifact, books, metal and mechanical arts,

A double action Pepperbox derringer made

by Allen and Thurber during the middle of the 19th century. It belongs to Death Valley National Park. The images show it before treatment and then disassembled during treatment, allowing all of the internal information and condition to be documented and treated / NPS photos

decorative arts, ethnographic/natural history, and textile labs. There also is a photographic documentation studio, a large room for applying protective coatings, an analytical lab, and other specialized areas. The facility is not open to the public—although it will occasionally host special tours and school groups—so it is a rare treat to see how some of the nation’s most precious artifacts are preserved.

Treatment runs a broad gamut that ranges from non-interventive preventive care to stabilization and restoration. Some objects require surface cleaning or minor mends and repairs, while others require major interventions, such as replacement or reconstruction of missing elements. Conservators write detailed reports of an object’s condition upon arrival at the lab,

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how it was treated, and recommendations for its future storage or display. “We can help the parks set priorities for their objects depending on their curatorial value and conservation value,” Voellinger says. Although it’s important that their treatments last, she adds, the team always considers the reversibility of their interventions as well. The field of conservation evolves and new or better treatments might be developed.

In addition to the blackened mining claim papers, Voellinger and Allison Holcomb, a book/paper conservator, show me some of the other paper artifacts currently in their care. They include a 19th-century set of books containing the complete works of Shakespeare, on loan from Fort Larned National Historic Site in Kansas. The covers were once purple and now

Although museum conservation takes place in other NPS locations ... the HFC’s museum conservation lab presently is the most extensive museum preservation facility in the park system.

have faded to tan. For a pocket diary from Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Holcomb shows me a webbed material with which she made a mold that almost exactly duplicated the crisscross pattern on the diary’s leather cover, to repair a missing section.

A special suction table the conservators use to gently hold paper objects in place so they can be bathed to draw out acidic byproducts particularly fascinates me. When Holcomb pulls up an “after” photo of the underlying basin following an immersion bathing process, the water is dark brown—the visual aftermath of decades of decay. Once bathed, very vulnerable documents are sometimes “lined” with a thin and strong paper—usually imported from Japan—that allows it to be read and handled once again.

In the textile conservation lab, Anne Ennes, a longtime textiles conservator, walks the perimeter of a large expanse of red and gold cloth, a curtain from Scotty’s Castle, a historic Mission revival structure within Death Valley National Park in California. The building is currently closed due to flood damage, which has given the conservation lab some time to work on historic objects such as the building’s draperies. They have suffered tears and fading due to many

Intern Heather Hodge working to stabilize the curtains from Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park / NPS photo

Conservator Allison Holcomb working onsite at Virgin Islands National Park after Hurricane Maria to rehouse collections / NPS photos

decades of use. Like her peers in the lab, Ennes has crafted a complex treatment solution for the fabric that includes a combination of mending, sheer overlays, and even the digital reproduction of the pattern to help the new interventions blend with the historic material.

Conservators are specialists who often collaborate, I’m told, such as when wooden artifact conservator Curtis Sullivan and metal objects conservator David Arnold might join forces to work on an artifact that includes materials from both specializations. When I visit the metals lab, Arnold is examining an early Springfield military rifle that has a “trapdoor” breech-loading feature that he believes was a prototype or test model manufactured just after the Civil War. Arnold frequently treats firearms and other mechanical arts objects, which can be challenging because, unlike paintings or documents, these objects are usually designed so that most of their vulnerable surfaces are hidden from view and require some disassembly. On this particular rifle, I can clearly see a crack on the outside, which Arnold has made note of and will consider as he develops a treatment plan for the firearm. “Our treatment reports are primarily written for the benefit of the next conservator to review our work—perhaps 100 or more years from now,” he says.

Water after bathing a very acidic paper object. The discoloration removed from the paper comes from acidic components in the paper pulp which darken over time and threaten the stability of the paper. The treatment can make the paper stronger and slow further deterioration.

Over the past 15 years the conservation team has traveled to park sites affected by major disasters, such as Hurricanes Isabel, Katrina, and Maria. On site, the conservators set up a triage system to determine the extent of damage to artifacts, then figure out what can be salvaged, what can be treated on site, and what might be moved to the lab in the future for more complex or long-term treatment. With climate change a growing threat, the lab is having more conversations with coastal park managers, such as those from Cape Hatteras National Seashore or Fort Sumter National Monument, on the potential effect of rising sea levels and dangerous storms on their artifacts.

It’s an evolving field, Voellinger says, and she and her team are excited to be at the forefront of it. “We’re constantly evaluating and re-evaluating how we do things,” she says. “Every object is different and requires its own unique analysis.”

The next time you view a historic artifact in a national park, you just might be looking at their handiwork.

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ADVERTISER-SUPPORTED CONTENT

Maintaining The National Park System

THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

Working To Protect The National Parks For Today And Tomorrow

P

reserving our national inheritance—for all time—is no small feat when you consider the enormity of the task. Yet it is an undertaking we have tirelessly pursued since our inception in 1967.

We protect national parks and create life-long connections to these natural, cultural, and historical gems.

As the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, it is our responsibility to guarantee that parks remain protected for future generations. The support of a passionate and engaged community of park lovers propels the National Park Foundation’s mission—it is the driving force behind everything that we do.

Thanks to the individuals,

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Essential Park Guide | Winter 2018

foundations, and companies who help us champion the parks’ cause, we continued the pursuit of our mission and welcomed record-breaking support last fiscal year. Our donor community grew by 29 percent, and we received 17 percent more donations compared to the previous year. This support meant that we were able to award $41 million for the betterment of your beloved parks and public lands.

Private philanthropy and strategic partnerships enable us to make a real difference in our parks. Part of that impact focuses on crucial investments in conservation, preservation, and restoration initiatives. Here are some of the ways these investments were realized across the National Park System.

v Together with local philanthropic

partners, we permanently protected 702 acres, valued at over $47 million, at three national parks including Grand Teton and Acadia national parks, and Harriet Tubman National Historical Park. v We funded major historic

preservation projects in parks including the Washington Monument, Great Smoky Mountains and Glacier national parks. v We supported an ongoing

research study on the impacts of the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park.

The other part of our impact seeks to engage national park stewards. By creating meaningful opportunities for people to connect with all that parks and programs have to offer, we nurture life-long connections to our national treasures. Here are examples of the work our grants facilitated: v We hired 274 youth through Youth

Conservation Corps at 8 different national parks to help with tasks including restoring and repairing park trails and fences and removing invasive species. v We contributed to the development

of new citizen science education programs that enable students to

experience science beyond the textbook, getting outside and into national parks. v We transported nearly 180,000 4th

graders from 2,113 different schools to 120 national parks and public lands to experience programs that enhance school science and social studies curricula.

Proud as we are of all that we accomplished together, the reality is that our work is never done. Between cuts in federal funding, the impacts of record-level visitation, and ever-aging infrastructure, these beloved places need us more than ever.

There are many ways you can join

us in championing this cause as part of the park community. By standing with us, you will be part of a legacy that began more than a century ago when private citizens joined together to protect our land and its rich history.

Our unwavering commitment to this work will ensure this cause remains at the forefront of our national conscience—never to be taken for granted, overlooked, or forgotten.

Thank you to all who have made this exciting work possible—your ongoing support is instrumental in ensuring we can continue to support parks and programs for years to come.

