Essential Park Guide Spring 2018 by Kurt Repanshek

Inside

Essential Park Guide / Spring 2018

A Wondrous Mission On The Landscape By Kim O’Connell Young men headed out across the country in a mission of conservation to better public lands, and themselves, through the Civilian Conservation Corps. Our writer looks at what they left behind.

Three Glorious Days At Mount Rainier By Rebecca Latson When the clouds lift, and Mount Rainier shimmers under its coat of ice and snow, you can’t imagine spending just three days in the park. But that would be a good start.

Walking Through History By Scott Johnson The National Trails System encompasses a rich portfolio of 55,000 miles of footpaths, including more than a few that take you back through history. Scott Johnson surveyed the possibilities.

Wild And Scenic Dreams By Kurt Repanshek Though 50 years old this year, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act has protected less than 1 percent of the country’s waterways. But some others have benefited from the act’s wording. History As Mighty As A Fort Fort Jefferson took nearly 30 years and 16 million bricks to build as a guardian of the Straits of Florida. Today its walls tell many stories, but none of actual warfare. A Taste 0f The Natchez Trace By Jane Schneider Along its 444 miles stretching from Natchez to Nashville, the Natchez Trace Parkway offers a tantalizing number of side trips that add to the parkway’s flavor. Traveling Through Time At Portugal’s Lone National Park By Rita Beamish Portugal’s only national park takes you down cobblestone paths and into highlands home to the rare Iberian wolf. Rita Beamish saw no wolves, but came in contact with Portugal’s past.

A Hike No Matter What The Season Yosemite National Park’s trails network has offerings for you no matter which season brings you to the park. With A Little Help From Our Friends Helping with spring renewal, golden anniversaries, and educational programs are among the “extras” that friends groups bring to the National Park System.

Parks and Partners Dude ranches practically grew up with national parks, and today can offer an inviting Western flavor to your park vacation.

A Few Good Books First-person mountaineering history, watercolors and the parks, and hiking in Glacier National Park were among the books we reviewed.

EDITOR: Kurt Repanshek ART DIRECTOR: Courtney Cooper SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Patrick Cone SENIOR EDITOR: Scott Johnson CONTRIBUTORS: Rita Beamish Rebecca Latson Kim O’Connell Jane Schneider PUBLISHED BY

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

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•••• from the publisher

Exploring Trails, Rivers, And History In The Parks

dventures, cultural profiles, and rich American history are all part of the National Park System, backed by spectacular scenery. But where should you visit, what should you do, and what can you look forward to learning about on your national park vacation? Within this Essential Park Guide for spring 2018 we have some suggestions for you. Looking to work up a sweat in the park system? You’ll find a story about the National Trails System starting on page 14, and another on Wild and Scenic Rivers on page 17. Combined, the two provide background on how the

ON THE COVER Fortune smiled on contributor Rebecca Latson when the weather cooperated long enough to let her capture this lenticular cloud capping Mount Rainier as seen from Sourdough Ridge trail at Sunrise in the park.

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

acts behind these systems came about 50 years ago, and touch on some destinations you might consider. Prefer to learn more about this country’s history? Beginning on the next page, Kim O’Connell takes a look at the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was launched 85 years ago. Some of the projects the young men tackled in the then-young National Park System can still be found today, others are just memories. Rita Beamish traveled abroad to sample Portugal’s only national park, Peneda-Gerês National Park, and returned with stories of an ancient landscape that harbors much of that country’s traditional

bucolic lifestyle. Her story opens on page 28. For a somewhat unusual approach to exploring a park, Jane Schneider sampled the meals, and libations, that you can find in the towns that straddle the Natchez Trace Parkway. Turn to page 26 to see what she found. Spring is a time of renewal across the National Park System, a time to shuck off cabin fever and head to the parks. Just remember to tread carefully, as some landscapes might still be soggy from winter’s snows or spring rains, and wildflower sprouts might just be breaking through the duff. ~ Kurt Repanshek

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Celebrating the By Kim O’Connell

Franklin Roosevelt’s popular New Deal conservation program, which had a transformative effect on the nation’s parklands and the young men who filled its ranks, began 85 years ago.

Building gutters (top) and clearing brush on the landscape of today’s Acadia National Park were just some of the jobs CCC crews tackled in national parks / National Archives

“National Parks of the Country Will Ring with Sound of Conservation Workers.” So read a headline in the May 20, 1933, edition of the Happy Days newspaper, the official publication of the newly formed Civilian Conservation Corps. And it was true. Established in March of that year, the corps became the most popular and enduring of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal “make-work” programs. It sent thousands of young men across the country to establish camps, create parks, plant forests, and construct roads, trails, shelters, and picnic areas. The CCC’s profound impact on the National Park System, as well as numerous state park systems, can still be felt today, 85 years after its founding. Although the program was initially called Emergency Conservation Work, it quickly became known as the CCC by the press and nearly everyone involved. It was an early, bold step for the Roosevelt administration, a test of government dollars during the Great Depression. The program was designed to lift up an economically challenged nation, with $25 out of a CCC man’s $30 monthly paycheck automatically sent home to his family. “The eye of the nation is upon the Civilian Conservation Corps,” said ECW Director Robert Fechner early in his tenure. “The young men who make up its ranks are on trial, so to speak, with the whole country.” Over the next nine years, more than two million boys and men joined the CCC in all 50 states. Although the official entry age was 18, recruits were

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often younger; the upper age limit was 25. Some would leave the CCC and go directly into the military, especially at the outbreak of World War II. They were well-prepared to do so, as the camps were initially operated by the U.S. Army and run with militaristic precision. The first CCC camp was pitched in George Washington National Forest near Luray, Virginia, with the first national park camps opening soon afterwards in the Skyland and Big Meadows areas of what would become Shenandoah National Park. In 1933, along with his U.S. Forest Service counterpart Robert Y. Stuart, NPS Director Horace Albright was eager to use the new workforce and had infrastructure and reforestation plans ready before the first men left their hometowns. Eventually, CCC camps stood in nearly every major national park, as well as in numerous battlefields and national monuments. The National Park Service also used CCC personnel and funds to help states set up their own park systems. In total, although not all would last the entire nine-year run of the program, 841 CCC camps were established in the national parks, and 2,500 more were set up in state parks. For the boys themselves, the CCC offered a steady income, regular meals, shelter, and the promise of hard work, which weren’t always givens during the Depression, when the country was facing a 25 percent unemployment rate. Early reports home were often that the men were gaining weight and making what would become, for many, lifelong friends. Marriages happened too, as CCC boys were known to socialize on their nights off with young ladies from nearby towns. (“Workers Divide Time with Pennsy Girls,” wrote one Happy Days article.) In July 1933, the National Park Service sent one of its editors, Elizabeth Pitt, to tour camps in several Western national parks, including Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, and Glacier. “Everywhere I have found the same spirit,” Pitt wrote afterwards, “boys from the East, for the most part, dropped down in the wilds of the mountains and taking hold of things like veterans of the woods.” “With the right leadership and resources and the willingness to compromise and work together, more can be accomplished than we ever thought

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

“Iron Mike” at the Byrd Visitor Center in Shenandoah National Park recalls the hard work CCC crews performed / NPS

possible,” says Robert W. Audretsch, a former NPS ranger who has written several books about the CCC in Arizona and Colorado, including Shaping the Park and Saving the Boys: The Civilian Conservation Corps in the Grand Canyon. “With the CCC and other New Deal programs, as much as 50 years’ worth of conservation work was accomplished in national parks in less than ten years.” Many CCC-built structures have long disappeared. But some remain in many national parks, and most parks find ways to share their CCC history through markers, ranger programs, and online and printed materials. In this anniversary year, you can visit these and other sites and remember the strong young men who changed the parks for the better.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Director Fechner personally inspected the Big Meadows camp in 1933. As a newspaper account recalled, “Young men conducting their own religious services, maintaining their own morale, and carrying on the work prescribed for them with dispatch and initiative made a deep impression on him.”

Today, though relatively hidden in the meadow’s northeast corner, the ghostly outlines of the CCC camp remain visible. Although no buildings remain, the NPS has staked the perimeters of some, such as the former mess hall, and included historical markers to describe camp life. Directly across Skyline Drive, the bare-chested statue of a CCC man, known as “Iron Mike,” stands in front of the Byrd Visitor Center, which also includes several exhibits about the CCC. The Pocosin Cabin, located on the Appalachian Trail, is also a well-preserved example of the CCC’s handiwork.

Acadia National Park, Maine Hugging the shoreline near Sand Beach, the Ocean Path is one of Acadia’s most pleasant hikes, taking visitors near Thunder Hole, where the surf rushes loudly into a hole in the rocks, and on to the scenic Otter Point. This is also one of the CCC’s enduring projects. Other work on park trails included the Perpendicular Trail, where workers moved and cut large granite blocks and deftly put them into place. Crews also helped with firefighting and fuel reduction in the park, and con-

structed the Blackwoods and Seawall campgrounds. Today, ranger programs will often mention the CCC, and a plaque commemorating the crews can be found at McFarland Hill.

The River Bend Overlook in Theodore Roosevelt National Park provides sweeping views of the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s badlands and Little Missouri River / Kurt Repanshek

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota It is an interesting historical irony that CCC workers operating under the auspices of one Roosevelt would work on parkland that would eventually honor another. Beginning in 1934, the CCC built shelters and buildings in the North Dakota badlands that would become Theodore Roosevelt National Park in 1947. Theodore Roosevelt was Franklinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fifth cousin and uncle of his wife, Eleanor. Today, their work stands in the form of two picnic shelters in the Juniper campground area, and the rustic River Bend Overlook shelter, high above the Little Missouri River.

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona The Painted Desert Inn, a national historic landmark, is one of the most distinctive existing buildings associated with the CCC in the National Park System. When the NPS acquired the Stone Tree House, a circa-1920s tourist attraction made of petrified wood, in the 1930s, the CCC provided the perfect workforce to upgrade the renamed

structure. Working with well-known Pueblo Revival architect Lyle Bennett, the CCC men helped to reinforce and redesign the inn, hand-making light fixtures from punched tin, crafting wooden tables and chairs in a Southwestern style, and painting skylight panels to mimic prehistoric pottery. The inn also features the work of renowned Southwestern architect Mary

Painted skylights in the Painted Desert Inn and other artworks in the building showcase the talents of CCC crews that worked there / Kurt Repanshek

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Today’s visitors to Grand Canyon National Park benefit from the stonework CCC crews installed here and in other parks / NPS

Colter and murals by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie. Despite its historical significance, however, the inn faced demolition in the 1970s until it was saved by a public-relations campaign.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona The imprint of the CCC can be found in many places at the Grand Canyon, which was home to seven camps between 1933 and 1942. The park has a walking tour brochure that outlines several places where you can view the CCC’s contributions, which include the stone stairway near the Kolb Studio, the Grand Canyon Community Building, and a pair of wooden bridges along the Village Loop Road. A rock wall along the rim near the El Tovar Hotel is also the CCC’s creation, and it features a sur-

prise for eagle-eyed visitors, according to author Robert Audretsch. “My favorite spot along the wall is opposite where the Fred Harvey Women’s Dormitory used to be located,” Audretsch says. “Here there is a stone carved in the shape of a heart, the only stone in the whole wall not shaped like a box, rectangle or diamond. Was it carved by some love-struck CCC boy? We will never know.” “Congratulations are due those responsible for the gigantic task of creating the camps, arranging for the enlistments, and for launching the greatest peacetime movement this country has ever seen.” — Franklin Roosevelt, after reviewing the earliest CCC camps.

Almost as proof of the heart they put into their work is this heart-shaped rock built into a rock wall on Grand Canyon’s South Rim / NPS

We’d love to hear from former CCC workers, or their relatives, so we could collect more of their stories. Please contact kurt@nationalparkstraveler.org.

