Essential Park Guide, Spring 2017 by Kurt Repanshek

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Essential Park Guide / Spring 2017

Coloring the Parks By Kurt Repanshek Spring is a kaleidoscopic season in the National Park System, with a seemingly endless stream of hues coloring the parks as wildflowers and trees burst into bloom.

A Smoky Mountain Trifecta By Kurt Repanshek From Cades Cove to Cataloochee and everything in between, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is great for a long weekend…or a lifetime. But if you only have three days, here’s how to spend them.

A Season Of Furious Falls Months of storms have left the Sierra high country deep in snow, which means Yosemite National Park’s waterfalls will be at full throttle this spring and early summer.

Restoring A Forest By Kurt Repanshek & Jane Schneider An Asian import once threatened to wipe out stately stands of Eastern hemlocks from the Appalachian Mountains, but national park foresters believe they’re beginning to effectively counter the bug.

Southern Comfort Florida is a traditional spring break destination, and the Keys and Dry Tortugas National Park offer a unique spin on that ritual. Oh Canada! By Scott Johnson While America’s National Park Service celebrated its centennial last year, Parks Canada is marking that country’s 150th anniversary with a yearlong bash that includes free park entrance. Time to find your red chair. Paddling Time By Christine Parrish, Kurt Repanshek, and Cedar Gonzalez Though you can find a paddling spot in the National Park System year-round, spring seems best to trigger the call of running water. Our special paddling section suggests where to paddle, examines the prospect of a bodacious runoff, and applauds advocates.

Essential Friends Spring destinations, looking out for visitors, and celebrating success are stories to share from these national park friends. Take The Reins Whether you prefer ambling through spring wildflowers or galloping across open meadows with the summer sun on your shoulders, there’s a dude ranch to pair with your national park adventure. A Few Good Reads By NPT Staff From Civil War trails and national park highways to John Colter, Traveler has discovered a handful of books worthy of your personal parks library.

Editor: Kurt Repanshek Art Director: Courtney Cooper Special Projects Editor: Patrick Cone Senior Editor: Scott Johnson Contributors: Christine Parrish Jane Schneider Cedar Gonzalez Published by

Essential Park Guides are published by National Park Advocates, LLC, to showcase how best to enjoy and explore the National Park System. National Park Advocates, LLC, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah, 84098. © 2017 Essential Park Guide, Spring 2017. 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

Go Search For A Colorful Spring In The Parks!

pring can be one of those iffy seasons in the National Park System. You might run into warm, sunny days with an easy breeze at your back. Or, you could find yourself being pelted by sleet, battered by a stiff wind, with grey clouds scooting by overhead. One thing you can count on, though, are wildflowers; glorious wildflowers and trees in colorful bloom. Columbines and trilliums, Shooting stars, Indian paintbrush, redbuds and dozens upon dozens more. All these floral species work in concert to color these landscapes as they recover from the cold, bleak days of winter. In honor of this kaleidoscopic outburst, on the next page we launch a story on the best places in the parks to find wildflowers. As well as touching on some reliable parks for wildflower spotting, we also highlight some useful Internet tools so you can find your favorite species, whether you’re in search of

wildflowers or wildlife. One prime destination for spring is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and beginning on page 8 we outline three great days in this iconic national park. Whether you head to Cades Cove, Cataloochee, or the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (which winds its way roughly 70 miles through the park) you won’t be disappointed with a springtime visit to the Smokies. While in Great Smoky, go out of your way to visit some of the majestic hemlock groves, now threatened by a tiny insect imported to the United States from Japan. With help from contributor Jane Schneider, we took the pulse of the battle against the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in eastern units of the National Park System, and have found some good news. Our stories open on page 15. Also in our Essential Park Guide for spring you’ll be encouraged to visit a Canadian national park this

year, as the country celebrates the 150th anniversary of independence from Great Britain. You’ll also find a special paddling section to the National Park System, as well as some good books. While the weather might be contrary at times, get moving. We don’t think you’ll be disappointed by a spring visit to a national park.

on the cover

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Rivers of molten stone spill from cliffs at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, where the geological dynamics of island building, and deconstruction, are on display / National Park Service

Connect with National Parks Traveler on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! Share how you experience our national parks by posting your favorite vacation story or sharing a photo. Join in the conversation and keep up-to-date on park news around the country.

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

~ Kurt Repanshek

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A variety of columbine is the Colorado state flower, but this beauty, the wild columbine, hails from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia / NPS

Painting The National Parks with Wildflowers By Kurt Repanshek

Delicate trilliums, glorious columbines, and flamboyant redbuds are some of the harbingers of spring found across the National Park System. This is a favorite season for birds, bees, and photographers. Wildlife is more easily seen in the spring in many parks, too, making the coming three months idyllic for exploring the parks.

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Cacti, such as these Claret cup hedgehogs in Canyonlands National Park, erupt in color in April and May in the Southwest parks / Kurt Repanshek

et for those who marvel at the kaleidoscope of colors and hues that wildflowers spread across the parks, the season is unmatched. Winter’s snowmelt and the warming sun coax perennials back to life, brightening hillsides, meadows, and even forest floors. Take the trillium, for example. Though there are more than three dozen trillium species in North America, common to these perennials is their favored habitat: partial shade and rich, moist, well-drained soil. Many units of the park system, from coast to coast, have just what they need: • Find large, descriptively named White trilliums (T. grandiflorum) in Shenandoah National Park’s hollows in Virginia; • Patches of Yellow trillium (T. luteum) cluster in the river bottoms of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area on the Kentucky/Tennessee border, and; • Clumps of Giant trillium (T. chloropetalum) climb the wooded slopes of Redwood National and State Parks in California. Check the parks’ websites to find out when they might be blooming; they can anytime from February in Redwood to May in Big South Fork. Desperate for redbuds? Find them in the East at Great Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, and along the Bluestone National Scenic River in West Virginia. They’re also common at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, and along the Arch Rock 4

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

throughout the summer and into fall. For example: • Meadows are covered with Cushion phlox, Kittentails, and Aspen bluebells at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah, but they don’t draw much attention before July due to the comparatively late bloom. • The roughly 80 wildflower species—Blue Chiming bells and Violet Shooting Stars among them— along the Cub Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado don’t show up until July. • Interestingly shaped, and brightly red-colored, Snow plants often don’t sprout above the forest floors of Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite national parks in California before late May and June. • Distinctive Beargrass blooms don’t appear in Glacier National Park in Montana before June.

From Beargrass in Glacier National Park to redbuds in Yosemite National Park, spring brings color and structure to meadows and hillsides / NPS

Entrance Road in Yosemite National Park in California, where they bloom in April. Of course, wildflowers that bloom in the higher elevation parks of the West typically show up later than those in the East and Midwest, so there’s no need to immediately jump into your vehicle and go in search. Many can be found

Beargrass blooms don’t materialize every year, which can make them difficult to find. These stalks with their showy blooms need just the right amount of rainfall and soil moisture to sprout. Once they do, they can rise more than 4 feet tall. If you need help identifying wildflowers, consider attending one of the annual spring wildflower festivals at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (the spring Wildflower Pilgrimage on April 11-15), Shenandoah National Park (Wildflower Weekend on May 6-7), or New River Gorge National River (Wildflower Weekend, April 28-30). If you prefer to go it alone, utilize tools available through the National Park Service’s web network. Great Smoky Mountains just might have the best with its Species Mapper. This software lets you choose a particular wildflower species and find out where you’re most likely to encounter it in the park. While the Species Mapper won’t tell you when the flowers bloom, you can head outside of the Park Service web universe to the site run by the National Phenology Network and use its tools to gain insights. For instance, the site’s Phenology Visualization Tool can show, based on a 30-year average,

National park wildflowers would have kept Claude Monet endlessly busy, whether he chose to paint Dune prickly pears at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (upper left), Alpine ForgetMe-Nots in Rocky Mountain National Park (upper right), Fringed Gentians in Yellowstone National Park (left), or Princeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Plume (bottom) in Capitol Reef National Park / NPS, Kurt Repanshek, Diane Renkin, and Patrick Cone

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Sprays of Western peppergrass add brilliant contrast to the red-rock of Canyonlands National Park, while Monkeyflowers decorate Jones Creek in Dinosaur National Monument / Kurt Repanshek, Patrick Cone

Opposite page: The Cactus Forest at Saguaro National Park bursts at the seams with color in April / Marcelle Shoop

when the first blooms can be expected in a location. For example, at Old Rag in Shenandoah, May 7 typically is the first day you might see a bloom. At Bar Harbor, Maine, near Acadia National Park, it would be May 23. (Note: This tool can be tricky to master, so take advantage of the primer videos found in the right-hand column.) Another great tool is the Park Service’s NPSpecies web page. This allows you to discover which wildflowers grow in the parks. To use this tool, go to this site (https://irma.nps.gov/NPSpecies/), from this home page in the Get a Park Species List search insert your park of choice and click Go. This will retrieve all species known to occur in your park. You can refine the list to a particular group by selecting an option in the “Category” box, and click 6

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Search. This will return a complete list of that particular group found in the park, listed by both scientific and common name. NPSpecies also allows you to search for specific plant species across the entire National Park System. Simply go to the “Find A Species” page from the home page, click the “Species” box. A popup will open, select vascular plants for the “Limit to Category,” select common name, type columbine in the “Search for” box. This generates a list of all species and varieties of columbine. From that list, check the box on the specific type of columbine(s) you want to find, then click on the “Add species to search list” button. This will take you back to the “Find a Species” search page with you columbine(s) chosen where you’ll need to click on the Find a Species “Search” button.

This will generate a list of parks, identified by their four-letter acronyms (e.g., CARE is for Capitol Reef National Park, FOBU is Fossil Butte National Monument), where the selected columbines are found. In reviewing this list of parks, don’t overlook the Occurrence column, as some parks will say “Present” and others may be “Unconfirmed” or “Probably Present” with less certainty. Another option for finding wildflowers would be to simply download a park’s wildflower list from its website. Understand, though, that not all park websites contain such lists, while some parks utilize the lists on NPSpecies, so you might start with it initially. If you’re not a wildflower lover, that’s OK, as Great Smoky’s Species Mapper and the NPSpecies tool both allow you to also search for mammals, birds, amphibians, insects, and more.

Which national parks offer arguably the best blooms in spring? Here are some candidates: v Great Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling the North Carolina-Tennessee border, boasts 1,500 species of flowering plants, more than any other national park. v Shenandoah National Park in Virginia claims nearly 900 wildflower species, among them Bloodroot, which starts to push its way up through the forest duff in late March. v Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming typically sees a riot of Glacier lilies in the North Fork of Cascade Canyon, and yellow carpets of Balsam Arrowroot on valley floors. v In Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming/Montana/Idaho you’ll find Fringed gentians and Ladies tresses in geyser basins, and Yellow bells on Dunraven Pass. v In Arches and Canyonlands national parks in Utah you’ll see colorful bursts of Indian paintbrush all over the landscape, but you’ll have to go out after sundown to see the flowers of Sacred Datura and Yucca, which bloom at night. v Saguaro National Park in Arizona draws kudos for its April wildflower displays, a time when the Cactus Forest blooms in yellows, reds, oranges, blues, and purples thanks to its barrel and prickly pear cacti, Octillo, and Brittlebrush, just to name a few of the colorful plant blooms you’ll find here. v At Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state you’ll see various hues from lupines, Broadleaf arnica, and American bistort, which will distract your eyes from the mountain. v In Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, there are blue and white Colorado columbines (the Colorado state flower), showy Mountain iris, and dainty Alpine Forget-me-not. v Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas is home to more than 500 plant species, including Prairie larkspur, four types of sunflower, Blue Wild Indigo and Fire-on-the-Mountain. v Redwoods National and State Parks, California, harbors the Calypso orchid in its conifer forests, though it’s rare and can be difficult to spot. More common are Columbia lilies, Giant blazing star, and Sea fig.

By Kurt Repanshek

Horace Kephart roamed the Smoky Mountains in all seasons, but he held springtime here in high esteem. “I doubt if anywhere in the world there is a more luxuriant bloom of of laurel and rhododendron than where I live in the Great Smoky Mountains,” he noted in 1916 in Camping and Woodcraft, a backwoods primer that has gone through some 70 printings. Kephart kept a tiny cabin for a time on the Little Fork of the Sugar Fork of Hazel Creek, deep in the southwestern corner of today’s national park. A quirky backwoodsman, who at one time had been a librarian in St. Louis, Kephart gained widespread acclaim for the lessons he learned in the Smokies. Today, amazon.com says his two-volume Camping and Woodcraft book “ranks sixth among the ten best-selling sporting books of all time.”

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Blooms of dogwoods brighten the hillsides of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in spring / Jim Bennett

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Would the book be so highly considered if Kephart had not learned his craft in the Smokies? Perhaps. But in the landscape of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which was created three years after he died, the ruggedness of the landscape, the wildlife, the trout-filled streams, and the “hells” of laurel and rhododendron provided the wily Kephart with a sturdy backwoods education. And it, of course, opened his eyes to the beauty of the Smokies. It’s a lasting beauty, one that surely changes through the four seasons, but which burns itself into your memory if you let it no matter the season of your visit.

Cades Cove thistle and Goldenrod carpet the floor of Cades Cove in spring / Warren Bielenberg

Day 1: Explore the Cove

Curling tendrils of smoke wafting from the smokehouse. The clang of a smithy’s hammer on an anvil. Women trading the latest gossip over husking corn, while maple syrup boils down in a cast-iron kettle over an open fire. Close your eyes while you’re surrounded by Cades Cove and you just might be able to pull these images into your imagination. Settled more than 200 years ago by a young couple hoping for a better life, the cove quickly attracted others. At one point, nearly 700 lived in this bucolic valley that is Great Smoky Mountain’s main attraction (and the crowds attest to that fact). While the crowds can be offsetting—it can take hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic to navigate the 11-mile loop road that circles the cove—the history here is mesmerizing and the beauty captivating. Today you might conjure a picturesque setting of tranquility, one that would offer

Kephart spent three years, off and on, on Hazel Creek, during which he explored the mountains and embraced what John Muir would call their “good tidings.” Though his cabin no longer exists, a mossy millstone stands nearby as a memorial to the man, and you can head down to the Bryson City Cemetery to see his gravesite. You also can head up into the mountains to come to appreciate how he became enamored with the Smokies. While it might be difficult, if not impossible, to spend three years replicating Kephart’s experience, you can easily sample the wonders of Great Smoky in three days.

a relaxing escape from today’s wired and politicized world. But before the valley’s residents were ushered out in advance of the park’s establishment in 1934, Cades Cove demanded hard work during long days from the residents as they tended to fields, harvested fruit, ground flour, or repaired their cabins. While you can drive through the cove in a few hours, savor your visit by lingering over the genius of the cabin construction, the talents needed to shoe horses, the skills for constructing a shake roof or a cane chair. Come early in the morning or stay late in the afternoon and you might spot some of the locals—turkeys, whitetailed deer, or even black bear searching for a tasty apple. You’ll find a handful of historic structures in the cove, from the cabin of John Oliver, who along with his wife, Lurena, were the first whites to settle here, in 1818, to Baptist, Methodist, and Missionary Baptist churches. There is the John Cable Grist Mill that was built in 1868 and the Tipton Place, raised in the 1880s along with its striking double-cantilever barn. To escape the traffic yet still enjoy the cove, hikers and cyclists only are given access to the cove until 10 a.m. every Saturday and Wednesday morning from early May until late September.