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of

Devils Tower, the country’s first national monument, has a controversial name / Patrick Cone

By Patrick Cone

A PLACE O

ur forefathers were fiendish, hellish, you might even say devilish. Need proof? Look at the maps and the names of many of the places we visit. And then ask yourself, “Why in the Hell are so many places in our Western national parks named after the infernal demon, and his lair?”

You would think that the spiritual would overrule the demonic, based on the early settlers’ religious bent, but hundreds of hellish names are written large across our landscape, making it seem like a literal Hell on Earth.

There are Hell Gates, Hell Holes, and Hell’s

Half-acres. There are Devils Slides, Devils Playgrounds, Devils Postpile, Devils Golf Courses. and Diablo Canyons. Yellowstone National Park is rife with these names.

The Western landscape is harsh, dry, and rugged, so maybe it’s appropriate that the broad deserts, sweeping plains, jagged peaks, strange earth forms, and unearthly chasms have been given these labels. And they’re not even all in English. While Native American nations traditionally don’t have a literal “Devil” figure as we know it, there are spiritual names in their landscape. The early invading Spanish left a large legacy of places with Diablo and Inferna names, and even the French got into the game with Purgatoire.

But by far, most of these topographical names are in English, seeing as how they largely were bestowed by the settlers, pioneers, and conquerors in the region. Author Wallace Stegner summed it up when he wrote that, “the Devil had a good deal to do with the making of the West, if we may believe the

This 1949 topographic map of Devils Tower shows just how unusual the geology is to the surroundings / USGS

DEVILISH

NAMES IN THE PARKS

• Big (and Little) Devils Stairs, Shenandoah National Park • Big Kill Devil Hill, Wright Brothers National Memorial • Bumpass Hell, Lassen Volcanic National Park • Devil Canyon, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area • Devils Cornfield, Death Valley National Park • Devil’s Creek Canyon, North Cascades National Park • Devil’s Den, Big Bend National Park • Devil’s Den, Gettysburg National Military Park • Devil’s Den, Yellowstone National Park • Devil’s Dream Camp, Mount Rainier National Park • Devil’s Elbow, Padre Island National Seashore • Devils Garden, Blue Ridge Parkway • Devils Garden, Arches National Park • Devil’s Gate, Yellowstone National Park

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West’s place names.”

Take for example Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming. You won’t find a more unusual landmark anywhere with its flat top, striated basalt sides, and its prominence rising above the grassy plains. It rivals any manmade ancient temple.

American author Scott Momaday understood that this was a unique geologic feature, a remnant of the interior of a 30-million-year-old

volcano whose soft surrounding strata had worn away, when he described it at first sight: “A dark mist lay over the Black Hills, and the land was like iron. At the top of the ridge I caught sight of Devils Tower up thrust against the gray sky as if in the birth of time the core of the earth had broken through its crust and the motion of the world was begun. There are things in nature that engender an awful quiet in the heart of man: Devils Tower is one of them.”

Devils Postpile National Monument in California is just one of the many places in the National Park System with a devilish name / Kurt Repanshek

Devils Tower is truly an unexpected, and astounding, sight, which is why it graces all Wyoming license plates. It looms 1,200 feet above the redrock banks of the Belle Fourche River, and its acre-size summit is the ultimate altar, long revered as a scared place by Native Americans such as the Lakota Sioux. It also draws some half-million visitors and has been known to even attract alien invaders, as depicted in the 1977 Steven Spielberg film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

But Devils Tower means different things to different people. Amid the pop cans and candy

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wrappers near the base you might find medicine bundles, tobacco, and twigs wrapped in torn pieces of colorful bandanas hanging from tree limbs. These are the sacred offerings of the Lakota Sioux, Crow, and other tribes. High above the bundles, Lycra-clad rock climbers pick their way up via the crack systems on the sixsided rock columns, their orange ropes spreading like spider webs across the lichen-covered cliffs.

Down below, howling Harley riders, their T-shirts expletively-enhanced, arrive in vast herds on their way to the Sturgis, South Dakota, motorcycle rally. It’s truly a conflicted space.

DEVILISH

NAMES IN THE PARKS

• Devils Golf Course, Death Valley National Park • Devil’s Hall Trail, Guadalupe Mountains National Park • Devils Hole, Death Valley National Park • Devils Island, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore • Devils Kitchen, Lassen Volcanic National Park • Devil’s Kitchen, Yellowstone National Park • Devils Kitchen Trail, Colorado National Monument • Devils Lookout, Wind Cave National Park • Devils Orchard, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Above: There is a Kiowa legend that Devils Tower rose up from the ground to save seven maidens from a bear, whose claws created the striations in the rock / NPS Below: Mountain man James Dougherty labeled Devils Mountain on his 1812 map / National Archives

Even the name Devils Tower is in dispute, and represents a classic clash of cultures. In 1875 Lieutenant Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, along with his subordinate, George Armstrong Custer, described the tower, and affixed the name to maps, though it was so labeled on an 1812 map as Devils Mountain by mountain man James Dougherty. Later, in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower as our premier national monument, for the protection of native artifacts and archaeological sites.

But before Europeans came on the scene, it was known by many different names by the Arapaho, Crow, Lakota, Cheyenne,

• Devil’s Playground, Petrified Forest National Park • Devil’s Stairway, Yellowstone National Park • Devil’s Throat Trail, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park • Devil’s Thumb, Yellowstone National Park • Hellroaring Creek, Yellowstone National Park • Hell’s Gate, Death Valley National Park

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Kiowa, and Shoshone. Some 20 native tribes have cultural and spiritual connections with Devils Tower, but only five of those have actual geographic and historic connections.

The Lakota, for example, believe that their own 3,000-year-old emergence site lies not far away in the Black Hills in today’s Wind Cave National Park. To them the tower is a place for renewal, where they pray to their gods, but not to the tower.

And they all had their own names for it, too.

The Kiowa called it T’sou’a’e (Aloft on a Rock).

The Mandan called it Tso-I-E, or Rock Tree (the tower’s similarity to a broken tree stump is striking). But Bears Lodge is the most common indigenous name: Mato Tipil’a in Lakota.

Native Big-Man described how KillsComing-To-The-Birds (who lived to be 117) remembered worshipping at Bears Lodge as far back as The Year the Stars Fell, in 1833. While no written language existed, picture stories painted on skins did depict the yearly events of the tribes. These pictorial calendars, or winter counts, recorded the Plains Indians’ history annually on prepared skins, and the Bears Lodge appears on these skins.

According to the Kiowa, T’sou’a’e got its name when a bear chased seven girls as they played away from their village. As the bear drew close, the girls jumped up on a low rock and prayed, “Rock, take pity on us, Rock, save us.”

The rock pushed the children high, out of reach of the bear, who frantically clawed at the stone, leaving the gouges and scratches on the rock.

But these natives were soon overwhelmed by gold miners, ranchers, and soldiers, and their name was swept away and replaced.

Dodge’s geologist, Henry Newton, wrote that the landmark, “was recently known among the Indians as ‘the bad god’s tower,’ or, in better English, ‘the Devil’s tower...” The Sioux had no word for Devil, or Hades. So, a place for spiritual renewal has become a landmark to the Dark Lord.

