National Parks Traveler's Essential Guide, Summer 2015

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Inside

Essential Park Guide / Summer 2015

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Preserving a Marine Wonderland

By Jameson Clifton Biscayne National Park has a bold plan to revive fisheries and the health of coral reefs.

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Past And Present In the Rockies Rocky Mountain National Park celebrates its rich history and a future full of promise.

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Find Your Classic Hike

By NPT Staff There are countless hikes in the National Park System, but not all are classics.

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On The Road Again

By NPT Staff Hit the road to hunt shells on the Outer Banks, study the wrath of volcanoes, explore the Civil Rights movement, and retrace 19th century trailblazers.

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Rainier’s Sunny Side Treat yourself to the “sunny” side of Mount Rainier National Park at Sunrise.

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Maine’s National Park Aspirations

By Miri Gubler After two decades of debate, Maine inches closer to a North Woods park.

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Editor: Kurt Repanshek Art Director: Courtney Cooper

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Contributing Photographers: Deby Dixon, Rebecca Latson, George Wuerthner

Three Grand Days

By Kurt Repanshek With a rich cultural background and stunning scenery, there’s no need to rush a Grand Teton National Park vacation.

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Books, Gear, Et. Al

By NPT Staff Wilderness lessons, a pack for your back, and more for your consideration.

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High In The Sierra

By Michael A. Lanza A National Park Classic: The John Muir Trail from Yosemite To Sequoia.

Special Projects Editor: Patrick Cone

Editorial Interns: Jameson Clifton, Miri Gubler Contributors: Jake Bramante, Michael A. Lanza, publishED by

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Essential Park Guides are published by National Park Advocates, LLC, to showcase how best to enjoy and explore the National Park System. National Park Advocates, LLC, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah, 84098. © 2015 Essential Park Guide, Summer 2015.

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

National Parks.

They are places of wonderment. They spark our curiosity, help us relax, and can keep us in shape. They offer thousands of miles of hiking trails, majestic vistas, deep woods, rushing streams, and quite literally an open-air zoo of wildlife that relies on these landscapes to thrive and, in some cases, merely survive.

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atmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska is renowned for its brown bears, as Contributing Photographer Rebecca Latson found when she captured our cover photo. It’s just as wellknown for its Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, which is still steaming, the aftermath of a 1918 volcanic eruption.

On the other end of the continent, Biscayne National Park is famous for its watery underworld. In a feature beginning on page 6, Jameson Clifton caps his internship with the Traveler by looking at efforts to rebuild fisheries and coral reefs. Beginning on page 33, Miri Gubler, who also spent the past semester as an intern, gives us an update on efforts to establish a national park in Maine’s heavily wooded interior—an effort with no small amount of controversy.

In our Essential Park Guide, Summer 2015 you will also read what it takes

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to explore the sunny side of Mount Rainier National Park, and how to celebrate Rocky Mountain National Park’s centennial. Michael A. Lanza’s walk along the John Muir Trail might inspire you to start making your own plans for this magnificent trail.

With walking in mind, we also have our list of classic park hikes on page 15. It’s not complete by any means,

Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

but hopefully will give you an excuse to get out on the trail.

And make sure you read our latest 3 Days feature, on page 36, which has some suggestions for visitors with limited time in Grand Teton National Park.

Summer can be short, but hopefully it won’t be so short that you can’t include a national park vacation. ~ Kurt Repanshek

on the cover A brown bear hunts for fish in Katmai National Park.

Photo by Rebecca Latson

Coming face to face with brown bears at Katmai National Park in Alaska isn’t terribly tricky. There’s a great viewing platform at the Brooks River. The trick is getting there early enough to find a great vantage point...and then holding onto it among the jostling crowd. — Rebecca Latson

From top: Wild Lupine on Mount Rainier / © Tom Dempsey/PhotoSeek.com; a National Park Service skiff in Biscayne National Park / Jameson Clifton; bull moose / George Wuerthner; Tundra Communities Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park / Kurt Repanshek; Sapphire Lake in Kings Canyon National Park / Michael Lanza

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Heavy fishing and physical abuse have been taking a toll on Biscayne’s fisheries and reefs for years. Now park officials have a plan to revive those aspects of the park / NPS

By Jameson Clifton

The deafening roar of the 225-horsepower Mercury engine propelled our skiff across the turquoise expanse of Biscayne Bay. It was hard to imagine that less than an hour earlier I’d been sipping a café cubano in the heart of downtown Miami. Here we were though, making headway toward an offshore reef to explore some of South Florida’s renowned marine habitat.

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Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

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he early morning sun glistened atop the ocean waterscape before us, backlighting the salty spray of the waves as they broke across our bow. According to the forecast, poor weather would move in by the early afternoon, so with the rough chop already hammering our little boat, and the intended destination another 4 miles offshore, we decided to moor at one of the closer reefs.

We were eager to explore, and donned our snorkel gear and made the plunge into the pleasantly warm 76° F water. We floated on the surface, above the colorful marine oasis. It provided a sense of tranquility. Streaks of sunlight illuminated the anemones, which swayed gently back and forth on the seafloor, mesmerizingly in the 8

rolling swell. It was a stark contrast to the rough voyage just moments before.

The only sound was the soft rumble of the waves, and a steady rhythm with each breath: in and out.

While most national parks are dominated by landscapes, Biscayne National Park is unique in that 95 percent is covered by water. There are 10,000 years of colorful human history here nestled among mangrove forests, coral reefs, sea grass meadows, lighthouses, and shipwrecks. The setting has been shaped by Native Americans, farmers, smugglers, fishermen, pirates, and presidents.

The watery underworld has historically featured a wondrous and bountiful array of species, from bonefish, tarpon and oysters to groupers, barracuda, spiny lobster, and lustrous parrotfish. However, of

Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Unlike many reefs, some in Biscayne National Park have relatively few fish / Jameson Clifton

the few hundred species that inhabit the park’s waters, 150 have faced population pressures from recreational and commercial fishing, according to the National Park Service.

It’d been 10 months since I had been on the ocean, since departing my home on the east coast of Australia.

It felt great to be back in the water.

With the guidance of our Park Service companions, we identified several Purplemouth Morays, Sergeant Majors, Gray Angelfish, and plenty of invasive lionfish, not to mention a beautiful conch species. We explored the reef, and later, a sunken pontoon boat. It was an exhilarating experience, one I never wanted to end. What was

Moray eels, sea fans, and a variety of corals all would benefit from fewer user impacts / Jameson Clifton

missing, unfortunately, were larger species that I’d seen just a week earlier in Key West.

According to the National Parks Conservation Association, “Coral reef health and fish populations in Biscayne National Park have been on the decline for decades due to overfishing and over-use, leaving some species on the verge of collapse.”

That explains it. In 2001, scientists warned that the park’s fisheries were facing “imminent collapse” without immediate help and protection.

Preservation is one of the National Park Service’s foremost of goals, so how had this come about? True, when the National Park Service was created in 1916 its mission also called for providing a public place, “or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” But the National Park Service Organic Act also emphasized that the “fundamental purpose of the parks is to conserve the scenery; natural and historic objects; and the wildlife therein,” thus leaving them

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“unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

With that in mind, a proactive protection plan for Biscayne National Park would seem relatively straightforward. Unfortunately, for the past 15 years officials, environmentalists, anglers, and boaters have struggled to agree on an appropriate strategy, leaving the future of America’s largest marine park, and part of the only tropical coral reef system in the continental United States, unresolved.

“Biscayne is a national park,” Superintendent Brian Carlstrom told The New York Times late last year.

“If this were national park land there would be no question of what resources can be extracted from here.”

Though managed by a federal agency, the park’s enabling legislation 10

places much of Biscayne’s waters under regulations from the State of Florida. An exception has been given that allows Park Service rule-making authority for areas that fall within the boundaries of the original Biscayne National Monument when it was established in 1968. Thus, politics and economics have become entwined to cast an ecosystem out of balance.

With the nation’s fourth-largest metropolitan area within sight of the park, fishing stocks are under immense pressure not only from South Florida’s booming population but also commercial operations. Advancements in fishing technology have made it easier to locate and catch fish than ever before.

Fortunately, the state and federal governments appear to have reached a compromise, with a finalized General

Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Management Plan (GMP) expected to be released this summer. To date there have been seven proposed alternatives, each with varying levels of effectiveness and complexity. In a very public debate, members of the public and other stakeholders were encouraged to comment on each.

While the public comment period ended on February 20, 2014, integrating the comments — with no small amount of political pressure — into a final GMP hasn’t been quick or easy. With so many different voices and proposed alternatives, many in the community couldn’t keep track.