Day 2: Tranquility in Cataloochee Cades Cove is a museum of the unique architecture its residents employed / NPS

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Across the park to the east from Cades Cove nestle two more communities that were essentially frozen in time when the national park was created.

porch where dogs loitered on long, hot summer days. While the house normally doubles as a museum of the valley, it currently is closed until 2018 while renovations are conducted. Venture to Little Cataloochee and up to the ruins of the Cook Place and Messer Farm and you’ll be standing at the core of what once was the Smokies’ apple empire. The Palmer Chapel in Cataloochee dates to 1898 and remains in remarkable condition / Kurt Repanshek

Cataloochee and its sibling, Little Cataloochee, are similar in setting to Cades Cove, though they have fewer homesteads to explore. Of course, they also have fewer crowds of visitors. Getting to Cataloochee, which is 39 miles from Cherokee, North Carolina, and 65 miles from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, requires some determination. The 11mile Cove Creek Road (about 7 miles paved, 4 gravel) runs from U.S. 40 on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky into the valley. Those who don’t have a big rig, and don’t mind twisting, narrow dirt roads, can leave Cataloochee for Little Cataloochee and then on to Tennessee 32 near Cosby (or enter the valley by that route in reverse). Cataloochee is the quieter side of Great Smoky, yet it offers historic architecture much like that found in Cades Cove. At one point, these two valleys were home to about 1,200 mostly related families. You can spend the night in Cataloochee if you like to camp. A 27-site campground that operates from mid-March through October accepts tents and trailers that are no longer than 31 feet. There are no electrical or water hookups, though generator use is allowed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Each site has a tent pad, grill, and picnic table. There is a restroom with flush toilets and cold running water. If you plan to stay the night, don’t forget your fishing pole, as Cataloochee Creek offers a modest trout fishery. Make the journey into the past and you’ll find a 19th- and early-20th century societal flavor rimmed by 6,000-foot mountains, meadows that fill with elk in fall, and some of the park’s best examples of historic frame buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Still standing is the Palmer House, a vintage “dog trot” construction featuring two separate log cabins (that later were planked over) tied together by a covered

Day 3: Take a Hike

There is no finer place for backpacking and hiking in the East than Great Smoky. Within its 522,000 acres are some 800 miles of trails, enough for you to get lost for a weekend or longer. You can walk into history by heading for a backwoods cabin, or walk along the roof of the park via the 70 miles of Appalachian National Scenic Trail that passes through Great Smoky. Waiting for your boots are trails that link backcountry campsites, waterfalls, creeks for fishing, and endless miles of gorgeous scenery. Pay attention during your hike and watch the ground for daffodils that mark some of the many abandoned homesites across the park and help tell the story of mountain settlements. “There is also a remarkable daffodil marker of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in Cades Cove that outlines the number of the regiment,” says Great Smoky spokeswoman Dana Soehn. A week of hiking could be planned along the A.T., with nights spent in shelters or tents along the way. Just

recognize that spring brings a tide of A.T. thru-hikers heading north from Georgia with hopes of reaching Maine sometime late in summer, and that could mean crowded conditions at shelter sites. Maybe better to leave this for fall. A way to avoid that tide is to head elsewhere in the park, such as along the Smokemont Loop Trail. It’s only 6.2 miles in length, or day-hike size, but with some help from the park’s backcountry office you can quickly identify other longer, suitable, multi-day treks. A 6.1-mile round-trip hike along the Little Cataloochee Trail leads to the restored Cook Cabin and the Little Cataloochee Baptist Church. Now, there are black bears in the backcountry, so be sure to keep a clean camp and utilize bear cables at campsites where Friends of the Smokies has erected them Spring is a perfect season to hike the Spruce Flat Falls Trail near Tremont. In early May the mountain laurel bursts into bloom here, and as a bonus you get to ensure the waterfall. There also are many short and intermediate trails for casual hikers, such as the gorgeous Abrams Falls and Laurel Falls trails. “Quiet Walkways” are short, easy trails from tiny parking areas. Check with a visitors center for your nearest options. And if a rainstorm interrupts your stay in the Smokies, grab a copy of Camping and Woodcraft and glean some of Kephart’s woodsman lore for a few hours.

Among the pioneer cabins still standing in Cades Cove is the one built by Carter Shields / NPS

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There will be no shortage of water to fuel Yosemiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waterfalls, such as Vernal, pictured here, this spring and early summer / Patrick Cone

THE

Falling Waters OF YOSEMITE

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An atmospheric river of moisture took aim on California and the High Sierra over the last few months, dumping snowfall in amounts that haven’t been seen in years. While the state’s multi-year drought isn’t entirely over, the Pineapple Express (as the storms raging in over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii are referred to) has been hammering California with rain and snow.

hile one storm that drenched Yosemite National Park in January led to some minor flooding in the Yosemite Valley, higher up near the roof of the park the snowpack was building, and building, and building. And that has excitement swelling right along with the Merced River. What’s going to happen this spring and summer? Well, all of that snow is going to melt with warmer weather and make for great waterfall watching within the park from May through the middle of summer. And there are thousands of waterfalls, from tiny streams to towering spectacles. Yosemite National Park has countless waterfalls, some small, some iconic, and some huge. The most notable of these is Yosemite Falls, which drops 2,425 feet from the top of the Upper Fall to the bottom of the Lower Fall. The valley’s native people, the Ahwahneechee, called this incredible waterfall Cholock, and believed the pool at the base was the home to spirits and witches. For an easy walk that gives you incredible views of these

Yosemite Falls in the park’s iconic valley will be roaring this spring thanks to the winter’s prodigious snowpack / NPS, Damon Joyce

falls, take the one-mile loop trail to the waterfall’s base, and listen to the thundering water and let the spray wash over you. It’s a spectacular sight, and will be full bore this spring. You can hike to the top of the falls, but it’s over seven miles of steep trail, with an elevation gain of 2,700 feet. On the south side of the valley, Sentinel Falls drops around 2,000 feet, cascading from ledge to ledge to ledge, with peak flows in May. And there are others: Ribbon Falls at 1,612 feet, Horsetail Fall at 1,000 feet, and Bridalveil Fall, which drops 620 feet and is the one that greets visitors from the Wawona Road. There’s an easy halfmile trail to its base. For a treat on a hot day, head a mile up the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall (317 feet) and on another 2 miles towards Nevada Falls (594 feet). But take a raincoat and good boots; you will get wet, which is a nice way to cool off. Spend time at the brink of both of these falls for a great view down the valley, but watch your step, and never enter the water above a fall. Peak flows are in late May, and hikers can continue up this trail to Half Dome, with a proper permit. For a great perspective of the valley’s waterfalls, trek to Glacier Point. From there you’ll be able to marvel at Nevada and Vernal falls, as well as Yosemite Falls. If you decide to hike up to Glacier Point, and trail conditions allow it, watch for Illilouette Fall, which usually is running at peak flows in late May.

Three great locations to choose from / Scenic Wonders

While the Yosemite Valley is the most often visited part of the park, there are plenty of falls in the Hetch Hetchy area to the north. Wapama Falls drops 1,400 feet, and sometimes covers the footbridge at its base. It’s a fivemile hike, round trip, to see these falls, but it’s one of the quieter parts of the park. A longer hike will take you to Rancheria Falls. In the Wawona area, Chilnualna Falls drops about 2,200 feet, and it’s a strenuous 8-mile hike, round-trip, with a 2,400-foot climb. A visit to Yosemite this spring, especially, will be a dramatic show of stone and water. The high passes will be slow to open with the deep snows, and May crowds aren’t nearly as intense as those later in the summer will be. There’s plenty of lodging available for a base camp, such as the lodges, cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals, such as the more than 100 properties offered by Yosemite’s Scenic Wonders at Yosemite, Wawona, or Oakhurst/Bass Lake area. For the adventurous, head out to some of the lesser-known waterfalls, such as Lehamite, Quaking Aspen, Royal Arch Cascade, and Wildcat Falls. Or take a one-day tour of the valley’s waterfalls from the road. Either way, watch nature at its noisiest and most powerful at these amazing falls this spring. It will be nothing short of astounding.

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Battling A Pest To Save A Majestic Tree

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: The spine of the Appalachian Range runs north and south through the Mid- and South-Atlantic states, a rumpled stretch of mountains that long has provided a corridor for species. One uninvited species, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, arrived in 1951, and since then has attacked hemlock forests once commonplace in Shenandoah National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Since 1988 the National Park Service has been battling the tiny insect, and has met with varying success in those three parks. While much work remains to be done, there is optimism some of the hemlock stands will be saved. In the following stories, we take a look at the campaign.

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A Tiny Bug Is Upsetting Shenandoah National Park’s Ecosystem By Kurt Repanshek Sunlight sifts through the forest’s canopy and falls upon our shoulders, easily penetrating an area of Shenandoah National Park once esteemed for its thick, almost ferny canopy, as Rolf Gubler and I amble down the Limberlost Trail. Instead of towering, 100-foot (and even taller) Eastern hemlocks casting shade, we pass through sun-dappled thickets of black birch and underbrush dominated by mountain laurel. Here and there a lone hemlock still stands, though there are the remains of over 1,000 of these magnificent trees, which once reached high into the sky in this pocket of the park. A non-native insect killed them, in just a few years, which led the National Park Service in 2003 to cut down the trees to keep them from falling on unsuspecting hikers. Now tree trunks and stumps line both sides of the trail, slowly moldering into the forest floor. “We’re talking hundreds of thousands of trees,” says Gubler, a biologist who is the park’s forest pest manager, when asked how many hemlocks the park once held. Of those hemlock forests, “We’ve lost about 95 percent of our trees.” Once a stalwart of Eastern forests from Canada to Georgia, hemlocks thrive in low-light settings. They are renowned pockets of biodiversity, as their short, tightly spaced needles shade the understory and keep it from drying out. Though not as long-lived as Bristlecone pines or sequoias (which can survive for 3,000-5,000 years) mature hemlocks nevertheless are no youngsters. They reach maturity in 250-300 years and can live another 500 years or so. Hemlocks have long have been valued in the Appalachians, prized for their bark, which was sought by the leather industry for its tannins, and their Before the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid arrived, the Limberlost Trail was lined with thousands of tall, stately Eastern hemlocks / NPS

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

pulp for use by the paper industry. But in 1951 a speck of an insect, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, was spotted in Virginia. It’s believed that the bug (which measures about one-16th of an inch long) hitchhiked to the United States aboard some ornamental plants imported from Japan. While it wasn’t considered a threat to Japan’s hemlock forests because of natural predators, and a natural deterrent in Asian hemlocks themselves, the bug has been devastating to hemlock stands in the Southeast. What these insects do, essentially, is feed on the trees’ sap, “depleting the

hemlock’s starch reserves, which in turn reduces the tree’s ability to grow and produce new shoots,” according to a 2004 report prepared by the U.S. Forest Service and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Invasive species are steadily invading the National Park System, from zebra mussels that can kill native mussels and disrupt stream biodiversity; salt cedar (also called tamarisk) that overruns native willows and cottonwoods along river bottoms; emerald ash borers, which kill ash trees; and the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.

Today the adelgids have impacted a long swath of hemlocks from Shenandoah through the Blue Ridge Parkway and deep into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The aphid-like adelgids were first noticed in the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2003, a year after they were detected in the Great Smoky Mountains. Efforts to rid the parks of the damaging insects have met with a range of results. For instance, the Blue Ridge Parkway might not need to chemically treat trees this year to stop the adelgids (Story on page 20). There are some parts of the National Park System in the Eastern United States where the insects haven’t established themselves. One is Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, where graceful stands of hemlocks soar out of gorges in northern areas of the park (Story on page 19). Hemlock forests never dominated Shenandoah, but exist in pockets, unlike Great Smoky with its larger groves. The Limberlost area was one such pocket. This part of Shenandoah was so lush with hemlocks, some 3-4 feet in diameter, that they formed a sort of arboreal fairyland. Prior to the park’s establishment, George Freeman Pollock and his wife, Addie Nairn Pollock, saved 100 of the largest hemlocks that were growing here by paying loggers $10 per tree not to cut them down. (“Limberlost” was attached to the area by Mr. Pollock, who pulled the name from a novel about a young woman who lived on the edge of the Limberlost Swamp in Indiana.) The impact of the adelgid infestation is easily visible along the Limberlost Trail. The forest canopy is patchy at best, and in places the trail tunnels through arching stands of black birch. Less visible are the impacts to the forest ecosystem. A healthy hemlock forest acts as a sort of humidifier for the forest, keeping temperatures cooler than forests with more open canopies, and sheltering moist soils. “You have ferns and things like that and mosses growing in the understory, (it’s) very moist,” Gubler says as we survey the surrounding forest. “And you disturb that and then you’ve got hardwood species in here now. “If you look around, look at the understory. It’s much drier. You don’t see ferns very much,” he continues. “You see a few. You don’t see as many mosses. In terms of stream water temperatures, you’re seeing increases in

stream temperatures wherever we lose hemlocks along waterways.” A bit further down the Limberlost Trail a bridge carries us across Whiteoak Canyon Run. Without the shade of hemlocks, the park’s thin creeks and streams warm easily under the sun’s rays, creating temperatures that impact the native brook trout. “I think over time you’re going to see changes, species that exist there, things like brook trout. It’s going to have an effect on brook trout. They need cool water. They need shaded water with a high oxygen content,” the biologist explains. Even bird species that normally flit through Shenandoah’s forests are affected by the adelgid. Blackburnian warblers, winter wrens, and Blue-headed vireos that prefer spruce/ fir/hemlock forests are not showing up as often in bird surveys along the Limberlost Trail and around Rapidan Camp on the Rapidan River. Hardwood forests are taking over. “The park’s just not offering that spruce/fir/hemlock dynamic that we used to be able to, so those species have to go elsewhere to find that mix-

uptake into the hemlocks through their roots. They’ve also sprayed insecticidal soaps onto the trees. Until the adelgid was first spotted in the park, in the fall of 1988, Eastern hemlocks covered roughly 9,800 acres of the park. After 2003, however, hemlocks remained in only about 500 acres scattered throughout the park. Since the park shifted to imidacloprid soil treatments in 2005, they have been able to treat roughly 2,000-2,500 hemlocks per year and reverse hemlock crown decline in many previously untreated areas (especially in more remote areas). When looking at treated hemlocks in the park now, they are healthier than they have been in the past 15-20 years. “Over the last 10 or 12 years we’ve been doing soil injections of imidacloprid. We’ve treated about 24,000 hemlock trees,” says Gubler. “We’re on a seven- or eight-year treatment cycle, so I think we can certainly keep those trees preserved and protected over time. We hope to eventually switch over to bio-controls so we can get off of that pesticide cycle.” To monitor the effectiveness of the