Whatever the name’s origins, the name change did not please the Plains Indians. In a 1997 New York Times interview, Eastern Shoshone Diana Mitchell said, “To name it Devils Tower is a slap in the face because of what the whites used to call Indians back then: they were Devils, dirty Devils.” She added, “Who wants to pray at something called Devils Tower?”

So as not to intrude on sacred tribal gatherings, the National Park Service limits climbs up the tower during the month of June, when tribes gather during summer solstice for

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Medicine bundles and colorful clothes are left beneath tower by Native Americans as sacred offerings / Patrick Cone

their Sun Dance. And some tribal members would like to see the name revert to Mato Tipil’a once again, or perhaps have a dual designation. But this would take an act of Congress, and there is little support locally for such a change.

To counter the push for change, U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin of Wyoming introduced a bill in the 109th Congress to retain the name of Devils Tower. In her remarks of January 7, 1997, she stated that she had, “…received a petition with an estimated 2,000 names from not only those in and around the monument, but from all over

(Crook) county.”

More recently, in early 2018, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, introduced similar legislation.

And some conflict between worshippers and casual visitors still continues. Some visitors are unfamiliar with the Tower’s importance to native cultures and have even desecrated the medicine bundles.

What is one person’s playground is another’s chapel. So, for now, this black, basalt tower’s name depends upon whom you talk to. What its real name is, however, no one knows.

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A NATIONAL PARK THAT’S

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

L

ocated approximately 70 miles west of Key West is Garden Key, the site of historic Fort Jefferson National Monument located within the Dry Tortugas National Park.

Over 60,000 visitors are either ferried on a state-of-the-art catamaran out of Key West called the Yankee Freedom III or fly here via seaplane every year. It is, without a doubt, one of the least accessible and one of the most remote national parks in the nation and that, as it turns out, is a very good thing. The grounds here are very well cared for and maintained. Time has largely stood still here since the fort’s decommissioning and you won’t be inundated with eager tourists that would otherwise threaten to disturb the natural order of things out here.

If someone wants to experience this fantastic oasis, then they’ve got to make a special effort to do so. All of these factors ensure that this exceptional chain of islands on the outskirts of the Gulf of Mexico remains the tranquil, raw and beautiful place that it is.

Besides its isolated geographic location, the thing that sets this national park apart from all the others is that a majority of it isn’t anywhere you can walk or hike to. It’s underwater.

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Diving at Dry Tortugas National Park means exploring reefs teeming with colorful fish as well as long ago wrecks / NPS

If you were to see a birds-eye view of this 11-mile island chain with the great, imposing fort at its center, you would notice clusters of reef beneath a sea of deep blues and greens virtually everywhere you looked. Divers of all stripes and skill levels flock here to witness the stunning marine life, coral formations, and seagrass beds that appear as submerged islands encroaching on the larger ones above the water line. The park consists of 46 square miles of protected

reef, which is all part of an even larger marine sanctuary that spans 151 square nautical miles. Yes, there is a lot of ground, or, rather, sea to cover here for the adventurous diver; however, for those arriving with Yankee Freedom III, the prime snorkeling spots are all fairly close to shore.

Once you strap on your fins and get your mask and snorkel all situated, you’re ready for some first-rate undersea exploration mere feet from shore. One of the many

reasons this part of the world is so ideal for diving is that the depth of the water is relatively shallow. Just outside the park, however, the water can reach a depth of 100 feet and one should be mindful of the currents in these outer reaches should you decide to venture outside the boundaries of the park reefs.

So, what can you expect to see down there?

With a name like the Dry Tortugas, it’s reasonable to expect to see some sea turtles and you’d be right. When Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon discovered this place and gave it its name in 1513, he noticed an abundance of loggerhead, green, and leatherback turtles occupying the soft sandy beaches for their nesting grounds. Originally called Las Tortugas, it was later changed as a warning to sailors and seafarers that the area offered no sources of potable water.

The parade of color on display around the neighboring reefs has few equals. The sealife appears as if painted by a very skilled hand and vibrant hues of every shade decorate this amazing underwater landscape.

It is a competitive environment for the fish down there that rely on the reef ’s bounty for their livelihood, so they’ve learned to adapt crafty survival techniques through natural selection. Larger fish with a more cylindrical shape can always opt for greener pastures, as it were, because they are better suited to swimming in the open ocean, whereas, an angel fish, with its small, flat profile can maneuver with ease in the labyrinthine nooks and crannies of the reef ’s many coral formations where macroscopic algae, diatoms and small crustaceans are often found.

Some of the more common inhabitants in these waters are butterfly fish with their small mouths, large pectoral fins and friend-

Visitors to Dry Tortugas not only spend their days kayaking around Fort Jefferson, but also donning flippers, masks, and snorkels to get closer to the marine life / NPS

ly demeanor, grouper, snapper, wahoos, tarpon and the ubiquitous barracuda. Massive starlet corals, brain corals and colorful sea fans make up a thriving ecosystem that is simply astonishing to witness. For an even more intimate encounter, you can snorkel the fort’s moat wall at night where you’ll see marine life that favors to nocturnally roam the seabed, such as octopus and lobster.

Also, the reef fish that were so elusive during the day are much more docile and easily approachable at this time.

The other prized attraction that lures the multitudes who dive these waters are the shipwrecks. The Dry Tortugas is home to over 200 wrecks that help preserve this delicate ecosystem by acting as artificial reefs.

Because of the currents, severe weather, and numerous shallows, ships seeking passage through here have often met a disastrous fate, hence the need for the lighthouse

that still stands on Loggerhead Key. The three-masted, iron-hulled, sailing ship known as the Windjammer is the most popular wreck in the park and most accessible to snorkelers as it’s only in 20 feet of water.

The ship was hauling lumber en route to Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1901 when it ran aground and ultimately sank. Great visibility and a home for fish ranging from 200-pound jewfish to small tropicals make this a hot-spot for diving enthusiasts. Other suggested spots to investigate at and around the park are Little Africa, Texas Rock, Pulaski Shoals, and Long Key Reef. For scuba trips to these locations, please consult with local diving companies.

If ever there was a national park worth your attention, it’s this one. Make sure to book a trip on the Yankee Freedom III well in advance and you’ll discover a universe that welcomes you into its watery arms.

Among the underwater ornamentation awaiting divers and snorkelers are late 19th century pilings for coaling piers that sea fans and other marine life have attached themselves to / NPS NationalParksTraveler.org

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FRIENDS OF THE PARKS Celebrating 50 Years of National Trails On October 2, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Trails System Act to promote “the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation.”

That legislation established two national scenic trails: the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), which stretches from Georgia to Maine, and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), which spans California, Oregon, and Washington. Fifty years after that landmark act, we’re taking a look at the western part of its inaugural designees.

Nearly 70 miles of the PCT pass through Yosemite National Park, where it overlaps with another famous, slightly older longdistance route: the John Muir Trail (JMT), which was completed in 1938.

The PCT and JMT enter the park together at Donohue Pass and descend into Lyell Canyon. There, you’ll find lush meadow habitat along a fork of the Tuolumne River, flanked by hushed forests.

The canyon ecosystem supports diverse wildlife, including mule deer, black bears, and endangered Yosemite toads and Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs.

Every year, thousands of PCT and JMT thru-hikers, as well as scores of other backpackers and day hikers, pass through Lyell Canyon. Horses and mules often tread through the canyon, too, carrying riders or backcountry supplies.

All that foot (and hoof ) traffic has proven problematic for the canyon’s meadows.