Caroline McLaughlin, NCPA’s Biscayne restoration program analyst, told me, “I think one of the problems is a lack of information, or misinformation going around. This is really an opportunity to preserve the resources

Biscayne National Park is a diver’s paradise, and park officials hope to improve on that paradise through their upcoming General Management Plan / Jameson Clifton (skiff) and NPS

of Biscayne, address problems in relation to a significant decline in reef ecosystem health, and fisheries populations, in order to preserve those ecosystems for the future.”

Many in the fishing community, continued McLaughlin, had actually shown “a great deal of support” for tighter regulations in the form of a “no-take” Marine Reserve Zone (MRZ) at some of the critically affected areas within the park’s boundaries, noting that in other MRZs the fishing was often best just outside those areas.

Vanessa McDonough, Biscayne National Park’s fishery and marine biologist, sympathized with the need for an MRZ, as well as increased public awareness and education on some of the issues facing the park. She noted that restrictions at land-based national parks are generally understood and

accepted, but people often don’t apply the same ideology to underwater resources. “You can’t shoot bison in Yellowstone,” she said. “National parks should be held to a higher standard.”

Exactly how the final GMP will integrate an MRZ is unclear. But going into the final draft, the proposed MRZ would cover approximately 7 percent of the park’s waters, or 10,522 acres, and protect 2,663 acres of the park’s coral reefs. Significantly, placing that acreage of coral reefs into a marine reserve would contribute towards the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force’s goal of having 20

percent of Florida’s reefs within such reserves.

Under an MRZ designation—which could be applied to areas within the original Biscayne National Monument’s boundaries—recreational and commercial fishing would be banned to encourage long-term protection and recovery of the reef ecosystem, although recreational boating, snorkeling, and diving would be permitted.

This approach has been scientifically proven as the preferred course of action, according to environmentalists. An open letter, co-signed by Jean-Michel Cousteau founder of the Ocean’s Future Society, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle, and Senior Scientist Emeritus Jeremy Jackson at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell stressed this: “The establishment of a marine reserve is the best, most effective method for protecting Biscayne’s severely threatened coral reef ecosystem.”

Proof of the ecological benefits of such a reserve can be found off of Florida’s southern tip at Dry Tortugas National Park. That park’s Research Natural Area has led to “increases in the size and abundance of many overexploited species within the reserve areas and spillover of more and larger fish occurred outside of reserve boundaries,” the letter adds.

A combination of draft Alternative 4 (creation of a Marine Reserve Zone) and Alternative 7 (a special recreation zone that would prohibit some types of fishing year-round and close recreational fishing during the summer months) outlined in the supplemental draft GMP appears to preview what General Management Plan likely will look like.

How it will be received by the state, and the angling public, will go a long way to determining how soon Biscayne’s defining aspect can heal itself from decades of overuse.

Jameson Clifton, a University of Utah student, is an editorial intern for the Traveler.

He previously wrote about ski touring in Yellowstone National Park, sea kayaking at Fiordland National Park in New Zealand, and the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Savoring Past Rocky Mountain National Park’s

Not long into the development of the world’s first national park system, ranchers in and around the valley floor of Estes Park, Colorado, came to an obvious realization: keeping guests happy was easier, and more profitable, than cattle.

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That conclusion, reached about 1870 or so, cast the die for Estes Park as a welcoming and awe-inspiring destination. While ranching would remain part of the town’s heritage, guiding paying tourists into the mountains of today’s Rocky Mountain National Park, providing them with lodging and meals, and sharing their passions for the outdoors offered residents a better livelihood than raising cows.

“One of the early settlers, I think it was Abner Sprague, he said it made more sense for him to build cabins and charge people than to give meals away for free, because he had so many people who were visiting. They would just show up and ask him if he had an extra place to stay for the night,” says Brian Hoerner, curator of collections at the Estes Park Museum.

“So after a couple of summers like that, a

Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Before Rocky Mountain became a national park, Abner Sprague ran a lodge in Moraine Park / NPS archives

While Looking to the Future lot of those early families were like, ‘Well, if this many people are going to come up here anyway, we might as well put our efforts towards making them comfortable and maybe be able to make a little more money on that than trying to have cattle or hay or raise crops.’”

That has remained the case for more than 100 years as Estes Park has grown up alongside the national park, which didn’t arrive until 1915, 55 years after Joel Estes put down roots with his son, Milton, in the valley that still holds his name.

Much has changed since then, however.

The national park grew as private inholdings — including now-forgotten lodges in Moraine and Horseshoe parks — were removed by the National Park Service to allow meadow and forest to return, the Big Thompson River was dammed

to create Lake Estes, and stables on Elkhorn Avenue that marked day’s end for horses deployed on summer trail rides were slowly replaced by a unique variety of shops and restaurants.

Trail Ridge Road was threaded across the roof of the park and opened for travel in 1931, bringing “the whole sweep of the Rockies before you in all directions,” noted then-Park Service Director Horace Albright. Today it remains as memorable a drive as it was back then, and a centerpiece in any park vacation. An example of 1930s travel through Rocky Mountain National Park will be on display in late August, when a group of Model T hobbyists will depart from Moraine Park on a 6- to 7-week-long circuit through western national parks.

Whether you travel by Model-T or Ford Mustang, Trail Ridge Road not only leads you high above tree-line, peaking at 12,183 feet, but to hiking trails that dart off across the tundra, providing ample reason to pull over and stretch your legs. Stop at the Tundra Communities Trail near the road’s summit and you can take a short hike that offers spectacular panoramas, as the horizon holds Mount Chapin (12,454 feet), Sundance Mountain (12,466 feet), Terra Tomah Mountain (12,718 feet), Mount Julian (12,928 feet), and Specimen Mountain (12,489 feet).

For some park visitors, climbing is another key aspect to a Rocky Mountain National Park vacation.

Since 1868, when a surveying party accompanying John Wesley Powell reached the summit of Longs Peak, more than 10,000 people are thought to have stood atop the 14,259-foot-tall crag. Such a climbing record has made Estes Park a Mecca for climbers, and generated more than a little history.

“We have world-class climbers who come here just because of our climbing and atmosphere,” says Derek Fortini, the museum director and curator of exhibits. “We were able to explore that through an exhibit. Estes Park was one of the very first places in North America, besides up in Canada, where you could actually hire a guide to take you up a mountain, which of course was Longs Peak.”

Visit town in late June and on the 29th you can learn some of that lore during the final installment of the Climbers’ Oral History Project presented at the Estes Park Museum in conjunction with the museum’s “Climb On!” exhibition. Or join the Colorado Mountain Club on a guided climb to the top of Longs Peak or to one of 100

From the banks of the Fall River as it flows through downtown Estes Park to the roof of the park on Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park makes an unforgettable vacation destination / Kurt Repanshek

of the other named peaks in the park this summer.

Throughout the summer memorable tours and talks will be hosted by the Estes Park Museum. Some will take you to sites where lodges long ago stood in the park’s landscape, where convicts were housed while building Fall River Road, and even where

Rocky Mountain’s climbing history is on display in the Estes Park Museum this summer / Estes Park Museum

a resort complete with 9-hole golf course, driving range, and swimming pool stood in Moraine Park.

“The idea of these historic tours is to get people to realize that people lived in that land, people worked that land, people died in that land, and are buried in that land. There’s a lot going on when you start to look at the history of it, compared to the serene experience that most people see now,” Mr. Fortini says.

Of course, the summer’s highlight comes September 4th, when the rededication celebration of Rocky Mountain National Park takes place.

This special event brings together local and national speakers at the Glacier Basin Campground to celebrate both the national park’s past, and its future. Learn more about these and other Rocky Mountain National Park Centennial programs and events at VisitEstesPark.com/Centennial.

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Classic Hikes of The National Park System

Volume one

Navigating the route to Angels Landing in Zion National Park is a national park classic / NPS, Caitlin Ceci

By Jake Bramante, Patrick Cone, and Kurt Repanshek

June, July, and August. These are some of the most popular months to hike the National Park System’s trails. Sure, bugs can be out, and sunburn is an afterthought to your adventures, but the weather is reliably warm, generally dry, and the days long.

There likely is a classic national park hike nearby, no matter what part of the country you call home. Still, what follows is a short list—there will be future additions—of classic hikes in the National Park System.

Nine hikes, ranging from a morning or afternoon outing to all summer. They’re a start.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area The A.T. is arguably the world’s most iconic long-distance trail. It falls and rises, swaggers and turns, following meanders for 2,185 miles from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia.