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

Wearing clouds like a crown, Mount Rainier shimmers on sunny days / Rebecca Latson

3 DAYS I

in Mount Rainier National Park

By Rebecca Latson

t was, John Muir recounted during the summer of 1888, “awful in bulk and majesty, filling all the view like a separate, newborn world, yet withal so fine and so beautiful it might well fire the dullest observer to desperate enthusiasm.” “It” was Mount Rainier, and it astounded Muir when he saw it for the first time, and his words remain true today. This mountain never fails to amaze visitors, whether it’s their first glimpse or just their latest. If you’re like most park travelers you’ll want to memorialize your visit to Mount Rainier National Park with more than a few photos. Pictures of the trails, the wildflowers, your family and friends hiking, and the mountain.

To help you negotiate Rainier and return with some pleasing photos, here is a photo and travel guide to help you explore the park. Covering a little more than 369 square miles, Mount Rainier National Park might not seem terribly large when compared to a Yosemite or Yellowstone. But it feels large, with four entrances surrounding this 14,410-feet-tall, “episodically active,” stratovolcano shrouded with the most glaciers (25) on a single peak anywhere in the contiguous United States. Whichever entrance you choose (White River, Stevens Canyon/Ohanapecosh, Nisqually or Carbon River), you’ll want to have a full gas tank, because once you enter the park there are no gas stations. NationalParksTraveler.org

Different Seasons in the Park I can tell you, unequivocally, that the seasons will dictate what you’ll see of Mount Rainier. The only road access to vehicles during winter is via the Nisqually Entrance. Bring chains for your tires (they’re typically required in winter) and snowshoes or skis for yourself. In spring the road from Longmire to Paradise is usually rimmed by snow banks. The snowpack often is so high that only the upper floors and roof of the Paradise Inn peek out from beneath a deep, white blanket. Summer weather is fickle. There are clear days when you can see the mountain 99.9 percent of the time, and there are soggy days with leaden clouds that obscure Rainier. Early in the summer you’ll likely encounter snowpack in the higher elevations, blocking access to all or parts of the trails. Mid-to-late August is really the perfect time. But good weather draws crowds, so arrive at your chosen trailhead before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to grab a good spot for a popular hike or a nice shot of a popular scene. Low clouds and rainy weather can completely obscure the view of Mount Rainier for many consecutive days during the fall. There are rewards though, for weathering through an inclement autumn period. At times, morning dawns with clear blue sky, the huckleberry bushes are saturated shades of bright orange and red, and the sun is bathing “The Mountain’s” face.

Staying In The Park Two historic brick-and-mortar lodges within the park can shelter you. Longmire’s National Park Inn has just 25 guest rooms, while the Paradise Inn, which celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2017, has 121 rooms. There is no elevator in either lodge, although both have ADA-accessible rooms located on their ground floors. Pets are not allowed, except for service animals. Note: Paradise Inn room availability will be reduced due to reconstructive maintenance on the Annex portion of the Inn through May 2019. Make your reservation far ahead of your intended visit (months to even a year ahead) if you wish to stay at either of these lodges.

The National Park Inn just inside the park’s Nisqually Entrance offers a measure of solitude with just 25 rooms / Rebecca Latson

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

Of the park’s four campgrounds, White River, Ohanapecosh, and Cougar Rock allow vehicle camping. Mowich Lake Campground is tent-only. Visit the park’s website for more camping information. You can also download and print maps from the website or get a commercial map app for your smartphone to help you navigate your journey. While you won’t see the entire national park in three days, you can cover plenty of ground. Let’s take a look at a potential three-day visit:

Winter hangs around for a long time at Mount Rainier, through spring and into summer / Rebecca Latson

DAY Sunrise

Start your drive to Sunrise early in the morning, and access the White River/Sunrise entrance via State Route 410 north or south. If you travel north along this route from Yakima and over Chinook Pass, take time at the long pullout overlooking Tipsoo Lake. Weather permitting, this will be your first official view of Mount Rainier as it looms over this serene little alpine water body. If you are traveling south along SR 410 toward the park entrance, you’ll miss Tipsoo Lake, but still have an opportunity to stop at a pullout granting you a close view of this immense mountain. Drive the winding 12 miles from the park entrance to Sunrise Point for panoramas of Mount Rainier, other mountain ranges, and even Mount Adams to the south on a clear day. From Sunrise Point, drive the last two miles to the Sunrise Visitor Center and Day Lodge for some hiking and photography. For frame-filling photos of Mount Rainier, follow one of the trails joining up to the Sourdough Ridge Trail. Once you reach Sourdough Ridge, take the other connecting trail back down to

Climbers set out from Paradise to conquer, if they can, Mount Rainier / Rebecca Latson

the visitor center for a loop, or continue along Sourdough Ridge west to Frozen Lake or east to Dege Peak. After your higher-elevation hike, ramble along the 0.1-mile trail from the parking lot down to Emmons Vista for some scenes of Emmons Glacier and Mount Rainier framed by tall trees that provide great natural picture frames.

DAY

Paradise via the Stevens Canyon Entrance There are two ways to enter Paradise. The Nisqually Entrance is the more direct route, but it’s my opinion that the Stevens Canyon Entrance offers more opportunities for photos. Beyond the Stevens Canyon entry booth stretch your legs, if you wish, on the 1.25-mile round-trip Grove

The Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise orients you to the park and what outdoor opportunities exist / Rebecca Latson

of the Patriarchs Trail before driving the short distance to the Falls Creek Bridge. There on sunny days you can photograph the shaded little waterfall surrounded by sunlight-speckled rocks, foliage, and trees. Approximately 10 miles up the road the Box Canyon/Cowlitz River view area offers a restroom, a view of the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz River, and a short walk along a paved trail paralleling glacially-smoothed and striated

rock outcrops with views of Mount Rainier framed by tall trees. Further along the trail is the bridge overlooking Box Canyon. Continuing your drive, there are more scenic pullouts, the Snow Lake Trailhead, a waterfall at Sunbeam Creek, and views of Mount Rainier from Reflection Lake. Prior to the Longmire-Paradise junction is a large parking lot and view area providing panoramic vistas of Mount Rainier, the Tatoosh mountain range, and the valley beyond. Depending upon the season and time of day, you might even be treated to the distant sight of climbers on a snowfield. Drive to the Longmire-Paradise junction and turn right, stopping up the road at the National Park Service “Paradise” sign for a selfie before heading to the Paradise parking lots. Long-term parking will be to your left, prior to reaching the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center. The large parking lot in front of the visitor center is for handicap-accessible and two-hour parking, only. If you have a reservation with NationalParksTraveler.org

the Paradise Inn, get a parking pass for your car from the front desk, as there are parking spots reserved specifically for the inn’s guests. Take some time to wander around and admire this historic inn’s rustic architecture. Climb the stairs across from the front desk up to the second level and ramble around the mezzanine, photographing the rustic wood beams, hand-painted hanging lamps, and the lobby below. For more of a leg stretcher, head across the parking lot to the visitor center, where you’ll find the network of Paradise trails heading out from the top of the stone steps across from the visitor center. Be sure to read the inscription of an 1889 quote by John Muir carved into the steps: “… the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I have ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings.” There’s a good choice of trail lengths. Avalanche Lily Trail, Waterfall Trail, Nisqually Vista Trail, and the portion of the Skyline Trail leading to

Myrtle Falls are all less than a mile. In the early summer, Avalanche Lily Trail is indeed carpeted on either side with the cheerful, delicate white blooms. Tall trees frame Myrtle Falls with Mount Rainier in the background, making it one of the most popular (and crowded) view areas within Paradise. Without a doubt, the most popular trail in Paradise is Skyline Trail. Start a clockwise circuit of this 5.5-mile loop that will lead you to side trails (Alta Vista and Glacier Vista) with imposing views of Nisqually Glacier, Mount Rainier, and mountain valleys with silver waterfalls. Continue up to the all-encompassing view of Panorama Point. On a clear day, you’ll see the tiny speck of Paradise Inn below, the Tatoosh Mountains in the background, and Mount Adams, Mount Saint Helens, and possibly Mount Hood far beyond. Resume your hike back down to Paradise Inn with the option of taking the Golden Gate or Paradise Glacier side trails.

Rainier’s snowfields and glaciers produce a constant flow of water in various streams, creeks, rivers and rivulets / Rebecca Latson

With Mount Rainier’s profile staring back up at the actual mountain, it’s easy to see how Reflection Lake got its name / Rebecca Latson

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

DAY Longmire

After your overnight stay at Paradise, get an early morning start down to Longmire so you can have a relaxing stop at both Narada Falls and Christine Falls. The parking lots to these two popular sights usually fill by 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. Between Narada Falls and Christine Falls is Ricksecker Point. This one-way road, which was the original route to Paradise, runs about six miles and offers some nice views of the mountain. Drive slowly before heading further down the road. You’ll know you are nearing the historic Longmire District when you pass Cougar Rock Campground on your right. Park near the National Park Inn for a break, and take time to tour the Longmire museum, before crossing the road to walk the 0.75-mile Trail of the Shadows loop. Along the trail, you will wander through a cool, shaded forest with miniature waterfalls, bubbling mineral springs, and tangible signs of James Longmire’s homesteading days. This trail encircles Longmire Meadow, with a view of Rampart Ridge to one side and Mount Rainier at the meadow’s northern end. From Longmire, head southwest and park at the pullout beside the Twin Firs Trailhead. Enjoy trailside tableaus of shade- and-sunlight-dappled forest, moss draped over the branches of tall trees, and seedling- and fungi-encrusted nurse logs along the 0.4-mile loop. The lowland forest evokes a quiet, meditative feeling. The depths of the forest interior mute the noise of passing cars and enhance the music of trickling water and echoing birdsong. Drive a few more miles to Kautz Creek to cross the road and walk the few hundred feet for a photo op of Mount Rainier as seen from the creek. Along the way to the Nisqually Entrance, stop at one of several pullouts along the left side of the road. These stops offer photo ops of the Nisqually River landscape, where the silver-gray fingers of the river complement the gray rocks and provide an interesting

Avalanche lilies nodding in the breeze will capture your heart and pull your camera lens in their direction / Rebecca Latson

contrast to the greens of the forest bordering the river banks.

Wildlife During your time at Mount Rainier there will be prospects for wildlife sightings, both feathered and furred. In the Sunrise area, look for Clark’s Nutcrackers. These brazen (and aggressive) gray and black birds have a raspy, almost nagging, caw. Deer, hoary marmots and blue grouse roam the Paradise area, and you might have the opportunity to see deer, marmots, Steller’s jays, and perhaps even a pretty little fox trotting up the road at Longmire. Keep your camera’s focus mode set to track movement and do your best to focus on your wildlife subject’s eyes. For critters too far away to capture a close-up, make them a part of your landscape composition, instead.

Wildflowers Summer brings blooms like the glacier lily, avalanche lily, tiger lily, Jeffrey’s shooting star, mountain heather, spreading phlox, crimson columbine, lupine, beargrass, foamflower, spirea, thistle, penstemon, monkeyflower, and pasqueflower. Many varieties of paint-

brush range from bright orange-red to deep magenta. Utilize either your macro or telephoto lens for flower shots, again making certain to have your focus mode set to track the movement of flowers swaying in the breeze. Point-and-shoot cameras will have both telephoto and macro settings, and even smartphones should achieve nice shots, although a breeze might make it a little more difficult for your phone’s camera to focus on the flowers. Try a technique called the Rule of Thirds wherein you mentally divide your viewfinder into three segments, then place your subject to either side of your frame, rather than smack-dab in the middle. Another eye-catching method for wildflower shots is to simply fill the frame entirely with your flower find. During your stay, be sure to pack out what you pack in, don’t feed the wildlife, stay on the trails and off the meadows, and take lots of photos. You’ll have plenty to do and see during a three-day visit to Mount Rainier National Park, with plenty more to do and see (or re-see) on your next visit.