Hikers and animals encountering sodden trail sections step off into the adjacent meadow, inadvertently trampling vegetation and forging deep ruts.

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With support from Yosemite Conservancy grants, park crews working in Lyell Canyon are relocating sections of the Pacific Crest/John Muir Trail and restoring wetland habitat damaged by years of trail traffic / NPS

A fork of the Tuolumne River flows through Lyell Canyon, a scenic, serene section of Yosemite’s high country / NPS

During winter, signs such as this one help explain guidelines for use of the groomed carriage paths in Acadia National Park / FOA, Earl Brechlin

Yosemite Conservancy donors have supported numerous grants to protect the PCT/JMT and the Lyell Canyon ecosystem by shifting the trail to drier, more durable ground and restoring wetland in its former footprint. This much-needed work ties back to the 1968 National Trails act: Moving the PCT/JMT helps protect it from further degradation while also preserving the “open-air” resource—healthy habitat—to which it provides access.

You don’t have to go far to experience Yosemite’s long-distance trails. A short stroll on the PCT/JMT from Tuolumne Meadows yields memorable views of rushing water and forest-lined meadow. If you’re feeling more ambitious, tackle the 24-mile round-trip trek to Donohue Pass—or carve out a few weeks or months for a thru-hike.

If you find yourself in Lyell Canyon, look for evidence of recent restoration efforts, and wish the PCT a happy anniversary!

To learn more about this project and other restoration work Conservancy supporters fund in Yosemite, visit yosemiteconservancy.org.

Courtesy Helps Everyone Enjoy Acadia In Winter While visitation levels in Acadia National Park during the winter months are far below summer’s peak, the most popular trails and carriage paths can be very busy, especially on a sunny weekend day after a decent snowfall.

Cross-country skiers share the trails with snowshoers, walkers, and people out with dogs. Some simple courtesy on everyone’s part can help preserve the groomed surface of cross-country ski trails carried for by Friends of Acadia (FOA), and make time in the park more enjoyable for all.

On carriage roads groomed when snow conditions allow, including in the Witch Hole, Aunt Betty Pond, Hadlock Pond, and

Brown Mountain areas, one side is set up with a traditional classic, double-groove, cross-country ski track. The center portion of the roads is leveled and raked to facilitate those who prefer to skate ski.

Establishment of the groomed portion of the trail takes hours of work by volunteers from FOA’s Acadia Winter Trails Association. Setting track requires the use of snowmobiles, or larger, tracked grooming equipment that make several passes to pack down the base. Then special sleds are towed over the snow to create the formal tracks.

Those on snowshoes, bare-booting it, or walking dogs are encouraged to travel on the other side of the path to avoid “posthole” footprints in the ski tracks.

Deep footprints and other obstructions can bring a skier’s smooth glide to a quick halt. Signs are posted at most busy winter trail access points explaining the user lane system.

“Once people understand the reasoning behind the lane system they are usually

eager to stick to it,” explains FOA Conservation Projects Manager Paige Steele.

“The volunteers from the AWTA work long hours, late into the night and well before dawn, trying to make the ski trails as perfect as possible. Having everyone keep other visitors in mind helps make for a better experience for everyone.”

As in summer, any dogs brought into the park must be kept on a leash no longer than six-feet long.

In winter, fat-tire bikes are allowed on the Park Loop Road, on frozen lakes (be sure the ice is safe!) and on non-groomed carriage paths.

Snowmobiles are allowed on the Park Loop Road and on two sections of carriage path including from Wildwood Stables to Jordan Pond House, and from Bubble Pond to the north end of Eagle Lake. The Cadillac Mountain Summit Road is also open to snowmobiles although the route is not groomed and bare ice patches and high drifts often make some sections impassable.

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Rangers help visitors explore the wintry wonders of Mount Rainier on snowshoe / Margot Tsakonas

Winter Volunteering —

of awe on people’s faces when they see the mountain on a sunny day, and then step on to the snowshoe trail and realize they can walk on it. Not to mention the kids trying out their first snowballs!

Weekends in Paradise at Mount Rainier

By Margot Tsakonas One of the many great things about our National Park System is the opportunity to be a “VIP”—Volunteer in the Park. At Mount Rainier National Park, roles are various, ranging from visitor education to citizen science to archive work to campground host. For seven years I have been a “Meadow Rover,” helping to ensure visitor safety and positive experiences while protecting resources. It’s a fun, satisfying, and sometimes challenging role.

But the summer season is very short, so I decided to try out winter volunteering by assisting at the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise. One of our roles is to assist the interpretive staff rangers with guided snowshoe walks—acting as “sweep.”

These walks are less than two miles, intended to enable just about any visitor to get a small taste of our winter environment. The sweep helps with snowshoes (loaned out by the park) and keeps everyone together.

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The view from the lodge at Paradise in winter is deep snow in all directions / Margot Tsakonas

exciting. No quad-burning steep ascents to pinnacle–like summits, no turning and swooshing down crazy steep slopes. But, I have come to realize that my volunteer days are all about visitors, what they experience and learn, and what their experiences teach me.

Here are some examples of the great people I got to meet: v A family from Columbia who had never seen snow. This is actually pretty common with our visitors, whether they are from Florida or India or wherever. There is a look

v A local family stunned when they realized, as we looked at the Nisqually Glacier and its running stream, that this was the origin of the river near their home.

Kudos to these parents for getting their adolescent and pre-teen kids into a park!

This gave me renewed hope that younger generations will step up when the time comes to protect our national heritage of parks and wild places. v Another local woman who had the same surprise about the Nisqually – and a very personal connection, as her husband dives for clams out in the delta. These folks literally earn their living from the mountain in ways they never realized before. I hope they too were inspired to protect it.

Lastly, I can’t forget the folks planning to spend New Year’s Eve snow camping under the full moon. That way beats out Times Square!

Renewing the Views on the Blue Ridge Parkway The designers of the Blue Ridge Parkway created 216 overlooks to offer astonishing views of rippling mountain peaks and lush valleys. Over time, vegetation has grown and obscured many of those vistas.

Earlier this year, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation provided funding to clear these overlooks through its Renew the Views program.

The National Park Service’s Arborist Incident Response team spent 10 days removing obstructions at overlooks along the southern end of the Parkway in North Carolina.

The work was planned with careful consideration of wildlife, like the Northern flying squirrel. Through close annual monitoring, rangers were able to determine that the selected trees could be removed without harming the species. The felled trees will create habitat and nutrient regeneration into the soil. As the dead wood decomposes, it will aid new plant growth by returning important nutrients to the ecosystem.

Parkway travelers can look forward to open sight lines at additional overlooks soon. Beginning in the spring of 2019, AIR team members will work on clearing select vistas between Mount Mitchell, milepost 349, and Graveyard Fields, milepost 418, near Asheville, North Carolina. With donor support, the scenic drive is regaining a signature feature from its history.

BEFORE

AFTER

A Youth Leadership Adventures Field Report

National Park Service crews skilled in trimming and cutting down trees helped improve the view along the Blue Ridge Parkway / Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation (3)

The goal of North Cascades Institute’s Youth Leadership Adventures is to inspire a lifelong conservation ethic in the next generation of leaders. This program takes place in North Cascades National Park and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and features a progression of transformational learning experiences, designed for underserved youth in Northwest Washington State to jump-start their lifelong engagement with nature, stewardship, and community.