Along the way (either north to south or south to north) you’ll pass urban areas, vestiges of wilderness, and some of the 260 huts that you might call home at day’s end.

The beauty of this, and other longdistance trails, is the variety of each section of the trail. Do the whole thing in one fell, multi-month swoop, or pick away at it.

Leaving Springer Mountain in the spring and finding yourself atop Mount Katahdin months later requires an understanding employer, a pair or two of good boots, strong will, and the wanderlust to see what’s just over the rise. It’s a great milestone break between high school and college, college and a job, or post-kids and retirement.

So popular is this trail with folks who have done either the entire

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walk or simply bite-sized portions that there’s a website dedicated to them—the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. Check out this group, as it offers some great resources, such as the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers’ Companion.

This book, small enough to stash in your pack, provides a rundown of “details on shelters, water sources, post offices, hostels, campgrounds, lodging, groceries, restaurants, outfitters, and other related services along the Trail.”

Hike end-to-end and you’ll pass through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It’s a oneof-a-kind.

In July you’ll ramble through meadows brimming with yellow Glacier lilies, red riots of Indian paintbrush, and nodding yellow balsalmroot.

Helpful books: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail,

by Bill Bryson Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail, by Jennifer Pharr-Davis

Teton Crest Trail Grand Teton National Park Though not a long long-distance trail (only about 40 miles), this route draws top ratings for its natural beauty. “The holy grail for hard-core backpackers,” writes Andrew Dean Nostrum in Top Trails: Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks.

Plan your trip well, though, to get the most out of this trek, as this route typically is passable only from the post-snowmelt of mid-July through mid-September, when the snows begin to fall again. You can crash through end-to-end in four days, or savor the scenery over six relaxed days.

In July you’ll ramble through meadows brimming with yellow Glacier lilies, red riots of Indian paintbrush, and nodding yellow balsalmroot. All the while, granite crags rise overhead and claw the sky.

Pocket lakes perfectly reflect the Tetons on calm days and bear, moose, and elk might just appear around any bend in the trail.

“It’s step for step one of the most gorgeous mountain walks in America, a true classic offering all the elements of an unforgettable adventure: views

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Grand Teton National Park’s Teton Crest Trail dazzles you from the flowers at your feet to the peaks high overhead. / NPS, Mike Nicklas above, Patrick Cone right

of the incomparable skyline of the Tetons and deep, wide, glacier-scoured canyons flanked by enormous cliffs; wonderful campsites, wildflowers, mountain lakes and creeks; and a good chance of seeing moose, elk, marmots, pika, mule deer, and black bears,” writes Michael Lanza on The Big Outside blog.

Helpful books: Top Trails, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, by Andrew Nystrom

Wonderland Trail Mount Rainier National Park This 93-mile-long loop is no ordinary walk in the woods. You’ll gain, and lose, about 22,000 vertical feet as you circle this snow-clad, dormant volcano.

Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Some days you’ll curse the trail’s steep switchbacks under sunny skies, but other times you’ll search for landmarks in the dense, damp fog; maybe even with a chilly drizzle dripping down your back.

The trail is a classic among Pacific Northwest hikers for the incredible landscape of tall trees, deep canyons, towering peaks, glaciers and lakes.

According to frequent Traveler reader Tahoma, “Although extremely rugged, Rainier is such a compact park, that the Wonderland circuit shares some characteristics with corridor trips. Spectacular scenery and even wildlife are commonplace, but the vistas sometimes include roads, clear-cuts and lights at night, so it’s not a pure wilderness experience by any means, even without the crowds.”

There are 18 designated campsites

All the while, granite crags rise overhead and claw the sky.

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Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Circle Mount Rainier and you’ll cross the suspension bridge over Tahoma Creek / Gary Vogt

along the Wonderland Trail, and landing the ones you want can be tricky due to the lottery system. And then you’ll want to cache food along the route as well.

“Food can either be mailed in advance of the hike, or you may drop it off at the cache location once you arrive in the park. In either case, food must be packaged in a plastic container to keep rodents out of your food supply. Many choose to use a fivegallon plastic bucket or a Rubbermaidlike container,” says the park.

Helpful books: Hiking The Wonderland Trail, The Complete Guide to Mount Rainier’s Premier Trail, by Tami Asars

Heart Lake Yellowstone National Park There’s no place in the world like Yellowstone National Park, and getting out of your car and into the backcountry is a must for any true adventurer.

But,where should you go to get away from the crowds?

One of Yellowstone’s classic hikes leads you deep into the southeast section of the park, to Heart Lake, beneath the towering slopes of 10,000foot Mount Sheridan.

This hike hits all of Yellowstone’s highlights: a geyser basin, a beautiful lake, towering mountain views, solitude, and wildlife. But, spend the night, or speed hike, because it’s a 16-mile round trip from the South Entrance Road trailhead.

There’s not a lot of elevation gain on this trail, and the errant grizzly, moose, and elk will keep your eyes

off of your boots. But the fly fishing and incredible campsites are worth the pain.

The Heart Lake geyser basin is mostly fumaroles and hot springs, but make sure you check out the Rustic Geyser, but stand clear; it can erupt up to 50 feet whenever it feels like it, and since there are no boardwalks, tread carefully.

Look deep into the boiling waters of the other springs, and you’ll see the white bones of elk and bison deep in the cobalt blue waters. If you’re lucky maybe the ranger at the Heart Lake patrol cabin will share a cup of coffee with you and tell you a few stories that’ll give you the chills: this is a grizzly bear management area.

Helpful books: Hawks Rest, A Season in the Remote Heart of Yellowstone, by Gary Ferguson Heart Lake / Patrick Cone

One of Yellowstone’s classic hikes leads you deep into the southeast section of the park, to Heart Lake, beneath the towering slopes of 10,000-foot Mount Sheridan.

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Grinnell Glacier Glacier National Park While the glaciers interspersed along the peaks of Glacier National Park weren’t responsible for the enormous U-shaped valleys, their gradual disappearance brings a sort of urgency to see these classic icons. Six of these glaciers are visible from Going-to-theSun Road, if one knows what to look for. Others are visible at a distance with some walking along the trail or from the air. Only two have official trails leading right to their icy fields, Sperry and Grinnell, with the latter being accessible via a wonderful day hike.

While the reason to hike to Grinnell Glacier is the glacier itself, the journey is worth the trip. The trailhead for Grinnell Glacier is well marked and frequently fills up in the summer, so an early start is recommended. The first couple of miles is easy walking through trees and riparian areas, and can be shortened by a couple of lovely boat rides for a fee over Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. The birding in this area is fantastic and moose are

frequently spotted in the valley bottom.

Once past Lake Josephine, the trail begins gaining elevation, the trees grow sparse, and the views—those wonderful, expansive views—reward you no matter which way you turn.

Keep an eye down the avalanche chutes for moose, the hillsides for bighorn sheep and grizzlies, and the cliffs for mountain goats. Grinnell Lake comes into view with its mint-green color, fed by a waterfall from the glacier above. This otherworldly color is due to rock ground into a powder by glaciers, which stays suspended in the lake, playing with the light, giving it its surreal color.

Eventually, the trail climbs high up into the basin housing the glacier; actually, glaciers. Grinnell Glacier once filled the entire basin, but has receded to the south end of the basin.

Another piece of its former, large self sits on a shelf, now called Salamander Glacier. What is left behind is a rocky moonscape and a young lake called Upper Grinnell Lake, which is even more green and milky than its downstream neighbor.

Upper Grinnell Lake offers the last vestiges of Grinnell Glacier / NPS, Tim Rains

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Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Helpful books: This High, Wild Country, A Celebration of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, by Paul Schullery

Ozette Loop Olympic National Park Olympic offers three landscapes for hiking through: Alpine, rain forest, and coastline. The Ozette Loop is an unforgettable hike on the park’s wave-pounded northwestern corner.

An interesting collection of petroglyphs can be found on an outcrop known as Wedding Rocks.

There you’ll find glyphs of whales and other images believed to have been carved by Makah Indians long ago.

The loop is only 9 miles long, so truly motivated hikers could knock it off in one day. But why not linger and enjoy the setting? The trail, starting out on a boardwalk, travels through a coastal forest to reach the ocean’s doorstep.

Water can be found in creeks at Sand Point and Cape Alava, though

Whether you head to the Ozette Loop at Olympic National Park, or hike to the top of Angels Landing at Zion National Park, you’ll be knocking off two national park classics! / NPS

the Park Service advises that you boil the water, as it might harbor cryptosporidium and giardia.

A good understanding of tides, and tide charts, is highly recommended, so you won’t find yourself in a precarious position.