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TRAILS INTO HISTORY National Trails Systems Act Opened Windows Into The Past By Scott Johnson

n the remote reaches of northeast Oregon, beauty, recreation, geology, and history converge at a blue gem nestled at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains. Wallowa Lake, with its postcard views and popular campground, draws fishermen and swimmers, hikers and horseback riders to the gateway of the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Carved by glacial retreat around 17,000 years ago, an incredibly preserved 3-mile-long moraine along the lake’s east shore shows the path of the glacier clear as day. Across the water, Chief Joseph Mountain looms above. And on a hill that overlooks the northern outlet of Wallowa Lake sits a stone pillar. The gravesite marks the final resting ground for Tuekakas, commonly known as Old Chief Joseph. He signed a treaty with the U.S. government in 1855 to secure this sacred valley for his people, the Nez Perce. Less than a decade later, however, the federal government wanted to take ownership of much of that land, including the Wallowa Valley, and confine the Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho. The Joseph band of Nez Perce never signed this treaty and refused to leave. By 1877, Old Chief Joseph had passed away and tensions with settlers had risen to the point where the Army was called in to remove the tribes. Old Joseph’s son, Young Chief Joseph, chose to flee along with the other “non-treaty” chiefs. Their 1,170mile retreat from Army pursuit and

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

Formed by a glacial retreat, Wallowa Lake near Joseph, Oregon, marks the start of the Nez Perce Trail / Scott Johnson

ultimate surrender just south of the Canadian became known as the Nez Perce War. This route, beginning at Wallowa Lake, is now commemorated as the Nez Perce National Historic Trail. The trail includes or passes through many sites managed by the National Park Service, including Old Chief Joseph Gravesite and Cemetery, Big Hole National Battlefield, Yellowstone National Park, and Bear Paw Battlefield. It is one of 30 trails authorized by Congress under the National Trails System Act. That act was signed into law 50 years ago by President Lyndon B. Johnson “to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation.” The law designated the country’s two most well-

known long-distance hiking trails—the Appalachian and Pacific Crest national scenic trails—as foundations for a nationwide system, and set out a framework for adding new trails. Ten years later, the act was amended to include trails of historic significance, like the Nez Perce Trail, which was designated in 1986. The National Trails System now includes 11 National Scenic Trails and 19 National Historic Trails, many administered by the National Park Service, covering 55,000 miles in 49 states. Just as importantly, the act called for a system to “provide a variety of outdoor recreation uses in or reasonably accessible to urban areas.” There are now more than 1,200 trails, including 21 National Water Trails, in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, serving hikers, bikers, paddlers, equestrians,

skiers, ATV riders, and more. In 1983, the act was again amended to allow unused rail corridors to be converted into trails. The National Trails System now fulfills President Johnson’s vision for 100,000 miles of trails. These pathways take us to some of the most awe-inspiring vistas on the planet. To set foot on a national scenic trail indulges a sense of exploration, passion, and perseverance. Yet these same traits describe our national historic trails, often built out of necessity, not for leisure. They are the stories of America, meant to help us escape and reflect, to inspire and challenge us. Whereas three other national historic trails—California, Lewis and Clark, and Oregon—honor the migration to and exploration of Oregon and the West Coast, the Nez Perce National Historic Trail preserves a struggle to leave, a forced departure after a betrayal of contract. The trails shine light on the ugly as well as the beautiful. That is a testament to the value of the National Trails System. This golden anniversary is a golden opportunity to take a walk through history.

NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAILS Step (or paddle, or ride dogsled) into history at the 19 national historic trails, from 56 to 5,600 miles, preserved under the National Trails System.

Ala Kahakai

Length: 175 miles State: Hawaii The trail preserves, protects, and interprets traditional Native Hawaiian culture and natural resources, traversing hundreds of ancient settlement sites and more than 200 ahupua’a (traditional sea to mountain land divisions).

View of Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point Park / NPS

Captain John Smith Chesapeake

Length: 3,000 miles States: VA, MD, DE, DC, PA, NY Between 1607 and 1609, John Smith and his crew mapped nearly 3,000 miles of Chesapeake Bay and nearby rivers, and documented American Indian communities. He helped ensure the success of early English colonization efforts.

El Camino Real de los Tejas

The Iditarod Trail brings a very unique experience—dogsledding—to the National Trails System / BLM

Iditarod

Length: 2,350 miles State: AK An important artery of Alaska’s winter commerce during the Gold Rush Era, the trail served a string of mining camps, trading posts, and other settlements founded between 1880 and 1920.

Length: 2,600 miles States: TX, LA During the Spanish colonial period in America, this “royal road” provided the only primary overland route from what is now Mexico across the Río Grande to the Red River Valley in what is now Louisiana.

Juan Bautista de Anza

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

Lewis and Clark

Length: 404 miles States: NM, TX This “royal road” is a symbol of the early cultural interaction between nations and multiple ethnic groups in the American Southwest. The commercial and social exchanges that occurred over the centuries helped create the rich cultural mix that is still present today.

Length: 1,200 miles States: AZ, CA In 1775-76, Juan Bautista de Anza led some 240 men, women, and children on an epic journey to establish the first non-Native settlement at San Francisco Bay.

Length: 3,700 miles States: ID, IL, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, ND, OR, SD, WA Between May 1804 and September 1806, the Corps of Discovery traveled from the plains of the Midwest to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. In their search for a water route to the Pacific, they opened a window into the west for the young United States.

California

Length: 5,600 miles States: CA, CO, ID, KS, MO, NE, NV, OR, UT, WY In the mid-1800s, more than 250,000 people traveled to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California to seek their fortunes in one of the largest mass migrations in American history. The “Twin Sisters” in City of Rocks National Preserve in Idaho along the California Trail were a landmark used by immigrants between 1843 and 1882 / NPS NationalParksTraveler.org

Overmountain Victory

Length: 330 miles States: NC, SC, TN, VA Follow the route used by patriot militia during the pivotal Kings Mountain campaign of 1780 during the fight for independence.

Trail of Tears

Length: 5,045 miles States: AL, AR, GA, IL, KY, MO, NC, OK, TN The Cherokee people, forcefully removed from their homelands in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, traveled by foot, horse, wagon, or steamboat to live in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

Pony Express Devils Gate along Mormon Pioneer Trail in Wyoming / NPS

Mormon Pioneer

Length: 1,300 miles States: IL, IA, NE, UT, WY See the route 70,000 Mormons took from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Salt Lake City to escape religious persecution in the mid-1800s.

Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo)

Length: 1,170 miles States: ID, OR, MT, WY Forced to abandon hopes for a peaceful move to the Lapwai reservation, Nez Perce chiefs saw flight to Canada as their last promise for peace. Pursued by the Army, most surrendered just 40 miles from the border.

Length: 2,000 miles States: CA, CO, KS, MO, NE, NV, UT, WY Before the invention of the telegraph, young men rode horses and used a relay system to carry mail from Missouri to California in an unprecedented 10 days.

Santa Fe

Length: 1,203 miles States: CO, KS, MO, NM, OK In 1821, the trail became Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first great international commercial highway, linking Missouri to New Mexico and promoting western expansion.

Visitors walking the Trail of Tears / NPS

Old Spanish

Length: 2,700 miles States: AZ, CA, CO, NV, NM, UT New Mexican traders moved locally produced merchandise across what are now six states to exchange for mules and horses.

Oregon

Length: 2,170 miles States: ID, KS, MO, NE, OR, WA, WY Wagon ruts that can still be seen serve as reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American settlers who sought the promise of lush farmlands and a new beginning in the West.

Selma to Montgomery

Length: 54 miles State: AL In 1965, 25,000 people, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., peacefully marched to extend equal voting rights to African Americans. It was one of the defining moments of the civil rights movement.

Star-Spangled Banner Ruts, and markers, can be seen along the Oregon Trail as it wends its way through Wyoming / Kurt Repanshek

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

Length: 290 miles States: DC, MD, VA The trail tells the stories of the events, people, and places that led to the birth of our National Anthem.

In Santa Fe you can find a sculpture recalling the settlers who followed the Old Spanish Trail / NPS

Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

Length: 1,000 miles States: MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC In 1781, the French Army joined forces with the Continental Army to fight the British Army in Yorktown, Virginia. The effort and cooperation between the two sides led to a victory at Yorktown and secured American independence.

THE WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT AT 50 By Kurt Repanshek

ivulets of snowmelt and pelting spring rains, and what it’s given by tributaries named Bear, Trout, Little Snake, and Elk, feed the Yampa River as it bends, drops, turns, and jumps for 250 miles from its headwaters in central Colorado to the Utah border. There, at a place known as Echo Park for obvious reasons, the last major undammed river in the Colorado River system dumps its muddy fill into the Green River.

It’s a wild, personable river that Page Stegner (the son of author Wallace Stegner) has described as a “geezer’s delight, mild, gentle, benign, hospitable, without a rapid of worthy of the designation except Warm Springs.” The Yampa is an outlier though, with no significant dams or diversions to block or drain its waters as it winds its way through the stony landscape of Dinosaur National Monument. There, the varnished-striped sandstone

Quartzville Creek in Oregon is one of the few streams officially protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act / BLM, Bob Wick

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Though not specifically protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Buffalo National River is protected through wording found in the Act that was inserted into the Buffalo’s enabling legislation / NPS

12,734 miles carry any one of the three Wild and Scenic River designations of wild, scenic, or recreational rivers. That’s less than half-a-percent of all stream miles. When he signed the Wild and Rivers Scenic Act in October 1968, President Lyndon Johnson remarked, “We have learned—all too slowly, I think—to prize and protect God’s precious gifts. Because we have, our own children and grandchildren will come to know and come to love the great forests and the wild rivers that we have protected and left to them … An unspoiled river is a very rare thing in this Nation today. Their flow and vitality have been harnessed by dams and too often they have been turned into open sewers by communities and by industries. It makes us all very fearful that all rivers will go this way unless somebody acts now to try to balance our river development.”

The Politics Of Protection

cliffs rise to 1,700 feet, with patches of beach held in place by spreading cottonwood willow, invasive tamarisk, and meadows of cheat grass. Side canyons are filled with netleaf hackberry and boxelder amidst the boulder-clogged drainages. Invisible beneath the murky waters, the river is home to ancient fish species such as the endangered Colorado pikeminnow and roundtail chub. They are admittedly perplexing, odd-looking fish. The pikeminnow, for instance, can reach 3 feet in length, making a mockery of its status as a minnow. Floating down the river, with the sun on my face and a gentle breeze ruffling my hair, there is nothing but wild in sight. Canyon wrens and swallows cartwheel freely through the air. Bald eagles and osprey roost in trees in between snagging fish from the river’s currents. Bighorn sheep come down to the banks for a drink. Ringtail cats and striped skunks wander through your campsite after dark.