A highlight for most of the students are the eight-day Outdoor Leadership and 12-day Science and Sustainability summer courses, which include learning hiking,

camping, and canoeing skills, investigating climate science and sustainability strategies, and performing stewardship projects alongside rangers and resource professionals in the backcountry of the North Cascades.

Here is a trip report from a July 2018 Youth Leadership Adventures trip that took place on Ross Lake in North Cascades National Park written by instructor intern Carlos Lemus.

“This trip showed me what it means to be a strong woman.”

These are the remarkable words of one participant of Youth Leadership Adventures Outdoor Leadership, an eight-day course aimed to foster environmental stewardship and leadership through experiences in nature.

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At the beginning of the expedition students were taught how to pack for this trip.

“This backpack is bigger than me,” one individual expressed after packing her bag.

That, however, would not stop that student from carrying it up and down the steep hill that stood between our group and our canoes.

We would navigate these canoes around the waters of Ross Lake for the next week. None of the participants in the group had ever been backpacking or paddling for eight days straight.

So, no wonder, phrases like I can’t do this, it’s too hard, I give up were muttered at the start of the long paddle.

Paddling was new to many members of the group, and paddling with a partner required not just skill but a lot of clear communication and teamwork as well. Despite the doubts early on, our group The Ross Lake Rockers had a very important motto: paddle through it, which everyone did.

Read the rest of the story at https://bit. ly/2CmQNNe.

YOUTH LEADERSHIP ADVENTURES

BY THE NUMBERS 78 Youth Participants in 2017 77% live near the North Cascades ecosystem 81% First time participating in an outdoor program 60% First time in National Park or National Forest 60% are people of color 86% received a scholarship to participate from North Cascades Institute 52,000 hours of outdoor learning in 2017!

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Youth leadership programs led by North Cascades Institute can involve heading out across Ross Lake to explore North Cascades National Park while learning valuable life skills / North Cascades Institute

Park and Foundation Partner to Provide More Information for Winter Backcountry Users Grand Teton National Park has been a well-known backcountry skiing destination prior to Bill Briggs’ first winter descent of the Grand in 1971. Today, skiers and snowboarders from across the globe travel to the park seeking powder turns in one of the most iconic mountain landscapes in the lower forty-eight.

The popularity of backcountry skiing has increased significantly during the last several years—a trend that is certainly evident in the Tetons.

Bridger-Teton National Forest’s Avalanche Center (BTAC) has been creating the daily Teton forecast for more than 40 years. Prior to this season, BTAC collected and analyzed weather data at various locations throughout the valley, but not in Grand Teton.

“Since the park is a significant portion of the forecast area, we wanted to collaborate with BTAC for the benefit and safety of park visitors,” Chief Jenny Lake Climbing Ranger Scott Guenther said. “With the help

Backcountry skiing in Grand Teton National Park is a cherished endeavor / Aaron Diamon

of Grand Teton National Park Foundation, we are able to partner with the avalanche center to provide much-needed remote weather stations located within popular skiing terrain in the park.”

Two stations—wind and snow—were installed in the Surprise Lake/Disappointment Peak region in late September. Data from these sensors will help inform the daily Teton avalanche forecast and be available on BTAC’s website (jhavalanche.org).

This will give backcountry skiers and riders information about what is going on with the snowpack in Grand Teton.

In addition to offering more data, the Foundation is supporting a meteorological technician who will make snowpack assessments and observations throughout Grand Teton National Park. The technician will also collaborate with BTAC. “These new resources will jump-start our effort to improve the daily avalanche hazard forecast for terrain located in Grand Teton National Park,” BTAC Director Bob Comey said. “It will allow the avalanche center to better inform the public, thus enabling park users to make smarter decisions regarding travel in avalanche terrain.”

Backcountry skiers and riders are going to continue to enjoy untouched powder fields and steep lines in Grand Teton National Park for years to come. With the addition of weather data and a meteorological technician, people will be able to make more informed decisions before they hit the skin track.

To learn more and support this effort, contact Maddy Johnson at 307-201-7660 or maddy@gtnpf.org.

Weather stations installed in the park back in September should lead to more useful avalanche forecasts / NPS

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Get Adventurous This Winter in the National Park System

By Kurt Repanshek

B

alanced on the runners of a dog sled while gliding through the snows of western Wyoming with the Tetons not far in front of me, “What could go wrong?,” I asked myself. And then the moose ambled out onto the trail the dogs were heading down.

This was my first try at mushing a dog sled, and among the instructions I was given that morning was to never let go.

High on Hurricane Ridge above the Strait of Juan de Fuca, snowshoers at Olympic National Park often find copious amounts of snow for their recreation / NPS

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No one told the dogs I was new to their sport, and when they saw the moose they figured the chase was on. Somehow, after veering off the trail into deeper snow, I was able to not only hang onto the sled, but also stomp both feet onto the brake bar. My 180 pounds proved just enough to halt the dogs as the moose strolled off into the woods.

Dog sledding is just one of the activities you can enjoy in the parks this winter. It might be out of your comfort zone, but winter is a great time to try something new. You might actually find a new passion. Here’s a glance at some of the possibilities...

You can catch a ride, or mush your own sled, at Denali National Park / NPS, Jacob W. Frank

See the Northern Lights Dog Sledding Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming While I spent a half-day spent driving a dog sled, it wasn’t in Grand Teton National Park. The 10-mile run was to the south in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. However, Continental Divide Dog Sled Adventures offers tours through part of the park.

Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska Denali is the country’s only national park with its own kennel of sled dogs.

Not surprisingly, park rangers still continue the long tradition of patrolling the park by dog sled. You can not only visit the kennel, but also take a dog sled ride with rangers, or drive your own dog sled, in the park.

If you have your own sled and dogs, you can find trails near park headquarters at Mile 3.1 on the park road, and at the kennels area nearby. You can find other locations in the park at https:// home.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/ mushing.htm.

It can be tough to catch the Northern Lights, aka aurora borealis, described by the National Park Service as “a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic field” entering the Earth’s atmosphere. You need both clear, dark skies and great timing. Improve your odds by checking out Northern Lights forecasts at either https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/ aurora-30-minute-forecast operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or this nonprofit one, http://www.aurora-service.org/.

Here are some parks that are a good bet for viewing this spectacular show:

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota Here on the U.S.-Canadian border this park has inky black skies thanks to its wilderness setting, and little light pollution from large urban areas. Park staff suggests that good spots to watch the light show include the Rainy Lake Visitor Center, the Ash River Visitor Center, Voyageurs Forest Overlooking Parking Lot, Woodenfrog Beach, and “almost any lakeside campsite.”

Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska Park staff notes “skies are dark enough from roughly mid-August to mid-April for good chances of aurora viewing … When you’re in mainland Alaska, anywhere away from city lights is a decent place to hope for aurora viewing on a clear, dark night.”

Glacier National Park, Montana Winter’s snows can limit access to Glacier, but there have been some great photographs of the Northern Lights from Lake McDonald.

Acadia National Park, Maine You might think Acadia an unusual setting for Northern Lights, but some great photographs and videos have been taken from both the summit of Cadillac Mountain as well as at Jordan Pond.

Kathadin Woods and Waters National Monument, Maine Night skies over this national monument are even darker than those at Acadia, and there have been some great views of the shimmering light show here.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan The dark skies over Lake Superior to the north of Pictured Rocks can be a great place to watch the colorfully dancing lights.