Your 9-mile hike could easily be extended, as Olympic offers 73 miles of beach wilderness, more than any other national park or seashore in the Lower 48.

Helpful books: Olympic National Park, A Natural History, by Tim McNulty

Angels Landing Zion National Park Not a multi-day trek, the path to the top of Angels Landing in Zion National Park nevertheless is a classic, renowned both for its views as well as its dangers.

For some, this is the ultimate payoff of a visit to Zion. For others, the hike to the top is too dangerous and should be restricted to hikers with the footing

of a mountain goat.

But for those with the nerve and the ability to negotiate first Walter’s Wiggles and then the sharp ridgeline to the lofty perch 5,990 feet above sea level, the payoffs are the incredible views of Zion Canyon.

The hike is roughly 5.5 miles round trip, with an uphill elevation gain of 1,500 feet. For most people that will take about four hours to complete, not counting how much time you spend on the “landing” itself. Once at the top, though, the views are unrivaled. You can gaze down canyon as the Virgin River flows out of the park, cross canyon to the Great White Throne, or up canyon toward the Temple of Sinawava.

Spend a little time peering at the nearby canyon walls and you just might spy some climbers.

“While no rock climbing with ropes is needed, the idea of a traditional trail isn’t applicable either,” notes Jake Bramante in his trail map guide, Day Hikes Of Zion National Park. “This amazing scramble along the ridge features steep drops on either side.

Climbing is made easier and safer with the assistance of chains attached to steel poles secured into the sandstone.

Patience is needed for those behind and ahead of you as people will inevitably be moving at different speeds from both directions.”

Helpful books: A History of Southern Utah and its National Parks, by Angus M. Woodbury

Under the Rim Trail Bryce Canyon National Park While the view down into the ruddy and tawny maw of Bryce Canyon National Park from the rim is spectacular, try looking up at the park’s colorful ramparts from down below.

Stretching from Bryce Point to Rainbow Point, this 23-mile trail can be hiked over three or four days, or broken into day hikes. There are four connector trails that dart down from the park’s 18-mile-long rim road—Sheep Creek, Swamp Canyon, Whiteman, or the Agua Canyon Connector.

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Today, the route up Champlain Mountain would not likely be approved by the National Park Service, for it involves the pounding of iron rungs into cliff faces to provide you with handholds and foot placements.

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Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Left: This archival photo from the National Park Service shows NPS members – possibly including Stephen Mather – on the Precipice route at Acadia with George B. Dorr, who worked so hard to see the park established.

While early fall is a great time for this walk (the bursting fall colors meld with the eroded geology) this is a great hike any month of summer. Among the many beauties of this journey is the solitude you enjoy because there are few folks who actually head down this path.

Generations ago this area was logged by settlers, as evidenced by the stumps that stand next to the feet of 250- to 300-year-old trees. One stump measures roughly 3 feet across, a testament to the tenaciousness of trees in this arid, rocky setting. Lean feeders of Willis Creek range through this area—but the creeks are more a jumble of rocks, pebbles and boulders colored rust, caramel, orange, pink, red, auburn, black and cream than actual streams of water.

As you hike through the park’s basement you notice the subtleties of Bryce Canyon. Here’s a Ponderosa seedling that had sprouted from a crack in a boulder where its seed had found purchase and germinated.

Over there in the rubble of a wash are fossilized shells.

Wrap your arms around one of the many Ponderosas and you enjoy the rich aroma—butterscotch to some, vanilla to others.

The conifer forests and glades of aspen line the trail on the floor of the park, as you walk past the rocky debris of past flash floods, responsible for the park’s sculpted geology. As the day ends take solace with the view and the sundown silence.

Helpful books: Shadows of Time, The Geology of Bryce Canyon National Park, By Frank Decourten

The Precipice Trail Acadia National Park It’s short, at less than two miles round trip, but what this trail lacks in distance it more than makes up in views…and hair-raising approaches.

Today, the route up Champlain Mountain would not likely be approved by the National Park Service, for it involves the pounding of iron rungs into cliff faces to provide you with handholds and foot placements.

Make to the top and you’ll enjoy views out into Frenchman Bay as well as farther out into the Gulf of Maine. Turn around and you can glance up at Cadillac Mountain, rising some 500 feet higher into the sky.

Nesting peregrine falcons can close the Precipice route from mid-March into August, so if it’s on your to-do list, plan another time to visit Acadia.

Helpful books: The Story of Mount Desert Island, by Samuel Eliot Morison

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Weekend Itineraries

From Around The National Park System

Wizard Island offers a volcanic crater inside a volcanic crater at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon / NPS

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Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Fifty Years and FiftyFour Miles to Freedom While many of the National Park System’s historic trails celebrate adventure and exploration, others commemorate mileposts in social progress. In Alabama, the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail is one of the latter, and this year marks its 50th anniversary.

On March 21,1965, thousands of marchers, after having been brutalized two weeks earlier in Selma by state troopers and local residents, walked 54 miles in four days from Selma to the Alabama Capitol at Montgomery as part of the voting rights movement. They were protected along the way by federal troops.

Take a drive, or better yet, spend a few days walking in the footsteps of Martin Luther King, Jr. and others as they changed history. Start at the Selma Interpretive Center before you visit Brown Chapel, where the march began, and then head to the east along Highway 80. Spend an hour at the David Hall Farm, the first night’s campsite, before heading towards the Mt. Gillard Missionary Baptist Church, and the Lowndes Interpretive Center in Selma at the site of the tent city.

A few miles beyond is the Viola Liuzzo Memorial, where this Unitarian civil rights activist was shot down after the march by Ku Klux Klansmen. The Robert Gardner Farm was the site of the third campsite before the marchers, nearly 25,000 strong, entered the city of Saint Jude near Montgomery. There, on a makeshift stage, singers Tony Bennett, Frankie Laine, Sammy Davis, Jr., and others sang to the energized, but exhausted, marchers.

Envision the march, the tension, and the triumph along this trail, and recognize that without their actions, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, might never have occurred.

The Civil Rights movement was solidified by the Selma-to-Montgomery March. Today the story is well-told along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail / NPS

Discover the Corps of Discovery’s Trail There are many historic trails that are part of the National Park System. If you’re headed out West this summer, take the high route along the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in Montana and retrace one of our nation’s most historic explorations.

Meriwether Lewis, Captain William Clark, and their crew came this way in 1805 on their overland journey to the Pacific Ocean. They discovered mountains and glaciers, forests and rivers, giant bears and wondrous flocks of waterfowl—and you can, too. There’s a lot to see and do for the modern traveler in just a few days with this driving-tour loop.

From North Dakota’s western border, stop at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center to plan your trip and visit the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site just a few miles to the west. Then head up the mighty Missouri River, which drains the high

country, lined with towering cottonwoods and snow-capped peaks.

You can visit the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge on the way to the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, home to a truly spectacular geographic feature. Spend a night in Great Falls, after visiting its namesake: the Great Falls of the Missouri. The next morning, learn more about the adventure at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center.

From Lewis and Clark’s westward route, head south and intercept their return journey, via the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness near Helena, the state capital.

At Three Forks, witness the birth of the Missouri from the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers before heading eastward along the Yellowstone River towards Billings and the must-see Pompey’s Pillar National Monument. Named after the infant son of Native American guide Sacagawea, it was here that William Clark

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inscribed his name on July 25, 1806.

In his journals, Clark wrote, “This rock I ascended and from it’s top had a most extensive view in every direction on the Northerly Side of the river high romantic Clifts approach & jut over the water for Some distance both above and below...I marked my name and the day of the month and year.”

It’s the only remaining physical evidence of their journey and serves as a reminder of how remarkable the Corp’s accomplishment was.

Sea Foam, Sea Shells, and Sea Horses on the Outer Banks Take a quick glance at a map of the Outer Banks and you’ll notice how Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore are very close neighbors. With visions of warm sea breezes dancing in our minds, four of us set out for a trek that combined vehicles, skiffs, ferries, and some careful timing.

From Cape Lookout’s visitor center at Harker’s Island, North Carolina, we rode a bucking skiff to Shackleford Banks.

There we explored this uninhabited barrier island with its beaches and maritime forests. Feral horses also make their home here.

Returning late that afternoon to Harker’s Island, we overnighted at a local motel and set out the next morning to catch the ferry to South Core Banks.

We spent another night in one of the seashore’s Great Island Cabins, and two days exploring the seashore where sea oats dance in the sea breeze.

A four-wheel-drive rig, with its tires slightly deflated, easily moved us up and down the sandy barrier island. We climbed Cape Lookout Light, roamed dunes, and swam in the Atlantic before our schedule forced us north once again.