Until the adelgid was first spotted in the park, in the fall of 1988, Eastern hemlocks covered roughly 9,800 acres of the park. After 2003, however, hemlocks remained in only about 500 acres scattered throughout the park. ture,” says Gubler. “We’re just seeing fewer of those specific birds.” Park staff has aggressively been fighting the adelgid since 1996 with both chemical soil treatments and spraying. Last year, they introduced a predatory beetle native to Japan believed to only feed on the adelgid. “The Laricobius nigrinus, which has been in use probably for the last 12 years, that species is pretty darn host specific,” the biologist says. “The new species that we’ve started to release in the park, Laricobius osakensis, that is very host specific to HWA, and we feel that that host specificity allows us to be pretty comfortable with using it as a bio-control.” Before the beetles were available, park crews injected imidacloprid, an insect neurotoxin, into the soil for

program, crews check the health of hemlock crowns. “We’re looking at the decline or the improvement of crown health in hemlocks. We do that by assessing the live crown of treated hemlocks over time,” explains Gubler. Today there are perhaps 30,00040,000 hemlocks of various sizes left in Shenandoah, a small number compared to the 800,000 or so hemlocks that existed before the adelgid arrived. While it would be overly optimistic to think the park would ever again see such a high number of hemlocks, Gubler is optimistic that the adelgid can be successfully countered and won’t wipe out the park’s remaining hemlock stands. “I think bio-controls, predatory beetles, is our best bet,” he said.

NationalParksTraveler.com

Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Fight To Save Hemlocks By Jane Schneider Fourteen years after the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid invaded Shenandoah National Park, it had made its way almost 500 miles south to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. By then, in 2002, forester Jesse Webster and his staff at Great Smoky had developed one of the country’s most ambitious adelgid treatment programs. Initially, they mapped 87,000 acres of hemlock stands interlaced across more than 522,000 acres of the park. Next Webster and his team assessed the overall health of the each stand and its proximity to the park’s front country. Areas like roadways and hiking trails that most directly impact visitors received highest priority for treatment. Infested hemlocks were tagged for chemical intervention, a regimen that requires an insecticide (similar to that in flea collars) to be injected into the bark of a tree, or as a soil drenching “pour” around the base of a tree. Sprayer trucks at times also are used to treat the trees’ foliage. Webster acknowledges such treatments can be an effective short-term approach, stopping the sudden loss of trees, but they don’t keep trees from being re-infested. 18

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Tiny, predator beetles brought in from Asia are being used to combat the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid / Jane Schneider

Better is when the weather cooperates, since extreme periods of cold can kill off large numbers of adelgids. “This won’t be the next chestnut blight,” Webster says, referring to the devastation of American chestnuts to a fungus during the early 1900s. Instead, he remains cautiously optimistic as we tour the grove. “We’ve done something and taken the initial steps to make sure that won’t happen.” So far, more than 100 areas have been treated These include camp-

Above Left: Great Smoky Mountains National Park forester Jesse Webster measures a large old-growth hemlock near Cosby, Tennessee / Mike Belleme Above: The telltale white calling cards of Hemlock Woolly Adelgids are readily visible on the underside of hemlock needles / Jane Schneider

grounds, picnic grounds, parking lots at trailheads, and major watersheds — roughly 250,000 trees. Some sites, like Parson Branch Road, are currently closed to public entry due to the infestation. Here, more than 1,700 trees along the roadway have been impacted, creating a potential safety hazard for visitors; once affected trees die, the trunk becomes spongy to the touch and trees can easily fall. To see their work up close, we drive to the Elkmont Campground, a destination that includes Daisy Town, a historic collection of vacation cabins (no longer in use) that dates to the 1920s and are tied to the park’s inception. At this biocontrol site, Webster guides me to a tree on the perimeter of a nearby field. Pulling out a long hemlock branch and turning over the needles, he shows me a dusting of white, lintlike growth that dots the underside of the branch. “That is the woolly adelgid,” he says. It turns out the adelgid is an efficient killer. Once the pest gains a foothold, by inserting a straw-like proboscis into the hemlock’s needle, it sucks out

nutrients, often felling a mature tree in three to five years. “Ninety-eight percent of the hemlocks in Elkmont would now be dead had they not been treated,” says the forester. But it is a race against time. The adelgid multiplies quickly, completing two generations a year. With no natural predators in the Smokies, its transference from one host tree to the next is rarely deterred. And one treatment typically lasts just five to seven years. “The natural predator/prey balance isn’t in place here,” said Webster. “There’s no natural check for the adelgid, so the threat of losing the forest is real.” To bring about that balance, the Park Service has introduced four different non-native beetles that prey on adelgid in hopes of curtailing its growth biologically. Since this is still in the experimental phase, just how the beetles will impact the overall ecosystem remains unknown. “We’re releasing the beetles on smaller trees to increase their numbers. They’ve become established and are reproducing, but are they controlling the adelgid? We’re trying to put a number on that now,” says Webster. But the forester does know one thing: “Chemical treatment is a stop-gap approach, beetles are a long-term landscape approach.” Hemlocks are one of the Smoky Mountain’s foundation species and the only shade-tolerant conifer in the forest. The loss of this species can cause a significant shift in the ecosystem, since the hemlock’s presence enables shade-loving plants to flourish on the forest floor, and helps to keep streambeds cool. “When a tree dies, sunlight comes to the forest floor; that hasn’t occurred in hundreds of years,” he says. “Hemlocks also moderate stream flow as they transpire through the year. They don’t go dormant, they use water year-round so there’s less water retention in droughts.” As we hike along Grassy Branch Trail further away from Elkmont, it becomes easier to spot the devastation of trees left untreated. Stripped of their needles, clusters of hemlocks stand like ghostly grey sentinels no longer able to sustain and protect the forest around them. The sight is a sober reminder of the delicate ecological balance that exists in these forests.

Deep In The Backcountry Of Mammoth Cave National Park Hemlocks Flourish By Kurt Repanshek While Hemlock Woolly Adelgid beetles are attacking hemlock groves and forests in Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, deep in the sheltered coves of Mammoth Cave National Park grow hundreds, perhaps thousands, of green, healthy hemlocks. Scattered across roughly 600 acres in the northwestern corner of this 52,800-acre park, the trees flourish due to their isolation in deep, dark, moist coves. “There are about 10 disjointed populations, all located fairly close together but separated by ridge tops or other geographic features,” says Larry Johnson, a research management specialist at Mammoth Cave. “Each of these populations contains anywhere from a few dozen to perhaps a few hundred hemlocks, ranging from small saplings to very large, mature trees.” These hemlocks, he went on, are a remnant population from the last ice age, 10,000-15,000 years ago. While the rest of Mammoth Cave’s landscape has changed due to logging for large, shade species and the loss of the American chestnut,

these trees have managed to hang on, says Johnson. “They’re generally very specific to where they want to be, and they don’t get outside of that area of the park where it’s dark and wet,” he says. Their health, in comparison to the hemlocks in the other three parks, stems from their location. “Mammoth Cave National Park is somewhat of an island. If you Google it and look at it, we’re surrounded by miles and miles and miles of agricultural development and roads,” points out Johnson. “Mammoth Cave is this green island that’s by itself. We’re not adjacent to any other hemlock populations.” And without those other hemlock populations, he continued, the adelgids don’t have a way to reach the hemlocks growing in the coves. “We do constant monitoring of all the (hemlock) populations,” Johnson says. “The adelgids are easy to see. It’s obvious. If you turn the leaf over, limb over, it almost looks like little white soldiers. It’s very, very easy to see and you can detect it. “…We do really watch for it, and so far keeping our fingers crossed that lady luck will stay with us.”

There grow, in northern pockets of Mammoth Cave National Park, healthy stands of Eastern hemlocks / NPS NationalParksTraveler.com

Blue Ridge Parkway Ready To Turn Adelgid Control Over To Beetles By Kurt Repanshek Cascading 150 feet, Linville Falls in North Carolina kicks up quite a spray, one the surrounding hemlock trees relish. The moisture contributes to the hemlocks’ natural ability, through their dense canopy, to keep the forest relatively humid and the soil on the moist side. “There’s some really old-growth hemlocks in there, both of those species are there,” says Chris Ulrey, a plant ecologist for the Blue Ridge Parkway, referring to both Eastern hemlocks and rare Carolina hemlocks. “Just taking the trail out to the falls you can see a lot of live trees, as well as many dead trees.” Unlike Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, the Blue Ridge Parkway seems to be turning the corner on rebounding from a devastating infestation of Hemlock Woolly Adelgids. Though the adelgids killed roughly half of the hemlocks that once covered 9,000-12,000 acres of the

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

93,390-acre Parkway, Ulrey and his crews have treated about 15,000 individual hemlocks with the insecticide imidacloprid and have met relatively good success. “In 2017, we’re not going to do any chemical treatment,” he says. Instead, the park will let predatory beetles, Laricobius osakensis, carry on the battle against the adelgid. “The reason we’re starting to feel optimistic, the plan was to chemically control initially while establishing all these beetles, and the beetles would gradually build up in size until they become kind of in equilibrium with the adelgid population and they would keep that adelgid population in check,” explains Ulrey. “And now with lots of hemlock mortality, in combination with the cold winters, the adelgid population has dropped. These beetles that are out there are in better proportion (to the adelgids),” he continues. “Our plan all along was chemically treat initially,

Gazing down from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Linville Falls, the grey-green ghosts of dead hemlocks stand out / NPS

establish these beetles, and then some point in the future we would be able to taper off on the chemicals and totally leave it to the beetles. “I think we’re in that early stage of turning it over to the beetles.” If the beetles continue to neutralize the effects of the adelgid, the next step at the Blue Ridge Parkway will be to devise a reforestation plan for the hemlocks. “That’s the really long-term plan. The chemically treated trees are going to be the only trees left alive. Everything else is going to die,” says Ulrey. “The adelgid population crashes, the beetles stand a better chance of keeping the adelgid population in check. We stop the chemical treatments. And then the trees that are alive are going to become the seed source. Their offspring are going to be spread throughout the region and replace those dead trees. “We figure in about 200-300 years we’ll be back to normal.”

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Visit The Florida Keys On Your Next

Spring Vacation

One of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most quintessential road trips often starts by renting a convertible or RV in South Florida and organizing a tropical journey to the southernmost point in the continental United States. Visitors to this island oasis encounter a lifetimeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of natural wonders preserved by our State and National Park Services, along with plenty of fun in the sun, eco-adventures, and an opportunity to disconnect from the real world. Before, or after, touring Fort Jefferson, discover the show on display beneath the waters surrounding Dry Tortugas / Yankee Freedom III

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Fun In The Sun The Florida Keys offer some of the best weather conditions in the United States during the spring. Therefore, if you’re considering visiting during this season, take advantage of the beautiful climate by planning your trip with an emphasis on the outdoor lifestyle. Catching your dinner straight from the ocean, dining al fresco, celebrating the nightly sunsets, and bicycling around town are just a few of the traditions that locals have been enjoying for decades.

Dry Tortugas National Park Just 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, seven small islands constitute one of the most remote national parks in the United States hosting fewer than 80,000 visitors per year. Guests can only access the park by seaplane, private charter,

Sunset over the Florida Keys / Mallory Square

Fort Jefferson, which dates to the Civil War, is a main attraction at Dry Tortugas National Park / Yankee Freedom III

and once-in-a-lifetime day trips aboard the Yankee Freedom III. Upon arrival, guests experience picturesque vistas, white sandy beaches, and aquamarine water as far as the eye can see. Choosing a day trip aboard the Yankee Freedom III ferry offers the most economical and all-inclusive way to experience Dry Tortugas National Park and the historic Civil War landmark Fort Jefferson. Use the ferry as your home base while you tour the fort, walk the sandy beaches, bird watch, and snorkel the warm, clear waters. Experiencing a day trip to Dry Tortugas National Park is like a microcosm of everything that makes the Florida Keys a world-class vacation destination. You’ll learn history, unplug from the daily grind, bask in the tropical sunshine, and explore untouched eco-treasures that only a fraction of the world has encountered.

snorkeling experiences. Because the water is warm year-round and the climate is nearly perfect, you can snorkel in any season, but the spring is one of the best times to explore. For beginner snorkelers, the shallow waters of the backcountry are a great place to start. Although for any level, from novice to veteran, the variety of snorkel tour options are abundant, with tour companies offering professional instruction, top-of-the-line gear and easy ways to get in and out of the water. Once you’re in the water, the sight of the vibrant, thriving reef with its colorful inhabitants will awe you. From sea turtles, tropical fish and the coral itself, to many marine species you cannot see anywhere else on earth, snorkeling in the Florida Keys is an extraordinary eco-experience.

Camping

Living The Dream

What better way to enjoy the tropical scenery that the Florida Keys are famous for than camping out among nature? Because the area is rich and diverse with so many beautiful ecoattractions, those who enjoy the great outdoors have a myriad of choices when it comes to camping. Primitive camping under the stars can be found at Dry Tortugas National Park, whereas tropical “glamping” in an RV is better suited for Bahia Honda State Park near Marathon, or John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo.

Snorkeling Home to the only living barrier reef in the continental United States, the Florida Keys offer unforgettable

You’ll find that residents and visitors of the Florida Keys truly embody the laid-back Caribbean lifestyle and there are few destinations in the United States that compare. Insiders tip: April and May are excellent times to visit because the snowbirds have started to migrate back north, the water is warm, and the weather is still better than 70 percent of the country. So as you plan your next spring vacation, consider visiting the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas National Park. Whether it’s a relaxing getaway you’re seeking or a trip full of adventure, there’s something for everyone in this beautiful tropical oasis, a destination that’s truly paradise.