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota Dog teams and sleds are permitted on frozen lake surfaces within the park when there’s enough snow. However, a special use permit is needed for dog sleds traveling on designated snowmobile portages in the park. You can find information on obtaining the permit at https://home.nps.gov/voya/ getinvolved/dobusinesswithus.htm.

Denali National Park is just one spot in the National Park System where you can marvel at the Northern Lights / NPS, Jacob W. Frank

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Snowshoeing / Cross-Country Skiing Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are fun, invigorating ways to explore the parks. With lightweight gear you can head out whenever you have 6 or more inches of snow on the ground. Just about anywhere in the park system with ample snowfall can be a great landscape for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. Out West, familiarize yourself with the danger of avalanches and how to stay safe by avoiding steep slopes. Here are some possibilities:

Acadia National Park, Maine

Glacier National Park, Montana

The park’s 45 miles of carriage roads are a perfect place to explore on snowshoe. Experienced ‘shoers can head up any of the park’s trails.

The Park Road is groomed for skiing on a regular basis thanks to Friends of Acadia. The carriage roads offer more possibilities in a quieter setting thanks to the hardwood forests.

Though winter use in Glacier is not well known, you can find many areas to spend hours walking about on snowshoes. Rangers lead snowshoe walks from the Apgar Visitor Center along the shores of Lake McDonald once enough snow accumulates, generally beginning in early January. Check the park’s website (www.nps. gov/glac) for dates.

Miles and miles of skiing, all the way to the Continental Divide, and over, are available along the Going-to-the-Sun Road accessed either at West Glacier or St. Mary. But there are many other trails to explore off the road as well. For trail suggestions, visit https://home.nps.gov/ applications/glac/ski/xcski.htm on the park website. Be mindful of avalanche conditions.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah With its high elevation (8,0009,000 feet), this radiant southern Utah beauty offers reliable snow that opens the 18-mile-long park road up to skiers. More miles of trail can be found right outside the park. It is illegal to ski below the rim.

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Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming While part of the MooseWilson Road is closed in winter, you can usually drive to small parking areas that let you access snowshoe trails to Phelps Lake and into Death Canyon and the Phelps Lake Overlook. Check with the staff at the Moose visitor center for other trail possibilities.

Thanks to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, the Teton Park Road is groomed for cross-country skiing, and there are plenty of other possibilities.

You can find a map with some trails at https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/ upload/XC-ski17-access.pdf.

Brokeoff Mountain in Lassen Volcanic National Park is a destination for both snowshoers and backcountry skiers / NPS

Great Basin National Park, Nevada Deep snows, rugged landscapes, and solitude await snowshoers at Great Basin. For a list of suitable trails, visit https://www. nps.gov/grba/planyourvisit/wintera l p i n e - t o u r i n g - t ra i l - b u l l e t i n . ht m .

Of course, you also can simply head out across the landscape when there is sufficient snow. Again, avoid areas prone to avalanche. For the hardy, there’s winter camping in the Lower Lehman Creek Campground and in the Wheeler Peak Campground.

Olympic National Park, Washington There are deep snows and fantastic vistas on this park’s alpine roof, with views from Hurricane Ridge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca far below. Snowshoes can be rented from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, and rangers often lead short snowshoe walks on weekends and holiday Mondays from mid-December into April.

Sequoia National Park, California Snowshoe among the tall trees in the Giant Forest, or explore the trails leading away from Grant Grove. Check the park’s website (www.nps,gov/seki) to find out when ranger-led snowshoe excursions are

planned.

The Sequoia Parks Conservancy operates the Pear Lake Winter Hut, a great destination for an overnight snowshoe, but it books quickly.

A lottery for dates this winter is scheduled for November 5, so be quick and get your application in. You can find the form at https://www.sequoiaparksconservancy. org/pearlakewinterhut.html.

There are about two-dozen miles of marked ski trails in Sequoia, many in the Giant Forest area. Grant Grove offers more possibilities. A brochure listing the possibilities can be purchased from the Sequoia Parks Conservancy (https:// store.sequoiaparksconservancy.org/ maps/other-maps.html) for $3.50.

Lassen Volcanic National Park, California Winter’s snows close the main park road through Lassen, but there are some nice snowshoe trails not far inside the north and south entrances to explore. The Manzanita Lake area is good for novices, while more experienced ‘shoers can trek to Ridge Lakes or even Lassen Peak, a multi-day trek, from the south entrance. Check the park’s winter newspaper for more trail suggestions.

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Vermont When there’s ample snow, the park opens about 4.5 miles of ski trails starting at Prosper Parking Area.

These are a part of a larger network of around 19 miles of trails surrounding the village of Woodstock.

Yellowstone National Park has endless opportunities for cross-country skiing / NPS, Jacob W. Frank

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Idaho The Riverside Trail is an easy snowshoe and ski trail that offers some great possibilities, as it runs from West Yellowstone down to the Madison River. Seasoned and adventurous snowshoe aficionados

Not to be overlooked by winter enthusiasts is Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, where you can enjoy miles of cross-country trails / NPS

and Nordic skiers might travel from West Yellowstone to Mammoth Hot Springs (or vice versa) with the appropriate backcountry permits. In the Old Faithful area, there are 40 miles of cross-country trails, some groomed for skate skiing.

Ice Fishing, Beachcombing and Backpacking

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Ice Fishing Ice fishing is a relaxing activity, and one that could land your dinner. Before you go, check your intended fishing location for regulations. Some parks allow snowmobiles to be driven onto ice-covered lakes, while others don’t.

Some also require that you obtain a state fishing license.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Wyoming/ Montana For at least four decades anglers have been heading to Bighorn Canyon in winter to bore a hole through the ice and wait for a strike. The ice fishing season usually begins in December and runs into March. The ice gets very thick, reaching a depth of 20 to 30 inches. Park staff note that ice fishing is limited in the Barry’s Landing area. Due to the deep, warmer water, it freezes late into the winter and is not uniformly thick. One needs to be extremely careful fishing this area. Trout, walleye, sauger, ling, perch, crappie are among the fish caught here.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minnesota Ice fishing is a quintessential Minnesota winter sport, but learning when, where, and how to ice fish can be daunting. The staff at the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area can help you get started at one of its public or group ice-fishing workshops.

Check the park website (https://www.nps. gov/miss/planyourvisit/icefishing.htm) for dates. Northern pike and crappies are frequent catches.

Glacier National Park, Montana You’ll definitely earn your catch in Glacier, as you can’t drive a snowmobile, ATV, or other vehicle onto lakes in the park, and power augers also are prohibited.

Among the species that might end up on your hook are lake trout, cutthroat trout, and bull trout. Cuts and bull trout must be released.

Winter months can be a great time for beachcombing in places such as Cumberland Island National Seashore / NPS, Audrey Bohl

Beachcombing Eagle Lake is a popular ice fishing spot. You might catch landlocked salmon, brook trout, or lake trout there.

Staff at the visitor center might have other suggestions.

Though cold, winter actually can be one of the better seasons for beachcombing, as powerful storms can dredge up all kinds of things and toss them onto the beaches. As with ice fishing, check a park’s specific regulations, as there are different limits when it comes to how many shells you can take home.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts

The most common and popular spots for winter anglers are Jenny Lake, Jackson Lake, and Phelps Lake.