Rivers Outside The Act The Yampa is a primordial Western watercourse, but despite its uniqueness and the landscape it flows through, the river has never gained Wild and Scenic River status, a political and bureaucratic snub that has dogged the

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

river since the Wild and Scenic River Act was adopted 50 years ago. “The social and political support of protection efforts just isn’t there on the Yampa—primarily because of concerns over future water supply and demand gaps,” explains Nathan Fey, director of American Whitewater’s Colorado River Stewardship Program. “When (the U.S. Bureau of Land Management) completed its Management Plan in 2010, three sections of the Yampa were listed as ‘suitable’ for designation. Notably, these three segments are upstream of the national monument. “Moffat County and the Juniper Water Conservancy District do not support the suitability determinations on the basis that future water rights and water projects could be affected. To compound the issue, (Colorado’s) position is to oppose potential federal reservations of water over concerns of limiting the state’s ability to develop its water resources. It is common for the BLM to find rivers ‘not suitable’ when pressured by state and local water interests, or to defer to the state to manage in stream flows on Suitable segments.” The snub is not the Yampa’s alone to bear. Of the more than 3.6 million miles of streams in the country, only

West Virginia’s New River is an oddity, defying its name by being one of the continent’s oldest, and by flowing south to north when most rivers run just the opposite. It was inducted into the National Park System as a “national river” in 1988, nearly a dozen years after I started guiding rafts along its jouncing rapids. The river cuts through geology as old as the continent, and reflects and shimmers the hues of the hardwood forests that run to along its shores. It’s a geographic and biological conundrum as well. Millions of years of available passage have allowed many species of plants and animals to move in and persist in the area. Since the New River cuts from east to west across the Appalachians, we find species that are typically Atlantic coastal plain and piedmont, such as melic grass, living with northern mountain species. Because time has favored the new River Gorge, certain unique species have been able to carve their own niches here. Several species of fish have evolved that are endemic (found nowhere else) to this river. – National Park Service

Paunnacussing Creek, a tributary of the Delaware River, also benefits from the Act / Tim Palmer

The Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho was one of the original eight rivers protected when the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was passed 50 years ago / Tim Palmer

Despite this natural history, and despite the recreational tourism that has grown around running the New River’s tumultuous rapids, it, too, is not part of the nation’s Wild and Scenic Rivers system. “I think the general answer is the same as that for the following: Why are Wilderness Study Areas or key

roadless lands not protected as parks, monuments, or wilderness areas?” answers Lisa Ronald, coordinator of the Wild and Scenic anniversary, when I ask why more rivers aren’t included under, and protected by, the Act. “Many types of lands live, sometimes perpetually, in various categories of limbo during times when our political climate is not friendly to conservation of any sort.” Kevin Coburn, American Whitewater’s national stewardship director, takes her answer a step farther: “I’d add that designating a river often requires a sustained groundswell of local and regional support that includes county level political support, an amenable and motivated Congressional delegation representing the river’s area, and national level support for conservation legislation

(House, Senate, President). All of these variables are constantly shifting, and to secure designation they all have to fall into place at the same time like the tumblers in a lock.”

The Act In Operation Steve Lentz has seen those tumblers align. He grew up with the Act while running rivers that were both inaugural Wild and Scenic stretches as well as those that were added many years later. His first river trip, at age 13 down the Middle Fork of the Salmon, was in 1968, just months before it was protected by President Johnson’s signature on the Act. “The two real recent ones were the Jarbridge-Bruneau system and the Owyhee system,” says Lentz, owner of Far and Away Adventures, which runs float trips on the Middle Fork, Bruneau, and Owyhee rivers in

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Idaho. “Being able to use this act to bring together the interested parties that had a stakehold in these canyons, really, it was just amazing on how everyone came to the table, agreeing that these canyons were extremely special, and OK, how can we protect them?” Cattlemen also came to the table, recalls Mr. Lentz, as did the Air Force, which used to send squadrons of fighters through, not across, the canyons. “They were flying the corridors of those canyons on training maneuvers,” he says. “Now we might have a flyover, from the left to the right side of the walls, but they’re not following the length of the canyon where that impact is right on you.” Along with seeing cooperation from the many stakeholders around rivers, Mr. Lentz knows how Wild and Scenic designation has benefitted rivers. “I think it serves a heckuva purpose,” he says. “The Act has come into play in very different but very powerful and important ways to protect the watersheds. The Middle Fork was obviously the one I’ve seen since the get-go, since the Middle Fork Salmon was included in the initial eight rivers. When that took place, you immediately started seeing a different approach to the management. Of course, the low impact camping hadn’t arrived in 1968, but what immediately took place is that the grazing easements and the meadows on the headwaters of the Middle Fork were all purchased and (grazing) went away and the fishery immediately took a big rebound as a result of that. “It was real fortunate to see the result of the protection, how important it became to try to return this river to a pristine environment. And, of course, in the ‘70s with the low-impact (camping) and fire pans and carrying everything that goes in goes out, basically, really made a difference in the health and the looks of the camps.”

Wording Protection Though just 0.35 percent of the river miles in the United States are officially protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, many others benefit from it, according to Don Barger, senior regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association’s Southeast Region.

Above: Tehipite Dome in Kings Canyon National Park rises above the Middle Fork of the Kings River in California / Tim Palmer Left: The Namekagon River, a tributary of the St. Croix in St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in Wisconsin, shows its colors in spring / Tim Palmer

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

The reason, he explains, is that when Congress drafted enabling legislation for many rivers that were added to the National Park System, it borrowed language from the Act. The language in question comes from Section 7A of the Act, which reads that the Federal Power Commission, “shall not license the construction of any dam, water conduit, reservoir, powerhouse, transmission line, or other project works … on or directly affecting any river which is designated … as a component of the national wild and scenic rivers system…” While the Buffalo River in Arkansas was designated as the country’s first “national river” in 1972, it too is not specifically protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. However, its enabling legislation contains language very similar to that of Section 7A in the act: “The Federal Power Commission

shall not license the construction of any dam, water conduit, reservoir, powerhouse, transmission line, or other project works under the Federal Power Act … on or directly affecting the Buffalo National River and no department or agency of the United States shall assist by loan, grant, license, or otherwise in the construction of any water resources project that would have a direct and adverse effect on the values for which such river is established, as determined by the Secretary…” “The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act became a model for how streams can be protected within the context of other linear (river-based parks) in the National Park System,” explains Mr. Barger. “While they were not designated as wild and scenic rivers, Congress wanted them protected in much the same way. It was a model act whose influence goes beyond just the rivers that were designated by the act.” Those who have come together to see a stream recognized under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and those who continue to work to achieve that goal, share a common love for a free-flowing ribbon of water that runs, leaps, and meanders downhill.

Above left: Recreation, often as much as water, is a key ingredient in rivers, such as the Rogue in Oregon, protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act / Thomas O’Keefe Above: Hikers, paddlers, backpackers, anglers, swimmers, hunters, and more outdoor recreationalists enjoy the Crooked River in Oregon / BLM, Bob Wick

Healthy rivers, such as the Allegheny in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, provide key riparian habitat for wildlife / Tim Palmer

In a country where nature has been so lavish and where we have been so spendthrift of indigenous beauty, to set aside a few rivers in their natural state should be considered an obligation. – Sen. Frank Church, D-Idaho, in arguing for passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Hikers and paddlers enjoy the Obed River, part of the Obed Wild and Scenic River that flows through Tennessee and Kentucky / Tim Palmer NationalParksTraveler.org

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The History Of

FORT JEFFERSON& Dry Tortugas National Park

Fort Jefferson presented a mighty fortress protecting the Florida Straits and the U.S. interests in keeping those straits open / Yankee Freedom

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

hat do you think about when you hear the words “national park”? For most, it’s likely visions of park rangers sporting knee-length khaki shorts and wide-brimmed Smokey Bear style hats. Or maybe it’s the verdant, rugged majesty of Yellowstone National Park with its geothermal wonders and grizzly bears. One thing is for certain: the remote island chain that makes up the Dry Tortugas would never enter your mind, and that is a shame. Because as beautifully strange as the stalactites of Carlsbad Caverns are, and as awesome as the volcanic wonders found in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park certainly are, Dry Tortugas National Park should definitely be in the conversation as one of the more unique places in the entire National Park System.

If you’re ready to take the plunge and see this natural wonder with your own eyes, your first step is getting to Key West. Once there, hop aboard the Yankee Freedom III, a high-performance, luxury catamaran that ferries visitors to and from the Dry Tortugas year-round. Two hours and 70 miles later, you will make landfall on the most isolated national park in the Continental United States. Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513 discovered this blue, virtually deserted oasis. He dubbed the cluster of seven contiguous islands, ‘Las Tortugas,’ which translates to ‘The Turtles,’ so named for the abundance of sea turtles that had migrated there. The addition of the word ‘Dry’ was intended as a warning to future seafaring expeditions that the island was deprived of fresh water. The Dry Tortugas also makes what sailors call a perfect recipe for a shipwreck: Low land, a large fringe reef, tides that vary with the seasons, and a strong current. Toss in a hurricane and you’ve got the makings for a high-speed collision. It was also the perfect spot for the U.S. government to build a stronghold; in this case, a naval fort that would secure shipping lanes for the unfettered importing and exporting of goods between the nation’s southern coast and the Mississippi River and to serve as a deterrent to piracy. Construction began in 1846, and continued for nearly 30 years, until 1875 when Fort Jefferson was deemed finished. This massive, enclosed hexagonal structure built from 16 million bricks became one of the most geographically desirable military structures in America’s arsenal, along with becoming the largest structure built from brick in the Western Hemisphere. In order to ensure the safe passage of friendly vessels, a lighthouse was constructed on Garden Key to illuminate the treacherous reefs and shoals responsible for sinking hundreds of ships since the fort’s inception. Named after the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, the fort had as many as 2,000 military personnel and civilians who called it home. With blacksmiths, cooks, a doctor, and others with specialized skills, the fort functioned almost like a miniature city. There were, however, certain aspects of the fort that lacked what one might call hospitable environs, as there was a prison on the premises that incarcerated mainly deserters from the Union Army during the Civil War. The prison’s most famous inmate was Dr. Samuel Mudd, convicted for his role as co-conspirator in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Though he was sentenced to life in prison, he was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson four years

Whether you swim, snorkel, or kayak at Dry Tortugas National Park, Fort Jefferson is always within sight / Yankee Freeom

into his sentence because of his invaluable assistance in stemming a serious outbreak of yellow fever that would have otherwise ravaged the fort’s population. When it came to sheer, brute firepower, Fort Jefferson had no equal. The design of the fort called for a three-tiered, six-sided, 420 heavy-gun fort, with two sides measuring 325 feet, and four sides measuring 477 feet. The walls meet at corner bastions, which are large projections designed to allow defensive fire along the faces of the walls they joined. The heavy guns were mounted inside the walls in a string of open casemates, or gunrooms, facing outward toward the sea through large openings called embrasures. Fort Jefferson was designed to be a massive gun platform, impervious to assault, and able to destroy any enemy ships foolhardy enough to come within range of its powerful guns. The intimidation factor of the fort was such that while it was still on active duty prior to its decommissioning, it was never fired upon by hostile forces. Near the close of the 19th century, the fort became obsolete and fell out of favor with top military brass. Not only had the conditions of the modern world outgrown the fort’s usefulness, but also its location, exposed to the elements smack dab in the middle of the Florida Straits, caused it to slowly fall into disrepair. Corrosive salt air and violent hurricanes that would wreak havoc in the area proved too costly, and the fort was eventually shuttered. Much later, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated it as a national monument in 1935, and in 1992 it was redesignated as a national park.

What’s lost in all this history, captivating as it is, is the fact that Fort Jefferson comprises exactly 1 percent of the area protected by the National Park Service. The other 99 percent lies beneath the crystal blue waters that surround it. The reefs here are vibrant and teeming with marine life. Because the reefs are so shallow, the sun can nurture the sea life below with unobstructed light. The many shipwrecks in the area help fortify and sustain the ecosystem by serving a second life as an artificial reef. Hundreds of species of marine animals can be encountered here, with opportunities to view sharks, various species of coral, lobsters, squid, octopus, tropical reef fish, goliath groupers, and of course, sea turtles. However, not all the wildlife here spends its life submerged under water. The Dry Tortugas is also a world-class bird-watching destination with more than 300 species of birds passing through and nesting on the islands. As far as national parks go, Dry Tortugas remains an enigma, giving the island a certain mystique. Because of the remote location and limited means to get there, it restricts visitation to lower levels than you would find in most other parks. However, those who have been fortunate enough to set foot there will tell you the trip was definitely worth it. You can hear it in the impassioned oohs and ahhs that weave through stories that tell of the spell they fell under while gazing at the endless turquoise ocean that stretches as far and deep as your imagination.