NationalParksTraveler.com

Find A Red Chair This Year And

Enjoy the View By Scott Johnson

In the heart of the Canadian Rockies, a trail gently climbs through a forest, rises above tree line to a meadow dotted with colorful wildflowers, and ascends to a sweeping view of the Columbia Icefield. Here, a pair of brilliant-red Adirondack chairs, placed on the mountain ridge by Parks Canada, beckon. Take a seat and contemplate the scene. 24

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

cross the valley, a wall of ice and mountains dominates the horizon, with Athabasca and Dome glaciers pouring over their shoulders. Between the two, a triangle-shaped patch of forest is home to 700-year-old trees. And atop 11,339-foot Snow Dome, the carpet of snow eventually drains to three different oceans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Arctic, the Pacific, and the Atlantic.

Looking up the trail, a herd of bighorn sheep grazes in an alpine meadow. Beyond, the path traverses a route that 19th century explorer Walter Wilcox negotiated to bypass a treacherous canyon. And down below, one of the world’s most breathtaking roads, the Icefields Parkway, connects Banff and Jasper national parks. Thousands of tourists flock daily to the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre to stretch their legs, grab some food, or arrange a tour for an up-close look at (and perhaps even to walk on) a glacier. But this viewpoint only provides a peek at the scenic wonders, spectacular wildlife, and diverse natural and human history waiting to be found across Canada. And this year, a celebration of the country’s 150th anniversary of confederation includes free admission to all Parks Canada sites. That’s 46 national parks, one national urban park, four national marine conservations, and 171 national historic sites – from Point Pelee at Canada’s southern tip on the shore of Lake Erie all the way to the polar desert of Quttinirpaaq, near the top of the world. Of course, “free” tends to draw a crowd, particularly with outlets like the New York Times and National Geographic lauding Canada as a top travel destination for 2017. Demand for the free Discovery Passes that grant entry to Parks Canada locations has been “beyond expectations,” said Eric Magnan, a travel media relations officer with the agency. So if your summer getaway plans include dipping your toes in Lake Louise, it isn’t too early to start making an itinerary and booking accommodations. Reservations for campgrounds opened in January, three months earlier than normal, which means the best spots might already be taken for the most desirable dates, like holiday weekends. In particular, oTENTik sites, tent/ cabin hybrids that are available at some campgrounds, have proven popular with families and groups. “As visitation levels increase and Parks Canada welcomes more people to our national parks, we are encouraging shoulder season visitation and promoting less-frequented and less-sensitive areas of our parks,” Mr. Magnan said. Of the 14.5 million visitors to Canada’s national parks in 2014-15, nearly 60 percent went to the seven Rocky Moun-

Opposite Page: Red chairs placed in Canadian national parks by Parks Canada allow you to sit back and savor the scenery / Scott Johnson

Left: Lake Louise in Banff National Park offers a relatively short, but magnificently hued, paddle / Kurt Repanshek

Discovery Passes

tain parks, with 6 million visitors to Banff and Jasper alone. Another 2.4 million entered Yoho, Kootenay, Mount Revelstroke, Glacier, and Waterton Lakes. So if you prefer a little more breathing room and a little less traffic, look beyond the Rockies or target a visit in the fall or winter. If you can’t resist the jagged peaks and brilliant blue lakes that adorn magazine covers and travel guides, nearby locations like Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site and Elk Island National Park can augment a trip to Alberta. And several provincial parks such as Mount Robson and Wells Gray offer world-class wilderness escapes. In the U.S., national parks saw record visitation last year as the National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday – and that was without free admission. So Parks Canada plans to staff up in anticipation of big crowds, hiring 700 additional workers during the peak season. Investments are also being made in campgrounds, at dayuse areas, and on hiking trails. Parks Canada “has increased the number of cleaning and maintenance crews to ensure facilities will be kept in shape and that garbage does not attract wildlife,” Mr. Magnan said. But even at the most popular parks in the busiest season, some serenity (and an open parking spot) can be found by arriving early or late in the day. Bonus:

The 2017 Discovery Pass grants free entry through December 31 to all national parks, national marine conservation areas, and national historic sites operated by Parks Canada. v Available at the Parks Canada website and at Parks Canada locations across the country. v Valid for everyone arriving in the same vehicle at a national park, or arriving together at a marine conservation area or historic site. v Camping and tour fees are not covered by the pass. v The pass must be hung from the rear-view mirror of the vehicle facing forward or on the front driver-side dashboard facing up.

Wildlife tends to be more active at dawn and dusk. Once you get to a park, celebrate the country’s nature and history by seeking out one of Parks Canada’s newer traditions: red chairs, like the ones above the Icefields Parkway. Starting in 2014, hundreds of these eye-popping Adirondacks were placed at stunning viewpoints, around lakes, and at the end of hiking trails as a way of inspiring visitors to connect with nature. So pick a park, seek out a red chair, and discover someplace new in Canada.

Glacial ramparts can be seen in most directions of Parks Canada’s realm in the Canadian Rockies / Kurt Repanshek

Hidden Gems

Parks Canada has highlighted 10 under-the-radar locations that might pique your interest. v Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve Where: Quebec, along the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. When: Opens mid-June. More than 1,000 islets with unusual rock formations dot a sea full of rich biodiversity, including puffins, dolphins, and whales.

v L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site Where: At the tip of the island of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula. When: Opens June 1. Featuring rugged cliffs, bog, and coastline, this Viking encampment is the first known evidence of European presence in the Americas.

v Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site Where: Western Bank of the Red River in Manitoba. When: Opens May 8. Experience what life was like for Hudson’s Bay Company trappers and traders in Canada’s oldest collection of stone fur trade buildings.

Grasslands National Park

Where: Southern Saskatchewan. When: Open all year. The expanse features some of the country’s rarest wildlife and darkest skies, with dinosaur fossils, over 12,000 teepee rings, and varied landscapes.

Thousand Islands National Park

Where: South-central Ontario. When: Opens May 19. Just a few hours from the big cities, the St. Lawrence River features picturesque granite islands and secluded bays accessible by kayak or powerboat.

Yoho National Park

Where: British Columbia in the southeastern Canadian Rocky Mountains. When: Open all year; Burgess Shale hikes are offered from June through September. Vertical rock walls, waterfalls, pristine lakes, dizzying peaks, and world-renowned Burgess Shale fossil sites draw hikers and sightseers from around the world.

Ivvavik National Park

Where: Yukon Territory. When: Arctic base camp trips run June 12-July 6. Created as a result of an aboriginal land claim agreement, the park’s mountain wilderness protects a portion of the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd.

Riding Mountain National Park

Where: Manitoba. When: Open all year. The prairie grasslands and sparkling lakes outside Winnipeg is a prime best wildlife-viewing destinations, with bears, bison, wolves, and elk.

v Laurier House National Historic Site Where: Downtown Ottawa, Ontario. When: Opens May 20. The Victorian mansion where two former prime ministers lived was the heart of Canadian political life and preserves 10,000 artifacts.

v Bar U Ranch National Historic Site Where: Near Longview, Alberta. When: Opens May 15. Devoted to the history and importance of ranching in Canada, the site offers chances to learn what it’s like to live as a cowboy.

For more tips about visiting Parks Canada sites this year, including making the most of your visit and ways to help the environment during your vacation, go to http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/voyage-travel/2017.aspx. 26

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Paddling The Parks

Traveler’s Essential Paddling Guide To The Parks

Exploring

Katahdin Woods And Waters National Monument

By Canoe

The East Branch of the Penobscot offers challenges, such as running Stair Falls, beauty as it cuts through the North Woods, and rapids that require portaging / Maine Office of Tourism, Mark Picard, and Scot Miller

By Christine Parrish

As soon as we slid the canoe into the river, the current grabbed it and pulled us towards the first rapid on our 26-mile guided trip down the East Branch of the Penobscot in the heart of Maine’s north woods. Now mid-May, it was the perfect time to run the Stream of Light, as the native Abenaki called it, in part because the black flies weren’t yet biting. Keeping an eye out for a flat horizon line and for signs on the riverbank warning of whitewater ahead, we pulled out to scout Stair Falls which spanned the river like a set of wide steps. After running it, we paddled ahead of the rest of our group to set up camp at the Haskell Deadwater, slow stretch of water with a view of the Traveler Mountains. Next morning, the guides hoisted the canoes on their shoulders and the rest of us set off down the tote path lugging camping gear around Haskell Rock Pitch, the first unrunnable rapid on the trip. After two hours, we launched the boats and paddled a short distance before pulling out again above Pond Pitch for the second portage. We made camp early, fished for salmon and told jokes around the campfire, then watched the full moon light up the river mist before crawling into our tents for some well-earned rest. From the launching point at Matagamon bridge on Route 159 near the northern entrance of the new Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument to Bowlin Camps nine miles downstream, the East Branch drops over six major rapids, losing 200 feet in elevation along the way. We would portage around four of them, including the waterfall at Grand Pitch and the Hulling Machine, a rapid so named by 19th century lumbermen because the rocks could strip bark off logs during spring river drives. After the Machine, the river narrows, running full throttle to Bowlin Falls. We steered left to avoid being pulled towards a boat-swallowing hole in the rapid, then shot beneath a snowmobile bridge leading to nearby Bowlin Camps, a former logging camp with cabins, a cafe, hot showers and parking. For those who want two nights on the upper East Branch, Bowlin’s is a good place to take out. It’s also a good starting point for a 13-mile two-day paddle with no portages that ends just upstream of the tricky rapids at Whetstone Bridge. NationalParksTraveler.com

Parks To Paddle By Kurt Repanshek

Has anyone not heard that the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park is one of the best places on Earth to paddle or float? Or that the New River Gorge National River has one of the best one-day whitewater paddles in the National Park System? If you’ve heard of those, and other iconic paddling spots in the park system, perhaps you are looking for something new, and not so thick with other boats that you’ll slap each other’s paddles. Let us offer you some suggestions, in no specific order. Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, New York & Pennsylvania Running for a bit more than 73 miles along the PennsylvaniaNew York border, this is the longest undammed river in the Northeast. Plan your paddling strategically and you can enjoy a multi-day trip, with nights spent in riverside campgrounds. Don’t forget to check out the Zane Grey Museum and the Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History. The boating season runs from mid-April through October most years.

Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia Sure, it’s just 10.5 miles in length, but this bucolic river is perfect for young families and paddlers just breaking into the sport. Grab your canoe, rubber ducky, or sit-on-top kayak and this river will reveal some Appalachian beauty. Gaze carefully into the surrounding forests and you might glimpse Louisiana waterthrushes, scarlet tanagers, or perhaps even wild turkeys. The paddling season is short, so check the river level (304-4660156) before heading to the put-in.

Above: There are numerous river access points along the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River / NPS

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama Though there’s only about 10 miles of water to paddle, each mile is rife with potent Class V rapids. Beginning and novice paddlers should observe them from the riverbanks, though, and not from their boat’s cockpits. Impress your friends when you return home by telling them that you paddled what is considered to be the nation’s longest mountaintop river. For information on suitable river levels for paddling, check out American Whitewater’s page on the river. And for current water levels, check out this USGS page.

Black Canyon downstream of Hoover Dam at Lake Mead National Recreation Area / NPS

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Black Canyon Water Trail, Arizona/Nevada Though most paddlers who head to Lake Mead more than likely have their eyes on the reservoir, the river that flows out of Hoover Dam is a great late fall destination, when it’s not blazing hot! One of the country’s National Water Trails, Black Canyon, stretches 30 miles and flows by sandy beaches, caves, and even hot springs. History here is rich, from the stories behind Hoover Dam to the mining history of Eldorado Canyon and those of steamboats chugging up the rapids.

There are hundreds of miles of paddling to explore along the Potomac Heritage National Central Trail, such as this section near Antietam Creek / NPS, Monica Larcom

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska Decidedly not for the novice, Gates of the Arctic is a pristine wilderness experience. But, it can be deadly if you don’t have the right paddling and survival skills. If you are an old hand, though, venturing onto one of the six rivers tied to this 7.5-million-acre park won’t disappoint. If forested landscapes are important, choose the Kobuk River, as it flows through “one of largest continuous forested areas in the Park and Preserve.”

Tread carefully when you come ashore in Gates of Arctic National Park and Preserve, as brown bears call it home / NPS

New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, New Jersey The country’s very first national reserve has great canoeing along the Great Egg Harbor River. This stream rolls placidly along for 55 miles before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean not far from Atlantic City. Surrounded by the largely intact Pinelands of south Jersey, during the Revolutionary War this river and its tributaries provided privateers with safe haven.

Glacier National Park, North Fork Flathead River, Montana Though administratively overseen by the Flathead National Forest, this wilderness river on Glacier’s southwestern border has a number of campsites you can reserve for overnight trips of two-three days. One of those camps is within Glacier, which also allows you to camp elsewhere in the park along the river. Obtain a copy of the Three Forks of the Flathead Wild and Scenic River Float Guide to help plan your paddle, and don’t forget an overnight backcountry camping permit from the park. The 60 miles of river feature rapids from Class I-III under normal conditions. The Middle Fork of the Flathead River along the park’s south boundary draws rafters as well for one-day floats.

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia Water was key to this nation’s founding, as rivers, canals, and other waterways provided somewhat easy access for moving raw materials and merchandize. Today you can paddle many of these same routes. The Potomac Heritage Trail accesses hundreds of miles of paddling. Choose your section carefully, though, for while some stretches are placid and perfect for canoeing, other sections feature cataracts and demand advanced whitewater skills, with others in between. One multi-day trip suggested by the National Park Service runs 28 miles along the Potomac River from Town Creek to Little Orleans in Maryland.

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River RUNNERS Anticipating The Ride Of A Lifetime

hose “atmospheric rivers” that built staggering snowpacks in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains soon will fill actual rivers as the snow melts, leading river runners to anxiously anticipate one of the best seasons in many years. Through mid-February, the snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin was nearly 155 percent of normal, while that in the Sierra Nevada was closing in on 200 percent of normal. When that snow turns to runoff, it could produce a rafting season for the record books. Through Cataract Canyon deep in Canyonlands National Park in Utah the Colorado River could present “possibly the biggest conditions we’ve seen in decades,” says Steve Markle, VP of sales and marketing for O.A.R.S., an authorized outfitter in Canyonlands as well as in Grand Canyon, Grand Teton and in Dinosaur National Monument. To put a number to the potential, the rapids in the canyon—the Big Drops trio, Satan’s Gut, and Little

Niagara—could be pushed out of category by flows approaching, or possibly surpassing, 100,000 cubic feet per second. How big is that? During an average runoff year the Colorado River peaks around 52,000 cubic feet per second through that stretch of the park. Across the West, rivers should be ripping, and that means float trips will offer experiences unlike any in recent years. From the Yampa, Green, and Colorado rivers in Utah, to the Snake in Wyoming, the Flathead in Montana, and the Tuolumne and Merced in California, the watery ride of a lifetime seems to be in the offing. And it could prove to be a longer than normal season, which gives you more calendar options for planning your trip. For companies such as O.A.R.S., the prospect

of high water this year is prompting more highwater training trips for their guides, the hiring of more guides, and raising the minimum age requirements for some trips. For instance, says Markle, if you want to take children in the 7- to 11-year-old range rafting this year, you might want to “plan for a trip a little later in the season,” he says. Conversely, for active adults and families with teenagers capable of running big, big water and looking for thrills, May and June will be best for rivers such as the Yampa and Green in Dinosaur National Monument, the Colorado through Canyonlands, or the Tuolumne and Merced just outside Yosemite National Park in California.