Jackson Lake is easily accessible, while getting to Jenny Lake and Phelps Lake requires snowshoes or cross-country skis during winter. You can drive a snowmobile onto Jackson Lake for fishing. And you’ll need a Wyoming fishing license.

During winter months, Nauset Beach’s profile is considerably lowered, sometimes exposing features such as the brick foundation of one of the earlier Three Sisters lighthouses. And you never know if one of the pieces of gold or silver from Black Sam Bellamy’s Whydah, which went down about 500 feet off Wellfleet in April 1717, might get tossed ashore.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Cape Hatteras National Seashore/Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina

Acadia National Park, Maine

You can ice fish on all open-fishing lakes and ponds in Rocky Mountain National Park, unless the lake or pond is specifically closed to fishing, so check with the park staff for closures.

Also, you’ll need a hand-auger, and a Colorado fishing license.

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota Voyageurs embraces ice fishing, but there are some regulations you need to follow: Place icehouses at least 50-feet from the center of snowmobile trails and the ice road, check ice conditions before going out, and be sure to have a Minnesota fishing license and ice house registration.

Searching for seashells at Cape Hatteras or neighboring Cape Lookout national seashores is hard to beat.

Knobbed Whelks, Bay Scallops, and Scotch Bonnets are among the shells that appear. At Cape Hatteras, there’s a five-gallon limit per person per day. At Cape Lookout, the limit is two gallons per day per person.

Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia Along with interesting shells, at Cumberland Island you might also come upon fossilized sharks teeth.

Fire Island National Seashore, New York Winter might shut down the ferry service to Fire Island, but you can always drive to

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either end of the island for access to the beach. You are allowed to take home up to two quarts of unoccupied seashells per day (for personal use only).

Point Reyes National Seashore, California The Pacific Coast is a great place for a beach wanderer. Over the decades at Point Reyes there have been dozens of shipwrecks along the peninsula. You just might come upon the sparse remains of shipwrecks such as the Pomo, which foundered in Drakes Bay on the last day of 1913.

Olympic National Park, Washington Shells might be lacking at Rialto, Kalaloch, and Ruby beaches in Olympic, but there are beautiful and fascinating pebbles, cobbles, and occasionally sea glass—colorful bits of glass the surf has tumbled and rounded. Among the rocks, you might spot agates and ruddy jaspers.

Winter Backpacking Winter backpacking excursions can be great escapes. You can head to parks where the winter months offer ideal weather vs. summer months, or test yourself on colder, and even snowier, northern trips. Just be sure to leave plans with family or friends before you set off so they’ll know your hiking itinerary.

Big Bend National Park, Texas (https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/backcountry-main.htm) Cooler winter weather is perfect for exploring Big Bend’s less-visited areas.

Experienced backcountry travelers can tackle the 30-mile “Outer Mountain Loop,” which ties together the Pinnacles, Juniper Canyon, Dodson, Blue Creek, and Laguna Meadows trails.

While there might not always be sufficient snow for skiing or snowshoeing in Shenandoah National Park, frigid winter temperatures create intricate shapes along waterfalls, such as Rose River Falls / NPS

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee ( h t t p s : // w w w . n p s . g o v / g r s m / planyourvisit/backcountry-regs.htm) A bit more than 70 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail run through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and that means you can plan a winter trek with nights spent in shelters. But keep in mind that snowstorms can dump quite a bit of snow on the park, and more than a few backpackers have been caught unprepared for such conditions.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas (https://www.nps.gov/gumo/plan yourvisit/bccamp.htm) The backcountry expanses of Guadalupe Mountains are often overlooked. There are 10 designated backcountry campgrounds. For help planning your trek, the park offers a campground-to-campground mileage chart.

Saguaro National Park, Arizona (https://www.nps.gov/sagu/plan yourvisit/camping.htm) Summer’s high heat makes it particularly challenging to backpack in Saguaro, even if you head high into the Rincon Range. But the winter months, while not immune from snow, have much more suitable temps.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (https://www.nps.gov/shen/plan yourvisit/campbc.htm) Winter camping in Shenandoah can be grueling if your trip coincides with an ice storm or blizzard. Or it can be blissful if the good weather holds. With fewer folks on the trails, this can be a great time to section hike the Appalachian Trail as it winds through the park. Rangers have even created a table with possible hikes for all levels of backpackers/hikers.

Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas ( h t t p s : // w w w . n p s . g o v / b i t h / planyourvisit/backcountrycamping.htm) There are limited areas for backpacking at Big Thicket, but you likely won’t run into crowds. Park staff suggests you explore the Turkey Creek Unit or along the Woodlands Trail. While there are no backcountry campsites, people often camp on sandbars along the Neches River and Village Creek.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas can offer somewhat mild winter temperatures and great solitude for backpackers / NPS

Winter birding in the parks is also a great way to spend time in the National Park System, but that’s another story.

NationalParksTraveler.org

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EARLY

Notable Figures In The Establishment Of Yosemite National Park

T

here is an argument that Yosemite is actually the world’s first national park; President Lincoln’s Yosemite Grant in 1864 protected its scenic valley.

Of course, it wasn’t until 1890 that Yosemite was officially designated a national park, some 18 years after Yellowstone claimed the distinction as the world’s first national park. But with its head start, Yosemite quickly attracted those who were looking to both profit from the setting, and protecting it.

James and Elvira Hutchings opened the valley’s first hotel in 1865, after James visited the Yosemite Valley in 1855, and again in 1859. He described his first lodging there as a “crude two-story” inn. So, he bought the building the next year, made some relatively minor upgrades, and opened it for business.

It didn’t last long for the Hutchings however, as the Yosemite Grant prompted California officials to declare his land ownership in the valley invalid, and they were forced out.

James Hutchings was an early entrepreneur in Yosemite National Park, offering lodgings for guests until he was driven out / NPS archives (2)

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Essential Park Guide | Winter 2018

Here is a look at some others who played key roles in Yosemite’s maturation as a national park: John and Bridget Degnan

Galen Clark Clark is considered the first guardian of Yosemite’s big trees. In 1857 he was so taken by the giant sequoias, in what’s now known as Mariposa Grove, that he wrote newspaper articles to both promote and protect the trees. After the Yosemite Grant was signed, Clark was appointed by the state of California to be Yosemite’s “guardian,” a role he served for 24 years.

John Muir Muir was a mere 31 years old when he worked for the Hutchings as a carpenter, and he also spent time tending sheep in Tuolumne Meadows. Of course, he later gained worldwide fame as a voice for wilderness. A prolific writer, he also traveled to Alaska for the San Francisco Bulletin to chronicle the landscape that would oneday become Glacier Bay National Park and later to Mount Rainier.

These, of course, are just biographical tidbits to entice you to learn more about Yosemite’s early stalwarts on your next trip to the park. For lodging, consider one of the 115 properties at Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders Vacation Rentals. With homes in Yosemite West and Wawona, the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias are just a short drive away.

Today you might stop for something to eat at Degnan’s Deli in the Yosemite Valley. What you might not realize is that its name comes from the Degnans—John and Bridget—who started a bakery business in the valley in 1890. Bridget at one point cranked out 50 loaves of bread a day, and sold them for 12.5 cents a loaf. At the turn of the century they invested in a brick Dutch oven that allowed them to double that production.

Their business remained in family hands until 1974.