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By Jane Schneider

Come Drive The Natchez Trace Parkway To Sample An Array Of Southern Dining Burgers, BBQ, and ribs are just some of the traditional items you’ll find on the menus of eateries, such as Puckett’s Grocery (above), as you explore the Natchez Trace Parkway / Jane Schneider

Pull into Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, at Milepost 428.9 along the Natchez Trace Parkway and you’ll find a quaint village, a scattering of antique shops and galleries, and Puckett’s Grocery. It’s the kind of country store I’ve often encountered in the South—casual and homey, with foodstuffs in back and a grill up front. Well, the stage, where the best of Nashville’s country artists casually drop by to pick and sing on open mic night, that was a surprise. That’s part of Puckett’s charm. Pull up a chair. The pungent aroma of pulled pork wafts from the counter where folks eagerly await orders of meat and threes (sides). I pair my BBQ with velvety mac and cheese and a buttermilk biscuit so light you could sleep on it. Instead, I smother its flakiness in white pepper gravy and dig in until a feeling of gracious plenty washes over me. This, my friend, is comfort food at its finest.

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Welcome to the Trace What better way to enjoy spring’s gentle unfolding than eating your way down the Natchez Trace Parkway? From its start in Natchez, Mississippi, to the finish far to the north in Nashville, Tennessee, the gentle, 50 mph pace of the Trace is the perfect antidote to the blurry rush of interstate travel. “I love the Trace,” says Carrie Cox, who recently drove the graceful roadway from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Franklin, Tennessee. “I like that it slows you down so you can enjoy its natural beauty, the turkey and wildlife. My husband says it was the most relaxing trip we’ve taken recently.” The scenic, two-lane parkway covers 444 miles and crosses three states. The Trace was officially established in 1800 as a postal route to the Mississippi Territory. But boatmen who piloted flatboats down the Mississippi River, loaded with corn, tobacco, cotton, and whiskey, popularized the route. Once in Natchez, their freight was sold and the long walk home began via the Trace. The trail was eventually established as a parkway under the National Park Service in 1938. But lush, bucolic scenery isn’t the Trace’s sole amenity. You’ll find many restaurants in the nearby towns of Franklin, Florence, and Tupelo that offer traditional as well as new takes on Southern cuisine. Plenty of cafés still feature classic country fare, most notably Nashville’s Loveless Cafe (Milepost 442), which is renowned for its fried chicken and oh-so-heavenly biscuits. But the farm-to-table movement is making inroads here, too, influencing chefs and distillers alike.

Locally brewed and distilled libations are making a strong comeback across the country, and towns that sidle up to the Parkway are no exception. Leiper’s Fork Distillery in Tennessee is just one of three dozen distilleries along the Tennessee Whiskey Trail / Jane Schneider

Tennessee Whiskey The making of bourbon and whiskey is flourishing in Tennessee, thanks to a 2009 law that reopened the doors to the production of distilled spirits, a craft long revered here. Travel the Tennessee Whiskey Trail and you can tour 36 distilleries. Leiper’s Fork Distillery, outside of Franklin, greets you with the heady aroma of mash. Distiller Caitlin Christian pours me a shot directly from the huge copper still at the heart of their operation. The whiskey, velvety smooth, leaves a spicy note that lingers on my tongue. In the tasting room, we learn about the nuances of brewing and sample bourbon and rye whiskey. Needless to say, several wallets leave a bit lighter following the gift shop stop. A few miles away at Thompson’s

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

Station, owner Heath Clark, who helped pen the 2009 distilling legislation, crafts the bourbon and gin recipes he makes at H. Clark Distillery, Williamson County’s first distillery in 103 years. Though a smaller operation than Leiper’s, his spirits are definitely worth a stop. Neighboring Circa Grill reflects the region’s move toward more chef-inspired restaurants. Here, Chef Jeffrey Penato creates dishes like tuna tartar and braised rabbit pappardelle, a dense, savory pasta dish perfect for the season.

Franklin Foods On downtown Franklin’s vibrant Main Street I visit Gray’s On Main, where Tennessee spirits add local flavor to their sophisticated cocktail menu. Gray’s is a pre-Prohibition craft bar and restaurant, a nod to the building’s history as a pharmacy. Bar manager Kala Ellis takes her mixology seriously, making handmade bitters and syrups that give their drinks a flavorful zing. “I’m constantly learning what’s out there so we can stay on the leading edge,” she says. Their menu is

decidedly Southern with a twist. Try the fried pimento cheese balls, crunchy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, served with a delicate sweet and sour sauce. Also worth a stop is Cork and Cow, where hickory-grilled meats are king.

Florence, Alabama Further south, Florence’s downtown is enjoying resurgence. It boasts one of Alabama’s best pizza joints, The Pie Factory. But if you’re looking for an upscale meal, head to Odette. Under the guidance of Chef Josh Quick, this stylish restaurant has gained an enthusiastic following for its diverse, seasonal menus and small plates, not to mention their wildly popular cheeseburgers. While produce and meats are locally sourced, Chef Quick will venture further afield for inspiration. A trip to Lima, Peru, with sous chef Ramon Jacobson-Gonzalez yielded beef anticuchos. While beef heart can be tough, I find these marinated beef strips tender and wonderfully flavored with aji amarillo peppers, which lend the meat a spicy, slightly citrusy flavor. Leave room for dessert, too. The banana empanada, a baked tartlet drizzled with chocolate and served with vanilla ice cream, is delicious.

At Alabama Chanin you can treat yourself to an unusual white chicken barbecue / Jane Schneider

Lunch at Alabama Chanin Florence’s industrial park might seem an odd place for a lunch spot, but don’t be deterred and pay a visit to Alabama Chanin, designer Natalie Chanin’s production studio and showroom. Inside you’ll find The Factory cafe, where I encounter a north Alabama speciality: white chicken barbecue. Tender smoked chicken is wrapped in a creamy white sauce (a mélange of mayo, vinegar, and mustard), piled high on ciabatta bread, and crowned with a mixed green medley. It’s very satisfying. Driving through hilly neighborhoods, I return to Main Street to dip into Trowbridge’s Ice Cream and Sandwich Bar on Court Street, a downtown staple since 1918. You can still enjoy an old-fashioned egg salad sandwich, but it’s their orange pineapple ice cream I’m craving. Alabama-native Mary Lynn Botts tells me her mother always rewarded good dental check-ups with this favorite confection. Creamy and sweet, it does not disappoint.

On to Tupelo, Mississippi If you arrive in time for lunch in downtown Tupelo, you’ll find several options: Cafe 212 and coffee shop, known for its sweet chicken salad and a homemade tomato soup so tasty I’m tempted to request the recipe. A few doors down, Vanelli’s Bistro offers flavorful pizza and calzones, but Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen (KOK to locals) and their second restaurant, Neon Pig Cafe, is what folks talk about around here. Bragging rights ensued when their “Smash Burger”—containing a mix of various cuts of beef plus bacon all ground together and topped with bacon bits, cheese, onions, pickles and sauces—beat a host of contenders to win Thrillist’s “Best Burger in America” title. The company utilizes a host of local farmers for its meats and produce and creates an impressive array of homemade sauces, rubs, and relishes. The Neon Pig (two miles from downtown) also boasts a charcuterie where meats are cut and cured to perfection.

From Natchez to Nashville, you’ll never want for scenery or eatery along the Trace. Consider these spots a bit of the South for your mouth.

Gray’s on Main in Franklin, Tennessee, offers an intriguing slate of drinks to go along with such dishes as their fried pimento cheese balls / Jane Schneider

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TIME TRAVEL Peneda-GerĂŞs National Park

In The North Of Portugal

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

By Rita Beamish

he dogs were large, with pointy ears, and they appeared suddenly along the cobbled path, barking furiously. My husband Paul and I paused, then slowly crept past them as we murmured pet-friendly reassurances at their bared teeth. They jumped around a bit but did not draw nearer; all bark, no bite. A cheerful man hobbled down the path on his cane, reaffirming this in Portuguese and gestures and tone that conveyed his meaning to our linguistically challenged ears. Chuckling, he waved us on our way from the tiny stone village into a sparse forest in Portugal’s sole national park—Peneda-Gerês. And he was right. We never encountered any of the park’s indigenous wildlife, not the Iberian wolf or roe deer or mountain goats, and the dogs in these ancient, cobbled villages were never threatening. And although the national park is home to some 9,000 people, it seems the dogs outnumbered the humans we saw during our hikes. Admittedly, October is not high season, and climbers frequent the park’s impressive rock faces, but we encountered only a group of four Dutch hikers, and just a handful of villagers. Their small structures were either thatch-roofed and crumbling, or buttoned up as if the residents were out for the day, an ostensible challenge on the narrow dirt roadways that twisted into the hills.

Yesteryear Vibe Hiking in this national park (typically just called Gerês) is more of a time-travel experience than a wilderness foray. Its 270 square miles bend across northern Portugal, snug against the Spanish border. Medieval, and even prehistoric, features are interspersed with backcountry and other uses, including boating and horseback riding, farming and livestock breeding. We at times encountered a clatch of cattle or sheep wrangled by a herder wielding a stick. From high vistas the red-roofed villages—tiny clusters of stone habitations—seemed the very antithesis of modernity, without commercial eateries, coffee shops, or retail of any kind.

The few residents we did encounter—invariably helpful and friendly—likewise conjured earlier times. A leathery-faced woman in rubber knee boots and a widow’s baggy black attire and head scarf, walking with a hoe over her shoulder and pail on her arm, stopped when she saw our car stuck in a tootiny turnaround on a twisting street squeezed between haphazard houses. She cheerfully waved her arms and shouted directions to extract us—and then coyly protested, laughing, as I raised my camera for her photo. She hoisted her hoe and trudged off with a smiling backward glance. Then, when we hiked across the main park road at Sao Bento do Cando and ventured thirstily into a small, empty bar, the 50-ish woman lounging behind the counter enthusiastically suggested we fill our water bottles outside, from a small pipe dripping into a rock fountain.

Above: Fish stalls in a Porto outdoor market do a brisk business / Rita Beamish Left: Scenic riverside Porto is Portugal’s second-largest city and a popular tourist destination / Rita Beamish

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Hiking in Portugal’s sole national park means encounters with scattered housing and tiny villages tucked into the forests and hillsides, like these near the town of Geres / Rita Beamish

Woods, Rocks, and Slashes The national park tops out at 5,068 feet, with an average altitude of 2,300 feet. The hilly terrain makes for moderate hikes through granite-pocked open spaces, mossy woods, and winding dirt tracks. Trail routes merge cobbled paths with the occasional paved stretch or steep rocky haul, all mercifully well marked for walkers by slashes of yellow paint on trees, rocks and structures. But more difficult than the actual hiking in Gerês is figuring out where to go, a problem heightened by the scarcity of maps of its sprawling trail network. Lisbon’s tourist offices and bookstores yielded nothing relevant. In Porto (the country’s second-largest city less than 60 miles from Gerês) we passed many tourism offices before standing in front of four idle clerks at a shiny counter. They were said to possess information about northern Portugal. Just one had actually been to Gerês, albeit 25 years ago. She produced a spectacularly non-detailed brochure

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

Historic Center / Porto Convention and Visitors Bureau

map marking the park’s main villages. That’s it, she shrugged.

Cultural Verve What they lack in Gerês intel, Lisbon and Porto make up for in verve—savory dining, centuries-old architecture, shopping of all kinds and pulsing crowds, all set to the emotional thrum of fado. Amid ornate churches and plazas packed with tourists, outdoor market sell-

ers hawk menu fare ranging from the ubiquitous sardines and salted cod to creamy cheeses and strawberries, as well as delicately handsewn tablecloths and bedding. Cuisine choices abound, and Portuguese vineyards produce an array of sip-worthy varietals. Salads are crunchy, olives are spicy, and along with the pork dishes, grilled octopus is a menu standard—particularly memorable at Downunder, a

gourmet fusion restaurant we came upon late one night on a quiet Lisbon street. There, the Australian owner, like so many restaurateur/ chefs in Portugal, was happy to sit and chat with us about his establishment and life in general.