Which trip is right for you? Here are some of the possibilities:

A float trip on the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument takes you down one of the last undammed rivers in the West / O.A.R.S

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Canyonlands National Park, Utah The Colorado River is responsible for the mazelike landscape cut into this section of the Colorado Plateau. From its headwaters on the western edge of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, the river steadily gains power with the contributions from its tributaries. Deep in Canyonlands the river at first flows placidly, with dramatic views of the park’s stark and mesmerizing backcountry. In 46-mile-long Cataract Canyon, the river drops 16 feet per mile, and crashes through a 14-mile-long rock garden of boulders.

Dinosaur National Monument, Utah/Colorado Green River One of the West’s iconic rivers, one some argue counts the Colorado River as a tributary, not vice versa, the Green cuts a deep path through the Uinta

Mountains. On the run through the Gates of Lodore and Lodore Canyon you retrace the watery footprints of Major John Wesley Powell, who named some of the rapids, including Disaster Falls, on his 1869 and 187172 trips through here and downstream through the Grand Canyon. At Echo Park the Green’s volume gains from the joining flow of the Yampa River. Yampa River Carving through a landscape of sandstone cliffs, the Yampa is one of the few free-flowing rivers left in the West. Though not as raucous with rapids as the Green, the Yampa is serene in some places, rambunctious in others. Warm Springs Rapid is considered one of the West’s classics. As with the Green through Lodore Canyon, you’re likely to come upon bighorn sheep during your float.

Near Yosemite National Park, California Tuolumne River O.A.R.S. runs an 18-mile stretch of this California classic in three options: One-, two-, and three-day bites. This river, with its headwaters in Yosemite National Park, offers a steady diet of Class IV rapids for those looking to push themselves. Opt for the twoor three-day trip and you’ll float at a more leisurely pace, with time set aside for hikes and just relaxing ashore. Part of the Wild and Scenic River system, the Tuolumne gets you away from the crowds and deep into nature within the Stanislaus National Forest. Due to the long stretches of Class IV rapids, the minimum age at normal flows is 12, which rises to 16 during high-water years. Merced River Also flowing out of the Stanislaus National Forest, Merced River trips start just below El Portal, making it easy to pair this one-day

There’s plenty of excitement, and lots of soaking, during a raft trip down the Merced River / O.A.R.S

whitewater experience with a Yosemite National Park vacation. Featuring a mix of Class III-IV whitewater with placid sections, the river carries you through thick, pine forests dappled here and there with wildflowers along the riverbanks. With cold water temperatures and the possibility of flips, kids must be at least 9 years old; at high flows that minimum age can creep up to 16. Though choosing the perfect trip likely will come down to your vacation schedule and age range of your party, you likely won’t go wrong with any of these options this year, but it’s always a good idea to talk to an outfitter before making a final decision.

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A New, Free Audio Book of The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons from LibriVox In 1869 John Wesley Powell launched his wooden boats down the Green River in Wyoming to explore the last unmapped place in America. He wrote in The Exploration of the

Colorado River and Its Canyons, “We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride over the river, we know not. Ah, well! we may conjecture many things.”

By Cedar Gonzalez Powell and his men paddled down the Green River through Flaming Gorge, down the mighty rapids of Lodore Canyon, and into Desolation Canyon to the junction of the Colorado River. After Cataract Canyon, his crew finally entered more gentle waters, which he described: “...wonderful features—carved walls, royal arches, glens, alcove gulches, mounds and monuments. From which of these features shall we select a name? We decide to call it Glen Canyon.” But after this idyllic scene they launched themselves down the Grand Canyon itself, facing danger at every turn, without adequate food and supplies. Conditions were so harsh and uncertain that three of his party left at what is called Separation Canyon ahead of what they considered the roughest water. Though the three perished at the hands of Native Americans, Powell’s party exited the canyon the next day to complete the trip. These journals (from 1869 and another trip two years later) are a classic description of Western exploration and adventure. You can take this book with you, in the form of a free audio book from LibriVox.org, on your next river trip. Listen to Powell’s words after a day on the river, comparing your own experiences with his.

John Wesley Powell opened up the landscape drained by the Colorado and Green rivers, and you can listen to his book on your own exploration of these rivers / National Portrait Gallery

See the same majestic views that Powell saw and described, but without the same anxiety and fears. Listen to his adventures as he becomes rimrocked in Echo Park on the Green River, or the mad dash down the Canyon of Lodore. Reflect on his intense drive to go where no one had gone before, as he descends into the great unknown. You can also learn much more about Major Powell, and his explorations, at the John Wesley

Powell River History Museum in Green River, Utah. Canyons of the Colorado by John Wesley Powell is just one of the many audio titles of interest to national park enthusiasts available on LibriVox.org. You can listen to John Muir’s adventure guide The Yosemite, and The Book of National Parks by Robert Sterling Yard, as well as many selections about Yellowstone National Park. There are audio books on The Journal of Lewis and Clark, and even a 1973 U.S. government publication Canyon de Chelly: The Story of its Ruins and People. Listen to these publications and reflect upon the opening of the American West, its explorations, and the importance of wild spaces and our national park system. Librivox has thousands of public domain works online, absolutely free, because people have taken the time to vocalize these books. You can even contribute with an audio book of your own. These tracks are available on iTunes, and can also be downloaded to your computer to be put onto your mobile device later. Books are easy to find with a simple website, searchable by title, author, genre, and even language. For the outdoor and parks enthusiast, these titles can be a great way to give the landscape its history and context.

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Working Year-Round To Protect National Park Waters NPCA’s Efforts Benefit Recreation, Fisheries, Communities The health of America’s national parks depends upon the health of the waters that surround, and flow through, them. At the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), we work every day to protect and restore waterways across the country to benefit national parks, the communities that surround them, and the millions of people who visit them each year. With our partners around the country, NPCA is working to protect and restore millions of acres of wetlands, bays, estuaries, lakeshores, and coastlines, as well as thousands of river miles. We accomplish this through hands-on restoration work such as planting marsh grass and restocking native fisheries; advocacy aimed at our elected officials to ensure national parks secure necessary funding to protect and restore waterways and are supported by policies that provide necessary protections and; education and engagement of our one million members and supporters about successes and threats facing national park waterways. Join us at www.npca.org/join. Above: From Cat Point Creek in Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail to the mouth of the Elwha River just outside Olympic National Park, NPCA staff work to protect these watery park resources / Kurt Repanshek (left), John Gussman

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Mid-Atlantic and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed The Chesapeake Bay watershed has been called a national treasure by former U.S. presidents and is home to the country’s first national historic water trail, the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. This water trail commemorates the historic voyage of John Smith more than 400 years ago. It wraps around 3,000 miles of the bay and its tributaries, connecting 12 national park sites. Navigate the water trail with ease using the “smart buoys” that allow you, through your cell phone, to learn about the bay’s history. This trail is at the heart of NPCA conservation work to protect national parks within the watershed from energy and development threats like transmission lines and gas pipelines and water quality issues caused by warming temperatures. The bay is also experiencing a decline in important native species like Eastern oysters that serve as filters for the bay, helping to remove sediment and nitrogen pollution caused by agricultural and storm water runoff. We also advocate for better access to the bay’s shoreline by educating and engaging younger, more diverse audiences in our paddling and restoration events throughout the watershed.

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Northwest

Jones Lagoon has many delights for paddlers who venture into Biscayne National Park in Florida. Rich in natural beauty and cultural history, Jones Lagoon’s shallow waters lets visitors encounter nurse and other sharks, rays, upside-down jellies, schools of fish, and large wading birds. A bird rookery also lets kayakers encounter wildlife (however, restrictions are in place to keep paddlers and wildlife safe). Jones Lagoon is named after a pioneer African American family, Israel and Mozelle Jones, who raised two boys, Arthur and Lancelot, here. With no electricity or running water the family grew pineapple and key limes, until they became the largest producer in Florida. Lancelot went on to become a master fisherman and guide to five U.S. presidents and countless dignitaries. Eventually Lancelot, the sole remaining Jones, sold his family land to the National Park Service for the creation of Biscayne National Park to ensure its protection and enjoyment for future generations. NPCA leads the effort to protect Biscayne’s prized coral reef and fisheries from threats like overfishing and warming seas. With 95 percent of the park as water, we’re working to restore natural freshwater flow to coastal areas as part of the larger Everglades restoration work.

In Olympic National Park the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams have been removed, and the Elwha River is now flowing freely. Salmon are spawning on historic grounds, and river otters, black bear and bald eagles are returning. There are rapids, and activities at the Elwha Interpretive Center, and visitors are enjoying the sandy Elwha’s mouth along the Straits of Juan de Fuca. NPCA is helping the Park Service restore the riverbanks by transplanting 400,000 native plants. Lake Crescent’s shoreline has boat put-ins just off the main highway, with beachfront access just a short walk from the Lake Crescent Lodge. NPCA supports enhanced river protection through the Wild Olympics proposal, which would protect waterways that connect the ocean to the heart of Olympic National Park, as well as encouraging Olympic as the first “Quiet Park.”

Jamaica Bay, part of Gateway National Recreation Area, offers a great watery retreat for novice and expert paddlers alike / Michel Falco

Northeast Gateway National Recreation Area attracts nearly seven million visitors annually and is one of the top 10 most visited national parks. Nestled between Brooklyn and Queens, Jamaica Bay is part of Gateway National Recreation Area and connects the surrounding urban communities with open green space. Jamaica Bay has 9,000 acres of marches, ponds and beaches, as well as salt marshes for paddlers, where they may observe the endangered Red Knot,

Jones Creek in Dinosaur National Monument is an acclaimed trout fishery / Patrick Cone

Peregrine Falcon, and Bald Eagle. NPCA has created a network of Jamaica Bay Advocates, representing hundreds of passionate Americans working together to strengthen, protect, and restore Jamaica Bay.

The Southwest The Yampa, Green, Colorado, and San Juan rivers are familiar names, but are threatened by development and climate change. The Colorado River system has 11 national park sites along it, and the NPCA is a strong advocate fighting decisions that could degrade its environmental and recreational values. We work with key stakeholders within the seven Colorado River basin states, agency officials, scientists, and conservation and recreation allies to identify minimum baseline flows.

Northern Rockies Though world-famous for its thermal features, Yellowstone National Park has some of the best lake paddling in the Lower 48. In Yellowstone, Lewis, Shoshone, and Yellowstone lakes are great for advanced backcountry travelers by kayak or canoe, with tricky waters, incredible vistas and wildlife including grizzlies and wolves. The Snake River in Grand Teton National Park is a blue-ribbon trout fishery, and a cold, challenging, fastflowing stream perfect for rafts, canoes and kayaks. Jenny, Leigh and String lakes are perfect for day trips, while multi-day trips can be mapped out on Jackson Lake. Threats of invasive species like New Zealand mud snails have made inroads to the park’s waters and require inspections of your canoes/kayaks.. Keep them clean, and our park waters healthy.

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Traveler’s Essential Paddling Guide To The Parks

Directory How do you wield your paddle? Are you a canoeist, or prefer a kayak, either river or sea? Do you float rivers in rafts? Are you really working on your inner core by launching a Standup Paddle Board for a great workout? Whatever your choice, or choices, there are places, many places, in the National Park System that will meet your watery needs. In the following pages you’ll discover an alphabetical directory of the national parks with recreational paddling opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, rafting, and even SUPing. The list is by no means comprehensive—it will grow along with the park system—but is designed for parks where paddling in some form or fashion is an integral part of the park. So, for instance, Canyonlands National Park in Utah is included since the Green and Colorado Rivers are popular with paddlers and rafters. Fort Sumter National Monument in South Carolina, which is surrounded by water, is not. Parks where rivers are “poached” by paddlers also not listed.

Where individual parks provide hot links to paddling information and authorized outfitters, we’ve provided those links, as well. However, outfitters come and go, so check with the park before choosing a company.

Paddling Information Link NPS-Authorized Outfitters Link

Black Canyon Wilderness at Lake Mead National Recreation Area / NPS

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Acadia National Park, Maine Good for: Canoes, sea kayaks, SUPs

Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland/Virginia Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs

From fjord-like Somes Sound to rougher seas in Frenchman Bay, this park has access to a wide variety of paddling. You can skim the calm waters of Western Bay, or head inland to one of the park’s ponds or lakes. Alagnak Wild River, Alaska Good for: Whitewater canoes, river kayaks, rafts

You can paddle around Acadia National Park / Rebecca Latson

Stretching along two states, Assateague Island National Seashore is known for its wild horses, but paddlers love it for the solitude it offers. Explore the creeks, channels and the beautiful shoreline with your family and small children, and pitch camp within the dunes. Chincoteague Bay and its islets offer great possibilities for SUPs. Big Bend National Park, Texas Good for: Canoes, kayaks, rafts

The 69-mile-long Alagnak is not a good place for novices. Class III rapids, unique wilderness and prehistoric ruins of village life along the shores make this an epic adventure.

tidal Anacostia River, where sculling is all the rage. But it’s also great for kayaks and canoes. Check the tide schedule so the currents can do some of the work for you.

Amistad National Recreation Area, Texas Good for: Canoes, sea kayaks, SUPs

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs

Texas might not seem like paddling country, but if you look, you can find water. At Amistad NRA there’s a 60,000-acre reservoir perfect for laid-back paddling through coves and canyons. The best time to launch here is the fall and early spring, when the water and air temperatures are comfortable.

While ice caves might be the main attraction in winter at Apostle Islands, sea kayaking takes over in summer. Skilled kayakers have 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland coast along the southern shores of Lake Superior to explore. You can paddle past historic lighthouses while keeping a sharp eye for the more than 240 bird species that make Apostle Islands their home during the year. SUPers also are discovering this lakeshore, and the wonders of exploring the sea caves.