Ansel Adams Known as the father of landscape photography, Adams honed his craft in Yosemite. His early Sierra Club membership brought him as a young photographer to the park often in the 1920s.

As well as taking photos for the club, he helped erect the cable system on Half Dome each summer. He also spent time as the caretaker of the LeConte Memorial Lodge in the Yosemite Valley , Later, his black-and-white photos helped persuade Congress to designate Kings Canyon National Park.

NationalParksTraveler.org

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Open year round, try visiting Scenic Wonders during our winter season with fewer visitors, you can find peace and solitude in this winter wonderland.

It's a known fact that Yosemite lodging can sell out months in advance, so why wait book now! We now have over 115 properties!

Year after year we have to turn away hundreds if not thousands of potential guests from early April through October because we become sold out due to our unique location and accommodations.

Scenic Wonders provides home, cabin and condominium rentals through the gates of historic Yosemite National Park. Centrally located and with over 115 properties to choose from, you're just minutes to all the wonders of Yosemite! Avoid that 1-2 hour commute in and out of the park every day during your visit. By staying with Yosemite's Scenic Wonders, you can wake up in the morning refreshed and be just minutes to some of the world's most breathtaking scenery and hiking trail heads in Yosemite National Park.

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Yosemite National Park, CA 95389 Condominiums Office

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What’s In Your National Park Library?

Path of the Puma Bison, wolves, grizzly bears, and elk are all categorized as “charismatic megafauna.” These are animals that have popular appeal to many and are often used as symbols of wildness.

Not so often mentioned under this category is the mountain lion, also known as the puma, the panther, and the cougar. And while these big cats often fly under the proverbial radar of wildlife advocates, not only are they out there, but their range is expanding and they’re showing up in some previously unlikely places.

While their historic range once covered the entire country, these days the known range for mountain lions has been west of the Rocky Mountain Front, which runs north to south from Montana down through Colorado and New Mexico. But there are exceptions. Lions have been spotted in Wisconsin, Mississippi, Tennessee, and even as far east as Connecticut and Massachusetts, according to the author.

In his new book, Jim Williams provides ample details about the biology and behavior of mountain lions. A wildlife biologist, Williams takes us along as he travels from Montana all the way south to Patagonia.

There, Tompkins Conservation has helped fund a new chain of national parks that provide ideal habitat for pumas.

There’s a success story to be told, but it’s one with a mixed outcome, he notes.

“America’s vast public lands, and Patagonia’s newly conserved parks, are a bulwark against the crush of humanity,” writes Williams. “But the trajectory—despite the recent success and expansion of Puma concolor —is toward more people and less wild nature. Predators will continue to prey on livestock. Ungulates will continue to compete for grass. Mountain lions will continue to prey on pets. Subdivisions will continue to consume habitat. Hunters will continue to compete with carnivores. Game managers will continue to be pressured by hunters.”

And yet, the book falls short if you’re looking for insights into the species’ efforts to reclaim historic habitat in North America. With the text split almost evenly between Montana and

Patagonia, Path of the Puma fails to delve into the dispersal of mountain lions east across the United States despite the two-page map on the book’s front and back end sheets tracing this movement.

There’s just a passing mention of the highly endangered Florida panther, and no mention of the plight of lions in the

Santa Monica Mountains in California, another population suffering from inbreeding and urbanization. And little is known of the lions seen in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. There’s more to be told of the path of the puma, and perhaps we will see that book in the future.

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The ONCE and FUTURE FOREST California’s Iconic Redwoods This book, in honor of the centennial of the Save the Redwoods League, is a love story regaling the country’s tallest trees, the coastal redwoods and the giant sequoias farther inland.

But it’s also a call to action, as Sam Hodder, president of the League, notes in his introduction. “… we must now turn our attention to securing the broader resilience and function of the redwood ecosystem,” he writes.

“The world’s last remaining old-growth redwood groves are isolated islands lacking critical connections to surrounding landscapes. The sea of young redwood forest that surrounds these islands is struggling in a downward spiral of perpetual recovery as the cycle of commercial harvest rotations suppresses its natural tendency to thrive, never allowing it to grow into a mature, healthy forest,” Hodder laments.

With that, he introduces five writers—David Harris, Gary Ferguson, Greg Sarris, Meg Loman, and David Rains Wallace—who share their personal connections with these towering

trees, examine their biology, and explain how, and why, the League came to be. There are insights into how Redwood National and State Parks was established, along with the stories of logging protests by celebrities such as Bonnie Rait and Don Henley.

Complementing the words are the beautiful, incredible, and breathtaking images of redwoods and giant sequoia. The historic photo of Galen Clark’s log cabin in Yosemite National Park’s Mariposa Grove (c.

1920s) looks as if the cabin could be a miniature, set as it is between the two massive trunks of sequoias that bookend the cabin as they soar into the sky unseen above.

This book, a fundraiser for the League, should also serve as a warning that we are losing many parts of our natural world.

Human-driven climate change is killing coral reefs, melting glaciers, and even threatening these sequoias and redwoods.

Parks, both national and state, are being turned into biological islands that are struggling to survive in their natural state.

The natural world battles against the human footprint, and this cannot be trivialized. “… as I read through the stories in this book, I am reminded that our work is just beginning, and that the urgency and relevance of our vision to heal the forest and keep it on a path toward recovery and resilience is our generation’s greatest opportunity to leave the world better than we found it,” Hodder points out.

Into the Great White Sands

the dunes themselves, with their cascading grains, is beautiful and intriguing. These fascinating and evocative photographs taken at White Sands are only surpassed by an in-person visit.

“Dune fields are living, breathing, moving macro-organisms,” writes Jeanetta Calhoun Mish in one of the quartet of essays that are interspersed among the photos. “They are ecosystems; that is, they serve as habitat to animals and insects and plants; the dunes at White Sands, no matter how desolate they may look, are no exception.”

Varjabedian’s book is an enticement into this monument to sand, and the life it holds and the moods it displays.

Contrasts, color, geology, and the delicacy of the shimmering dunes at White Sands National Monument all are captured in photographer Craig Varjabedian’s latest book, Into the Great White Sands.

His photographs snare the setting sun, when the sky and its hanging clouds turn crimson above the rippled dunes, muted by the soft evening light. There are images of sand verbena, Indian rice grass, yucca, soaptree, and other vegetation that defy the aridness of the landscape. The geometry of

Deep Blue Volcano, Exploring Crater Lake What Into the Great White Sands is to aridity, Deep Blue Volcano is to wetness, and not just in Crater Lake. This compact 182-page book captures this national park in southwestern Oregon, with waterfall after waterfall, leaping creeks, snowy forests, ferns and, of course, plenty of varied views of the lake throughout the seasons.

Photographers/authors Jay and Sue Newman provide some short narratives 40

Essential Park Guide | Winter 2018

in the book’s various sections—an introduction, Around the Rim, Below the Rim, Beyond the Rim, Beyond the Park, and Among the Cascades. But the photos that showcase Crater Lake National Park and landscapes within 50 miles or so of the park will make you treasure this book.

“Had Mount Mazama not collapsed (and created Crater Lake), the mountain would still dominate the horizon from most of these areas. And its legacy is still shaping them today,” write the Newmans.

Parting Shot

Vibrating tendrils of energy—the aurora borealis—flicker above Denali and other national parks.

Photo by Kent Miller