Wayfinding More productive was historic Braga, about 25 miles from the park, but only because we stumbled upon a topographic map—price, 13 euros—pulled from beneath the counter as a halfhearted afterthought by a tourism officer who’d initially offered nothing beyond the brochure we already had. So, without other guidance, we started our journey in the park’s less majestic southern section, near the “spa” town of Gerês. There, our Airbnb host in Porto had booked us a basic overnight in an inconveniently remote guesthouse.

The trailhead at Campo do Gerês led us on a misty hike to a fog-blanketed lake. We looped past a small bulldozer that was clearing brush for a firebreak, the blackened patches still smoldering from the previous day’s forest fire. Smoky spirals rose into the mist. The sky eventually cleared for our scenic ramble down to a village road so steep and narrow that it seemed unlikely that a car could squeeze between the houses. Amazingly, we did see a subcompact muscling its way through. The drive from the south to the northern part of Gerês is circuitous and is actually best executed by crossing into Spain and then re-entering Portugal several miles to the north. There, more mountainous terrain gives way to rocky massifs with sweeping views. We made a wrong turn somewhere near the sunny vineyard hamlet of Soaje, which

led us roundaboutly to remote Peneda, dominated by its historic church Senhora de Peneda. Across the plaza from the towering church is the granite-walled Hotel Peneda, a sprawling, 18th century lodge renovated—with clean lines and shiny wood floors—in the early 2000s by its Spanish owners. The onsite dueno sat and chatted with us in the small, nondescript restaurant, which served a menu of fresh, local meals with gourmet garnish and flair. We wanted to check out day hikes, and our topo map turned out to be a lifesaver since the glassy information bureaus marking the park’s main entrances had been a bust. The first “gate” we visited, back at Campo do Gerês, was closed in defiance of its posted hours. A second gate had no information for us aside from a single trail map, one like ours, tacked to the wall. The third was similarly bereft of maps, but the attendant did helpfully direct us to a trailhead on our own map.

On High

Above: A hike up from Gavieira in the northern portion of the park winds up on tree-shaded cobblestones to an open trail and expansive views from a tiny village / Rita Beamish

Right: Horses, and horseback riding, are popular in the national park / Porto Convention and Visitors Bureau

We climbed from the village of Gavieira on trellis-covered cobblestones, which gave way to a dirt path. We wound our way above the forest to small, greencarpeted pastures fenced by low stone barriers. The vistas were dramatic, beneath puffy gray-andwhite clouds that floated against a deep blue. A smoky pall further south from the wildfires reminded us that the furious wine-country blazes back in the United States were just a few of hours from our Northern California home. More than one local had told us of the Portuguese belief that their blazes were often arson-caused by industries that stood to gain from clearing land or fighting fires. But here in Gerês, tucked against a hillside, was the seemingly empty hamlet of Brando de Bosgalinhas overlooking the rolling countryside with peaks in the distance. Our path joined its steep, unpaved road and we climbed between the small houses and low stone fences. The only signs of life were some flowers on a windowsill—and two dogs who lazily wandered out to sniff in the direction of our boots—but not too close. NationalParksTraveler.org

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To gain a greater appreciation for the Yosemite Valley, you need to hike high / NPS

fourseasons OF YOSEMITE

As iconic as Yosemite National Park can seem, it changes greatly depending upon the seasons. From snow to water to fall colors, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always changing; any season is a good time to visit. When summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heat kicks in, the Mist Trail is the place to cool off / NPS

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Right: Trails spin off in many directions from the Tioga Road in Yosemite’s high country, such as the John Muir Trail that heads all the way south into Sequoia National Park / Kurt Repanshek

SPRING WATERFALLS As the days lengthen and winter loosens its grip, the high country’s snowpack melts and feeds the creeks, streams, rivers and waterfalls in Yosemite. This makes for great waterfall watching from May through the middle of summer. While some waterfalls are hidden and tiny, others are stunning spectacles. The most notable is Yosemite Fall, which drops 2,425 feet from the top of the Upper Falls to the bottom of the Lower Falls. The native people, the Ahwahneechee, called this incredible torrent Cholock, and believed the pool at the base was the home to spirits and witches. An easy walk is the onemile loop trail to the base where you can listen to the thundering water and feel the spray. You can hike to the top of the falls, but it’s more than seven miles of steep trail, with an elevation gain of 2,700 feet. Sentinel Fall drops around 2,000 feet on the south side of the Yosemite Valley, cascading from ledge to ledge to ledge, with peak flows in May. And there are many others: Ribbon Falls at 1,612 feet, Horsetail Fall at 1,000 feet, and Bridalveil Fall, which drops 620 feet and greets visitors from the Wawona Road. Trails can be muddy and snow-covered, but late in spring head up the Mist Trail to Vernal Fall (317 feet) and on another 2 miles towards Nevada Fall (594 feet). Take a raincoat and good boots; you will get wet. 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.

WINTER SNOWS

SUMMER HIKES Summer is a perfect time to escape the valley heat and crowds and tramp around the spectacular mountains of Yosemite National Park as John Muir did. In this wilderness unlike any other, granite domes soar above you, birds make their shrill calls, and forests fill the soul. You can leave the Yosemite Valley and break a sweat by heading up, up, up into the canyons via their trails. Better yet, visit the high country for an easier romp in the high alpine meadows with towering peaks soaring high overhead. While some hikes require a permit because of their popularity, most are open and ready for your best hiking shoes. Make sure you take some water, map, a raincoat, and a snack; you’ll probably need all three. Keep an eye on the skies for gathering storms and lightning, and stay away from the high peaks.

Bears are among Yosemite’s locals, which is why you should use bear boxes to safeguard your foodstuffs when they’re available / NPS

Above right: Granite domes, occasionally marked by trees that somehow defy the granite, open up endless routes of discovery along the Tioga Road / Kurt Repanshek

AUTUMN SPLENDOR Summer was on the run in Yosemite. A few flakes began to fall in late August on the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada range; a dusting that foretold of the change of seasons. Oncegreen meadows were now gold, with red and orange shrubs scattered throughout the high country. Down in the valley the crowds were thinning as the temperatures dropped and kids headed back to schools. Autumn is a wonderful time in Yosemite. Colder temperatures mean no more bugs, the days are warm and the nights are chilly. Ice sheets rimming lakes reflect the towering walls that wrap the valley floor. It’s a busy time for wildlife, too. They’re busy finding food for the coldest months, storing it underground or in layers of fat under their fur. Deer are caught up in the yearly mating dance of clattering antlers as they try to impress the females. Take a hike up to Vernal and Nevada falls for a great view down into the valley, before retiring to a roaring fire in your lodging. The days shorten, so it’s important to get an early start too.

By January the white mantle has engulfed the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Park, but this isn’t the season to stay indoors. It reveals another, deeper, dimension in the park. You’re likely to see animals, or at least their tracks, which you wouldn’t when the ground is bare of snow. There’s more solitude and quiet too. While the Tioga Road that runs through Tuolumne Meadows closes to wheeled traffic with the deep snows, some hardy souls cross-country ski or snowshoe into the high country. Other skiers head up towards Glacier Point and the Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area, formerly called Badger Pass Ski Area. There’s also a tubing area and terrain park here, and the access to the backcountry and cross-country ski trails is superb, with 90 miles of marked snowshoe and cross-country ski trails and 10.5 miles of groomed skating track. You could spend the day on a self-guided snowshoe hike in Aspen Grove. Two overnight huts are accessible from the ski area for the more adventurous. Ski or snowshoe in awe beneath the giant sequoia trees in the Tuolumne or Mariposa groves. Watch for the tracks of snowy denizens of the forest, or take a heartpounding skate-ski up a road until the valley vista presents itself. These are some of the grandest trees on Earth, and it’s a whole different world in the winter. As you can see, anytime is a good time to visit Yosemite. It will feed your soul and wear down your soles.

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FRIENDS OF THE PARKS Preserving the Historic Bar BC Dude Ranch in Grand Teton Nestled among the sagebrush along the western edge of the Wild and Scenic Snake River in Grand Teton National Park sits the second-oldest and best-known dude ranch in Jackson Hole—the Bar BC Dude Ranch. During its peak years, the Bar BC provided guests with an authentic cowboy experience while entertaining them in the evening with costume parties, original plays, and literary discussions. Today the site is a treasured destination and is very meaningful to generations of visitors. The 763-acre Bar BC Dude Ranch was established in 1912 and is a central element of Jackson Hole’s cultural history due to its defining role in the dude ranching movement. Intended as a way for tourists to experience ranching life, the Bar BC entertained a well-heeled clientele due to the colorful reputations of the ranch’s hosts—Struthers and Katherine Burt. Nationally recognized writers and silent film producers, their publications brought widespread fame to the Bar BC far beyond the Rocky Mountains. Struthers’s book, The Diary of a Dude Wrangler, singlehandedly popularized the dude ranch experience and inspired a new generation of wranglers in the west. As many as 50 dudes could stay at the ranch at a monthly rate of $300 each. The Bar BC attracted illustrious such guests as Ernest Hemmingway, Mrs. Grover Cleveland, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and William Faulkner. The 1930s saw the addition of a rustic airstrip, a plane to monitor cattle and horses from the air, and modern plumbing. Operation of the ranch remained in private hands until 1987, when the owners relinquished their life tenancy of the property to the National Park Service.

The many stories held within the walls of the Bar BC Dude Ranch all come alive through the revitalization of the ranch’s buildings thanks to funding from the Grand Teton National Park Foundation / Grand Teton National Park Foundation

The buildings of Bar BC were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Since that time, Grand Teton has been unable to prioritize maintaining the historic buildings, resulting in significant deterioration. The lack of major funding for the two largest structures and social centers—the Main Cabin and Corse Cabin—remains the biggest opportunity to keep the heart of the ranch on the landscape for visitors to enjoy and

appreciate. With funding from Grand Teton National Park Foundation, Grand Teton National Park has begun a two-year project to restore these two structures so visitors can continue to experience this extraordinary place and its vibrant history well into the future. To support the preservation of the historic Bar BC Dude Ranch, visit gtnpf.org/donate or call (307) 732-0629.