Anacostia Park, District of Columbia Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs Yes, you can have paddling pretty much out your back door even if you live in the District of Columbia. Anacostia Park offers access to the

Share the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River with herons, green kingfishers, and red-eared slider turtles as you glide through shaded canyons. Hundreds of microclimates in the park create a surprising biodiversity of plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet. Multi-day trips are the perfect answer for how to get away from it all. Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Good for: Canoes and kayaks Forty-five miles west of Miami, this preserve is a great bet for birding in the winter season. The Turner River Paddling Trail provides for a day-long exploration that can lead you from freshwater to saltwater in a landscape that features both river otters and manatees.

Paddling the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River through Mariscal Canyon in Big Bend National Park can be done in one day, or as an overnight trip / NPS, Jennette Jurado

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado Good for: Expert river kayakers

Canyonlands National Park, Utah Good for: Rafts, canoes, kayaks, SUPs, packrafts

The narrow, 2,000-foot-tall walls of the Black Canyon make it hard for the sunshine to reach the Gunnison River far down below. But if you dare to paddle through, know what you’re doing, for the Class V rapids make this a destination for experts. Run the river at your own risk or opt for a pleasant boat tour at the west end of the park on the Blue Mesa Reservoir.

Twisting mazes of colorful canyons and attract hikers at Canyonlands, but the waters of the Green and the Colorado draw canoeists, rafters, kayakers and, yes indeed, SUPs. Paddle for a single day on the Green, or opt for a multi-day trip with time made for hiking into side canyons. The slow current of the Green above the confluence are perfect for canoeists and sea kayaks to explore, and you can arrange for a jet boat shuttle up the Colorado to your takeout. Heading out on a multi-day float trip. Be sure to pack an inflatable SUP or two.

Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, Massachusetts/ Rhode Island Good for: Canoes, SUPs

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area / NPS

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Kentucky/Tennessee Good for: River kayaks, whitewater canoes World-class paddling lies within the backwoods of Tennessee and Kentucky in the rumpled landscape of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Whether you choose the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River or one of its main tributaries, this park with Class IV rapids won’t disappoint the serious paddler, though it might be too much for the beginner. Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas Good for: Canoes Canoeists have more than 20 miles of calm, free-flowing waters rimmed by Bald cypress and Tupelo trees to explore along Village Creek. The preserve also harbors lakes and bayous worth exploring. Local outfitters offer rentals and shuttle services. Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana/Wyoming Good for: Canoes, sea kayaks, SUPs Anglers congregate below the Yellowtail Dam on the sleepy Bighorn River. Steep canyon walls, a 71-mile-long reservoir, and solitude are part of the Bighorn River experience. Biscayne National Park, Florida Good for: Sea kayaks, canoeing, SUPs Space to paddle isn’t hard to find at Biscayne, where more than 95 percent of the national park is covered by water. The protected waters of Biscayne Bay are great for SUPs. Snorkelers and scuba divers also flock here to explore shipwrecks, coral reefs, and colorful fisheries.

Though this is a brand new unit of the park system, paddlers have been enjoying the nearly 50 miles of the Blackstone River for years. You can spend a day, or days, paddling the river from Worchester, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. Eighteen dams along the waterway present some interesting portages. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia/North Carolina Good for: Canoes, SUPs There aren’t many paddling options along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but one is Julian Price Lake at Milepost 297. It’s a perfect spot for a family outing of fishing and paddling. There are 47 acres of aquatic fun—and no motorized boats! Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia Good for: Canoes While the New and the Gauley rivers might be better known with paddlers, this scenic beauty that runs through a deep gorge in the Southern Appalachians shouldn’t be overlooked. Paddle here in the springtime when runoff fills the river. Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Massachusetts Good for: Canoes, sea kayaks, SUPs History, tide pools, fishing, picnicking and paddling are all within a stone’s throw of downtown Boston. Beginning paddlers can check take lessons prior to exploring the 34 islands at this National Recreation Area. Buffalo National River, Arkansas Good for: Canoes Winter and spring months are best to appreciate our country’s first national river. The 135 miles of free rolling river give plenty of opportunity for adventures, fun and, yes, peaceful solitude. Canaveral National Seashore, Florida Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs

Yes, there are places on the Green River where you can SUP, like here in Canyonlands / Patrick Cone

Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs. You won’t find any rivers in the national seashore, but there’s the Atlantic Ocean for experienced sea kayakers and Cape Cod Bay with its calmer waters and marshes to explore for those still honing their skills. Check the park calendar for ranger-led canoe trips at Salt Pond. Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, Virginia/Maryland/Delaware/Pennsylvania/ District of Columbia Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs Explorers have been enjoying and mapping the bay for more than 400 years. With more than 2,000 miles of shoreline, the bay offers opportunities for canoeists, kayakers, sailers, and SUPs.

Watch for nesting sea turtles while gliding around this barrier island. Challenge yourself by paddling in the Atlantic Ocean, or play it a bit safer by touring the Indian River or Mosquito Lagoon.

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Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs There’s a reason Cape Hatteras has a history as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” what with more than 1,000 ships that went down as the result of warfare, weather, and sand bars. Pamlico Sound gives some protection for sea kayakers, canoeists, and SUPs. Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska Good for: Sea kayaks Though one of the least-visited units of the National Park System, Cape Krusentern holds something for paddlers. Here you can test yourself in the Arctic Ocean north of the Arctic Circle, or along one of the monument’s protected lagoons. Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs This national seashore is a perfect setting for an early morning paddle, or an adventure that can last a week or even longer. Relax on the relatively calm waters of Core and Back sounds, or circumnavigate the barrier islands with nights spent camped in the dunes with fresh fish over the fire. Channel Islands National Park, California Good for: Sea kayaks Travel from Los Angeles to the Channel Islands by ferry or helicopter, and once there, explore the watery backcountry of the National Park System. Take a kayak adventure, and remember to bring your snorkeling gear or hiking shoes for a cross-training experience.

Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs Bugs can be a major distraction during the summer months, so if you head to this national seashore consider the shoulder seasons. Chat with a ranger to find out how to plan an overnight paddling adventure with backcountry camps in the seashore’s official wilderness. Cumberland Sound and Cumberland River offer protection from the Atlantic. Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs Three reservoirs along the Gunnison River offer different experiences for paddlers. Though Morrow Point Reservoir presents the best backcountry adventure for canoeists and kayakers, you need to haul your gear down, and then back up, 232 steps. Delaware & Leigh National Heritage Corridor, Pennsylvania Good for: Canoes, kayaks Fall, with the colorful surroundings of the region’s hardwood forests, is a gorgeous season to float, though the river might be “bony.” Come in June for the Wyoming Valley RiverFest. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, New Jersey/Pennsylvania Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs A variety of paddling experiences can be found within this NRA that straddles the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border. Canoe, kayak, or raft for one day, or several, along 40 miles of the

Middle Delaware Scenic and Recreational River that is embraced by the large Water Gap NRA. Denali National Park and Preserve Good for: Rafting, packraft “Denali’s backcountry offers many possibilities for combining a day or overnight hike with packrafting. While there are many opportunities for beginners, the hazards and risks of any whitewater travel are great,” the park’s website says. “You are responsible for understanding these risks and acquiring the skill and experience to be self-reliant. “Remember to be flexible with your itinerary, as any overnight trip is subject to the availability of the unit quota system. River conditions change quickly and often, so it is rare that we will know current water levels, but the backcountry ranger staff can provide general information on possible routes.” Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado/Utah Good for: Rafts, whitewater kayaks, white-water canoes Dinosaur gained fame for its fossil trove, but river wonders love it for the Green and Yampa. These two rivers offer multi-day trips. The Green River slices through sedimentary layers full of marine fossils, while the Yampa flows through a landscape of soaring sandstone cliffs before joining the Green. After early July, flows through the Yampa drop, making the river easier for canoeists to navigate, but too shallow for most rafts.

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs You’re not paddling through wilderness, but the 48 miles of the Chattahoochee make an after-work or early morning paddle possible. It’s a great place to introduce family and friends to paddling. Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, District of Columbia/Maryland/West Virginia Good for: Canoes, SUPs Paddling the entire 184.5 miles of this American wonder of commerce is not encouraged these days, but there are several small stretches where you can enjoy an outing built around history, bird watching, and nature. Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma Good for: Canoes, SUPs If you don’t mind paddling waters with powerboats, then head for Lake of the Arbuckles, which covers more than 2,300 acres. If you want a calmer experience, head for Veterans Lake, a smaller reservoir created in the 1930s.

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

The Yampa River, though overshadowed by the Green next door, can pack a wallop in places / Patrick Cone

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida Good for: Sea kayaks, SUPs Late winter—when nesting birds descend on this park—is an excellent time to paddle Dry Tortugas. But any time of year is captivating. Just remember to bring your snorkeling or diving gear. Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Washington Good for: Sea kayaking Bring your foul weather gear to this surprising historical park that offers wonderful kayaking in Penn Cove, with the possibility of heading into Puget Sound, Admiralty Bay, and Saratoga Passage. On shore explore military history at two state parks associated with this unit of the park system. Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, New York Good for: Canoes, kayaks

Gauley River National Recreation Area, West Virginia Good for: Rafts, whitewater kayaks

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs, rafts

Though the peak season is just six weeks long, the Gauley River is on every serious paddler’s mind. The 25 miles of river are run in one day, and you’ll lose count of the rapids that can reach Class VI in size.

Bald eagles, bison and antelope line the shores, eagles, hawks and osprey overhead. Oh, and America’s Matterhorn ever-present on the horizon. Head out for several days in a canoe or touring kayak on Jackson Lake, or spend a scenic float trip down the Snake River.

Glacier National Park, Montana Good for: Canoes, sea kayaks, SUPs Glacier is a hiker’s paradise, and a day paddler’s joy. Canoeists and touring kayakers typically can choose from Lake McDonald, St. Mary Lake, Swiftcurrent Lake, or a handful of other lakes. However, currently, all park waters are closed to boaters due to invasive mussel populations. Not affected by this closure are whitewater runs made down the Flathead River that marks the park’s western border or the Middle Fork of the Flathead along the southern boundary.

Looking for a long-distance paddle? More than 500 miles of interconnected canals, rivers, and lakes await you in this canalway.

Fire Island National Seashore, New York Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs Enjoy the only official wilderness area in New York state while paddling about this national seashore. Experienced paddlers enjoy day trips in Great South Bay. Or, reserve some sites in the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness to fashion a multi-day adventure. Watch out for poison ivy along the shores. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska Good for: Sea kayaks, whitewater canoes, rafts, packrafting Arrive by floatplane for the true wilderness adventure, with trips on lakes or down rivers through glacially carved canyons. The upper stretches of the John River can offer a Class IIIII float at high water; the lower reaches make an excellent family float. Gateway National Recreation Area, New York/New Jersey Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs There’s wonderful paddling right in the heart of the New Jersey-New York metropolitan area. The Jamaica Bay Unit has paddlers in mind, with seven launch ramps. At Great Kills in the Staten Island Unit, you’ll find a seasonal kayaking program. Paddling also is popular at Horseshoe Cove in the Sandy Hook Unit.

Yes, New Jersey has some good paddling outside of Delaware Water Gap. A good slice of it can be found in the Pinelands Reserve and seven counties in the southern end of the state. There you’ll find this 129-mile-long river. Canoeing is best along the 22 miles between Penny Pot County Park and Atlantic County Park at Lake Lenape. Carnivorous plants, orchids and pygmy Pines line the shores. Great Falls Park, Virginia Good for: Whitewater kayaks, white-water canoes

Everglades National Park, Florida Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs The largest protected mangrove forest in the Western Hemisphere is here in the Everglades. Winter months are the high season for paddling, due to the somewhat cooler, less buggy weather. You can go for a few hours, or stay out for a week, in the River of Grass with its many streams, sloughs, and bays.

Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River, New Jersey Good for: Canoeing, SUPs

Experienced kayakers and whitewater canoeists test themselves against the Class II-VI rapids below these historic falls where the Potomac River leaps, jumps, and launches itself through rapids. Kayakers heading deep into the Beardslee Islands of Glacier Bay National Park need to go fully prepared / NPS

Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida/Mississippi Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska Good for: Sea kayaks

You have islands in the Gulf of Mexico to explore, or stick closer to the mainland with a trip down the Blueway trail for canoes and kayaks at the Perdido Key Area. This 5.5-mile trail leads you past a 19th-century fort and through rich birding areas.

Start off from Bartlett Cove, or arrange a ferry up the 65-mile-long main bay, for a drop-off to start your adventure of a lifetime. With a properly packed kayak, and the requisite skills, you can disappear into the arms of Glacier Bay for weeks. Just be sure to study the tide charts. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah/Arizona Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs No need to choose either water or red-rock scenery, for both exist in ample quantities in this NRA in southern Utah. Paddle among the red-rock cliffs and into Lake Powell; it’s a memory you won’t erase from your mind. This can be a great area for SUPing. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Good for: Whitewater kayaks, rafts, packraft

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Alabama Good for: Canoes Yes, military parks have streams open to paddlers. In fact, more than 15,000 paddlers a year glide along the Tallapoosa River through this national military park, where 1814 battle between General Andrew Johnson’s 3,300 troops and 1,100 Red Stick Creek warriors was waged. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Good for: Sea kayaks The waters and shoreline of this lakeshore comprise a key 15-mile segment of the Southern Lake Michigan Water Trail, a paddling route that traverses the 40+ miles between Chicago, Illinois, and Michigan City, Indiana

Gaze up along the cliff walls of this mile-deep canyon and forget about the outside world for a while. There is no finer river experience in the Lower 48 than a two-week run through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. This is where you really come to appreciate “river time.”

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Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, whitewater canoes There are no roads here, so you’ll need a bush pilot to give you a lift. Lake Clark is the main attraction of this Alaskan gem, but there are many other lakes and rivers to explore with your paddle. Launching into Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore can be tricky / NPS

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes You’ll need some paddling skill since Lake Superior’s waters can get turbulent, plus you must be self-sufficient to enjoy the true wilderness of Isle Royale National Park. The payoffs including laughing loons, moose and, possibly, howling wolves. Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Good for: Canoeing The East Fork of the Penobscot River is a New England classic, one best tackled by experienced paddlers or those with guides. (See story page 27). Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska Good for: Sea kayaks, packraft There are, quite literally, hundreds of miles of water trail to explore in Katmai. Naknek Lake, encompassing more than 150,000 acres, provides access to Bay of Islands, Brooks Camp, Fure’s Cabin, Iliuk Arm, and the 86-mile Savonoski Loop, which takes about 10 days to paddle. Kenai Fjords National Park and Preserve, Alaska Good for: Sea kayaks, packraft

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs Figure out where to paddle here by picking up one of the park’s “self-guided” adventure maps. You can explore mile after mile after mile of cove-sculpted shorelines of both Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, or seek out the Black Canyon Water Trail. Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Texas Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs Even with historically low water levels, the Canadian River that fills the NRA offers enough water for canoeists and kayakers in the windswept plains of the Texas Panhandle. Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Washington Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPs Enjoy dozens of options along this 130-milelong lake created by the damming of the Columbia River in eastern Washington. Multipleday paddling trips are common here, but study the regulations about the Leave No Trace camps. Lassen Volcanic National Park, California Good for: Canoes, SUPs The “Peak” is the main point of visiting Lassen, but there are paddling opportunities in this wild area named after a volcano. Manzanita, Butte, and Juniper lakes all are open

to canoeists and kayakers. Kayak rentals can be arranged at the camp store at Manzanita Lake. Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Idaho/Illinois/Iowa/Missouri/Montana/Nebraska/ North Dakota/Oregon/South Dakota/Washington Good for: Canoes This historic trail spans 10 states, and does have some paddling opportunities. Head to the Wild and Scenic Upper Missouri River in Montana, or you can tie into the Northwest Discovery Water Trail in Idaho and Oregon. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky Good for: Canoes You have one huge cave, and two meandering rivers, to choose from at Mammath Cave. Emerge from the underground wonders and paddle either the Green or Nolin rivers, for a day or a few days. Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Minnesota Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs Hate roadway congestion? Grab your canoe or kayak and paddles and head onto this river, which flows through downtown Minneapolis. Missouri National Recreational River, South Dakota/Nebraska Good for: Canoes, kayaks, SUPs Close your eyes as you drift, and listen to the currents and birds. Although the untamed West no longer exists, you can get a sense of it while paddling down this national recreational river. Natchez Trace Parkway, Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee Good for: Canoes, kayaks The Trace today is a roadway, but some 200 years ago it was a footpath, one that required a ferry crossing or two. Stop at Milepost 327.3 and

Experience, and good rain gear, are important at Kenai Fjords, as wind and rain are common. If you’re up for a soggy challenge, learn how to land in the surf. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska Good for: Kayaks, white-water canoes Kobuk Valley National Park is another unit where experience is mandatory for paddling excursions. Come prepared for solitude in Kobuk Valley since there are no services available. The 61-mile stretch of the meandering Kobuk River is best handled in a kayak or collapsible canoe due to shallows. Lake Chelan, North Cascades National Park, Washington Good for: Canoes, SUPs, sea kayaks. Climbers of mountains are familiar with the North Cascades, but what about paddlers? Lake Chelan, part of the North Cascades National Park Complex, offers a limited number of backcountry, paddle-in campsites you can reserve.

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Kayakers and skilled canoers can tackle the Kobuk River in Kobuk Valley National Park / NPS

Not to be overlooked by canoeists is the Niobrara National Scenic River in Nebraska / NPS you’ll see where George Colbert operated a ferry in the early 1800s. You’ll also find a spot to launch your canoe or kayak into the Tennessee River. New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, New Jersey Good for: Canoes, SUPs Canoeists have long paddled the Mullica, Batsto, Wading and Oswego rivers in the country’s first national reserve. The Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River also flows through here. New River Gorge National River, West Virginia Good for: Rafts, whitewater kayaks, white-water canoes Rapids known as Double Z, Greyhound Bus Stopper. and Upper, Middle, and Lower Keeney have been attracting paddlers since before the designation of New River Gorge National River in 1978. And for good reason, as those who have paddled it know. Niobrara National Scenic River, Nebraska Good for: Canoes, SUPs As it flows across Nebraska, this river will float you pass both rolling hills and cliffs, with some waterfalls tossed in for good measure. Born in Wyoming and continually fed by springs, you can float 76 miles of the Niobrara in the park system.

Noatak National Preserve, Alaska Good for: Kayaks, whitewater canoes, rafts With nearly 300 miles of river to explore, you need to set aside a few weeks for this trip. The wild and scenic Noatak River has its headwaters near the Gates of the Arctic National Park and runs all the way to Kotzebue Sound. Have a bush pilot drop you off and pick you up anywhere along the way. North Cascades National Park Complex, Washington State Good for: Sea kayaks, canoes, SUPS, rafts Long, slender lakes (Diablo and Ross) as well as flowing rivers (Skagit and Stehekin) are open to paddlers and rafters. Obed National Wild and Scenic River, Tennessee Good for: River kayaks, whitewater canoes Standing waves in the Obed River can climb to 10 feet. Sometimes overlooked by paddlers, expert whitewater paddlers are either wellfamiliar with this unit of the National Park System, or should be. Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri Good for: Canoes, kayaks This waterway, built around two rivers, threads through the Ozarks. The 130 miles of river split between the Jacks Fork and Current rivers are an excellent choice for

canoeists in search of a multi-day exploration. Summer months can be raucous, so you might aim for the fall shoulder season. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan Good for: Sea kayaks, SUPs, canoes There are the challenging waters of Lake Superior to contend with, or you can head inland to the lakes within the 11,740-acre Beaver Basin Wilderness. Beaver Lake, at 762 acres, is the largest. Point Reyes National Seashore, California Good for: Sea kayaks, SUPs Kayakers can explore Drakes Estero and Limantour Estero from July 1 through February 28 after the harbor seal pupping season. Year-round, Tomales Bay, a 15-mile stretch of water protected from the Pacific Ocean by the seashore’s main landmass, is perhaps the most popular paddling area here. Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia Good for: Canoes More than 400 miles of paddling along two water trails of the Youghiogheny River and Potomac River, makes a perfect tie-in to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Some areas feature whitewater, so plan carefully. NationalParksTraveler.com

Redwood National and State Parks, California Good for: Canoes, kayaks Adventure and challenges exist in abundance along the coastal waters studded with sea stacks, protected lagoons, and inland streams such as the Klamath River and Redwood Creek. During the summer months, inquire about ranger-led paddles down the Smith River.

Lewis Lake can be used for a day paddle in Yellowstone National Park, or to access the backcountry of Shoshone Lake / Kurt Repanshek

Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, Texas Good for: Canoes, kayaks, rafts The Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River meanders 196 miles along the U.S.-Mexican border, much of it through Big Bend. Float the whole thing, or take a 1-3-day trip on the river through Santa Elena Canyon. Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Wisconsin/Minnesota Good for: Canoes, kayaks Take a day paddle or an extended trip along the St. Croix and the Namekagon Rivers. Check the park website for details on camping options and regulations. Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve, Virgin Islands Good for: Sea kayaks, SUPs Sea kayak in the warm Caribbean waters among majestic mangrove stands. For information, contact the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism at 340-773-0495 or St. Croix Chamber of Commerce at 340-733-1435 for more information. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan Good for: Sea kayaks, kayaks, canoes Take your pick here, with either a warm, lazy Platte River paddle, or the cold, challenges of Lake Michigan. The Platte River bends and meanders through thick forest, while Lake Michigan paddlers enjoy views of 500-foot high bluffs. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota Good for: Canoes Time your trip carefully since low water could mean more walking than paddling. Badlands stretch in all directions as you work your way down the Little Missouri River through Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Florida Good for: Kayaks, canoes With 6,000 years of human history, this waterway was established to protect the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast. Timucuan has some great paddling opportunities in the St. John River. Extended paddles can take you into the Florida Sea Islands Paddling Trail.

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, New York/Pennsylvania Good for: Kayaks, canoes Class I-II rapids are the perfect challenge for canoeists and kayakers looking to expand their skill range. This stretch of the Delaware offers the longest, free-flowing river remaining in the Northeast. Virgin Islands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands Good for: Sea kayaks, SUPs Surrounded by warm, turquoise water, it’s not difficult to find a spot to launch a sea kayak in this national park. If you need a rental, stop at Cinnamon Bay where the concessionaire can set you up. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota Good for: Canoes, sea kayaks, SUPs With so much water, your biggest problem might be deciding where to paddle. There’s Rainy Lake, Kabetogama Lake, Namakan Lake, or Sand Point Lake, for example. Paddle the large Rainy Lake, or string together some backcountry lakes with a few portages. Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, California Good for: Canoes, kayaks Watch for the ranger-led kayak programs, particularly the moonlight paddle. The cool waters of Whiskeytown Lake are a magnet for canoeists and kayakers come the hot summer months.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska Good for: Rafts, whitewater kayaks, white-water canoes, packraft In the largest park in the system, there are a handful of big rivers for your paddling adventure. The Nizina, Kennicott, Chitna, Nabesna and White rivers will test your wilderness and paddling skills. Here, as the park notes, you can “travel for days at a time without seeing another person, trail, sign or bridge.” Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Idaho Good for: Canoes, sea kayaks, SUPs Lakes—Yellowstone, Shoshone, and Lewis— are the paddling attraction in Yellowstone, and they don’t disappoint. Yellowstone Lake is a wonderfully remote and wild backcountry paddling experience, while Shoshone offers your own private geyser basin to explore. Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska Good for: Rafts, white-water kayaks, white-water canoes The Yukon and the Charley rivers give paddlers solitude for their 200 combined miles as they flow through the preserve. Perfect for rafters and experienced whitewater canoeists. Don’t forget mosquito repellant.

Friends Of the parks Foundation Funds Volunteer Program To Increase Safety On Snake River In Grand Teton National Park Boating on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park is an experience of a lifetime. From the moment you are on the water, sweeping views of the Teton mountain range rarely leave your sight. Bald eagles, river otters, moose, beavers, and elk are just some of the many species you could come across on your journey downstream. It is no wonder that exploring this famous waterway is one of the most popular recreational activities in the park. With record-breaking visitation over the past three years and the recent designation of the Snake as a Wild and Scenic River, Grand Teton has seen a dramatic increase in users—and accidents—on the river. Although boating can seem straightforward because there are no major rapids in the park, the complexities of rowing a boat on the Snake River are not something to take lightly. Highly channelized sections, large debris piles, intense spring runoff, and ever-changing conditions require a highly experienced and skilled person to navigate the river. In an effort to decrease accidents, Grand Teton National Park is launching a new volunteer program this summer. With funding from Grand Teton National Park Foundation, the Snake River Ambassadors will employ 6 to 8 volunteers from May to September. Each volunteer will be trained by Grand Teton’s river rangers and will be stationed at popular access points during the park’s busy summer season. Ambassadors will talk to visitors about the inherent risks and skills required to make it safely to the take-out, with the goal of minimizing boating accidents while enhancing the visitor experience.

Paddlers heading out on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park should check in with the Snake River Ambassadors / Patrick Cone

Summer 2017 is slated to be another busy season in Grand Teton National Park. With the number of river users on the rise, the new Snake River Ambassadors will aid the park in ensuring a memorable—and safe—experience for all. Want to support this dedicated volunteer crew? Visit www.gtnpf.org/donate or call 307-732-0629.

Finding A Little Acadian Solitude This Spring Spring is a wonderful time to visit Acadia National Park. You’ll find empty parking spots at Acadia’s top destinations, “vacancy” signs at your favorite lodgings, and a more relaxed feel in and around the

park as it gears up for the busier seasons of summer and fall. At the same time, the staff at Friends of Acadia notes that the spring “shoulder season” is more active than it used to be, and you’ll find most local businesses open in May or even April. The Park Loop Road typically opens April 15 (but if you’re a biking enthusiast you may want to visit earlier, weather permitting, to experience the Loop Road motor-free!). Still, it’s always a good time to be a savvy Acadia visitor. Avoid Cadillac Mountain crowds at sunrise and sunset by picking a new place or new way to experience these magical moments—watch sunrise along Ocean Drive or take a sunset boat ride. Don’t miss Acadia at night! Seek

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Among the many wildflowers you might spot in Acadia National Park this spring are rhodora, shadbush, and marsh marigold / Friends of Acadia, Aimee Beal Church, top and middle; Friends of Acadia, Stephanie Clement, bottom

out a full moon over Sand Beach, shooting stars over Cadillac Mountain, or owl calls echoing into the stillness of a forest trail. Do your favorite things at new times of the day: visit Acadia early morning or late afternoon to find less-crowded experiences. See Acadia in new ways: from a boat, on an outer island, or at a place new to you. And always visit Acadia with a backup plan. If a parking lot or area is full when you arrive, pick a new destination and protect the park by not adding to congestion. While you’re in the park, be on the lookout for some special spring visitors. Blooming flowers and migrating songbirds make Acadia extra-beautiful this time of year. A great place to see both is at the Wild Gardens of Acadia. Created and maintained by volunteers, the Gardens showcase more than 400 native plant species arranged into 12 typical Acadia habitats. Depending on when you’re there, you might see marsh marigold, wood anemone, nodding trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, lady’s slipper, or other lovely natives in bloom. You may well hear a common yellowthroat or black-throated green warbler singing from the bushes; by mid-May more than a dozen warblers have made their way to Acadia. Or come to Acadia early—in March there’s still a chance of snowy owl sightings on Acadia’s tundra-like mountaintops.

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Celebrates 20 Years Twenty years ago, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation started as a simple idea: Give the people who care deeply for the Blue Ridge Parkway the power to protect and guide its future. Whether they cherished the trails, overlooks, ties to mountain history and culture, wildlife, or just the drive itself, they were invited to support the historic scenic route. The response was overwhelming. Since 1997, the Foundation has raised more than $12 million to support cultural and historical preservation, education and outreach, natural resources protection, and enhanced amenities for the millions of visitors who travel the Parkway each year. From the Foundation’s first project on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the construction the Visitor Center at Waterrock Knob, to the recently completed repairs of historic structures at the Peaks of Otter recreation area, the projects span the 469-mile road from Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Thanks to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, repairs and restoration along the Parkway have ranged from projects at Flat Top Manor at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park to Graveyards Fields / Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

During the last 20 years, the Foundation has worked to: v Protect natural resources through wildlife surveys, trail repairs, environmental studies, forensic training for law enforcement rangers, and more v Expand education and outreach by introducing young park stewards to the outdoors through the Kids in Parks program, rehabbing museum and visitor center exhibits, funding youth conservation crews, engaging in citizen science projects, and more v Preserve history and culture by placing Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the National Register of Historic Places, supporting musical programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center, rehabbing Mabry Mill, Ramsey Cabin, and more v Enhance visitor amenities and experiences at stops up and down the Parkway, including Waterrock Knob, Graveyard Fields, Julian Price Memorial Park, Linville Falls, Doughton Park, Abbott Lake, and many more locations. During this anniversary year, the Foundation is looking to the future with big goals in mind, including reopening the Bluffs buildings at Doughton Park, restoring Flat Top Manor and the grounds at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, and the creation of a new Volunteer Corps to help maintain trails and more. The Blue Ridge Parkway is certainly winding toward a bright future. The Foundation will host a 20th anniversary celebration on November 9 at Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. Visit the Foundation’s website for details.

Springtime’s Cooler Temps Make Saguaro National Park An Inviting Destination Spring is the perfect time to explore the trails at Saguaro National Park—as you can enjoy moderate temperatures, and oftenspectacular displays of spring wildflowers. The park offers nearly 200 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails, presenting visitors of every ability with a variety of recreational experiences. The park’s trails connect with the region’s extensive (and popular) trails network, and are a stone’s throw from “The Loop” – Tucson’s 110mile urban trail, encircling the entire city. Tucson is also well-known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the nation, with more than 730 miles of designated bikeways that connect to popular cycling

routes through both the east and west districts of Saguaro National Park. In the (east) Rincon Mountain District, the park has opened the popular 2.8-mile Hope Camp Trail to bicycle use as a multi-use trail. For hikers, the Arizona Trail National Scenic Trail traverses the Rincon Mountains via short segments of many trails with Saguaro National Park before exiting the Rincon Wilderness into the Coronado National Forest, and heading on to the Santa Catalina Mountains. The park’s nonprofit partner, Friends of Saguaro National Park, provides both money and volunteers to help the park maintain its trails network—securing nearly $200,000 in recent years to make significant improvements to high-use trails—including the conversion of the Mica View Trail into an ADA-compliant trail. In 2015, Friends of Saguaro worked with volunteers from the Arizona Trail Association to install two new trail gates in the Rincon Mountain District—providing added convenience for cyclists, hikers and equestrians. In 2016, high school students participating in the “Saguaro Youth Corps Training Program” helped to mitigate the negative impacts of erosion on the Signal Hill Trail in the (west) Tucson Mountain District—an easy half-mile hike from the Signal Hill Picnic Area that leads to a fine collection of historic petroglyphs. And, in early 2017, 16 members of the cast and crew of the national Broadway tour of “Dirty Dancing” (performing at the University of Arizona’s Centennial Hall) volunteered to help with a trail maintenance project on the Hugh Norris Trail in the west district of the Park. The group hiked 1.7-miles up the Sendero Esperanza Trail (on a chilly January morning!), then brushed the Hugh Norris Trail about a mile out to the east and west from the junction.

Wildflowers carpet the floor of Saguaro National Park in April and May / Friends of Saguaro National Park

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The Ranch In an age of digital overload, polarized politics, and the overwhelming rush of modern life, there’s a place you can go to recharge, rejuvenate, reconnect, and embrace a more simple time. There’s a dude ranch waiting for you out there, and more than likely it’s close to a national park if you want the best of both worlds (ranch and park worlds, that is). Above: Join the cowboys pushing cattle at the Bar W Ranch / Dude Ranchers’ Association

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

hether it’s the high mountain range or vast desert valleys, grab your boots and hat and spend the morning in the saddle, the afternoon with a drink by the pool, and a quiet evening of reflection in front of a raging fire. You’ll be tired, but it’s a good tired, by the time the sun sets behind the wild hills. These are all-inclusive vacations, from small outfits to large spreads, with plenty to do: hiking, fishing, swimming, white-water rafting, rodeos, western dances, and even campfire sing-a-longs. And of course, there’s boots and saddles, riding the range and lariats. And for the kids, it’s a chance to become a cowpoke, explore the ranches, play games, and make new friends. It’s the perfect cure for the modern world.

While finding the right ranch might sound onerous, it doesn’t have to be if you rely on the Dude Ranchers’ Association’s members. Formed in 1926, the DRA ensures that guests are treated right, with lodging and service at the highest standards. The DRA’s six foundations for members are, “Horses, Hats, Hospitality - Heritage, Honesty and Heart.” It’s the perfect getaway, and as comfortable as a well-worn pair of pointy boots. You could head south to the Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch in Winston, New Mexico, in the Black Range Mountains. The sun provides the electricity and cell service is an hour’s drive away. It’s untouched country with high meadows, archaeological sites, and you’ll see it all from the backs of gentle horses. You’ll eat well after a day in the saddle with ranch-style cooking and outdoor barbecues, and the skies are not cloudy all day. With only four guest cabins, it’s intimate and you’ll become part of the family and ranch-life. One state to the west, in Arizona, spend time at one of America’s oldest ranches, the Tanque Verde Ranch near Tucson. This is an old-time cattle and guest ranch, and in the springtime the valleys are green, the breezes balmy, and wildflowers stretch as far as you can see. Located in the Rincon Mountains, it has a rich history of Native American and Spanish civilizations. Settled in 1868, the ranch has been offering an oasis for families since 1957. There are more than 150 horses to choose from, but it’s not all work in the saddle, as guests can enjoy the tennis courts and a swimming pool after a relaxing ride. And Saguaro National Park is right next door. At day’s end, dust off your chaps, kick back and watch an Arizona sunset stretch across the sky. Out in Quincy, California, the Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch will treat you right. Just an hour from the Reno airport, it’s a Western paradise, with the nearby Feather River and high peaks are yours to explore. Along with the requisite horseback riding, you can swim, hike, mountain bike, and just take a break in this tranquil setting. It’s pure magic. In southern Colorado, the Rainbow Trout Ranch has trophy fly-fishing, legendary trail riding, and down-home

Load the kids aboard a wagon ride at the Rainbow Trout Ranch / Dude Ranchers’ Association

hospitality. Spend the day in the saddle, land a lunker, or just take in the beauty. Nestled at 9,000 feet along the Conejos River, guests can ride the historic Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad as well. As the weather warms to the north, check out the Lazy L&B Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. Known for its cowboy culture and snowy peaks, relax in these well-furnished log cabins with their Western flair, and private baths. There’s an outdoor sitting area to just gaze at the Wind River and Absaroka mountain ranges, and you can swim in the heated pool after a trail ride, or just dive into the river. You’ll work up a thirst and hunger for the hearty meals. This is a family operation, and you’ll feel so welcome, it’ll be difficult to head back to the “real world.” Over the mountains to the north, the Crossed Sabres Ranch in Cody has been hosting visitors since 1898. Just eight miles from Yellowstone National Park’s east entrance, Crossed Sabres is smack dab in the middle of some of the wildest, most pristine mountains in the world. Along the North Fork of the Shoshone River the fishing is superb for the wily Yellowstone cutthroat trout. And you’ll have the chance to watch moose, elk, and deer graze the

creeks and hillsides, and even see an occasional bear along the ridges. There’s a large, comfortable lodge, 19 cabins, and even a saloon where you can practice your best John Wayne imitation. It’s a great place for families, as the kids hold reins instead of electronic devices. Head to Cody for the nightly rodeo after a day of whitewater rafting, or a long trail ride, and you may just fantasize about riding a bucking bronc. Across the Bighorn Mountains, in Shell, Wyoming, the Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch is an upscale, working cattle ranch, where adventure is on the schedule. It’s a 650,000-acre adventure paradise. Learn horsemanship from the experts, and become the rider you’ve always wanted to be. Bond with your mount as you head up the trail to the high country for a view from the top of the peaks. You can take a turn working the stock, and then take a turn with trapshooting, archery, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, biking, and even 4x4 tours. Limited to just 25 guests per week, there are visitors from around the world looking for just such an authentic experience. Its high-end culinary offerings will entice and astound you. In Montana take a trip to the Bar W Ranch in Whitefish. Snow-capped peaks surround you, and you’ll gallop across lush, green meadows. You’ll have 3,000 acres to ride and hike, not far from Glacier National Park. Stay in these comfortable lodges with all of the modern amenities, and an elegant western flair. It’ll take you back to this country’s roots and the beauty of nature is all around you. So bring your boots (smooth-soled, of course, to get in and out of stirrups), and let loose your inner cowboy or cowgirl at one of America’s premiere dude ranches. It’ll change your perspective, and maybe even your life.

Take a moment from your trail ride to soak in the view at the Crossed Sabres Ranch / Dude Ranchers’ Association NationalParksTraveler.com

Books Worth Considering Civil War Battlefields: Walking the Trails Of History Tranquil as it seemed as I ambled across the rolling meadow that gained the moniker “Bloody Angle” for one of the deadliest battles of the Civil War, the images that crept into my mind were vivid. Though only its foundation remains today, I easily imagined Willis Landram’s cabin on the edge of the forest from which he watched as 20,000 Union troops charged en masse out of the surrounding woods and across his pastureland towards thousands of waiting Confederates. For 22 hours, starting around dawn on May 12, 1864, and lasting early into the next day, the battle raged, at times in a drenching rain that turned the field to mud. An estimated 17,000 soldiers died, were wounded, or taken prisoner. Walk the field today that’s protected as part of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia and you come upon several stone monuments that memorialize troops that fought at the Bloody Angle. Also a stopping point is the site where a tree 22 inches in diameter was downed by the hail of gunfire. You can walk this hallowed ground via a path, about a mile in length, that crosses features of the landscape called the “Mule Shoe Salient,” and the “Bloody Angle,” names taken both from a small “u” or “v”-shaped ridge, or salient, that the Rebel forces hoped to hold in a battle against the Union forces. The Bloody Angle Trail that I followed is just one of dozens of “trails of history” identified in this impressive new book by David T. Gilbert. Traveling from the Battle of First Manassas to Appomattox Court House, stopping along the way at nearly three dozen battlefields, the author first sets the scene at each location by laying down in stirring prose the events that took place there. Then he selects a number of trails that you can follow through these hallowed places to not just gain a feel for the lay of the land, but to practically feel how the battles progressed. These entries are not similar to those found in hiking guidebooks, leading you

almost by the hand from point to point. Rather, Mr. Gilbert in each chapter starts by setting the scene of what took place on these landscapes during the Civil War. Then he lists the available trails by name and distance, and then takes you back in history. “This hike explores the climatic action of the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, when Gen. John Hood’ Confederate forces finally broke through the Union line after several hours of ferocious fighting,” writes Mr. Gilbert in describing the Gaines’ Mill Breakthrough Trail that lies within Richmond National Battlefield in Virginia. “A soldier of the 4th Texas Infantry wrote, ‘Yesterday evening we was in one of the hardest fought battles ever known. I never had a clear conception of the horrors of war until last night…’

“By early evening, Confederate forces gained the crest of the ridge here, driving back troops from New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan commanded by Gen. Daniel Butterfield. For his determined efforts Butterfield was awarded the Medal of Honor. The trail descends to Boatswain’s Creek, providing a clear view of the daunting terrain Southern troops had to negotiate to assault the commanding Union position.” Illustrated with 230 remarkable photographs, a mix of present-day scenics and historic Civil War-era images, this hefty, 336-page hardcover book (10 inches by 10 inches) is certain to hold the attention of those interested in the war for hours. — Kurt Repanshek

NationalParksTraveler.com

Books Worth Considering National Park Roads: A Legacy In The American Landscape There is, perhaps, no more concrete example of the National Park Service’s struggle to balance preservation and access than roads. In National Park Roads: A Legacy In The American Landscape, Dr. Timothy Davis details the history of a relationship as fragile and monumental as Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road – full of ups and downs, twists and turns, obstacles and beauty – and one that many of us take for granted. After all, a park’s road serves as a de facto tour guide for most visitors, and that’s due to intricate planning and inventive engineering by park leaders for over 100 years. Dr. Davis, a National Park Service historian, paints a broad picture of the association between roads and parks as deftly as he hones in on details about inclines and turning radius. He underscores the intricately linked rise in popularity of national parks and automobiles, as the two fledgling movements formed a mutually beneficial alliance in the first half of the 20th century. With sharp increases in visitation, funding, and construction, the Park Service produced engineering marvels such as Skyline Drive in Shenandoah and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway Tunnel. Of course, those roads and people eventually drew backlash from environmentalists, particularly over the Tioga Road in

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2017

Yosemite’s high country. In response, the wilderness movement has inspired roadless parks and refuges, parkways were set aside for Sunday drivers, and shuttle services have been added to relieve congestion. This book can proudly be displayed on your coffee table, its large format (11.5 x 12.25 inches) the perfect vehicle to show off historical photographs, brochures, maps, and diagrams that underscore the difficulty of planning and constructing roads that “lie lightly on the land” while leading visitors to the finest sights in each park. The book’s size and glossy pages, however, make it a bit cumbersome when attempting to curl up on a coach or chair to dive in for a prolonged reading session. In his introduction, Dr. Davis quotes former Sierra Club leader Harold Bradley: “Park roads determine park history.” For better or worse, National Park Roads makes a compelling case that Bradley was right. — Scott Johnson

Mountain Man: John Colter, The Lewis & Clark Expedition, And The Call of the American West John Colter is one of the icons of the American West, at the leading edge of the mountain man era of exploration of the United States west of the Mississippi River. Some might even view him as the leader of the era, tackling the unknown West much as Daniel Boone had in the East decades earlier. Indeed, the two frontiersmen likely swapped stories of their adventures, as they lived closed to one another in their retiring years. But at one point in Colter’s western wanderings some considered him a fool, as he returned to St. Louis with tales of a place where the hot water fountains erupted from ground and colorful pots of mud gurgled, bubbled, and plopped and sizzled. But Yellowstone was real, and explorers who followed Colter’s path west confirmed it. Dr. David W. Marshall, a historian at Texas Tech University who personally has retraced as much of Colter’s travels as

possible, brings not just the mountain man to life in this new book but profiles the daily life of these hardy adventurers. Taking from personal diaries of mountain men, historical profiles on the era and its participants, and sketches and paintings, the author vividly paints his own portrait of the early 19th century in the untamed West. He explains how tents were pitched, bison skinned, and even how mountain men and Indians made their clothes and what they carried on their person. And he points out, through their words, the romance that some mountain men found in the wilderness. “I must confess, that after the first sensation of repulsive loneliness had been overcome, I felt much attached to it. …There was something so forbidding in the idea … removed as I was far away from friendly aid, and in a dangerous country … Still, in a little time I learned to forget all this, and roamed as freely by day, and slept as soundly by night, as though surrounded by friends. …There is a charm in the loneliness – an enchantment in the solitude.” – Rufus Sage, from his recollections. Colter’s travels with Lewis and Clark, his travels alone and with other trappers, and his run for life from Blackfeet warriors, all are laid out within the covers of this heavily footnoted book. So, too, is the tantalizing prospect that a stone found on the west side of the Tetons near present-day Tetonia, Idaho, in 1931 that had the name “John Colter” and the date “1808” etched into it really was carved by the mountain man as he wintered over 1807-08 in the region. Mountain Man cracks open a wonderful window into the past, casting not only a vivid profile of John Colter but laying down the history of the vanguard of Western exploration and the individuals who lived not to tame the region, but to relish it. — Kurt Repanshek

Parting Shot

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park visitors this year have been treated to a spectacular “firehose” of molten rock plunging from a cliff down into the Pacific Ocean. Traveler Contributing Photographer Rebecca Latson captured this shot from a boat.