After a ferry ride back to the mainland, we headed to Cedar Island and on to another, larger, ferry to Ocracoke and Cape Hatteras. The two-and-a-half-hour crossing of Pamlico Sound is perfect for napping, enjoying the views, or catching up on your reading.

At Ocracoke we then caught a skiff to Portsmouth Village (settled in 1753) on the northern tip of Cape Lookout. This historic village gave us some insight into the early settlers, who tended to mer-

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chant ships and, in 1894, created the U.S. Life-Saving Service: the precursor to the U.S. Coast Guard.

After a day of exploration (and feeding its mosquitoes), we headed back to Ocracoke for a night on Cape Hatteras.

While Ocracoke is a great base camp to explore this national seashore, many Cape Hatteras towns offer good lodging and dining options for beach lovers, surf casters, shell hunters, and those in search of rest and relaxation.

We ventured out to Cape Point to see what was biting in the surf, snapped

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photos of historic Ocracoke Light, scaled Cape Hatteras Light, and even wandered up the coast to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

It wasn’t entirely a relaxing trip, but fed our desire to return for another week or two on the Outer Banks.

Historic Ocracoke Light (top), Cape Lookout Light, and horses roaming barrier islands are among the sights to be seen on this seashore two-step / Kurt Repanshek photos

Along The Volcanic Highway From Lassen Volcanic National Park To Crater Lake National Park Washington State tends to lure visitors interested in volcanic features, but the two states immediately to the south shouldn’t be overlooked. Lassen Volcanic National Park in California and Crater Lake National Park in Oregon have eruptive pasts. Today they are showcases for the Earth’s fiery fury.

Both parks are located along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, which runs 500 miles: Lassen anchoring the southern end and Crater Lake the northern terminus.

Start your drive at Crater Lake and you will see one of the most beautiful sights in the country. This blue jewel is cradled in the crater left by the eruption of prehistoric Mount Mazama. This magma chamber erupted over two days; the mountain then collapsed and the resulting crater filled with azure-hued water to a depth of almost 2,000 feet.

Don’t just roam the rim and gaze at the water though. A visit to Crater Lake

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A boat tour of Crater Lake is a great way to spend a day in the park, and includes a close-up view of Phantom Ship / Kurt Repanshek

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Ash and cinder fields at Mount Lassen Volcanic Park show the slow recovery of the landscape / Patrick Cone

should include a boat trip on the lake, too. The half-day cruise includes a stop at Wizard Island, a volcanic crater inside the larger crater, and a slow circumnavigation of Phantom Ship. Stay at Crater Lake Lodge, or down in Mazama Village, and

spend a few days exploring the park’s primeval forests.

Less than 225 miles south, via U.S. 97 and California 89, Lassen Volcanic National Park is another, more recent, geologic wonder. It’s a surprisingly uncrowded park wrapped around a peak that unleashed its volcanic fury a number of times from 1914-1917. The most violent of the blasts, on May 22, 1915, sent a super-heated pyroclastic flow down the peak and created today’s Devastated Area.

While Lassen Peak is the main attraction in the park, it is just one of four volcanoes

to be found here. Lassen Peak is a plug dome volcano (one created by lava pressure around a vent), but there are also shield, composite, and cinder cone volcanoes within the park’s boundaries.

For an added bonus, stop by Lava Beds National Monument, conveniently located half-way between Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic, and explore the monument’s underbelly by touring some of its caves. Sign up for the Fern Cave Tour and see ancient pictographs that trace the cultural history of the area back thousands of years.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Exploring the

Sunny Side of Mount Rainier National Park

No dotted line lets you know when you cross from the Mount Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest into Mount Rainier National Park, or vice versa. Verdant forests of mountain hemlock, Western red cedar, and Douglas fir conceal the border between the two landscapes, a border broken only occasionally where roads and trails weave through the trees.

Open your vehicle’s windows as you explore this landscape on the northeastern side of the national park and the sweet, piney aroma of the forests engulfs you.

Through the windows Mount Rainier practically begs you to pull over and snap a selfie with that snow-shrouded 14,410foot peak over your shoulder.

Following the mild winter in the Cascades, now is the time to get a jump on your summer vacation to Rainier, as both Cayuse Pass leading to the southern side of the park and Chinook Pass along the northeastern border opened historically early in April.

Entering the park via Highway 410, your destination—if this is your first trip to Mount Rainier—should be Sunrise.

Located at an elevation of 6,400 feet on the mountain’s eastern flanks, it’s the highest point to which you can drive in the park— and all the Cascades, for that matter.

Because Sunrise stands 1,000 feet higher

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than Paradise on the southwestern slopes of the park, it offers the park’s most panoramic views—and, as its name implies, a front-row seat for sunrise. You’ll want to experience that at least once during your stay, for a beautiful pink/orange alpenglow envelops the mountain right before the sun climbs above the eastern horizon.

Though higher than Paradise, the Sunrise area melts out quickly in the summer thanks to its exposure, making it perfect for summer and fall hiking and wildflowers.

The folks at StayRainier.com are focused on the Sunrise side of Mount Rainier National Park, with lots of suggestions for things to do, but here are some of their favorites.

A number of great hikes start right at Sunrise. Families love the easy hike to Shadow Lake, where frogs fresh out of hibernation provide hours of croaking entertainment for kids. The Burroughs Mountain Trail (First and Second

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Mount Rainier’s snow-cloaked flanks are always in view during your vacation / StayCrystal.com Hook up with Crystal Mountain Outfitters and enjoy the view from the saddle / VisitRainier.com

Burroughs) offers a moderately strenuous, nearly 5-mile hike, that might provide views of mountain goats while leading you so close to the summit that you feel like you can reach out and touch it. And the 360-degree views from Dege Peak off the Sourdough Ridge Trail will keep your camera busy.

The Sunrise Visitor Center (open June 27 through early September) is a cozy place to recoup from a hike or to seek shelter within if a rainstorm passes through the area. Hear stories and history along one of the guided walks or free ranger-led programs, and then browse geology and wildlife exhibits or gaze

Lupines and snow combine for the perfect pastoral keepsake photo of your Mount Rainier vacation/© Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com

through a telescope at climbers headed for the summit and Emmons Glacier. You’ll also find a day lodge here with a gift shop and cafeteria.

Access to the White River Campground via the Sunrise road (halfway up) opens May 1 this year and often stays open well into October. Because Sunrise is so high, the 11-mile road to the top usually doesn’t open until late June, but this year the low snowfall means the park is opening the road on June 7. Not only can you hike the Glacier Basin Trail (the route taken by climbers heading for the summit from this side), but you can explore the Summerland Trail or Owyhigh Lakes Trail along the way. (Summerland is sometimes referred to as a Marmot Metropolis, particularly in the early summer when the marmots come out of their long winter’s sleep.)

Anyone with plans for hiking should explore the Tipsoo Lake area. In late summer, the profusion of wildflowers

rivals those at Paradise and, at sunset and sunrise, you can get the most incredible reflections of Mount Rainier in the lake.

On a full moon night you’re likely to come upon photographers camped out in their cars waiting for the perfect shot.

The Naches Peak Loop is another famed trail that’s easy for almost everyone. Start by the pedestrian overpass and hike it counterclockwise to get views of Mount Rainier for the last half mile.

Crystal Mountain Resort provides activities you won’t find anywhere else around Mount Rainier National Park. Located just off Highway 410 outside the Park’s Sunrise entrance, the ski resort is home of the Mount Rainier Gondola and, in winter months, Washington’s largest ski area.

The gondola in summer opens up more than 35 miles of hiking trails to you on the roof of the resort. Views that stretch from Mount Baker in the north to Mount Adams in the south complement arguably the best

view of Mount Rainier itself.

U.S. Forest Service rangers at the summit can help guide you along some of the hiking trails, while Crystal Mountain Outfitters offers horseback rides on the mountain. After your explorations, the Summit House is ready to serve you gourmet lunches and dinners built around fresh, local ingredients.

In addition to the Summit House, the area has a wonderful selection of eateries.

At Crystal, check out the Alpine Inn for gourmet dining and Saturday wine tastings throughout the summer.

Because the eastern side of Mount Rainier is so undeveloped, most of the lodging is concentrated in the Crystal Mountain area. Along with lodging at the Alta Crystal Resort, you’ll find other options (Silver Skis Chalet, Crystal Mountain Hotels, Crystal Chalets) at Crystal Mountain.

Access, lodging, and adventures, all on the sunny side of Mount Rainier.

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Photo by George Wuerthner

By Miri Gubler

Maine isn’t all rocky coastlines. Travel to the Pine Tree State’s interior and you’ll find a mythical, verdant, forested woodland of hemlock and balsam that inspired Henry David Thoreau’s treatise, The Maine Woods.

“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it,” wrote Thoreau in expressing his concern for the future.“The mission of men there seems to be, like so many busy demons, to drive the forest out of the country.”

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U Maine’s North Woods is a sanctuary for wildlife (above) and wild lands dotted by lakes and threaded by rivers / George Wuerthner

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nder vast stands of ancient trees there are many shades of green, giant mushrooms, and mattress-soft patches of moss. The forest is so dense in places that just small shafts of sunshine penetrate and illuminate the ground, almost like spotlights.

Occasionally, a moose will amble in and out of the timber, its domain embracing countless hidden lakes and streams that dot the woodlands.

The forest seems timeless.

But these woodlands have also been where families found their livelihoods for generations. They affectionately call it their “wood basket,” where outdoorsmen, loggers, anglers, and hunters work and play.

But now the woods are in conflict.

Traditional users and preservationists debate the merits of a proposed national park and recreation area. The original national park proposal of the 1990s was huge; more than 3 million acres, nearly a third of Maine’s Great North Woods. It envisioned one of the country’s largest national parks, larger by almost a third than Yellowstone National Park.

This plan was not well-received.

Opponents were especially critical of millionairess Roxanne Quimby, who was donating 150,000 acres of her own lands towards a park.

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Quimby is co-founder of Burt’s Bees, whose honey-based lip balm and other personal care products made her a millionaire many times over. After selling the company, she has applied her wealth to conserve Maine landscapes.

But now a smaller plan is seeing more support from the locals. The current Katahdin Woods and Waters National Park and National Recreation Area proposal is just 5 percent as large as the first plan, would offer a blend of allowed activities and, according to proponents, involve less than 1 percent of the state’s timber resources.

Just two hours from coastal Acadia National Park, the proposed park abuts Baxter State Park and has spectacular views of Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Quimby is prepared to donate 75,000 acres along the East Branch of the Penobscot River for the park, and another 75,000 acres for a national recreation area along its west bank. The national recreation area might help sooth local opinion as it could be open to hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.

Quimby’s son, Lucas St. Clair, has become its primary advocate. St. Clair is the president of Elliotsville Plantation Inc. (EPI), a company created to manage the land. (The entity’s name comes from the

unorganized township where Ms. Quimby first purchased lands with an eye on conservation.)

St. Clair’s grassroots approach has brought the boil back down to a simmer.

He spends much of his time hunting and fishing in these very woods and discussing the proposal with proponents and opponents alike.

“We’ve been able to hear voices from people that are greatly affected by the outcome of this and we’ve been able to shape the proposal to meet the cultural and historical heritage of the region so that it really enhances what is here already as opposed to creating something that has never existed in the past,” he says.

Some opponents say the National Park Service can’t manage what it already owns, and they are also wary of the federal government. During a park informational meeting in March, locals questioned the park’s economics. Lincolnville resident and Friends of the Maine Woods member Andrew Young was quoted in the Bangor Daily News, as saying, “The economic numbers do not make sense. This park will not happen. There is no money to make it happen.”

Against that view, however, St. Clair and his mother have pledged to raise a $40 million endowment for the proposed park; half would come from Ms. Quimby, and the other half from a matching campaign.

At the same time, hundreds of business owners have voiced support, saying a national park would be good for the economy as it would bolster the tourism

sector and showcase a part of Maine that has been overshadowed by the state’s coastal amenities and attractions.

While national park status is the nation’s highest level of protection, the designation can carry some baggage. National parks may bring in tourism dollars, create jobs, and set high conservation standards, but they can also impose stricter environmental standards on surrounding industries, set restrictions on heavy recreational usage, and lure low-paying jobs.

And yet there’s recognition that logging is no longer the economic stalwart it once was.

David Farmer, an EPI spokesman, concentrates upon the positive.

“It’s not an either/or,” he says. “We do not see this as competition. Industry and the national park can co-exist.”

Proponents, noting that Acadia is one of the country’s top-ten visited parks, believe that a park in Maine’s interior would further burnish the state’s status as a tourism destination.

“An inland park would really complement the highly-toured coastline park,” says Farmer. “This would allow tourists to move inland after a visit to Acadia for a more holistic look at the cultural, educational, and recreational experiences centered on Maine’s woodland heritage.”

As mills close and young people move away in search of jobs, there’s a growing sense that something needs to change for the state’s economy.

Gail Sanjoy, president of the Katahdin Chamber of Commerce, says, “The proponents of the national park don’t believe that the national park standing alone will be our area’s savior, but it will go a long way from where we are today. We need to explore all options, and keep all options on the table, and the national park happens to be the offer on the table right now.”

In March the Bangor City Council voted 7-2 to support the concept of a national park, joining the towns of Millinocket, East Millinock, and the Penobscot Indian Nation. In late March, more than 200 Maine business owners sent a letter of support to their congressional delegation, which has not as yet supported the concept, choosing to listen to their constituents. But it’s obvious that support is growing.

Proponents see the land and its endowment as an incredible gift at a time when economic options are limited, and feel something needs to be done. For others, these woods are their home, which contribute much more than hiking trails for the occasional tourist.

Miri Gubler spent the spring semester as an editorial intern with the Traveler.

She previously has written about Acadia National Park and California condors.

From peaceful backcountry paddling destinations to thrilling whitewater adventures, Maine’s North Woods offers an array of recreational opportunities / George Wuerthner

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If you only have three days to explore the park, here’s Traveler’s itinerary

By Kurt Repanshek

F

rom the top of Togwotee Pass east of Jackson, the Teton Range anchors Wyoming’s western horizon, its glacial horns seemingly clawing at the sky. It’s a view as stunning as it is breathtaking, and one that never leaves your memory.

It’s also one that makes you practically jump back into your car (after a few photographs), to continue the descent into the Jackson Hole Valley and Grand Teton National Park.

There, passing through leafy cottonwood stands and sweet-scented sagebrush meadows, the mountains steadily take up more and more of your windshield. By the time you pull into the Jenny Lake parking area, they overwhelm you.

But the mountains are why you came to Grand Teton, and there’s lots to do besides gawk at them.

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Lake Solitude is a great backcountry destination in Grand Teton, but it’s not a short, easy hike / NPS

The Main Attraction The Jenny Lake area is the top attraction in Grand Teton. More visitors head here than to any other location in the park. At least it can seem that way when you’re waiting to cross the lake on a shuttle boat, or when you’re hiking the trails above the lake’s western shore.

But this area is too beautiful not to explore. Head out early, as early as you can, to beat the crowds. Then enjoy the 2.5-mile hike around the south end of the lake, savoring the cool morning air, the sunshine splashed across both the lake and the Tetons. And then head into the mountains.

The trail system, along with the Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas, are being rehabbed in most places, and rebuilt in a few, in advance of the National

You can walk around Jenny Lake to head up into the mountains, or take a relaxing cruise across the lake. Trails lead you up, and over, Cascade Creek to reveal panoramic views of the park / Kurt Repanshek

Park Service Centennial next year. The result is a much smoother, and when possible leveler, tread underfoot. (The work is not finished just yet, so watch your footing where it’s not and enjoy the areas that have been completed.)

At Hidden Falls, enjoy the crashing waterfall and the cooling mist. Make it to the top of Inspiration Point and you’ve sweeping views of not just Jenny Lake down below but the entire Jackson Hole Valley.

You could spend all day in

the mountains—take a long hike to Lake Solitude, a 19-mile roundtrip trek that really gets you into the backcountry with fantastic views—or head back down and hike around Jenny, String, and Leigh lakes.

Wherever you head, if you’re coming to the park from lower elevations keep in mind the altitude here—the valley floor is roughly 6,000 feet, and the Tetons soar 7,000 feet up from there! It might take you a day or two to acclimate, so take it easy at first.

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Day

Gain Some Perspective The Rockefeller family had an enormous role in seeing Grand Teton National Park established.

Early in the 20th century, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. worked hard to buy up private holdings that might have prevented the preservation of the landscape you see today.

One of his sons, Laurance S. Rockefeller, continued the family’s legacy of giving to, and helping create, national parks when he donated a family ranch to the park. Today, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve sprawls over 1,100+ rumpled acres of Teton mountainside, offering you 8 miles of hiking trails to explore.

If you want a break from hiking, head into the preserve’s interpretive center and explore the interactive exhibits—Mr. Rockefeller discussing his views on conservation, high-definition nature videos, large-scale photography, and a soundscape room with nature recordings—to gain a better understanding of the park.

Youngsters 6-12 can borrow a Nature Explorer’s Backpack that includes a nature journal and

head out onto the trails to begin their naturalist’s career.

From the center, you can hike 1.1 miles up to Phelps Lake, and then circle the lake (roughly 3.6 miles), or continue farther up Death Canyon on a trail that takes you past sheer cliffs of the north face of Prospectors Peak and Albright Peak.

If you encounter a rainy day, sit in front of the fire inside the center with some of the available interpretive materials.

While here in the southwestern corner of the park, take a slow drive on the Moose-Wilson Road.

Along with pastoral views of the Snake River and its embracing wetlands, you might spot moose or bears, along with waterfowl

and perhaps some wading birds, such as herons. Be sure to watch for the beaver lodge and the pond it created.

The roadsides here are lush with vegetation bursting with succulent berries in early fall.

As a result, the road corridor is popular with black bears anxious to add a few pounds before winter sets in.

To wrap up the day, head from Wilson back through Jackson and stop at the National Museum of Wildlife Art just north of town.

It contains some magnificent artworks from such notables as Charles Russell, George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, and Maynard Dixon.

Spend a day relaxing on the shores of Jackson Lake, or explore the Moose-Wilson Road that winds through the forests in the park’s southwestern corner / NPS photos

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Ready for a break from hiking?

You can sign up at the Colter Bay Marina for a scenic cruise on Jackson Lake, rent a canoe from the marina to explore the lake on your own, enjoy a few hours floating the Snake River with one of the park concessionaires, or simply cool off at the beach by the Colter Bay picnic area and relax with a book or nap.

To gain an appreciation for the park’s history, visit the Menor’s Ferry Historic District with its original general store and see where a ferry long worked to haul passengers, livestock, and freight across the Snake River.

Nearby take time to tour the Maud Noble cabin, where on July 26, 1923, a meeting among park proponents—including future National Park Service Director Horace Albright—was held to discuss creation of Grand Teton National Park.

From there, head over to the Murie Ranch, where Olaus, Mardy, Adolph and Louise Murie spawned the modern conservation movement in the 1950s. Here the seed for the modern-day conservation movement in America was sown. Their efforts led to passage of The Wilderness Act in 1964.

Paddling the Snake River at Oxbow Bend, or simply soaking in the view of the Tetons and Skillet Glacier, make the Oxbow Bend area a mandatory stop on your Grand Teton vacation / Patrick Cone, top; NPS, left

Looking for wildlife to fill your camera? Stop by the Oxbow Bend Overlook or head down to the Cattleman’s Bridge Site and you’ll likely spy pelicans, osprey, possibly bald eagles, and other birdlife. Not far away, you can often spot bison and pronghorn on Antelope Flats on the east side of U.S. Highway 191/89/26.

If you’re interested in a more extensive wildlife safari, Teton Science Schools, a non-profit, offers wildlife expeditions in Grand Teton throughout spring, summer

and fall. Their guides are wellversed in the natural history of the park, and provide wonderful running commentaries as you move around the park.

Throughout the tour you might see a bull elk pushing his harem of cows across the sagebrush flats beneath the steely Grand Teton, a bald eagle roosting atop a snag overlooking the Snake River, bison and trumpeter swans, moose and white pelicans, sandhill cranes and pronghorn antelope.

Or, you could take your own wildlife expedition on two wheels.

A multi-use path runs alongside the Teton Park Road from Moose to Jenny Lake; take to it on your own bike, or rent one from Adventure Sports at Dornans in Moose.

While this is a good introduction to Grand Teton, the many trails to explore, historic sites to see, and calm, pastoral settings to enjoy invite longer stays in this icon.

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Books & Gear Worth Considering The Carry Home, Lessons From the American Wilderness

By Gary Ferguson, Counterpoint Press, 231 pages, $25 Gary Ferguson’s latest book is a love story, and a bittersweet and poignant one at that.

He regales us with his long, loving marriage to a woman who came to share his kindred spirit for the wilderness, bares his soul through the painful loss of her on a wilderness river in Canada, and takes us on a healing journey back into the wilderness.

Ferguson’s wife, Jane, through her death, sent him into the wilds they had both explored and loved together, with a request that he spread her ashes in five spots dear to them both; the Carry Home.

Ferguson revisits their past lives and shares life lessons learned in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, the sandstone outback of southern Utah, and even the deep woods that can be found in western Connecticut.

Wandering these beautiful landscapes is not without risks, as an incident on Ontario’s Kopka River demonstrates. But there is also introspection, self-awareness, and a measure of self-sufficiency.

The author crafts these lessons from his wife’s experience of finding inner strength in Utah’s canyon country, through a program for troubled youth that took them into the wilderness, and from his own experiences.

“My redemption would come in the form of a last request Jane had made years before, asking me if she died, to scatter her ashes in her five favorite wilderness areas. And so I did. Five treks to five unshackled landscapes. At first, the journeys broke my heart. Later they helped me piece it together again. In the end these trips would bring me back to nature again, to wilderness. To the lilting beauty of unkempt places—places powerful enough to woo the hearts not only of the young but of anyone willing to put down the search for meaning for a little while and just float in the sensations of being alive.”

— Kurt Repanshek 40

The Year Yellowstone Burned: A Twenty-Five-Year Perspective

By Jeff Henry, Taylor Trade Publishing, 296 pages, $25 It’s hard to believe that it’s been a quarter-century since the massive fires burned through Yellowstone National Park that summer of 1988. Jeff Henry’s new book is a great look back at those smoke-filled days, especially for those at National Parks Traveler. I was on assignment for Flying Magazine covering the aircraft scene, and Editor Kurt Repanshek was there for The Associated Press. Henry’s words and photos hit home for both of us.

He of course reiterates the obvious; that Yellowstone has always had fire, will always have fire, and that the plateau has survived. In fact, fire is nature’s way of cleaning up after itself.

The narrative starts on June 30, 1988, when a number of fires were smoldering in the backcountry, and then follows the fire’s wrath day by day, accompanied by terrific maps that show the conflagration’s spread. There was the North Fork fire, the Mink, the Huck, and the Clover. Henry covers them all; how they started, how they grew, who was on the front lines, and how the flames were finally controlled by thousands of firefighters, and lots of ground and aerial machinery, and the weather.

Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Towering cumulus clouds formed above each fire, creating their own weather and lightning, which sparked new fires. Fire lines were overwhelmed by embers that flew far ahead of the flame front, easily jumping any man-made defenses.

Finally, on that fateful September 12th, a fast-moving, windy front brought a snowstorm that helped knock the fires down for good. In all, nearly 800,000 acres were affected by the fires; nearly 36 percent of the park.

Of course, I immediately turned to the page on September 8th. The morning briefers said that the North Fork fire would trickle its way slowly down through the woods towards the Old Faithful area, but then the howling winds started. Henry does a good job writing about what happened next, and what it was like to be there on the ground. (I remember huddling behind a stone wall at the visitor’s center as rolling-pin-size embers flew through the air—the very definition of a firestorm.)

You can feel the heat rising off of the 296 pages from his first-person accounts and photographs that document a unique time in Yellowstone’s history, and the people who were there. Here’s a history from someone on the ground, and in fact, on the front lines. He also documents the aftermath of the fires, and in some ways rejuvenated the landscape over the past 25 years. This is an historic document that is also a good read.

— Patrick Cone

Best Easy Day Hikes, Acadia National Park

By Dolores Kong and Dan Ring, FalconGuides, 116 pages, $12.95 Though Acadia National Park is small (relative to the sprawling size of Western national parks), at just 47,389 acres, it still has more than 100 miles of hiking trails. A great guide to have when you’re out day hiking in the park is the third edition of Best Easy Day Hikes, Acadia National Park.

New in this pocket-sized guide are entries for the Quarry and Otter Cove trails, added just last year. Those paths, financed through Friends of Acadia, provide access to Blackwoods Campground and a connection to the diminutive (525-foot-tall) Gorham Mountain.

Entries in the book call out the trail distance, approximate time it will take you to complete, difficulty, and the best season for enjoying the hike. The authors have also included information on whether you should take your canine.

— Kurt Repanshek KEEN’s UNEEK sandal

Osprey Escapist 18 Pack This bike backpack from Osprey is just the right size for a day-long ride.

It’s lightweight (1.6 pounds), has a removable water reservoir, a place to clip your helmet, a blinker-light attachment, and plenty of pockets for tools and snacks. One thing I really liked was the top slash pocket that is lined with a soft material, so my sunglasses and phone could go in there without getting banged up. It’s very well thought out.

For a true test of the pack I let my 11-year-old son use it for a while, as he rode his bike to soccer games, took it to school, and on a few short hikes.

He liked all of the hidden pockets— the hip belt pockets for small items were a big hit—and it was adjustable enough that it cinched right up on his smaller frame. It’s a panel-loading pack with one large compartment, and a smaller one with small mesh pockets.

At first I wasn’t too crazy about the bright fluorescent, built-in rain cover, but then it rained, and it was low visibility. I was certainly easier to spot on the road. The ventilated back panel kept me dry as well.

It’s comfortable, big enough but small enough, and of course it comes with Osprey’s All Mighty Guarantee, which means they’ll repair it for free no matter how old the product. I guess you could say they have your back.

— Patrick Cone

KEEN’s UNEEK Entry Into Sandals

Osprey Escapist 18 daypack

“Two cords and a sole.”

That’s how KEEN describes its latest foray into funky footwear, and that pretty much sums up the UNEEK

(MSRP $100) sandal. After you pull these sandals on, you’ll wonder why the concept took so long to reach the market.

These are not your grandma’s sandals. The stretch cords weave back and forth, loop together in pivot points, and are anchored somewhere within the polyurethane and rubber mid and outer soles.

Pulling them on—yes, you won’t “slip” into these puppies—was a bit of a chore at first, and I thought the 10.5s were too small. But once on, the cording wrapped my feet almost like a second skin, and moved fluidly with each step.

While the siping cut into the bottom of the sole provides good footing when you’re out and about, there’s not a lot of cushioning to protect the foot from sharp rock edges, so these are best at the beach, on the water, or on slickrock in Utah’s outback. Not so much on talus.

Also, due to the weave of the cording, lather your feet good with sunscreen; otherwise you’ll have a nasty Zebra-style sunburn.

— Kurt Repanshek

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Thru-Hiking

Most Beautiful Trail John Muir Would Be Rightfully Proud Of the Trail That Bears His Name Written and Photographed by Michael Lanza

Heather Dorn backpacking the John Muir Trail below Cathedral Peak in Yosemite National Park.

W

e awoke before dawn, crawling out of the sleeping bags we’d laid out the night before on our air mattresses atop flat, granite slabs near the shore of Evolution Lake, at nearly 11,000 feet deep in the backcountry of Kings Canyon National Park. Eating and packing up quickly, we started hiking by headlamps shortly before first light, eager to take advantage of the cool temperatures of mornings on our thru-hike of one of the world’s great footpaths, the John Muir Trail.

As dawn ignited the granite cliffs on an arc of 13,000-foot peaks surrounding us, we hiked up through the Evolution Basin, jaws gaping at the scenery—which is saying a lot, given that we had already been on the JMT for days, beginning many miles to the north, in legendary Yosemite National Park. The windless morning turned Sapphire Lake and Wanda Lake into flawless mirrors reflecting mountains bathed in morning sunlight. At Muir Pass, just shy of 12,000 feet above sea level—one of numerous passes ranging from 11,000 to over 13,000 feet along the JMT—we sat for a

snack and looked around in awe, feeling awestruck and very fortunate.

The John Muir Trail scenically justifies its enduring nickname: “America’s most beautiful trail.” Not only do its bookends lie in national parks that hold historic import because of their scenery—Yosemite and Sequoia—but it also passes through Kings Canyon National Park and a pair of the country’s premier wilderness areas, the Ansel Adams and John Muir. Every day is spent hiking through quiet, forested valleys and canyons nearly a mile deep, or past several of a constellation of alpine lakes in the shadow of 13,000- and 14,000-foot peaks. You see more waterfalls than anyone has taken the time to name.

As with many long trails, thruhiking the JMT gives you the kind of extended, self-powered wilderness journey that distills life down to an uncomplicated and powerfully satisfying simplicity: wake up, eat, pack up camp, hike all day, set up camp, eat, sleep, repeat. You stop worrying about all the responsibilities and anxieties that we manage to worry about in civilization—in fact, you begin to wonder why they worried you at all.

You forget what day it is. You start

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to feel like your body is doing what evolution designed it to do: walk far through the wilderness.

The JMT, though, differs from America’s major National Scenic Trails—including the big three, the Appalachian, Pacific Crest (which the JMT mostly coincides with), and Continental Divide trails—in that its 212 miles (221 including the necessary descent off Mount Whitney, where the JMT officially ends) can be thruhiked in a few weeks or less.

You don’t have to drop out of life for five months; you just need a summer vacation.

Plus, the High Sierra’s often reliably sunny, dry summer weather makes a JMT trek eminently easier and more enjoyable.

I’ve backpacked many of America’s and the world’s mostfamous and glorious trails, from numerous Western national parks like Glacier and Grand Canyon to New Zealand and Patagonia.

The John Muir Trail remains high on my short list of past adventures I yearn to repeat— probably the next time with my family—because it’s just that magical and lovely.

Todd Arndt at Sapphire Lake, along the JMT in Evolution Basin, Kings Canyon National Park.

Trip Planner

Maps

Backpackers take anywhere from a week to 10 days (for uber hikers) to three weeks or more to thru-hike the 221 miles from Yosemite Valley to Whitney Portal. Hiking north to south gives you more time to strengthen your legs and acclimate to the higher elevations of the southern Sierra. The JMT thru-hiking season, like the hiking and backpacking season in the High Sierra, runs from July through September. But from mid-August to mid-September, the mosquitoes have abated and rain is rare (allowing you to use a tarp instead of a tent, cutting pack weight), the high passes are generally snow-free, and mornings are cool and afternoons not as stifling as mid-summer.

John Muir Trail map pack, $21.95 (3 oz. for entire set), tomharrisonmaps.com.

Guidebook John Muir Trail— The Essential Guide to Hiking America’s Most Famous Trail, by Elizabeth Wenk, $18.95, wildernesspress.com.

Michael Lanza writes about his outdoor adventures, many with his family, at his blog and website, The Big Outside, and is the author of the National Outdoor Book Award-winning Before They’re Gone—A Family’s Year-Long Quest to Explore America’s Most Endangered National Parks. See his story about thru-hiking the John Muir Trail in a week and his tips on ultralight backpacking.

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Essential Park Guide | Summer 2015

Parting Shot

Bears are the main attraction at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, but strong supporting roles are provided by other wildlife, such as this Bald Eagle. Photo by Rebecca Latson

Early fall is an exquisite time to float the Colorado River through Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park. And how better to enjoy that float than with fellow park travelers on this National Parks Traveler adventure?

After shoving off into the Green River from Mineral Bottom just upstream of the confluence with the Colorado River, we’ll spend six days drifting through one of the most mesmerizing landscapes in America. There will be days when we float through calm pools and stretches of river, and a day of busting through some of the most renowned whitewater in the Southwest. We’ll explore the Doll House with its geologic oddities, and look for ancient ruins and pictographs in other side canyons in the national park.

This trip, during southern Utah’s typically warm and glorious early fall weather, is set for September 28-October 3, 2015. It will be guided by the professional river runners from Holiday River Expeditions.

They’ll provide natural history interpretation, and cater to us with three sumptuous meals a day, beginning with lunch the first day and ending with lunch on the last day.

But once ashore, noted national park historian Dr. Alfred Runte, who consulted for and appeared on the Ken Burns/Dayton Duncan documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, and wrote

National Parks, The American Experience as well as Yosmite: The Embattled Wilderness, will lead campfire discussions about the National Park System and how it has changed over the decades.

During the day, award-winning photographer Patrick Cone will offer instruction and tips for capturing the striking scenery, and Traveler Editor-in-Chief Kurt Repanshek will be along to keep the parks conversation flowing. We’ll also dig nightly into Traveler’s “swag” bag of giveaways.

This trip will take you through some of the most remote, rugged, and amazing landscape of the Southwest and arguably the Lower 48.

This is the perfect trip for lovers of whitewater, red-rock, and the Southwest. Families with enthusiastic and adventurous youngsters at least 8 years old are welcome. Meals range from blueberry pancakes or made-to-order omelets for breakfast, wraps and deli sandwiches for lunch, and steaks, fish, or chicken for dinner. Special dietary needs can also be easily handled with enough notice.

We’ve reserved September 28-October 3 for Traveler readers.

Pricing is $1,150 per person. To reserve your spot, call Holiday River Expeditions at 1-800-624-6323 and tell them you’d like to be on the Traveler trip. Or, book online at Holiday’s website. Space is available for 18-22 park travelers.