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Remaking History at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park Each year, more than 250,000 visitors make a stop at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, North Carolina. They stroll the nearly 25 miles of carriage trails on the 3,500-acre estate, travel back in time with a ranger-led tour of Flat Top Manor, or simply sit on the porch and enjoy the view of Bass Lake in the distance below. Every trip to the park links back to the hospitality of denim magnate Moses H. Cone himself, who insisted the public could come enjoy the bucolic grounds of the country retreat he began creating in late 1800s. Cone developed the property as a gentleman’s country estate. He was not only a successful entrepreneur, he was an inquisitive gentleman farmer who experimented with agriculture. Beginning in 1897, he carefully created an impressive country retreat featuring carriage trails, lakes, apple orchards, fields, and forests. His vision was influenced by a great regard for the natural landscape. Before his untimely death in 1908, he constructed Flat Top Manor as the centerpiece of this idyllic mountain estate. After his passing, his wife, Bertha, operated the estate for nearly 39 years, adhering to his original concept. The 3,500-acre estate became part of the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1949. Moses H. Cone Memorial Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, but with ever declining federal funding the Parkway has not been able to maintain the property in a fashion deserving of this valued historical site. The landscape and Flat Top Manor are in serious disrepair, the iconic stonewalls are crumbling, and there are few interpretive materials to tell the story of the estate. That’s why, in 2016, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation set out to raise $3 million to meet the most pressing needs of this unique place. Support for the renovation and preservation efforts are already making a visible impact. Last year, the estate buzzed with activity as the manor underwent repairs, including the installation of a new roof and balustrade, and a crew with the American Conservation Experience cleared the carriage trails of overgrown vegetation. Though the work had begun, the Foundation still must raise $1 million to reach its goal and secure the future of the park. To learn more about this fascinating place and how to help, visit brpfoundation.org. 36

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Nothing comes quickly, or inexpensively, when you’re preserving an early 20th century manor. Fortunately, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has stepped up with funding and sweat equity / Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

This Year It’s About The Kids! It’s that time of year when grant requests come in to Washington’s National Park Fund from Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks. These priority projects come in four focus areas—Youth & Family, Volunteerism & Stewardship, Science & Research and Visitor Experiences. And then the Fund sets out to raise money to complete these projects that would otherwise go unfunded. Drumroll please… as we hear about a few of this year’s Youth & Family programs! The Education Rangers at Mount Rainier meet student groups coming to the park, mostly during the spring when Paradise is buried in snow. Whether from a nearby town or inner city Seattle, many of these kids have never been to the park much less spent time in a snowy environment. While it is often sunny and warm at sea level, it can be blizzarding in April on ‘the Mountain’! The kids are led out on a snowshoe walk with chaperones and learn to safely negotiate snow trails (and have some fun in the process!). The Endangered Species Trailer at North Cascades educates visitors, students, and the public about some of the 37 animal species believed or known to occur in Washington State that are listed as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species List, including the grizzly bear and gray wolf. The cargo trailer is equipped with photos, and the inside has mounted mammal and bird species along

with examples of furs and feathers, and replica tracks, skulls, and scat. The trailer is also taken to schools and utilized at visitor centers and campgrounds for hands-on learning, and operated at special events

Bringing kids into the outdoors to marvel over the wildlife, learn about endangered species, and even learn how to paddle is a key goal of Washington’s National Park Fund / Washington’s National Park Fund

and festivals to engage with new and diverse audiences. A similar bear trailer was used last summer and in four months had nearly 10,000 visitors. Adventures in Your Big Backyard at Olympic partners with the Boys & Girls Club to introduce summer camp kids to the full diversity of ecosystems—ocean, mountains, rivers and rain forests—all contained at the park. They spend their days canoeing on Lake Crescent, swimming at Sol Duc Hot Springs, rafting the Elwha River, and hiking the Pacific Coast. The kids take away transformative experiences, and move on to become the next generation to serve as stewards of our beloved lands. At the Spring Dinner & Auction for Washington’s National Park Fund (April 7 at Seattle Center), guests will raise the paddle for these projects during the FundA-Need part of the evening. Join us as we spend the evening with park rangers and bid on unique Park Packages—an example from the 2017 auction was ‘A Snorkel Survey of Elwha River Coho Salmon with Olympic Fisheries Biologists!’

The NextGen Rangers program at Saguaro National Park is an incubator that could produce the next generation of park stewards / Friends of Saguaro

Friends of Saguaro, NextGen Rangers, And The National Park Service In 2015, Friends of Saguaro created the Next Generation Ranger Corps Internship Program at Saguaro National Park, in response to the “Call to Action” by the National Park Service. The program is designed to enable young people to discover Saguaro and its different operational divisions through a supportive, engaging, and educational working opportunity at the park. (See Video) Over the past three years, a diverse group of more than 40 NextGen Rangers have worked at the park developing valuable skills and gaining unique work experiences. All NextGen Rangers obtain a basic understanding of National Park Service history, the Saguaro Wilderness, resource management, interpretation, safety, community outreach, and visitor protec-

tion. In addition, each Next Gen Ranger has the opportunity to work with a park mentor on an individualized project in a specific skill area. The National Park Service has recognized that there is a particular need for urban parks, like Saguaro, to engage diverse audiences, and create a workforce that is representational of the surrounding urban community. The NextGen Ranger Program is composed of 68 percent women; 42 percent of participants are from underserved communities; 68 percent worked at least 640 hours in the program (qualifying them for “Public Land Corps” hiring authority); and 10 percent have been hired into permanent or seasonal jobs at Saguaro National Park. Mentored by park staff, and specializing in areas including environmental education, community outreach, natural resource monitoring, environmental restoration, and other relevant field, the Friends of Saguaro NextGen Rangers are then supporting additional community outreach to more than 15,000 youth in southern Arizona by joining park staff in visiting schools, facilitating field trips, and helping with citizen science activities. They also help connect additional underserved students to environmental-related fields, and stimulate student interest in environmental stewardship, the parks conservation mission, and the potential of public land management careers. With this paid internship and work experience, the Friends of Saguaro Next Generation Ranger Corps Internship Program is changing the lives of a younger generation, providing a pathway to enter the workforce, and beginning a lifetime of environmental stewardship for national parks and public lands. To learn more, or support the Friends of Saguaro Next Generation Ranger Corps Internship Program, please visit www.friendsofsaguaro.org.

At Saguaro National Park, NextGen Ranger programs introduce youth to many facets of the park, including flora and fauna / Friends of Saguaro

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Acadia Readies For Season Of Renewal With habitats ranging from salt-water wetlands to high mountain summits, spring comes to Acadia National Park in a thousand ways. Near sea level, perennials sprout fresh shoots through warming soils, while buds on maples and birches swell in anticipation of first leaf. Up high, hardy conifers and delicate wildflowers await their turn to shake off winter’s cold and revel in the warmth of the strengthening sun. In addition to preparing to deal with summer’s throngs of visitors, Acadia staff is wrestling with what to do following some weather-related damage this past winter. In January, back-to-back 50-year rainstorms, combined with rapid melting of snowpack, resulted in the area around the Sieur de Monts Spring Nature Center, and the nearby Great Meadow, being inundated by more than two feet of water. Rapidly dropping temperature then turned that water into ice. Hundreds turned out to ice skate among the trees (See Video) and above hiking trails where rangers were actually paddling canoes just a few days before! The joy of discovering something new in Acadia was tempered however, by the toll the ice and water took on both natural and human-made features. The Nature Center and nearby restrooms were flooded. Ice took out anti-deer fencing at the Wild Gardens of Acadia. How the floods and ice will affect the delicate microhabitats created and nurtured by volunteers at the gardens remains to be seen. Still, the traditional signs of spring returning to Acadia will soon be here. Endangered Peregrine Falcons usually return to the cliff-side scrapes to hatch their young in late March. Watch for possible trail closings used to minimize human activity near the nesting sites. While the park no longer holds “Car Free” days on the paved Park Loop Road for half a Saturday, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy those roads between the time the snow melts and vehicles are allowed. Although one lane along Ocean

As winter slowly turns into spring at Acadia National Park, you can find times when the roads are clear of both snow and traffic so you can pedal or ski...on roller skis! / Friends of Acadia

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Drive is kept open year-round, the rest of the Park Loop Road, including the Cadillac Summit Road, isn’t slated to reopen until April 14 (weather permitting). Also in spring, the groomed, gravel carriage roads may be closed for a week or so due to mud conditions. When the

surface thaws, but the ground below is still frozen, water can’t percolate downward. Walkers, and especially bikers, can leave deep ruts and holes in smooth surface. In additional to enjoying the outdoors in Acadia this season, you can also volunteer to help maintain the park’s trails and

carriage roads through the efforts of the non-profit group Friends of Acadia. Find out more here. To keep up on the latest news and happenings in Acadia, join Friends of Acadia, and receive the group’s threetimes-per-year Journal.

The North Cascades National Park Complex is an amazing open air classroom that the North Cascades Institute takes full advantage of / North Cascades Institute

Happy 50th Birthday North Cascades National Park! This year marks the 50th anniversary of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, a sprawling, wild reserve that includes North Cascades National Park and the Ross Lake and Lake Chelan national recreation areas. North Cascades Institute celebrates this milestone in the ongoing story of these mountains, and salutes the many people who have championed their protection. Because of earlier generations’ forward-thinking stewardship and activism, these magnificent mountains, lakes, rivers and forests are here today for all of us to enjoy, recharge, recreate and seek solace in! For more than 30 years, North Cascades Institute has helped people of all ages explore, enjoy, and learn about this special corner of the country. This nationally recognized education nonprofit offers many exciting ways to connect with the natural and cultural history of “America’s Alps.” You’re invited to join the institute for an afternoon, an overnight stay, or a weekend—sign up for a family camp, art or ecology class, Diablo Lake boat tour, geology hike or another one of the dozens of opportunities designed to get you outside.

Base Camp offers you the opportunity to explore the natural and cultural history of the North Cascades while enjoying the comforts of the institute’s campus in the heart of North Cascades National Park— one of only a handful of overnight venues inside the park. Each night of Base Camp includes guided outdoor learning activities, lodging and three delicious meals, starting at $65/night. Or, join a Family Getaway and enjoy comfortable accommodations, delicious meals and a wide variety of engaging, hands-on activities like canoeing, hiking, outdoor games and nature crafts. Watch a video here. Five weekends in July-September, all ages welcome! The institute offers dozens of hands-on Learning Adventures, including singleday and weekend classes on birding, geology, wildlife tracking, journaling, mushrooms and more. Upcoming classes include The Art of Drawing Maps, In the Company of Corvids, Digital Photography Workshops, Watercolors, Birding Field Trips and more! All of these programs and more can be found at www.ncascades.org/get_outside. You can contact the registration team with any questions at (360) 854-2599 or email info@ncascades.org.

Special North Cascades Anniversary Events: March 31-April 1: Spring Dinner Celebration at the Environmental Learning Center featuring “50 Years of Wildlife Science in the North Cascades” presentation by National Park Service biologist Roger Christophersen. Featuring overnight accommodations, meals and an optional hike to wildlife survey sites. Info and registration: http://bit.ly/2F4Ybfg August 25: Anniversary Celebration at Newhalem Visitor Center, North Cascades National Park. October 2: A Celebration of the 50th Birthday of North Cascades National Park, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the National Trails System Act at The Mountaineers Program Center in Seattle.

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Ride Off Into the West, and a National Park, From a Dude Ranch

ude ranches have been showcasing Western landscapes in national parks, and their associated experiences, for generations of families, many who come back year after year after year to relive the experience. And why not? These typically week-long vacations revolve around trail rides that literally carry you into these marvelous settings. And that day in the saddle is followed by a hearty meal that might feature Citrus Roasted Half Chicken, Porcini Mushroom Risotto, or a classic Buffalo Tenderloin. At day’s end, you’ll settle into a soft, warm bed in a cabin that’s rooted in the setting. With some ranches closing in on a century of welcoming guests, it’s not a lie to say the industry literally grew up with the National Park System. So intertwined are the two that there’s almost a symbiotic relationship between them. True, most dude ranch vacations feature all-inclusive ranch stays. But there are ranches out there that relish and promote their proximity to national parks, places such as Goosewing Ranch with close proximity to Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks in Wyoming, or the White Stallion Ranch that sidles up to Saguaro National Park in Arizona. Here’s a look at several dude ranches that can connect you with a national park when you want the best of both experiences—ranch life and a sampling of America’s best places. Geronimo Trails Ranch in Winston, New Mexico, in the Black Range Mountains. The sun provides the electricity and cell service is an hour’s drive away. Its 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

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all day. With only four guest cabins, it’s intimate and you’ll become part of the family and ranch-life. There is a place in northern Montana where days are spent on trial rides or sharpening skills barrel racing or maybe simply fishing. Visitors to the Bar W Guest Ranch also have access to mountain bike trails and relaxing on evening wagon rides that culminate with a cookout. For some, helping with a cattle drive might be on your schedule. For all, rides high up into the mountains and through the pine forests are daily adventures. The 3,000-acre ranch is not far from the Canadian border...and it’s also less than an hour from Glacier National Park. Only 2.5 hours from the Grand Canyon and located in the heart of cowboy country, the Stagecoach Trails Ranch is dedicated to providing you with the best dude ranch vacation you can find. The staff has worked hard to create a special, friendly atmosphere where you can get a glimpse into the Old West while enjoying the beautiful northwestern Arizona desert. The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch in Shell, Wyoming, is a 300,000-acre

Three-hundred-thousand acres are the backdrop for the Hideout Ranch located east of Yellowstone National Park / Dude Ranchers’ Association

working cattle, riding and fly-fishing ranch. This upscale all-inclusive quality ranch is located 60 miles east of Cody and Yellowstone National Park. Here you’ll focus on riding, horses, and respectful horsemanship. There’s a nice mix of quarter horses and mustangs for all levels of riders. A day trip to Yellowstone is the perfect way to spend a day out of the saddle. When considering a dude ranch vacation, be sure to look for the establishment’s endorsement from the Dude Ranchers’ Association. This organization, which arose from a meeting in 1926 in a Bozeman, Montana, hotel room between cattle ranching and railroad interests, doesn’t take membership lightly. Rather, ranches are evaluated for two years on everything from their lodgings to how they care for their horses before they’re granted membership. Today, only about 100 ranches sprinkled through the Western United States and one Canadian province have qualified for that distinction.

National parks and national monuments are within a 4-6 hour drive from Geronimo Trails Ranch / Dude Ranchers’ Association

Gallop with the Tetons to your back, and then in your face, at the Goosewing Ranch in Wyoming / Dude Ranchersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association

Books Worth Considering A Mountaineer’s Life I first heard Allen Steck’s name when I was flying and climbing in the Owen’s Valley of California in the early 1980s. His exploits, along with Norman Clyde, Doug Robinson, Galen Rowell and John Salathe, were legendary. Known by the moniker, the Slim Fox, the mountains have been his home. At 91, Steck has passed along what wisdom he has gained in his seven decades of mountaineering in this wellwritten memoir. His insights into the trajectory and increasing popularity of climbing in America, had him write: “When I started in 1946, climbing was little known or understood in America. Compare this to what climbing was like in France at the time, where the French Alpine Club was so vigorous that they easily financed an expedition to make the first ascent of Annapura in 1950.” Things have certainly changed, and Steck has been there every vertical step along the way, and outlines his journey in this fascinating chronology of one

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

climber’s life. An Oakland, California, native, his first climb in the Sierra had him hooked. Then it was off to Europe as a teen in the Alps with Kurt Lugmayer. Over the next 70 years, Steck would travel worldwide and compile the nuggets for stories of triumphs and defeats, deprivation and anguish, hunger, and injuries in pursuit of the summit that went into this memoir. Perhaps the most dramatic chapter describes his journey to the former Soviet Union’s Pamir Mountains as part of an international climbing camp. It was on Peak Lenin on August 7, 1974, that eight Russian women perished during an intense storm in pursuit of the summit. Steck’s description of the storm, climb, and sorrow at their loss is a heart-wrenching tale. He made many first ascents, including the Hummingbird Ridge in Alaska, and the Steck-Salathe Route on Yosemite’s Sentinel Rock. From a Teton Traverse to an ascent of Makalu to backpacking in the Grand Canyon, he has pretty much done it all. In search of a living, Steck founded, and published, Ascent Magazine for the Sierra Club for over 30 years, and was the co-author with Steve Roper of the wellread tome, Fifty Classic Climbs of North America. In 1969 he co-founded Mountain Travel, America’s first true adventure travel company, which introduced many guests to his beloved mountains worldwide. Along the way he also married and had a family that carries on his tradition of a life outdoors. Steck writes a beautiful homage to his climbing partner and friend John Salathe, the Swiss climber who created the first hard-steel pitons that changed climbing forever. They have both been friends, mentors, and inspiration to subsequent generations of alpinists. Philosophically, Steck realizes that his pursuits of steep rock, thin air, and comradery have no other purpose than

to just be. He writes, “We do not deceive ourselves that we are engaging in an activity that is anything but debilitating, dangerous, euphoric, kinesthetic, expensive, frivolously essential, economically useless and total without redeeming social significance. One should not probe for deeper meanings.” This book seems to say otherwise. — Patrick Cone

Colors of the West, An Artist’s Guide To Nature’s Palette America’s grand introduction to the West came through the paintings of Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, William Henry Jackson, and others. They captured the landscapes with big, moving imagery that drew the world’s attention to canyon country, the Great Plains, towering, snowcapped mountains, and deep chasms. While most travelers these days carry cameras in one form or another to capture the landscapes they encounter, there’s something about brushstrokes that bring so much more to what rises up in front of us, whether it’s the Grand Teton, an aspen glade, Half Dome, or the rutted panorama of Badlands National Park.

As Denis Diderot attests in an introductory chapter to this hardcover book, “A sketch is generally more spirited than a picture. It is the artist’s work when he is full of inspiration and ardor, when reflection has toned down nothing.” Mastering those brushstrokes has been a never-ending challenge for me, but there could be hope in Molly Hashimoto’s book. Not quite 200 pages, the book nevertheless holds 170 illustrations that are laid out by color. Green, for instance, is conveyed through a tranquil watercolor of a canoe at dock on the shore of Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park (at the North Cascades Institute’s Environmental Learning Center). Blue comes across via the tranquil waters of Lake Crescent, with the mountains of Olympic National Park slowly vanishing into the distance. Gold shows up in both the rockscape of Pompeys Pillar National Monument in Montana and the North Entrance archway to Yellowstone National Park. Ms. Hashimoto shows off the Painted Hills of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and Pinnacles National Park, among others, for red, while the cliffs of Bandelier National Monument and the Orange Spring Mound in Yellowstone help her define orange. Violet, not too surprisingly if you’ve visited this park, is captured in the wildflowers of Mount Rainier National Park as well as via the view of the mountain from Berkeley Park, and through a meadow of lupines at North Cascades. Dividing up the book by these colors, and showing the possibilities, helps us see, and appreciate, some of the finer details of the parks when we visit. And Ms. Hashimoto’s beautiful watercolors give us something to aim for, if we’re so inclined to take palette and paintbrush into the parks and sit a while to take in the landscape. Interspersed among her watercolors are technical instructions that explain how to tackle some of these settings, such as thermal pools in Yellowstone, how to use a “rainbow approach” of adding bands of color to capture the red-rock hues of the Southwest, the use of a “rigger brush” for grassy vegetation, and “glazing,” in which subsequent washes of color are layered to build the landscape on your paper. Then, too, the author tells us about some of her “artist heroes,” such as Chiura Obata who painted amazing watercolors of Yosemite National Park, Thomas Moran, who captured Yellowstone in moving images that swayed Congress to declare it the world’s first national park, and the artists of the Western Progress Administration who created iconic national

park posters during the 1930s and 40s. For aspiring artists, this would be an excellent book to pack along for a field course in watercolors, such as those offered by Yellowstone Forever (where Ms. Hashimoto will be one of the instructors), Glacier Institute, the Grand Canyon Association, the North Cascades Institute, and others. To prepare you for such coursework, Ms. Hashimoto ends the book with a listing of her favorite art materials and outlets. For those not interested in taking brush in hand, this book still offers beautiful images from the National Park System. — Kurt Repanshek

Adventuring With Kids Youngsters are essential to the future of national parks, for they will be tomorrow’s advocates and possibly even stewards. But taking children who can barely ride a bike or aren’t old enough for their learner’s permit for driving into a national park can seem daunting. Hiking in Yellowstone’s backcountry with grizzly bears? Exploring the somewhat technical route to Angels Landing in Zion? Harley and Abby McAllister used their four sons to field-test those two parks on a kid-sized level. The result was Adventuring With Kids, a series by Mountaineers Books that currently has two titles, Yellowstone National Park and Utah’s Big Five National Parks. The guides contain some of the expected information you’d find in most park guidebooks. There are sections on wildlife, lodging, camping, when to go (“Since this is a book about going to Yellowstone with kids, we have mostly operated under the assumption that readers will be visiting in the summer months”), and itineraries. Naturally, considering the audience, the McAllisters address Junior Ranger programs, and strongly suggest you base your choice of hikes on your kids’ abilities and stamina, not yours. While they try to be reasonable with their itineraries, their suggestions should be just that, suggestions. For instance, in Yellowstone they recommend one day to explore the Norris, Midway, and Upper geyser basins. But setting aside just an hour to tour the Midway Geyser Basin seems too short, especially if you’re going to visit Firehole Lake Drive, Biscuit Basin, and maybe hike to Mystic Falls. Also seeming to be missing was mention of the Museum of the National Park Rang-

er at Norris, a wonderful stop if you think your kids might be interested in a career as a park ranger. Whether it was the publisher’s or authors’ decision to put all five national parks in Utah – Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion – into one book, it was the wrong decision. Each of these parks has its own unique personality deserving of thorough exploration. Spending just a day at each does them a disservice. Pairing Arches and Canyonlands in one book might be reasonable, and possibly Zion and Bryce Canyon, but five in one is too much to ask. With so much to do in these five parks, why it was necessary to include NationalParksTraveler.org

the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is somewhat of a mystery, other than that it’s within a half-day’s drive of Zion. At Zion a full day alone could be spent in Zion Canyon, with additional time needed to explore the Kolob Canyons end of the park with its homesteader cabin and unique geology. Arches requires more time in part because of the huge crowds that can affect your ability to park and simply get around, and it has some outstanding hikes (Park Avenue, the Primitive Trail) that deserve a look. Bryce Canyon has gorgeous views from the 18-mile-long rim top drive… and equally gorgeous views from the hikes that take you below that rim and into places such as Queen’s Garden. One day would be rushing things. Trying to take in Canyonlands in a day means you’ll likely only see one of the three districts, the Island in the Sky, because of its proximity to Arches. Capitol Reef has amazing geology, rich archaeology, interesting homesteading history, and even outlaw tales. That’s a lot to checkoff in one day. While the authors provide threeand five-day itineraries, and suggest you review those to plan a seven-day vacation in Utah’s national parks, it’d be nicer, and perhaps more realistic, to see individual guidebooks to these parks that enable you to do more than quickly scratch the surface. — Kurt Repanshek

100 Classic Hikes: Montana There are multiple wonderful things that Douglas Lorain brings to his book. Good descriptions and beautiful photography are crucial to any guidebook, and they’re plentiful here. Toss in a little attitude, and you have a guidebook that strives to give you the lowdown truthfully, not simply to fill pages. Mr. Lorain is an unabashed fan of Glacier National Park, telling you right from the start of this section that, “With over 700 miles of world-class trails and unlimited off-trail possibilities, Glacier tops almost every list of America’s best parks for hikers and backpackers. And how could it not? I mean no offense to Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite, Olympic, Grand Canyon, or any of the other contenders, but you’re just vying for second place.”

Essential Park Guide | Spring 2018

Regardless of whether you accept that, this book’s section on Glacier is a stout resource if you’re thinking of exploring the park on foot, preferably with pack on your back. The author goes big with his first selection, a 25mile round-trip hike to Boulder Pass. Part of the beauty of this journey, in addition to the scenery, of course, is the two crossings of the U.S.-Canada border that require you to pack your passport. And he’s not ashamed to warn you of the “often-buggy Waterton River Camp,” or the “infamously mosquito infested” Boulder Pass. But Mr. Lorain also points you to an overnight at the Lake Francis Camp, which offers “nice views of a tall veillike waterfall dropping from the cliffs of The Sentinel to the south.” Elsewhere in the Glacier section he’s

bullish on the 52-mile (or 64, with side trips), Northern Loop that he ventures just might be the best backpacking jaunt in Glacier. “There are stupendous views of glacier-clad mountains, sparkling lakes in every shape and size, and wonderfully scenic high passes and low forested valleys, tall waterfalls and even taller cliffs, abundant wildlife and wildflower-covered meadows, and even several excellent side trips to still more wonders.” If you’re planning a trek, or a return, to Montana and Glacier National Park, this book is a strong resource. And once you’re done exploring the baker’s dozen hikes in the park detailed by the author, there are hundreds of miles of other trails in the Treasure State that Mr. Lorain will guide you down. — Kurt Repanshek

Parting Shot

Nearly 150 miles of the Upper Missouri River are protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and by the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM