Essential Park Guide, Fall 2014 by Kurt Repanshek

On the Cover

Matt Brass, who set out to design unique art for the parks, admits that â&#x20AC;&#x153;It became a bit of an obsession and they eventually turned into posters. I now have 25 posters I have created for RangerSeries.com.â&#x20AC;? Matt also has done graphics work for the Friends of the Smokies.

Contents Essential Park Guide / Fall 2014

Fall Road Tripping Tall trees, ancient ruins, hallowed ground, and outstanding foliage are just some of the incredible national park settings you can find on the road this fall.

Angling For Fall Whether you’re an angler, mountain biker, hiker, wildlife watcher, or simply enjoying the season, West Yellowstone covers the bases for you.

The Big Wild It’s big, it’s wild, and it can be difficult to reach. But when you find yourself in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, you’ll agree the effort was worth it.

A Rocky Mountain Party Come to Estes Park for the fall Elk Fest, and stay for the next year to celebrate Rocky Mountain National Park’s centennial.

Hiking Acadia Hardwood forests bursting in a kaleidoscope of color are the perfect backdrop for exploring Acadia National Park’s hiking trails. Hiking Grand Canyon The fall months are the very best for hiking and backpacking in Grand Canyon National Park, thanks to dry, generally mild weather and fewer hikers. Lodging Davy Crockett Would Appreciate Quick, when was the oldest lodge in the National Park System built? Would you believe 1817?

A Tasty Adventure Fall brings a surprisingly delicious bounty to the national parks, if you know where to look and what not to pop into your mouth.

Saddle Up Ride away from the roads and into the forests and meadows of national parks with a unique vacation at one of the West’s best dude ranches.

Friends Trail Work Rebuilding, rerouting, and restoring trails keeps national park friends groups from Washington to Maine busy to ensure we don’t lose our way in the parks. Fall Wildlife Elk, bears, bison, bighorn sheep all are on the move come fall. Here’s a look at some obvious, and some not so obvious, places to watch for them. Puzzle Towering grass, harvest moons, and even snorkeling pop up in the Quizmeister’s fall puzzle.

Editor Kurt Repanshek Special Projects editor Patrick Cone art director Courtney Cooper contributors Robert Janiskee Holly Scott Jones Michael Lanza Colleen Miniuk-Sperry Jane Schneider Jen Stegmann publishED by

Essential Park Guides are published by National Park Advocates, LLC, to showcase how best to enjoy and explore the National Park System. National Park Advocates, LLC, P.O. Box 980452, Park City, Utah, 84098. © 2014 Essential Park Guide, Fall 2014. 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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Fall Into the Parks For many, fall conjures images of blizzards of golden leaves, the eerie bugles of bull elk, and the first crisp, possibly snow-dusted, days of year’s end. For the northern half of the country these are the realities of the National Park System. There are the breathtaking days of hiking, watching wildlife on the move, and even tasting the season in the bounties of wild berries and other fruits. These three months are picturesque and inviting, luring us into the parks to celebrate the season. For some, it might be the last adventure before winter’s snows and cold close in. For others, it’s the best season to experience the parks, with fewer visitors, and cooler weather. People’s calendars are filling with trips. Rocky Mountain National Park kicks off its year-long centennial celebration in September, and Estes Park will draw crowds early in October for the 17th Annual Elk Fest. To the north, Yellowstone National Park might be winding down its high season, but the wildlife, not tourists, are crowding meadows and drawing photographers, and the fish are definitely biting, as any of the guides in West Yellowstone will assure you. Itching for one last—or one more—great hike? Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, who wrote arguably the definite photography guide to Acadia National Park, has some great hikes for you in Acadia. Michael A. Lanza counters with a collection of day, and multi-day, treks in Grand Canyon National Park. Our fall guide also brings you road trips through big

Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park are cause for celebration / Kurt Repanshek

trees and the ruins of ancient civilizations, an enticement to steep yourself in the Western parks through a dude ranch stay, and a peek at what just might be the oldest lodge in the park system, the nearly 200-year-old Charit Creek Lodge at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. With such possibilities this fall, staying inside is not an option.

~ Kurt Repanshek

contributors Michael Lanza

Michael Lanza spends so much time with his family out-of-doors that it’s a wonder he can find time to write. He is the author of the award-winning book Before They’re Gone–A Family’s Year-Long Quest to Explore America’s Most Endangered National Parks. He is also the creator of the blog The Big Outside and Northwest Editor of Backpacker Magazine.

Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

In 2007, Colleen MiniukSperry combined her love of the outdoors with her passion for the communication arts to escape her uninspiring corporate job and to create an exciting full-time profession as an outdoor photographer and writer. Residing in Chandler, Arizona, she has authored two award-winning guidebooks, including Photographing Acadia National Park: The Essential Guide to When, Where, and How. Learn more about her work at www.cms-photo.com.

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

Jen Stegmann

Jen camped and hiked throughout the Rockies with her family when she was younger. She has turned her childhood passion for the outdoors into a career working as an interpretive park ranger in several park units throughout the west and Alaska. She continues to study the local flora wherever she happens to be. She currently resides in Denver, Colorado, but spends her weekends along the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Holly Jean Scott

Holly Scott Jones is marketing director for the Rocky Top Wine Trail in Sevier County, Tennessee. She spent 11 years as marketing director for Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She lives in the foothills of the Smokies with her husband, Billy, and they spend their free time hiking and kayaking in the Southeast.

Jane Schneider

Jane Schneider is an award-winning writer/ editor who would much rather be traveling than cooped up in her office. While hiking and canoeing in Big South Bend River & National Recreation Area, she learned a lot about her home state of Tennessee. When not out exploring the national parks, she works as the editor of Memphis Parent magazine.

Hovenweep National Monument / Patrick Cone

By Patrick Cone

Fall is a season of transition in the National Park System, from long, hot days with crowded roads and trails, to cooler, crisper weather that beckons you to make a few more trips before winter sets in. Here are four suggestions to jump on now, or to add to your to-do list.

1 The Road to Ruins

The American Southwest has long been the scene of ancient civilization, cultural conflicts, and their remnants. To get a taste of what life for native inhabitants was like millennia ago, take a tour of the ancestral Pueblo ruins near the Four Corners region where Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico meet. These stone dwellings were inhabited until around AD 1300 by the ancestors of the Zuni, Hopi, and Laguna Pueblos of modern Arizona and New Mexico. Cortez and Durango are ideal gateway communities in Colorado to start your tour.

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Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park / Patrick Cone

Mesa Verde National Park

Just 15 miles east of Cortez (36 miles west of Durango), with their full-service tourism economies, the road into Mesa Verde National Park switchbacks up past the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center to the top of a huge, gently sloping plateau. The view from the top is phenomenal, towards the Dolores River that feeds into the Colorado, and the Blue and LaSal Mountains of Utah to the north and west, and south to Navajo Nation. Four miles ahead you’ll have to leave your trailer at the Morefield Campground. The roads to the ruins are windy, steep, and narrow. The concessionaire-run camp might at first seem overpriced at $30, but amenities do include complimentary Wi-Fi, showers, and laundry, and it is the only campground within the park. Or you may opt to stay at the aptly-named Far View lodge with its private balconies. Here, watch the sun set behind Sleeping Ute Mountain and the ominous, dark volcanic butte of Shiprock while dining on regional foods in the Metate Room, or have a cold one on the top patio of the 6

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lounge after a day on the trails. The ancient cliff dwellings here, of course, are the main show, tucked away under seemingly inaccessible alcoves. Mesa Verde, designated a park in 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt, boasts more than 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These dwellings were built over existing pit houses in the 13th century, and abandoned mostly by AD 1300. These ancestral Puebloans raised turkeys and grew corn, beans, and squash on the mesa tops, but drought, depletion of both large animals and wood, and pressures from other tribes likely made them move on, according to park Ranger Gretschen Johnson. You’re not going to see all of the ruins (most are in the backcountry and off-limits), so drive out the 12-mile day-use road to the Wetherill Mesa and walk the self-guided mile-long tour of Step House ruins. A six-mile shuttle loop will access views of other ruins, but you’ll need tickets for the Long House tour, available from the Visitor Center or Morefield ranger station. Interpretive park Ranger Deb Nelson might show you photographs of the artwork that adorned the circular kiva walls, or the evidence of burned and

ravaged parts of Long House itself. The main park road along Soda Canyon to the east provides access to the park museum (with its stunning dioramas constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930s) as well as the signature ruins at Cliff Palace (the largest ruin with 21 kivas) and Balcony House (at 600 feet above the canyon floor, its 32-foot ladder and tight tunnel are a thrill worthy of the $4 ticket). These, and many others, are visible from the rim pullouts: bring your binoculars.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

After spending a few days, or a lifetime, at Mesa Verde, head east to Durango, and then follow the yellow-cottonwood-lined Animas River towards the New Mexico town of Aztec. Misnamed by early pioneers (the Aztec culture never made it so far north), Aztec Ruins National Monument is a stunning place. Once covered in sand and brush, the West Ruin, or Great House, has 500 connected rooms, its back wall aligned to

Aztec Ruins National Monument / Patrick Cone

the rising of the summer solstice’s sun. The reconstructed Great Kiva has painted plaster interior walls, is nearly 50 feet in diameter, and boasts four large pillars supporting its high roof. A banquette bench rings the wall for seating, a perfect spot for cooling off on the hottest days. Sit there for a few moments and visualize a past when dozens participated in the ceremonies central to their lives, and remember that their descendants still consider all of these sites as the holy places of their ancestors. After an afternoon in reflection, you can travel to another sort of prehistoric settlement: Hovenweep National Monument 100 miles to the northwest. Taking Highway 64 you’ll enter the Navajo lands, with the escarpment of Mesa Verde to the north, and the wind-blown desert ahead of you. The black volcanic plug of Shiprock rises from the desert floor, and the cliff studded Carizzo Mountains are on the horizon. And, for a quirky and fun rest stop, pull in to the Four Corners Monument just off of Highway 160. On Navajo land, there’s a $5 per person entry fee, but you’ll stand in four states at once, look over some fine silver and turquoise jewelry in the small sales booths, and even lunch on some Indian fry bread. In busy times, there’s actually a waiting line to take photographs.

Hovenweep National Monument / Patrick Cone

Hovenweep National Monument

Then cross the lazy San Juan River, with its corridor of golden trees, and drive another 45 miles north along

good paved roads towards one of the most remote outposts of the tour: Hovenweep National Monument. Designated in 1923, Hovenweep is a unique collection of towers and ruins built on the edge of a small arroyo, with views in all directions: Mesa Verde and the San Juan Mountains to the east, Sleeping Ute Mountain to the south, and the Blue Mountains to the west. The sagecovered Cajon Mesa has a fine campground, and there are many hiking trails to near and distant ruins. Take an hour and walk the 1.5-mile

Little Ruin Trail, which is lined with unique monuments to the missing civilization. Tower Point at the head of the canyon is a great place for contemplation of the Twin Towers just downstream, some of the most carefully constructed ancestral Puebloan structures ever found. These 16-room towers, one oval and one horseshoe-shaped, mimic the curved walls that they are built upon. Just below them are the remains of Boulder House, where you can visualize what it might be like to live in a hollowed-out rock.

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Clockwise from top: The bullet-pocked Innes house bears witness to the battle; interior of Innis house with bullet holes; Fredericksburg National Cemetery, cannon on display / Patrick Cone

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

2 An Uncivil War

Robert E. Lee’s surrender of Confederate forces on April 9, 1865, to Ulysses S. Grant in the McLean House at Appomattox concluded one of the bloodiest wars in human history. Shattered, the nation began the long healing process that would expand the federal government and cement our unity. It’s a brutal story, an important part of American history never to be forgotten. Their names were written in blood a century-and-a-half ago: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. Thankfully, these sites of struggle are preserved today with numerous national historical parks, and make for a wonderful tour in the cooler fall weather. The Arlington Memorial Bridge between Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia, metaphorically joins the Lincoln Memorial and our national cemetery, previously Robert E. Lee’s plantation. This epic struggle can be visualized by traveling 50 miles south along I-95 to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. There, explore the defensive position of the Confederate forces at the Sunken Road and stone walls, which protected their riflemen as they shot

down the orderly approach of Union forces. Splintered boards at the Innis House bear witness to what mayhem a lead ball can enact on flesh. More than 8,000 Union troops attempted to take Marye’s Heights above. It was the most one-sided victory by Lee of the war, though, since not one Union soldier succeeded. You may visit the resting place of 15,000 Union troops near the historic home; over 85 percent of the graves holding unidentified soldiers. A dozen miles south along U.S. 1, visit the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, which commemorates a duel between Grant and Lee two years later. It was near here that the Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson fell to friendly fire. Take a side trip to the Wilderness and Chancellorsville battlefields to the west, or head south for a few hours along I-64 to visit the spot where the surrender took place – Appomattox Court House. A pencil Lee used on the surrender terms is still preserved. On the Court House grounds, take a few moments to visualize the reality of what happened here and how it changed history forever.

Sunken Road in Fredericksburg / NPS

3 The Land of Giants California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains run 400 miles from north-tosouth, an uplift of stone that forms the state’s eastern wall with wild river gorges, vast forests, towering trees, and rocky heights. While Yosemite’s ramparts draw the millions, the glacial valleys of Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks just to the south are less traveled and still wild, especially in the high country. Autumn is a great time for a tour and hike, but watch the clouds: winter could make an early appearance. Start your tour at the General Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon National Park, an hour east of Fresno, California. Here you’ll visit the largest natural grove of giant sequoias in the world. Then follow the scenic byway of Highway 180 30 miles to Cedar

Grove Village, where you can pick a direction to explore: head north, east, or south into the wilderness. Take a day hike up Paradise Valley to Misty Falls to cool off. Backcountry users can also approach the park from the Owens Valley and Onion Valley, on the east side of the range, and hike over Kearsarge Pass, where you can camp, climb, and fish away from it all. South from Kings Canyon, head towards Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park, just 26 miles along the serpentine highway, and visit the General Sherman Tree, the largest in the world. It’s 103 feet around the base, and towers to a height of 274 feet. Sequoia offers great access to the high country, and the headwaters of the mighty Kern River. But if you want

Moro Rock in Sequoia offers panoramic views along the Kaweah River watershed / Patrick Cone

to climb Mt. Whitney, the Lower 48’s highest at 14,505 feet, you’ll need to drive another 300 miles around the mountains to its portal: probably not this trip. To really flee the crowds, head south from Wuksachi all the way down to the Foothills Visitor Center, then follow the winding, and narrow, road to Mineral King (once proposed as a ski resort), but leave your trailer behind for this dead-end road. Once there, soak in the grandeur with a hike on the Monarch Lakes Trail.

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4 Color At Every Turn It matters little whether you start in the south and drive north, or start in the north and drive south; the fall finery that cloaks the Appalachian Range has few peers when the climatic conditions converge in mid-October. Oaks, maples, beech, sweetgum, and hickories collaborate to dazzle you with hues of Cabernet, cranberry, orange, gold and rust, some of which are set against the greenery of pines and hemlocks. Creeping along the forest floor, sassafrass, Virginia creeper, and even patches of purple asters provide a colorful contrast to the showy overstory. The challenge you face, though, is the traffic this festival of fall foliage attracts. Bumper-to-bumper conditions can clog the 105-mile-long Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park, the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, and even the 34-mile-long Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

Fall colors embrace Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park / Kurt Repanshek

What to do? Strategies vary. If you’re coming from afar, you should already have your lodging reservations in Shenandoah or one of the properties tied to the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you don’t, hope for a cancellation or look to the gateway towns and their B&B ranks. If you enjoy sleeping on the ground, act quickly and snatch a spot in one of the campgrounds by going to recreation.gov. Whether you’re staying just outside one of the parks, or lucked out with a room within, forgoe a driving tour and instead make incursions into the forests on foot. Avoid the most popular spots – Old Rag in Shenandoah, Mount Mitchell along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Mount LeConte in Great Smoky – and focus on trails that might not draw as many crowds. After all, the foliage is spectacular whether you’re viewing it from Old Rag or Moormans River Overlook in Shenandoah, from Mabry Mill or

Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway, or from Cades Cove or Balsam Mountain in Great Smoky. Make a point to rise early and have a late dinner. The sharp, early morning sun, and the waning evening sun, offer the best colors for photos and tend to coincide with lesser traffic on the roads and trails. Weekdays also are less crowded than weekends. Whenever you go, be sure your gas tank and picnic basket are full, your camera charged, and your flashcard empty at the outset!

For more fall windshield tours in the park system, check out these stories on the Traveler: • Eastern roadtrips for windshield tours • Western roadtrips for windshield tours

Fall brings quiet beauty to Yellowstone interrupted only by bugling elk, hopper-seeking trout, and the hissing of a steaming geyser. Enjoy this season’s cycling, wildlife watching, and leisurely drives. Relax at night in family-friendly restaurants and lodging, or stroll among our charming shops. Whether you’re adventuring in or outside the park, make the town of West Yellowstone your vacation destination. Visit www.yellowstonedestination.com

YOUR YELLOWSTONE ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE

West Yellowstone Montana

www.YellowstoneDestination.com

West Yellowstone TBID • PO Box 1633 • West Yellowstone, MT 59758 • WYTBID@gmail.com • (406) 640-0069 NationalParksTraveler.com

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Fish, Bike, Hike, or Photograph The Fall From West Yellowstone Finding yourself in West Yellowstone, Montana, this fall is the easy part. Deciding what to do, well, that could take some time.

o you pedal to the south side of town and enter the rolling Rendezvous Trail System in the Targhee National Forest on your mountain bike, head into Yellowstone National Park to savor the photographic bounty of wildlife on the move or for a hike through the golden autumn, or wet a fly in some of the West’s best blue-ribbon trout streams? Too little time, too many choices. After you’ve chosen your base camp from West Yellowstone’s wide range of lodging options, from individual cabins to full-amenity hotels, head out into the season. The west entrance to Yellowstone is your entry to fall fly fishing. Autumn is a magical time in the high country: the 12

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

mosquitoes have died down; the nights are cold and the days warm; the skies are clear and crystal blue; the waters are clear. The brown trout in the Madison River are about to start their spawning runs up river, and they’re hungry, huge, aggressive, and have a date with destiny, and you. Though the tourist crowds have thinned on the rivers around West Yellowstone, you won’t be alone either; the other critters are busy trying to prepare for the first snows, and then the gentle lock-down of winter. Along the Madison and Gallatin rivers the elk are bugling, the swans are gliding, the coyotes are leaping, and the bears are generally doing whatever they want to do (but will mind their own business if you

Above: The Firehole River in Yellowstone is a bountiful trout fishery / Kurt Repanshek Opposite page: Bulls and cows are more visible in the fall in Yellowstone, while the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River is always on display / Mike Polkowske

do - but carry your bear spray and keep it handy, just the same). From mid-August through the end of October you can catch some of these legendary fish. Hatches of caddis mayflies, and stoneflies, swarms of grasshoppers and ants, and the errant mouse, will keep them hungry, as these fish burn extra energy during the spawn. Imitations of terrestrials (ants, grasshoppers, and mice) are definitely

on the trout menu, and bring the big fish to the surface along the Yellowstone and Madison. While fish average around 16 to 17 inches, a two-footer is considered a really good fish, and every so often someone catches one even bigger. It’s the stuff of legends and bar stories. Just a few miles from West Yellowstone, you can fish Hebgen Lake, not just the premier stillwater fishing lake in Montana, but world famous as a dry fly fishery. Hebgen offers up a calm placid surface, extensive weed-beds, and “gulping” trout. Large rainbow and brown trout become greedy “gulpers” when slurping copious amounts of mayflies off the lake’s glassy surface. Head down the lake on a guided drift boat, bring your own or rent a boat, or just walk the banks. Just be ready for a fight. Fishing within the park is magical. You’ll be in one of the most famous fisheries in the world, surrounded by some of the most amazing scenery. In late fall, try your luck on the Firehole River, and tantalize the rainbows with dry flies and streamers as geysers sputter nearby while the steam swirls through the cold air. Or fish the Yankee Jim Canyon of the Yellowstone River. It’s primeval and

the solitude will surround you. Hiking and photography are pretty legendary in Yellowstone in the fall, too. Start right from town on the Riverside Trail that leads from the eastern end of Madison Avenue into the park. Some mountain bikers and anglers might join you on this trail, which leads to the Madison River. Head out early to enjoy both the morning light glinting off the river and with hopes of seeing some moose or bison along the river or in the surrounding meadows. Drive into the park and you can hike the trails in the Lower Geyser Basin within 30 minutes (barring any wildlife jams), or drive a bit longer to reach the hot, colorful, and turbulent Norris Geyser Basin. If the basin is willing, you just might see Steamboat Geyser erupt during your walk on the basin boardwalk. For some, solitude goes with the fall foliage. Visit overlooked Monument Geyser Basin about five miles south of Norris, for example. This basin was once a major tourist stop. These days it qualifies for hidden, largely due to its small road sign, but also due to the mile-long, uphill hike needed to reach the basin. You’ll likely smell the sulphurous steam before you actually see, or hear, the

basin. Once out of the trees you’ll not find erupting geysers or sparkling hot springs. Rather, the basin features a collection of fuming cones rising above a small, rolling saddle, clasped on a ridge high above Gibbon Meadows. You also don’t need an arduous hike to enjoy autumn. The season brings the park’s wildlife into view, as elk and bison move to the river valleys. The 14-mile-drive from West Yellowstone to Madison Junction offers numerous parking spots so you can focus on the bison and elk, instead of the road. Plan a late afternoon visit and you might see and hear the bugling bull elk summoning their harems. Don’t forget to stop at the Visitor Center in West Yellowstone to grab a West of Yellowstone Park map with its road-trip suggestions. For example, head up U.S. 191 north of town. This route takes you in and out of Yellowstone and you’ll have a good chance to spot bears and bald eagles. Plus you can always stop to fish the creeks coming out of the park, or at Hebgen Lake. However you decide to pass your time, when your visit ends, you’ll find that you’ve been hooked on this wonderful season.

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By Patrick Cone

Visitors to the far north might think they know what’s big. That is, until they see it, touch it, and feel it. In Alaska, peaks and glaciers, rivers and lakes, waterfalls and forests, beaches and bays stretch far away to all horizons, nearly untouched by the hand of man. Even the chattiest air traveler will grow quiet as they fly for hours over pristine landscapes. Things are different up North, and that’s why we love it. It’s big, wild, and quiet; not a place for the distracted or unprepared visitor. It’s also what attracts us for a renewal-by-wilderness.

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, Alaska

utumn is absolutely the best time to explore what the sourdoughs call South Central, the jumble of mountain ranges of the WrangellSt. Elias National Park and Preserve. Golden birch and alder line the streams; the skies are intensely blue; and the bugs have subsided. Nights are cool and days are warm but termination dust (what old timers call the first snow) can cover the peaks from the end of August on, like frosting on a cake. It’s our largest national park at 21,000 square miles. In fact, it’s six times the size of Yellowstone in the Lower 48. Now, Alaska has less than one person per square mile, with half of those 500,000 in Anchorage. To the north, Denali National Park and Preserve welcomes a half-million visitors a year. But Wrangell-St. Elias? Only a tenth of that number. It’s big, vast and nearly endless; from the coastal plains to 18,000-foot, glacier-covered peaks. One climber summed up the difference this way: “In the Lower 48 you might approach a peak, hike to its base, climb to the top, and be back home for dinner. In the Arctic it may take you days to get to the beginning, a week of ‘alder bashing’ to climb above timberline. Then, more days hiking the glacier, and only then you can start your climb.” It’s a matter of scale, and humbles even the hardiest travelers. “During the 1970s’ oil boom, more than one Texas oilman was told that Alaskans were going to cut their state in half and so make Texas the third-biggest state. This park has everything a wilderness enthusiast wants. It holds the greatest concentration of peaks in North America over 16,000 feet. Here are the biggest glaciers on

the continent, as well as the largest concentration of volcanoes. There are historic railroads and mines. The glacial, salmon-filled rivers are lined with hungry bears and eagles. There are moose in the willows and the white dots of Dall sheep on the sheer cliffs. Big mountains hold big glaciers that form the big rivers: the Copper, Chitina, Nabesna, and White rivers all headed to the sea. Four different mountain ranges bracket the park: the Alaska Range to the north, the volcanic Wrangell and St. Elias ranges in the center, and the coastal Chugach Mountains on the south. Steam plumes soar over Mt. Wrangell’s summit at times, testimony to the fire that underlies the ice. The Nabesna Glacier on the north border is the longest in the world, at 75 miles. To the south, the Malaspina Glacier pours out of the mountains onto the coastal plain, the world’s largest piedmont glacier. Its ice is more than 2,000 feet thick and would add six inches to sea level if it ever fully melted. The future might have that in store, actually, as others, such as the Hubbard Glacier, are retreating quickly. Getting to the park can be as quick and easy as an air-taxi flight to McCarthy, the park’s main southern entrance, Nabesna to the north, or dozens of backcountry sites in-between. To truly see the whole park, splurge and take an aerial tour and soar in front of sheer rock faces, and watch as the glaciers merge, a flow stripe denoting each confluence. For those with a decent vehicle, more time, and less cash, take the 4-hour drive from Anchorage along the stunningly magnificent Glenallen Highway, then south to the town of Chitina where the Chitina River joins the Copper River, the only river to cut through the rugged Chugach

The Viking Lodge is one of a handful of public-use cabins available at Wrangell-St. Elias / NPS Opposite page: Gilahina Trestle / NPS

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Backpacker crossing glacial moraine / NPS

A small section of the 75-mile-long Nabesna Glacier / NPS

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

Mountains to the Gulf of Alaska. At Chitina, make sure you’re prepared for some backcountry driving: there’s no gas where you’re going, so fill up here. And make sure you have a good jack and a couple of spare tires, too. The 60-mile unpaved McCarthy Road follows the Chitina River’s north bank, along an old railroad grade. A passenger car won’t have any problems, but flats are common. And there’s a lot to see and do on the way. Spend some time hiking and fishing, marvel at the railroad trestles, and try and keep at least one eye on the road and not on the soaring peaks: the single-lane Kuskulana Bridge, built in 1910, is 238 feet above a raging river, and just recently gained a guard rail. The drive will take around three hours from

Fall colors along the McCarthy Road / NPS

It’s big, vast, and nearly endless; from the coastal plains to 18,000-foot, glacier-covered peaks.

Chitina to McCarthy, and there’s no toll booth or entrance station in sight. There’s no vehicle bridge at McCarthy, so leave your car and walk the footbridge across the Kennicott River into town. (Until 1997 you would have had to pull yourself across a hand-powered tramway.) The main gateway into the park, McCarthy has a smattering of lodges, guides, and cafes, with only 100 residents, but it wasn’t always that way. Eighty years ago it was a raucous, rough town of ten times that number, catering to the miners from the nearby, historic Kennecott Copper Mine. If you stay in McCarthy you can hike the 5-mile trail (or hitch a ride on a shuttle)

up the west side of the Root Glacier to the rustic, red-painted historic town and mill. In 1998 it was acquired by the National Park Service and is now a National Historic Landmark. The mine here opened in 1907, and more than $200 million in copper ore was shipped out during its 30-year heyday. Originally the high-grade ore was hauled out by a steamship that was hauled piece by piece over the mountains and rebuilt on the river. Its first shipment in 1911 held $250,000 of copper. Finally it was replaced by the railroad that is now the road in. And this mine was undoubtedly the richest copper deposit ever discovered, with up to 70 percent pure chalcocite. Prospector Jack Smith wrote of the copper outcrop he found in 1900: “I’ve got a mountain of copper up there. There’s so much of the stuff sticking out of the ground that it looks like a green sheep pasture in Ireland when the sun is shining...” There was so much of it, in fact, that miners took a horse-drawn sleigh onto the Root Glacier to pick up the

blue-green rocks that had been torn off the cliffs and carried down by the ice. A trip to the town and mill is a glimpse backwards in time. The towering mill, bunk houses, and offices are all covered with the original copper oxide paint, but have weathered well in the harsh climate. The mines themselves are 3,000 feet above the town, and were serviced by an aerial tramway carrying the ore down, and miners up. Bold hikers can climb the mountains to the Erie, Jumbo, and Bonanza mines. Though the mines closed in the late 1930s, they did give birth to the global Kennecott Mining Company. For mountaineers there are challenges here for a lifetime. In 1937, legendary mountaineer and photographer Bradford Washburn and friends set out to climb Mount Lucania (17,147 feet), at that time the highest unclimbed peak in North America. Only two of the group were able to land on the glacier before bad weather forced the plane away, and after surviving avalanches, crevasses, and whiteout snowstorms they made NationalParksTraveler.com

Right: The Kennicott Mill photographed at night in 1937 / John Cone

Below: The author’s father, John Cone, during the winter of 1937 at the Kennicott Mine.

the summit. But the real challenge was yet to come. Unable to retreat by plane due to soft snow, they were stranded for a month on the glacier. Running out of supplies, and with winter looming, they finally retreated across a hundred miles of uncharted Yukon Territory to safety. Ice, snow, and rock climbers still push up new routes on such classic peaks as Mount Drum, Mount Bona, and Mount Blackburn, the fifth-highest peak in the United States at 16,390 feet. For a true wilderness experience, fly into one of the 14 public-use cabins scattered within the park, remote and mostly first come-first served. Or fly into a luxury lodge within the park. Make sure you take your fishing pole, though, because you will not be disappointed. And, interestingly, hunting and trapping are allowed within WrangellSt. Elias National Park and Preserve. Within the national park it’s limited to those locals who depend upon the meat for their survival, but sport-hunting is allowed on the national preserve.

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

If that’s all a bit too intense, then base from McCarthy at one of the rustic lodges, hike, raft, camp, fish and just enjoy the wonderful fall weather, in what is truly one of America’s most beautiful and pristine landscapes.

If you go: For park information, visit www.nps.gov/wrst. Where to Stay • There are 14 public-use cabins within the park, accessible by air. There is a maximum stay of 7 days in a 30-day period. Most are first come, first served, with no reservations, but three do require reservations and a $25 per night fee. 907-822-7253. • The McCarthy Lode and Ma Johnson’s Historic Hotel • Ultima Thule Lodge – air-access only lodge • Kennicott Glacier Lodge Guides and Outfitters • St. Elias Alpine Guides • Kennicott Guides • Copper Oar Rafting Air Taxi Companies • www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/upload/ CUA-List-01282013.pdf.

100 years of

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

RAINBOW RUBY

W ELCOMING COMMIT TEE, RIVER GUIDE

“My family,s been here for over 100 years. Floating the rivers and streams really never gets old. The dining here is fantastic too, especially as the sun begins to set on the water. While you,re here, enjoy a creek-side meal and help us celebrate our anniversary year. You never know what adventures you might catch here in Estes Park!” Base Camp for Rocky Mountain National Park Find centennial deals and details at VisitEstesPark.com/Centennial NationalParksTraveler.com

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View from the Gore Range Overlook on Trail Ridge Road / Rebecca Latson

Celebrating

Rocky Mountain National Park’s Centennial By Kurt Repanshek

Join the Party At Estes Park

I Take an elk-watching excursion during the 17th Annual Elk Fest / VisitEstesPark.com

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

don’t usually look to elk for hiking companions, but as I worked my way from Nymph Lake to Dream Lake towards my final destination at Emerald Lake, I couldn’t ignore the cow elk and her young calf. We didn’t share the trail, but they paralleled my travels and stuck close to the cascading creek that wore the lakes like gems on a necklace. They enjoyed the succulent vegetation while I enjoyed the Rocky Mountain grandeur. Spend any time in Rocky Mountain National Park and you’ll agree that the elk are an integral part of the landscape. I found them cavorting in Horseshoe Park just inside the Fall River Entrance, grazing at 12,000 feet alongside Trail Ridge Road, and even moseying down the roads into Estes Park, which anchors the park’s front door. Their healthy populations in the park, and surrounding national forest, no doubt are an offshoot of Enos Mills’ efforts a century ago to see this Colorado landscape preserved as a national park.

Mills understood the purpose and meaning of a national park as he started lobbying for Rocky Mountain National Park. He had admired John Muir’s push for Yosemite National Park, and had been encouraged by the Scotsman to immerse himself in nature. He quickly came to see a national park’s worth. “A National Park is a fountain of life,” he wrote in Your National Parks, his guidebook to the fledgling National Park System. “Within National Parks is room—glorious room—room in which to find ourselves, in which to think and hope, to dream and plan, to rest and resolve.” As a teenager he arrived in Estes Park struggling with tuberculosis and, after the mountain air healed him, he found his way to the top of Longs Peak as a 15-year-old, no small feat. Mills, certain that the Rocky Mountain vistas above Estes Park were worthy of national park status, took his message of rejuvenation and the glory of the outdoors and spread it far and wide to anyone who would listen. It didn’t happen overnight: it took him nearly 20 years. But he persevered and discussed the proposed park in newspaper and magazine articles, lectured on the topic, and even fought opposition from the U.S. Forest Service. But he was tenacious. In January 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed Rocky Mountain National Park into existence. Today Mills’ vision is nearly a century old and Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the true icons of the National Park System. Longs Peak at 14,259 feet is the park’s centerpiece, as it presides over the Mummy and Never Summer ranges. Pine, spruce, and aspen forests are threaded with hiking trails, and strings of emerald lakes are still fed by icy streams. Some things have changed since Mills’ days. There’s more access to the park. Construction on Trail Ridge Road, which climbs up and over the Continental Divide at 12,183 feet, didn’t begin until seven years after his death, and the road wasn’t completed from Estes Park to Grand Lake on the other side of the divide until 1933. There’s also a wonderful road leading from the Beaver Meadows Entrance to Moraine Park and on to Bear Lake. There, you can pick up the trail to Nymph Lake and beyond. Estes Park has also expanded to offer dozens of lodges and restaurants,

Elk are readily visible in the meadows of Rocky Mountain National Park in fall / Rebecca Latson

the growth supported by the increase in park visitation from 31,000 in 1925 to more than 3 million a year today. (Of those 3 million, Estes Park welcomes about 2.2 million) While Rocky Mountain’s official birthday isn’t until January, the park’s celebration begins this September 3rd and runs a year and a day, until September 4, 2015. For a year, you’ll be treated to talks, hikes, and mountaineering treks, art shows and park history. There will be ice cream socials, seminars, profiles of scientists, photography clinics, and ranger-led programs. They’ll be supplemented by programs offered by the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, which will touch all aspects of this incredible national park. Come to Estes Park this October and join in the centennial celebration, and celebrate the elk at the 17th Annual Elk Fest. The event takes place from October 4-5, and features elk viewing excursions, elk bugling contests, Native

American story-telling, music, even a mountain-man rendezvous. The haunting bugles of a bull elk mark the fall rut, or mating season. Some bulls bugle to attract mates, others to warn their mates that they’ve strayed too far. Spot some elk as they bugle to build their harems during an afternoon bus excursion ($5/person), where a naturalist will explain this behavior. You can, of course, head out on your own. Take advantage of the colorful fall foliage and generally mild weather to pack a picnic basket for a late afternoon, or an early evening, tailgating jaunt in the national park. Pull over at Horseshoe Park, Moraine Park, Upper Beaver Meadows, Harbison Meadow and Holzwarth Meadow, set up some lawn chairs, picnic while they serenade you. If you can’t make the Elk Fest this year, schedule your own personal wildlife watching adventure in the months to come.

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Views from Acadia National Park in fall are breathtaking and expansive / Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

The “Maine” Event: Acadia’s Best Fall Color Hikes By Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

ne could argue that there is no bad time to visit Acadia National Park—and one would likely receive little resistance from those who have experienced the magical park. However, like a proud peacock showing off its striking plumage, autumn’s arrival to Maine’s coastal gem ushers in a symphony of fleeting shades of red, yellow, gold, and even purple as maple, beech, birch, oak, white ash and other deciduous trees don their brilliant fall leaves beginning in early October (bookmark www.mainefoliage.com to get the most up-to-date conditions). Whether you have a few hours or days to spare, here are eight can’t-miss hikes that offer impressive opportunities to enjoy Acadia’s most colorful season (in no particular order):

Jesup Trail (2 miles/3.2 km roundtrip, easy) The Great Fire of 1947 scorched more than 17,000 acres on the east side of Mount Desert Island’s spruce and fir forest, making way for healthy stands of deciduous trees to sprout out of the charred landscape. A relaxed stroll along the Jesup Trail transports hikers into one of the few areas where the foliage from before and after the fire obviously intermix. Starting at The Tarn, the easy-going dirt path passes Sieur de Monts and the Wild Gardens of Acadia and then transitions into a wooden boardwalk, where the greenery of old hemlocks that survived the devastating blaze appear on the western side. Paper birch, maple, which fleck the forest with gold and red, and other deciduous trees replenished the burned section in the open meadow on the eastern side.

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Alex Lanza on the Tonto Trail near Hance Rapids / Michael A. Lanza, The Big Outside

A Fall Escape Into Grand Canyon National Park By Michael Lanza

y 10-year-old daughter, Alex, and I follow the steep and rugged New Hance Trail on a nearly 5,000-vertical-foot march down into the Earth’s most-famous hole in the ground. The sky seems to levitate steadily higher above us, but it’s just a trick played on the eyes by the severe topography of the Grand Canyon: As we slowly descend deeper, burgundy rock walls creep higher, pushing the cerulean dome overhead farther away from us. In the distance, thousand-foot-tall stone towers stretch toward that sky, yet still fall short of the heights of the canyon’s North Rim, miles away. We hike comfortably in shirtsleeves and warm sunshine that does not feel like the heat of a nuclear reaction that I have experienced on every previous hike here. And I have to keep reminding myself that this is the first weekend of November, a time of year we don’t normally associate with mild-weather, outdoor adventures in national parks.

That evening, as Alex and I sit in our campsite listening to the gravelly rumble of the Colorado River rolling past nearby, and looking up at the kind of star-riddled sky that we rarely see in the communities where most Americans live today, I realized that this trip answers two related questions for national parks lovers: What’s the best time to visit Grand Canyon National Park for comfortable temperatures and no crowds? And where do you go in late autumn, when many parks are getting cold, wet weather, or starting to accumulate their winter layer of snow? September through the first half of October, like April through the first half of May, is a popular time to visit and hike in the Big Ditch. But mid-October through mid-November also consistently delivers dry weather and temperatures ranging from highs in the 50s on the rims and the 60s or low 70s in the canyon bottom, to lows around freezing on the rims (typically early morn-

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Fall colors both the trees and the streams in Acadia / Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

North Bubble Trail to Conners Nubble (3.6 miles/5.8 km roundtrip, moderate) On this hike, experience not one, but two, breathtaking vistas of Eagle Lake and Cadillac Mountain’s western flank dotted with color. The trail starts beneath a canopy of yellow birch on its way from the Bubble Rock Trailhead to the 872-foot (266-m) summit on North Bubble. After soaking in views of the fall fiesta from the top, a riot of low sweet blueberry adds splashes of red among the pink speckled granite en route to Conners Nubble. A steady climb to the top of this 588-foot (179-m) summit yields a second—and equally exciting—overlook of autumn’s flashy hues.

Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail (7.0 miles/11.3 km roundtrip, moderate to strenuous)

...continued from page 22

Bubble Rock Trail (1 mile/1.6 km roundtrip, moderate to strenuous) Seemingly endless stands of birches flaunting their golden leaves appear as hikers ascend the gap between the North and South Bubbles. At the top of

the 768-foot (234-m) South Bubble, an enormous glacial erratic (appropriately named “Bubble Rock”) clings to the granite cliffs. From this informal overlook, a striking landscape unfolds below, where multi-hued treetops grace the shorelines of Eagle Lake and Jordan Pond. Stay a safe distance from the edge as no handrails or fences exist along these cliffs.

Originating at the signpost across from the Blackwoods Campground entrance, a gradual ascent along the southern flank of Acadia’s tallest peak, Cadillac Mountain (1,529 feet), allows color chasers to first appreciate the glowing red low sweet blueberry bush. After arriving at the Featherbed (a small glacial cirque), hikers might start walking with their mouths open—and it will not be because they’re winded. So long as fog has not encased the mountain, the trail reveals jaw-dropping vistas of beech, birch, aspen, and maple collectively doing their best impression of 1970s shag carpet with leaves turned to yellow, gold, brown, red, and orange. Spry hikers can complete a longer, more arduous 8.3-mile (13.4 km) loop by connecting with the Gorge Path atop the Cadillac Mountain summit. After climbing Dorr Mountain, head south on the Dorr Mountain South Ridge Trail and then west on the Canon Brook Trail to return to the Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail.

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

...continued from page 23 ing, warming quickly when the sun comes up) but in the 50s near the river. The summer “monsoon” rains have passed, and while snow may fall at the rims, it typically doesn’t start sticking until later in November. While days are short and services at the North Rim close by mid-October, South Rim trails that can teem with hikers during peak seasons become quieter in late autumn, and permits for backpacking trips easier to obtain. The following day hikes and backpacking trips routes, all originating on the South Rim, are great choices from mid-October through mid-November. Remember that water sources are scarce to non-existent, and don’t underestimate how much more strenuous it is to turn around and ascend the distance and elevation you’ve easily descended.

Day Hikes The Bright Angel Trail, like the South Kaibab Trail one of the park’s best-maintained—and safest—“corridor” paths, zigzags down through a broad, side canyon below soaring cliffs, with long views across the canyon. From Grand Canyon Village, it drops 3,000 feet in 4.8 miles to Indian Garden, a good turnaround point for fit, prepared day-hikers or a shaded watering hole for an overnight hike of moderate difficulty. Views are constant and there are other landmarks along the trail creating natural turnaround points for shorter hikes. The South Kaibab Trail deservedly earns a spot on many lists of the most

Camp near the Colorado River at the bottom of New Hance Trail / Michael A. Lanza, The Big Outside

scenic hikes in America. From the trailhead near Yaki Point east of Grand Canyon Village (no parking available; take the park’s free shuttle bus), the South Kaibab snakes down along the crest of a ridge—the only trail in the park that follows a ridge top—offering unparalleled, 360-degree panoramas of the canyon virtually every step of the way. Popular turnaround points for day-hikSouth Kaibab Trail below Cedar Ridge / NPS

ers are Cedar Ridge (three miles and 1,140 feet round-trip); Skeleton Point (six miles, 2,040 feet round-trip); and the Tipoff (8.8 miles and 3,260 feet). Catch the first shuttle bus in the morning for beautiful early light and few other hikers until you’re coming back up. The Grandview Trail is one of those cliffhugging footpaths that can be terrifying in

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Acadia offers postcard settings in fall / Colleen Miniuk-Sperry

...continued from page 24

Gorham Mountain Trail (1.8 miles/2.9 km roundtrip, moderate to strenuous) Hikers interested in seeing the most picturesque views of autumn colors sprinkled across the coast below need only to make the steady 0.5-mile (0.8 km) ascent to the false summit about 300 feet above (91.4 m). The true summit requires an additional heartpounding 0.4-mile (0.6-km) trek uphill to reach the top of the 525-foot (160m) peak. Both elevated perches offer 180-degree panoramic views of Mother Nature’s autumn touch extending from Frenchman Bay and Sand Beach in the north to the open ocean beyond the Otter Cliff in the south.

the cascading Jordan Stream as it gracefully weaves its way through a forest of foliage flaunting a rainbow of reds, yellows, and oranges. Within a quick 0.5 miles (0.8 km), the historic Cobblestone Bridge appears. From here, connect with the nearby carriage road (turning right at signpost #24 and again at signpost #28) to reach the idyllic Little Long Pond. Autumn colors surround a picturesque boathouse and frame Penobscot Mountain in the background, making this a scene right out of a storybook. Although the serene carriage road and the lake are located on private property, responsible hikers can saunter here without seeking formal permission.

Witch Hole Pond Loop Jordan Stream Trail to Carriage Road Little Long Pond (6.8 miles/10.9 km roundtrip, easy to moderate)

(3.6 miles/5.8 km roundtrip, easy to moderate) The Jordan Stream Trail crisscrosses 26

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

This scenic carriage roads features tranquil ponds, views of Frenchman Bay, and the majestic Duck Brook

Bridge and jubilantly flowing Duck Brook, all while showing off a flashy display of maple, birch, and oak trees along the way. Begin your outing at the Eagle Lake parking area for the longest loop hike, or from either the Visitor Center or near the Duck Brook Bridge area for shorter options.

Beech Cliff Trail (1.2 miles/1.9 km, strenuous) Since this trail closes in spring and summer, fall offers an ideal time to hike one of Acadia’s famous “ladder trails.” Not for those who suffer from acrophobia, this short and steep hike brings intrepid hikers along granite ledges graced with crimson low sweet blueberry bush and golden birch. After navigating a series of gut-wrenching iron ladders, dramatic cliff-top views uncover a colorful band of trees in the valley below extending from Echo Lake to the distant coastline to the south.

The author’s daughter, Alex, 10, on the New Hance Trail / Michael A. Lanza, The Big Outside

...continued from page 25 snowy and icy conditions of early spring and exciting and safe in the dry conditions typical from mid-April to mid-November. (I’ve hiked it in both conditions—both times with my daughter.) It offers views comparable to the Bright Angel and South Kaibab (if not quite matching the latter), but without the crazy volume of people. Turn back at Coconino Saddle (2.2 miles, 1,190 feet round-trip) or Horseshoe Mesa (six miles, 2,500 feet).

Backpacking The South Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Trail hike is the iconic Grand Canyon backpacking trip, making it a difficult permit to come by during peak times in spring and fall. Descend the South Kaibab seven miles and 4,780 feet to Bright Angel Campground, where you’ll prob-

ably spend a pleasantly mild evening even in the first half of November. Then spread the 9.5-mile, 4,580-foot ascent of the Bright Angel Trail out over two days with an overnight at Indian Garden. Probably second in popularity only to the South Kaibab Trail to Bright Angel Trail backpacking route (above), hiking 24.8 miles from Hermit Trailhead to Bright Angel Trailhead delivers an experience similar to the former without the difficulty of hiking all the way down to the canyon bottom and back up. The Hermit and Bright Angel trails offer the expansive, upper-canyon views—and the strenuousness of big elevation gain and loss—while the traverse of the gentler Tonto Trail linking them gives you a physical respite with mid-canyon vistas of breathtaking red-rock amphitheaters. Spread the trip over three to four days and check with backcountry rangers about water availability.

The 29.2-mile, Grandview Point to South Kaibab Trailhead trip matches the scenery of the Hermit Trailhead to Bright Angel Trailhead hike, but sees fewer hikers even during peak times of the year—perhaps mostly due to the exposure on parts of the upper Grandview Trail. It’s also, in my opinion, a little more spectacular. Take three to four days, and check beforehand with backcountry rangers on how many of the four reliable water sources are flowing; some of them dry up every fall. For Grand Canyon climate information, see nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/ weather-condition.htm. See Grand Canyon trail descriptions at nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/campsiteinformation.htm. Map Grand Canyon East no. 262 and Grand Canyon West no. 263, $11.95 each, (800) 962-1643, natgeomaps.com. Contact Grand Canyon National Park, (928) 638-7888, nps.gov.grca.

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A Step Back in Time Charit Creek Lodge gives visitors a glimpse into Tennessee’s pioneer past By Jane Schneider

recently received an invitation to sleep in a log cabin. Not something new and swanky, mind you. Instead, my imagination was sparked because this cabin was built in 1817, around the time Davy Crockett was earning his reputation as a frontiersman, storyteller, and politician. Charit Creek Lodge sits in the heart of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, near Jamestown, Tennessee. This 125,000-acre swath of wilderness is part of the Cumberland Plateau, an ancient tableland of sandstone and shale that ascends nearly 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain and stretches diagonally from the Kentucky border across Tennessee to northern Alabama. Long ago carved by flowing waters, the plateau is riddled with beautiful gorges, canyons, rock shelters, and waterfalls. While just a two-hour’s drive from either Nashville or the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it feels a world away.

Another Place in Time To get to Charit Creek, you must drive to the trailhead and leave your car. Then you descend, by foot or by horseback, down steep, winding trails for threequarters of a mile until you reach the narrow gap that opens to a lush hollow. Greeting you is a picturesque collection of buildings—the lodge, homesteader cabins, and a four-crib barn—that harken to when Tennessee was still being explored and settled. You might be surprised to learn that these are the oldest lodging structures still in use in the National Park System today. I know I was. Relaxing in a rocker on the lodge’s front porch is a popular after-dinner activity / Jane Schneider

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

Fall brightly colors the forests surround the Big South Fork. Some of the cabins at Charit Creek date to 1817 / NPS photos

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area: www.nps.gov/biso (423) 286-7275

Charit Creek Lodge: www.ccl-bsf.com 865-696-5611

Charit Creek, which is on the National Historic Register, has no electricity, which is part of its charm. Instead, the small cabin rooms are outfitted with wooden bunk beds and warmed by pot-bellied stoves. At night, guests dine by candlelight in the rustic dining room before settling by a campfire and gazing up at a sky impossibly brilliant with stars. (You will, however, find a fairly modern bathhouse here.) I notice the cabin’s huge chinked logs. National Park Service Ranger Howard Duncan tells me they were handhewn from poplar, a soft wood that was abundant and easy to work. Isolated by the towering ridges and deep canyons that pepper the plateau, homesteaders didn’t have the luxury of hauling timber from nearby sawmills. Instead, they cleared the land and hewed their own logs to build the squat, sturdy cabins that would serve generations to come. Duncan is native to these parts, and full of stories of the hardy people who blessed the land with names that reflected its challenges: Difficulty, Troublesome, and No Business Creek. Because of its remoteness, Big South Fork was always sparsely populated with many families doing subsistence farming or taking jobs in the boom/bust economies of logging and coal mining in the 1900s. Once the finest timber had been plucked and the coal extracted, jobs dwindled. Following World War II, people steadily moved off the land. While the U.S. Corps of Engineers proposed damming the river for recreational purposes, others fought to preserve the land. Thus, in 1974, Big South Fork (it is the south fork of the Cumberland River) was created as a national river and recreation area.

Park Superintendent Nikki Nicholas notes that Big South Fork is actually part of a larger plat of open land that includes Daniel Boone National Forest. Having these contiguous spaces “helps with species restoration and ecosystems management,” says Nicholas. “There are not that many big chunks of land left in the Eastern U.S. We must have this land to solve these issues.”

Developing Charit Creek In the evening when dinner is served, the dining room flickers with the soft light shed by kerosene lamps. And while this room is of newer construction (it was actually built during the 1960s when Charit Creek was a hunting lodge), it has the look and feel of its rustic counterparts and the room effectively connects the two cabins that date to the 1800s. I speak to a group of older women from Syracuse, New York, who relax in the rockers on the cabin’s front porch. They caravanned to the park for a two-week retreat, their horse trailers

in tow. “We come here every spring,” one woman offers. “Big South Fork is a wonderful place to ride.” Later I hike to Twin Arches, a towering sandstone formation less than a mile from the lodge. The winding trail climbs through a mixed forest of oak, dogwood, and conifers. Big South Fork is part of the world’s largest expanse of hardwood-forested plateau. Since it’s late-April at the time of my visit, white and crimson trillium bloom alongside dwarf iris, little brown jugs, and dainty Quaker Ladies bluets, sky blue flowers that dot the forest floor. These are among more than 100 species of wildflowers that blossom here spring to early fall. I stop briefly at a curious sight: scat alongside a dead mouse and mole, clearly a critter’s to-go breakfast before my appearance. I peer into the green, hoping to spy a red fox or raccoon that likely dropped their prize, but no luck. Finally, I reach the Twin Arches summit. Here I get a bird’s-eye view of the park’s verdant gorges and sandstone cliffs with the river in the distance. It is a breathtaking sight. The park offers an abundance of outdoor activities: Visitors can paddle the Big South Fork and fish, ride mountain bike trails, even take a ride on a narrow-gauge railroad that travels to a mining ghost town. Be aware, because of the terrain, it does take time to drive from point to point. But if you’re not in a hurry and want to experience an amazing corner of the wilder South, this park is your ticket.

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Savoring the

Fruits of Fall By Jen Stegmann

Blueberries, raspberries, and rose hips are just some of the fruits of fall to find in the parks / Jen Stegmann

here are endless ways to experience our magnificent national parks. We are surrounded by stunning scenery, awash in light and color. Our ears capture the rush of waterfalls in spring and elk bugling in autumn. Scents of crisp air, pines, and wildflowers greet us. Stick your feet into a mountain stream and feel the bonechilling temperatures, or touch the softness of a Pussytoes flower. These types of activities allow us yet another type of experience. When I used to lead Junior Ranger programs, I always chatted with my audience about using our five senses to experience the natural world around us. But if you’ll take another glance at the first paragraph, I left out one sense: Taste! In the summer and autumn each year, we have an opportunity to experience the parks in a unique way. The abundance of wild edibles are tempting to a great many hikers. The sweet juice of wild raspberries has enticed me off-trail many times, and I know I am not alone. Berries tempt a lot of park visitors, 30

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

and also lead to many questions. Am I allowed to pick and eat these? Are they edible, or will they make me sick? Will my picking these berries impact the wildlife that depends on this food source?

When I used to talk to park visitors, I tried to emphasize two main concepts: 1) You must know the plants and environment around you. Being able to positively identify specific species or plants is the most important part of the equation. There are some obvious species, such as raspberries and blueberries, that are easily identified. But there are other species that might seem a little confusing. Most of the time, there will not be someone around you to point out the poisonous plants/berries. A good field guide to edible and medicinal plants can be a big help. But if in doubt, move on down the trail. With regards to your harvesting activities impacting wildlife, it is good practice to only select the ripe fruit and do

NOT pick every berry you find in any given patch. Leave some behind for the next hungry being who comes along. 2) Each park has different rules regarding wild edibles; it is your responsibility to know and abide by these rules. Before visiting a park, anyone can search the national park’s website for its Superintendent’s Compendium. This document, updated every couple of years as conditions in the park change, discusses current park regulations that are not necessarily spelled out by federal laws. Included in each compendium is a section that discusses what species you can harvest and how much you can harvest. As I read through the published compendiums for the 59 units designated as “National Parks,” I noticed a few common patterns worth noting in the harvesting regulations: • A visitor can harvest generally 1-2 quarts of berries from native species for personal consumption. Do not try to sell your harvest; it is illegal.

As summer passes and fruits ripen in the autumn, don’t be afraid to learn a few new plants and taste the abundance our national parks offer. • In the case of non-native (often invasive) species like Hymalyan blackberries, the harvest limit is sometimes higher. The key is to make sure you’re harvesting the right species. • Orchards are frequently part of the historic human landscape preserved in many national parks and historic sites. If, for instance, you’re visiting Acadia, Capitol Reef, Great Smoky Mountains or Shenandoah national parks at the right time of year, you might be able to take home a bushel of apples or peaches grown in the park. Some sites might charge a nominal fee per pound to help maintain their orchards.

of the organism. Fungi play many crucial roles in the environment, including aiding in the decomposition of plant matter on the forest floor, and the most critical portion of the fungus might be invisible, hidden in the soil. Some parks specify that you may cut out edible fungi, not pull them, so as not to disturb the fungal structure remaining in the soil. Many species resemble each other and many are highly toxic. Proper field identification is critical, and if you have any doubt about a particular species, simply leave the mushroom growing in its place.

A Special Note About Mushrooms

A Few Key Species That I Always Look For

Fungi come in all shapes and colors, and to someone new to our parks, mushrooms are fascinating. From bright orange and purple/black to little white or grey/brown mushrooms, they pop up everywhere, especially in the late summer and autumn in the mountains. It is important to note, however, that the fruiting body (the visible ‘mushroom’) is generally only a small portion

Raspberries There are many species of raspberries (Rubus sp.) in North America, especially in the western United States and along the Pacific Coast up to Alaska. It seems everyone has their favorite. In Washington state, people tend to look for Salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis). The dark pink flowers are showy in the spring and the berries are abundant at lower

elevations in the Cascades. My favorite raspberries are the lessabundant Black Raspberries. They have a slightly sweeter flavor and are a bit smaller in size and darker in color when ripe. I discovered them at Mount Rainier National Park and found them on hot, sunny hillsides. In my experience, this species is often on sites where you have to do a bit of scrambling to reach them. But they are worth the effort! Blueberries Just like raspberries, blueberries (sometimes called ‘Huckleberries’ in the Pacific Northwest) of many species (all Vaccinium sp.) are abundant. Alaska is carpeted with blueberries and any trip to our nation’s largest national parks in late July and August should include time to sample the local harvest. Depending on the species and environment, the berries might range in color from medium blue to black. There is also one Vaccinium that has red berries. They will all make your taste buds happy. Cranberries, Currants and Roses (Yes, Roses!) These groups of species are often a bit less abundant than the raspberries and blueberries, but if you can find some high-bush cranberries, they are a real treat. In the Rocky Mountains, one can find dense bushes full of gooseberries and currants in the late summer and early autumn. Watch out for thorns; picking these tasty berries might be a bit painful. Likewise, despite the shrub’s bristles, I’m always delighted when I find a patch of wild roses. The fruit (rose hips), which tastes a bit like an apple, makes wonderful tea and jelly. As summer passes and fruits ripen in the autumn, don’t be afraid to learn a few new plants and taste the abundance our national parks offer. A final note: wildlife love berries, too, and you might be picking from a patch that draws bears. Keep an eye out and carry bear spray.

White chanterelles can be found in some parks...just be positive you know which species you’re harvesting / Jen Stegmann NationalParksTraveler.com

Bar W Guest Ranch Whitefish, MT 1-866-828-2900

Experience relaxing hospitality in the heart of Glacier Country while surrounding yourself with the unspoiled, breathtaking nature of Northwestern Montana. At the Bar W, time runs slower, things seem easier, and everyday feels like Saturday.

www.thebarw.com C Lazy U Ranch Granby, CO 1-970-887-3344

C Lazy U offers a luxurious “wild west” ranch experience, featuring ﬁne dining, a full service spa, children’s program, unparalleled riding program on over 8,500 acres.

www.clazyu.com CM Ranch Dubois, WY 1-800-455-0721

The CM Ranch is a western dude ranch near Yellowstone Park, with a history of providing quality western vacations for over 100 years. The CM offers a wide variety of outdoor adventures for everyone.

www.cmranch.com

Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch Quincy, CA 1-800-334-6939

Your California Dude Ranch Resort Since 1962. Offering all inclusive vacations that combine the simplicity of ranch life, great horseback riding programs, wonderful food, exciting activities and much more!

www.greenhornranch.com Gros Ventre River Ranch Moose, WY 1-307-733-4138

Nestled in the Jackson Hole valley, the Gros Ventre River Ranch is an ALL- INCLUSIVE guest ranch offering horseback riding, trout ﬁshing, hiking, ﬁne dining and breathtaking views.

www.grosventreriverranch.com The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch Shell, WY 1-800-354-8637

Located East of Yellowstone National Park. The Hideout is an upscale riding and adventure ranch. We take pride in offering a well-organized, quality guest ranch vacation, with years of experience in dealing with different cultures and languages. No nose to tail riding, we lope, and work cattle. All levels of riders, Non-Riding Activities available.

www.thehideout.com Colorado Trails Ranch Durango, CO 1-800-323-3833

Fun, adventure, and breathtaking scenery await you - horseback riding, ﬂy-ﬁshing, rafting, shooting sports, hiking, children’s program, and more make this vacation one you’ll always remember.

www.coloradotrails.com

Hunewill Circle H Guest Ranch Bridgeport, CA 1-760-932-7710

Hunewill Ranch is a family owned and operated cattle and guest ranch located near Yosemite National Park in the beautiful Bridgeport Valley. Horseback riding and cattle work are our featured attractions for a vacation experience suited to families, singles, or couples.

www. hunewillranch.com Elkhorn Ranch Tucson, AZ 1-520-822-1040

Individually tailored horseback riding for all ages and levels of experience in beautiful mountain and Sonoran desert country. Enjoy Arizona sunshine and curious desert vegetation and birding. Our family hospitality embraces solo travelers, couples and families.

www.elkhornranch.com

W W W . D U D E R A N C H . O RG

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

Lazy L&B Ranch Dubois, WY 1-800-453-9488

The real Old West! Close to Yellowstone with hundreds of thousands of acres of diverse terrain and no nose to tail riding. Pool, hot tub, rifle range, fly fishing and great food.

www.lazylb.com

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Lone Mountain Ranch Big Sky, MT 1-800-514-4644

Only 18 miles from Yellowstone National Park, Lone Mountain Ranch offers luxury dude ranch vacations with guided adventures, log cabins, stunning scenery, and incredible cuisine.

www.lonemountainranch.com Nine Quarter Circle Ranch Gallatin Gateway, MT 1-406-995-4276

Adjacent to Yellowstone Park, our family-oriented vacations are “magical” and feature riding for all ages, ﬂy-ﬁshing, traditional activities, and incredible scenery.

www.ninequartercircle.com

Western Pleasure Guest Ranch Sandpoint, ID 1-888-863-9066 Riding into the future with roots from a solid past! This ﬁfth generation family ranch offers true western hospitality surrounded by the scenic beauty of Northern Idaho.

www.westernpleasureranch.com

Wind River Christian Guest Ranch Estes Park, CO 1-800-523-4212

BOOK NOW for a mountaintop family vacation with Rocky Mountain National Park as your front yard. Come invest in your family at Wind River Christian Dude Ranch.

www.windriverranch.com

White Stallion Ranch Tucson, AZ 1-888-977-2624

The hospitality of a traditional dude ranch, carefully blended with the service and quality of a ﬁne resort. Sharing two miles of common fence with Saguaro National Park.

www.whitestallion.com

Find Your Place In The West

here’s a sense of place in the West. It flows from endless stands of lodgepole pines, glades of aspen tinged gold by the season, horizons that spread the sky wider than you’ve ever noticed. Spend a little time here, and it seeps into you. It’s the distant bugle of a bull elk, a band of pronghorn darting across the open range, the chortling flock of sandhill cranes, southbound, high overhead. They all fill your senses with the West as it’s always been, as it always should be. There’s a comfortable, inviting feel to this landscape, a landscape that has been preserved in some of our most iconic national parks. And it’s also one that can be found on the park’s doorsteps; dude ranches steeped in Western traditions. Spend a little time at one of these ranches and you can slip into the saddle of your trail horse for a ride while the morning dew is still fresh, and again before dinner to catch a sunset that you’ll carry home with you. And after dinner, enjoy the starry night skies, relax with new friends, or plan a day trip into your favorite national park next door. Some dude ranches border national parks. The Triangle X Ranch, operated by four generations of the same family, actually is surrounded by a park: Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. There’s more than you might imagine to an all-inclusive dude ranch vacation. True, horses are at the forefront. But you also can work on your fly-fishing technique, enjoy live music around the campfire, and perfect your brush stroke with a watercolor class. You can go for a mountain bike ride, hike, or even climb. And at day’s end, relax before the flickering flames of a fire before retreating to a cabin with warm furniture, comfortable beds, and heavy comforters, if needed, against fall’s chill. The following dude ranches, with national parks within easy reach, stretch from Colorado to California and from northern Montana to southern Arizona. All are members of the Dude Ranchers Association. Since 1926 this organization has set high standards for its members, evaluating just about everything from their horsemanship and horse care to the comfort of their accommodations and the quality of their meals.

NationalParksTraveler.com

A stay at the White Stallion Ranch might include a trip into Saguaro National Park next door.

Arizona Dude Ranches The White Stallion Ranch near Tucson is practically an extension of Saguaro National Park, as it borders the northern end of the park’s Tucson Mountain District. Take an all-day ride; it might lead you into the park. Or pick up the pace with a cantering ride through the chaparral of the Sonoran Desert, or take a day out of the saddle to work on your bouldering techniques, or head out on foot to explore the region. After dinner, you might work on your line-dancing steps, or study the heavens through one of the ranch’s telescopes. At the Elkhorn Ranch, fall and winter, not summer, are the high seasons. And that makes senses, as the cooler temperatures of these seasons are perfect for exploring the ranch’s 10,000 acres, the Baboquivari Mountains, and the Altar Valley southwest of Tucson. Blend your riding outings with photography or watercolor classes, which might focus on the colorful stalks of octillo when they bloom red in both fall and spring. Conservation is the key at Elkhorn, where the sun and winds help power the operation. Saguaro National Park and its Cactus Forest lies an hour to the north.

Color Ride, in what John Muir called the “Range of Light.” With Yosemite National Park 30 minutes away, it’s easy to plan a day exploring Tuolumne Meadows along the Tioga Road. A bit to the northwest, the 600-acre Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch near Quincy is surrounded by the Plumas National Forest. Here you have practically endless miles of national forest for riding. While you might arrive as a “greenhorn,” work with the wranglers and by week’s end you might be confident at loping your horse across the open meadows that split the forests. You can even test your skills against the other guests in the weekly ranch rodeos. Check off Lassen Volcanic National Park, just 90 minutes from the ranch, from your national park to-do list with a visit on a day out of the saddle.

Colorado Dude Ranches Fall brings gold, in the form of fluttering cottonwoods and quaking aspens, to both the Florida River and the San Juan Mountains at the Colorado Trails Ranch near Durango. There’s a flash of silver in the streams from the trout that make this part of Colorado hallowed ground for fly-fishing. But if riding is on your mind, the Horseman’s Week in September lets you focus on your riding ability, whether you’re a greenhorn or an experienced equestrian. With Mesa Verde National Park but 35 miles away, take time to explore Ancestral Puebloan history and cliff dwellings.

Western Pleasure Guest Ranch offers week-long stays...and shorter stays in fall.

Idaho Dude Ranches

California Dude Ranches When fall turns the leaves gold high in California’s Sierra range, it’s time to bring the cattle down from the high summer pastures. You can join the wranglers at Hunewill Circle H on this traditional cattle drive, and opt to spend two nights sleeping under the stars. Relax a bit more and enjoy the fall colors during the ranch’s four-night Fall 34

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

You won’t run out of activities at the C Lazy U Ranch just west of Rocky Mountain National Park. Take aim with some archery or trap shooting, wet a fly in the Colorado River, work on your flexibility with a yoga class, head out for a mountain bike ride, or visit the western flanks of the national park just minutes away. Fall is the perfect season to explore the Rocky Mountain’s fall foliage on a trail ride on the ranch’s 8,000 acres. Then, before dinner, enjoy a massage and relax with a soak in a copper tub overlooking Willow Creek. On the eastern side of Rocky Mountain National Park, you can wake every day to Longs Peak out your window; it’s one of the amenities of a stay at the Wind River Ranch. Another is being able to ride into the park to Twin Sisters Peaks, or Lily Lake or, some other peaceful setting inside the park. Come September, the ranch focuses on three- and four-day couple’s, men’s, and women’s retreats. Day trips into the park, with the Beaver Meadows entrance just minutes away, are easy. Not associated with any denomination, the ranch operates on Christian principles. While inspirational talks are offered, attendance is optional.

Mesa Verde National Park with its cliff dwellings is a short drive from the Colorado Trails Ranch.

Not everyone can spend an entire week at a dude ranch, and that’s understood at the 1,100-acre Western Pleasure Guest Ranch near Sandpoint. Come October 1 and continuing through May, take advantage of the ranch’s bed-and-breakfast option, with horseback rides available. At day’s end stoke a fire in your log cabin’s wood stove and enjoy the quiet beauty of the surrounding Panhandle National Forest. Fall visits mean riding leave-covered trails, spectacular views of the Cabinet Mountains, and day trips to Glacier National Park to the east. With the arrival of snow,you can enjoy a sleigh ride.

Wyoming Dude Ranches

Trail rides at the Bar W Guest Ranch take you into, and above, timberline.

Montana Dude Ranches Evening’s light comes a bit sooner in fall, but it fires the reds, gold, oranges and yellows of the autumn finery in the mountains surrounding the Bar W Guest Ranch in northern Montana near Whitefish. That growing chill in the air actually makes your trail ride more comfortable, and seems to make the fish in Spencer Lake hungrier. Trail rides wind through the forests and range high above timberline, with panoramic views of this region known as the Crown of the Continent. Off to the east, less than an hour away, rises Glacier National Park. Not much more than the two-lane asphalt of U.S. 191 and some national forest (in this case the Gallatin) separates Lone Mountain Ranch outside Big Sky from Yellowstone National Park. After you’re done with your flyfishing on the Yellowstone, Madison, or Missouri rivers, take a horseback ride into the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, and join one of the ranch’s naturalists for a trek to explore some of the wonders of the world’s first national park. Dinners, which revolve around lamb, beef, fish and poultry with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, will make you glad you were outdoors all day. Far from the Grand Loop Road that runs a Figure 8 through the heart of Yellowstone National Park, the northwestern corner of the park is generally overlooked. But not by the Nine Quarter Circle Ranch, which is just down the road. Close enough, in fact, for the ranch to lead trail rides into Yellowstone and, at times, multi-day pack trips for those seeking a wilder experience. Don’t ride yet? They’ll start you out with the basics shortly after you arrive, and work as needed throughout the week to hone your technique.

They still drive cattle at the Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch in northern Wyoming. The wranglers are ready to help you learn the skills that previous generations of cowboys learned while pushing cattle from Texas to Montana. Of course, you can leave the work behind and explore this country on trail rides that take you up above 10,000 feet, or retrace a century-old mail trail. Dinners are in the spacious lodge dining room, family-style, where a cracklin’ fire in the stone fireplace heightens the ambience. Take a break from riding with a daytrip to Yellowstone National Park, two hours west. Filling the Wind River’s East Fork valley near Dubois, Wyoming, the Lazy L&B Ranch is an oasis surrounded by some of the badlands that color this part of the state. With a weekly limit of 35 guests, you don’t feel rushed or overlooked by the wranglers. Daily rides let you explore this landscape. Or you can leave your boots in your room and head to Grand Teton or Yellowstone national parks, just 90 minutes away, to further diversify your vacation. There’s also a backcountry camping option that really gets you into the wilderness of the Shoshone National Forest. Wyoming is especially rich in dude ranches, and the CM Ranch is one of the oldest, dating to 1927. Here at the base of the Wind River Range, the

ranch is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It likely is in many fishing guides, too, as the Big Wind, Little Wind, and Jakey’s Fork teem with brown, rainbow, and brook trout. Arrange a stay high in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness, where the ranch has some cabins on Simpson Lake, and try to hook some. With Yellowstone and Grand Teton only an hour-and-a-half away, you can add geysers and climbing to your vacation. Fall’s calling card in western Wyoming is the snow-dusted crags of Grand Teton National Park, with golden aspen and green pines lower down on the mountainsides. Enjoy this view from your cabin at the Gros Ventre River Ranch, from a rocking chair on the front porch, or from the saddle while also keeping an eye out for the moose, bison, or pronghorn that make this landscape home. Fly-fish some of the best blue-ribbon trout streams in the West, or explore the area by canoe. Round out your vacation by climbing the Grand Teton itself, or float the Snake River, weather allowing, of course. Four generations of the Turner family have run the Triangle X Ranch, which will celebrate its 90th year in operation just as the National Park Service celebrates its own centennial in 2016. Wrapped by Grand Teton National Park, you won’t have a bad view from the ranch, and you don’t lack for open spaces to ride. The wranglers can take you on a backcountry pack-trip into the Teton Wilderness, or get you on a float trip down the Snake River through the park, to give you a break from the saddle. Plan a return trip for winter and exchange your horse for snowshoes or Nordic skis. Wake up this fall to the smell of hot coffee brewing with a spectacular vista out your window. Get a little trail dust on your boots, and end the day before a blazing fire with new friends and great memories. Gain a sense of the true West with a stay at a dude ranch.

The CM Ranch is a great base camp from which to explore the Wind River Range.

NationalParksTraveler.com

The Sahale Arm Trail in North Cascades National Park is in need of repairs / WNPF

By Kurt Repanshek

Floods. Windstorms that down trees. Wildfires. Millions of feet. Hiking trails take a pounding from all these things. And while the paths are the responsibility of the National Park Service, the agency often lacks money and staff to tackle all but the most pressing needs. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where national park friends groups come into play with their financial resources and, at times, volunteers willing to heft building materials for water barriers, haul rocks, swing picks, if necessary, and wield shovels. 36

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

Here’s a look at some of the projects friends groups across the country are tackling: Hikers enjoy the new Quarry Trail that was created this past summer / Friends of Acadia

Acadia National Park Friends of Acadia Trails, basically, are connections. They connect one place to another. At Acadia, Friends of Acadia this year helped the park improve connections by adding a trio of trails that link the Blackwoods Campground and the village of Otter Creek with some of the park’s most popular hiking trails. The result is fewer vehicles on the road, as visitors camping in Blackwoods or staying in Otter Creek have the ability to access the popular Ocean Path sights Champlain/Gorham trails without driving all the way around the Loop Road or walking along the road. Also, the trails tie into the southern end of Gorham with the southern end of Cadillac Mountain, creating myriad new loops for long-distance hikers. The new trails also illustrate several approaches that Acadia’s trail crew takes to developing the park’s historic trail network. The Quarry Trail, from Blackwoods to the Otter Cove Causeway, follows an old road dating to when there was a granite quarry in the area. A stone pier on Otter Cove, where stone was loaded onto ships, still stands near the terminus of this trail.

The Otter Cove Trail, linking the Causeway with the southern end of the Gorham Mountain Trail, is a new trail through a hardwood forest, complete with a lovely, curving bridge built in typical Acadia style. A third trail, connecting Grover Avenue in “downtown” Otter Creek with the Causeway, is a former social trail that the park has made official and developed to park standards. By making the trail official, it should cut down on the likelihood of multiple side trails occurring.

Three Fall Acadian Hikes: • The Bubbles. South Bubble (with its famous glacial erratic) gets all the press, but in fall be sure to include North Bubble in your hike to fully appreciate the surrounding forest—it features distinctive stands of hardwood trees, in which a single species (like beech or birch) dominates, leading to striking blocks of color when the foliage is in its full glory. • The Jesup Path. Meandering through Great Meadow, this easy walk takes you through “birch alley” and along the (ADA compliant) Jesup boardwalk, both just lovely in fall. When you’re finished, check out the winterberry at the Wild Gardens of Acadia.

• The Precipice. Okay, not exactly overlooked, but this is a great fall hike because it’s closed for most of the spring and summer season to protect nesting peregrine falcons, and 99.9 percent of us would consider it foolish to attempt in winter. With iconic iron rungs and ladders, stupendous views, and the tale of a lifetime for an average hiker, the Precipice is classified as a non-technical climb so be sure you’re physically fit and not (too) afraid of heights before attempting.

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park Foundation Currently one of the largest, most ambitious projects in the National Park System is the rejuvenation of not just the spiderweb of trails around Jenny Lake at Grand Teton National Park but of the entire area. Darting here and there in the forests around the lake, trails constructed decades ago haven’t been able to stand up to literally millions of feet. The result has led not only to erosion and habitat destruction, but created bewildering paths that have led rangers to dub one area along Cascade Creek above the western shore “Confusion Junction” due to an intersection of trails that lead in different directions. While the Civilian Conservation Corps that built many of the trails did a good job for use levels of the 1930s and 1940s, the increase in visitation and passage of time have overwhelmed the original work.

NationalParksTraveler.com

The cure won’t arrive overnight. The Foundation’s Inspiring Journeys project—a celebration of the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016—is a multi-year, $16.4 million endeavor that touches both the front country at the Jenny Lake access point, much of the surrounding trail system, and the Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas in the backcountry above the west shore. Front-country restrooms will be improved and increased in number, crews will rebuild some trails, erase others, and create hardened overlooks to both prevent erosion and keep visitors from wandering the fragile shorelines of Jenny Lake. Once completed, the trails will be gentler on the landscape, scarred areas restored to forest, interpretation much improved, and the National Park Service at Grand Teton will have a more sustainable, easier to maintain, system of trails and foot bridges.

Three Fall Hikes At Grand Teton: • Granite Canyon. From the trailhead just off the Moose-Wilson Road at the park entrance near Teton Village this hike leads you up the gut of the canyon and through aspen glades that splash gold across the mountains. Or, you can divert to Phelps Lake for a nice picnic. • Death Canyon. From the trailhead at the White Grass Ranger Station off the Moose-Wilson Road this trail takes you through mixed forests bursting with color. This is an out-and-back hike, but what a hike. Crossing meadows and weaving through forests, the trail takes you past cliffs of the north face of Prospectors Peak and Albright Peak. A side trail can lead you to Phelps Lake, as well.

A hike through the meadows and forests of Grand Teton National Park may allow you a glimpse of moose grazing in the autumn foliage / NPS

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

• Lucas-Fabian cabin. This old homestead at the base of the Grand Teton offers a short hike with a peaceful setting for some mountain inspiration. From the small parking area just north of the Teton Glacier Turnout, it’s a short stroll to the ranch area. You can stroll another quarter-mile to a plaque dedicated to Geraldine Lucas, who in 1924 became the second woman to stand atop the Grand Teton. This is a perfect spot for a sundown picnic, often accompanied by distant sounds of bugling elk.

North Cascades, Mount Rainier, and Olympic National Parks Washington’s National Park Fund Washington’s National Park Fund is unusual among friends group circles in that it watches out for three parks: Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Olympic National Park. At North Cascades, the group is funding repairs to the Sahale Arm Trail. This project has a budget of $32,000. The trail runs just 2.2 miles, traversing through high-elevation meadows between Cascade Pass and the Sahale Glacier camp. Easy access and spectacular views make this the most popular alpine trail in the park. And it also contributes to the need. Currently, thousands of feet of steep, mud-covered trail are threatening visitor safety and detracting from the visitor’s experience. Funding for this project will allow the damaged trails to be repaired. The work involved calls for additional drainage devices to be put into place to prevent further trail damage. Revegetation to bare ground will prevent erosion as well as further damage. Trail segments that cannot be maintained in their current location will be relocated. Seasoned trail workers are recruited to work on this trail to ensure these improvements will withstand weather and time. At Olympic, the Fund is working with park staff to repair a rock retaining wall and the tread along the quarter-mile Madison Falls Trail, a wheelchair accessible path just off the Olympic Hot

Springs Road. The Fund also is working with both North Cascades and Mount Rainier national parks on a fisher restoration project at North Cascades. The $20,000 goal for this will help relocate and monitor 160 of the mammals into the northern and southern Cascades.

Three Fall Hikes In Washington’s National Parks: • The Heather-Maple Pass Loop at North Cascades National Park. This 7.2-mile hike has it all: oldgrowth forest, alpine lakes and meadows, and spectacular panoramic views from above treeline. Of course, you pay for the views: the hike gains 2,000 feet in elevation. • Royal Basin. A 14-mile out-and-back hike in Olympic National Park that pulls you towards the craggy roof of the park. As you might expect at Olympic, the hike starts out in dense forest, essentially following Royal Creek, higher and higher. If you have the time, this would make a great overnight trek. • Tipsoo Lake-Naches Peak Loop. For travelers short on time, this 3-mile hike at Mount Rainier pays off with beautiful views of the mountain thanks to the meadows you wander through. Elevation change is only 600 feet, and there’s even a bench at Dewey Lake where you can enjoy the view with a picnic. Or a picnic with a view!

Saguaro National Park Friends of Saguaro National Park You might think the arid climate of Saguaro National Park precludes trail woes, but you’d be wrong. Last year Friends of Saguaro National Park helped the park land a grant of more than $71,000 to help pay for the rerouting of a nearly mile-long section of the Carrillo Trail in the Cactus Forest. Over the years the trail had become badly eroded, no doubt because of its popularity as part of the “Three Tanks Loop” that gives hikers a panoramic view of the Cactus Forest and even the city of Tucson. The old section of trail had climbed a steep grade, without switchbacks. Resulting erosion had created ruts up to 30” deep. Additionally, hikers had cre-

Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain Conservancy

Carrillo Trail in Saguaro National Park / NPS

ated parallel social trails that impacted the desert vegetation. The new trail section is a sustainable route that follows natural contours, results in less erosion, eliminates the need for social trails, and provides a safer, and more pleasant, hiking or riding experience for users. In 2011, the friends group helped the park obtain funding for a 5-mile connector trail through the Rincon Mountain District that ties into the Arizona Trail, an 817-mile National Scenic Trail that runs from the Coronado National Memorial on the USA-Mexico border all the way north to the Arizona-Utah border.

Three Fall Hikes at Saguaro: • The Signal Hill Trail in the park’s Tucson Mountain District offers a short and easy climb that takes you to dozens of petroglyphs scattered around a rocky hilltop. The nearby picnic area was first constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the picnic structures reflect the master stonework representative of the time. Since then, crews have improved and created additional trails which lead out from the picnic area, providing easy access to the northwest corner of the park and its saguaro forest – including the 1.5-mile Cactus Wren Trail, which connects to the Encinas Trail.

• The 5.6-mile Hope Camp Trail in the Rincon Mountain District heads east from the Loma Alta Trailhead, offering terrific views of Tanque Verde Ridge and Rincon Peak. Degraded portions of this trail were recently rebuilt—engaging dozens of community volunteers—and the gently-sloping, winding trail now leads visitors to two old ranching line camps where cowboys slept when cattle roamed the Rincon Valley. The Hope Camp Trail connects to the Arizona Trail (called the Quilter Trail within the park), which climbs over the Rincon Mountains— from cactus forest through grasslands and oak woodlands until hikers are at 8,000 feet in elevation and surrounded by a subalpine forest populated with Mexican spotted owls and black bears. • Explore the famous Cactus Forest in the Rincon Mountain foothills via a loop from the Douglas Spring Trail, to the (new) Carrillo Trail, and back on the Wildhorse Trail. You can watch for saguaros with holes and the birds that make them—Gila woodpeckers and gilded flickers. This hike provides spectacular views reaching west across the city of Tucson. On a clear day, you can see past the Tucson Mountains all the way to Kitt Peak and Baboquivari Peak on the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Sweat and muscle for trail work in Rocky Mountain National Park comes, in part, in the form of Conservation Corps provided through the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. This past spring the Conservancy sent 36 conservation corps interns out into the field in six crews for an 11-week internship as part of its Conservation Corps Program. Half of this group worked in the national park (the other half worked in the surrounding Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest) to protect landscapes against ecological damage and provide safe and sustainable recreational experiences for visitors. This season proved particularly important as the severe floods in September 2013 caused heavy erosion, damage to drains, and trail braiding throughout Northern Colorado’s public lands. By mid-summer the crews in the park had completed maintenance runs on the Cub Lake, Emerald Lake, Deer Mountain, Gem Lake, Bierstadt Lake, Finch Lake, and Ute trails. On these trails the crews cleared downed logs and brush from the paths, improved drainage, built erosion-control structures, and erased social and braided trails. At one point all six crews worked with park staff on the Ouzel Falls Bridge Project in the Wild Basin area. After a day of retrieving the old bridge from the river, dispersing old cut logs, and preparing materials for construction, the area and the National Park Service was markedly more prepared to move along with the construction of the bridge, which will allow hikers to view the beautiful Ouzel Falls and hike to the scenic Bluebird and Ouzel Lakes. Through this work the students earned internship credits to Colorado State University, participated in educational field classes, and gained valuable experience and networking opportunities with land management agencies.

Three Fall Hikes At Rocky Mountain: • Alberta Falls is a classic hike anytime of year, though the cooler fall weather and the brilliant fall colors make the 210-foot elevation gain less noticeable. Just six-tenths of a mile from

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the Glacier Gorge Trailhead (you also can reach it from the Bear Lake parking lot), the falls and the surrounding forest define Rocky Mountain beauty. For a longer, more colorful 5.6-mile roundtrip hike, head on to Mills Lake. • Take the 2.5-mile one-way hike to The Pool and your reward is a foaming pool of water where Spruce and Fern creeks spill into the Big Thompson River. Continuing on to Fern Lake turns this into a roundtrip of about 7.5 miles and rewards with a view of Fern Falls, which will be welcome if you choose a warm day to hike. • Many believe Bridal Veil Falls, which plunges 20 feet, is the prettiest waterfall in the park. The relatively level trail starts from the Cow Creek Trailhead near the historic Indian Head Ranch on the McGraw Road. You could make a longer,

Wild Basin Trail work in Rocky Mountain National Park / NPS

15-mile, day, by looping towards the Needles, down to the Lumpy Ridge Trail Head, and back to Cow Creek Trailhead. These are just a handful of examples of how friends groups work to improve the national parks. There are many more. Lend your favorite friends group a hand, figuratively, by donating to them, and, literally, when the opportunity arises to volunteer.

Trails Forever Rock Stars and the Stairway to Heaven By Holly Scott Jones

reat Smoky Mountains National Park is an enormous outdoor playground with 800-plus miles of trails stretching across its 500,000+ acres. As you can imagine, those trail miles require quite a bit of upkeep. I spent a blessedly cool day in early June working alongside the members of the Smokies Trails Forever crew on the rehabilitation of the Chimney Tops Trail, gaining a new appreciation for the craftsmanship involved in trail building. The Chimney Tops Trail is undergoing a three-phase renovation funded by the Friends of the Smokies’ $5 million Trails Forever endowment fund. One of the goals of the Trails Forever program is to involve volunteers in the trail restoration projects. Recruiting participants has been more challenging since the Trails Forever crew began working on Chimney Tops Trail. While short, this trail has quite a reputation for being a punisher. The elevation gain of nearly 1,500 feet over 2 miles can be daunting when coupled with the eight-hour workday schedule. My experience of ascending to the work area on that late spring morning gave me the sense that I had never been there before—although I hiked Chimney Tops several years ago. The crew’s completed work

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

The Stairway to Heaven coming together / Holly Scott Jones

from the parking lot in about 1.2 miles to the work area has eliminated the unpleasantries I recalled of constantly having to look down at my feet to avoid falling flat on my face. The sustainable improvements to the trail corridor—rock

staircases designed to last 75+ years, for instance—have solved many erosion problems. We were a quiet group going in, huffing and puffing up the trail, three volunteers and six park employees. Crew leader Josh Shapiro asked to us pause as we reached the work site so he could explain our scope of work for the day. I listened, but could not give my full attention to the importance of our safety equipment (hard hats, goggles, gloves, and ear plugs) as I stared at more than 130 locust steps rising before us. It looked like the Stairway to Heaven. I marveled at the engineering challenges that the trail carpenters had faced and the durable trail surface they created to make hiking the Chimney Tops Trail a more enjoyable experience for the millions of visitors who use it each year. By day’s end, I became part of that staircase. We transplanted vegetation from farther up the trail, like stinging nettle (OUCH!), rhododendron, and umbrella leaf, to disguise the old, degraded pathway and discourage hikers from detouring around the new staircase. We used tiny rock hammers to break larger rocks into fill for the steps to improve drainage. My admiration grew for Margaret Milikin and Kelly Grzasko, who both appeared to be in their 20s. They tackled the daunting task of splitting gigantic slabs of granite into pieces of appropriate size for stone steps farther up the trail. I watched each of them swing a sledgehammer for minutes on end to break the rock and marveled at their fitness as well. They are truly “rock stars” of a different sort. I hiked back to the car with a sense of personal accomplishment and a sense of awe at the work involved in rehabilitating a trail like Chimney Tops. I look forward to my next free Wednesday to continue to make a difference in Great Smoky Mountains National Park by working with the Trails Forever crew. To volunteer for the crew, contact Jamie Sanders, Volunteer Coordinator at Jamie_Sanders@nps.gov or visit the Trails Forever website at SmokiesTrailsForever.org. Available now at nationalparkstraveler.com NationalParksTraveler.com

Wildlife For the Watching By Kurt Repanshek

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

It’s mid-September, deep in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park on Yellowstone , Lake s South Arm when, while searching for our campsite, we stumble upon a calling card of , Ursus arctos horribilis: a grizzly bear s paw print. There it was in the wet sand along the beach. And, a bit farther away, the loping prints of a wolf.

ur five-day paddling trip was particularly memorable after spotting those tracks. But then we spotted a grizzly ambling through a meadow. And in the early morning dark we heard the melodious howl of a wolf, and then enjoyed a chorus of chortling sandhill cranes. Truly, our wilderness experience couldn’t get any better. Not everyone who heads into our National Park System this fall will be as fortunate. But there are sure-fire bets for wildlife watchers. What follows are some of the obvious...and some not-so-obvious...locations for enjoying the wild side of the parks. Just do the wildlife and yourself a favor by keeping your distance. National Park Service regulations typically require that you stay at least 100 yards from wolves and bears, and at least 25 yards from all other wildlife.

Black Bears Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee Though thick forests and tangles of understory at Great Smoky can make it difficult to spot bears, there are an estimated 1,500 or so in the park. You can increase your odds of actually seeing one by heading to open areas. Cades Cove, with its bountiful apple crop, is impossible for bruins to ignore. The Roaring Fork Nature Trail also has produced results, though open meadows, such as those in Cades Cove and in the Cataloochee Valley are more likely to pay off.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming In August and into early September, the Moose-Wilson Road is pretty reliable for black bears, as they come to feast on the tasty hawthorn berries. The bruins are so fixated on gorging themselves that they’ll pretty much ignore

the cars on the road. Just remember that they are wild bears, so keep your distance.

Sequoia National Park, California Bears in Sequoia will find you if you’re not careful. These bruins have figured out that vehicles sometimes carry food, and their keen noses sniff out morsels that fall on the floor, or beneath seats. Keep a clean car or risk having it ripped open by a hungry bear. Away from parking lots, keep your eyes open when hiking across meadows. In the woods, look up into oak trees, where bears sometimes head to feast on acorns that haven’t yet fallen to the ground.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Though located in one of the most populated areas of the country, Shenandoah has a very healthy population of black bears, and they aren’t terribly hard to spot. One fall day I actually saw one fall out of a tree as we approached on a backcountry trail! You are likely to see them anywhere in the park – near lodges and even walking along Skyline Drive.

Bighorn Sheep Clambering along cliffs and across mountainsides, bighorn sheep can be difficult to spot because of their dull, dusky coats. But there are places in the park system where they are easily seen, and even model for photographers. Grizzly bear and wolf prints welcomed us to Yellowstone’s backcountry / Kurt Repanshek Opposite page: Bison graze contentedly throughout the Upper Geyser Basin at Old Faithful / Kurt Repanshek

Glacier National Park, Montana Head to Logan Pass in Glacier and you likely can tick off two magnificent looking mammals at the same time:

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Clambering along cliffs and across mountainsides,

bighorn sheep can be difficult to spot because of their dull, dusky coats.

mountain goats and bighorn sheep. The sheep are a little more timid than the goats and so you likely won’t find them close to the Hidden Lake Trail. But if you hike up that path you just might see some above you on the outcrops. They’re sometimes seen on the cliffs and hillsides above the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn at Many Glacier.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Though elk are the main attraction here, bighorn sheep draw their own share of attention from visitors. One place you might find them is Horseshoe Park just inside the Fall River Entrance. They descend from the surrounding mountains in the evening to graze, and take onboard minerals not as available in higher elevations. Summer is actually a better season to look for them here. But the Fall River corridor remains your best bet for spotting these animals.

Zion National Park, Utah The bighorn sheep here are the desert variety, and are readily seen clambering across the sandstone outcrops on the eastern side of the park on Checkerboard Mesa. In the fall the rams assemble their harems and move about en mass. They are easily viewed from the park road, and don’t mind posing for you.

Above: Feral horses can be spotted at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, while Olympic National Park in Washington state has a very healthy elk herd in the Hoh Rain Forest / NPS Opposite page: Desert bighorn sheep at times can be easy to spot, and not camera shy, in Zion National Park / Kurt Repanshek

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

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Bison Perhaps the most iconic animal in the National Park System to many is the bison, also known, incorrectly, as buffalo. Yellowstone National Park has the largest bison herd in the park system, and both the Hayden and Lamar valleys are sure bets for viewing these shaggy animals. But that’s well-known among wildlife lovers. Let’s take a look at some other parks where you can spot bison:

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Where to spot bison in Grand Teton? Close to the Snake River, naturally. The sagebrush flats that run down to the river, as well as those along Mormon Row, are popular with bison. Head off down the River Road, which you can pick up just north of the Taggart Lake Trailhead or south of the Signal Mountain Road intersection with the Teton Park Road, and you’ll likely find them.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas Spotting bison here is easy. Just head over to Windmill Pasture, where the preserve’s herd is kept. The 6.4-mile Scenic Overlook Trail cuts through this pasture and offers some great viewing of the bison, but be sure to keep your distance. Park officials recommend at least 100 yards between you and bison.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota Just as I arrived at the overlook of the Wind Canyon Trail, the bison herd flowed through the mountain pass just to the north like fans rushing into a stadium. They came at a trot and fanned out across the prairie. There are other

areas to see bison in the park -- the Cottonwood Campground is one spot. But they’re likely to appear anywhere in the park’s North and South units. Check at a visitor center for the most recent sightings.

Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota Wind Cave has a good and visible population of bison. You can generally see them in grassy meadows and the open prairie. Look for them in aptly named Bison Flats to the south of the Visitor Center, Though only about 300400 bison roam the park, they are considered genetically significant without introgression from cattle.

Elk In Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado there are elk...lots of elk. These ungulates can be seen in Horseshoe Park just inside the Fall River Entrance, in Moraine Park reached via the Beaver Meadows Entrance, and even along the upper reaches of Trail Ridge Road. But there are other parks with elk to enjoy this fall:

Buffalo National River, Arkansas Once native to this part of Arkansas, Eastern elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) were extirpated in the 1840s and considered extinct by the 20th century. A recovery program started in 1981 brought a herd of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) back to the landscape. Today roughly 500 elk reside within the national river’s boundaries. One of the best spots to look for them is in the Boxley Valley via Highway 43 and Highway 21. The elk rut during October and November brings you the best chance of hearing their whistling bugles as they seek a mate.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee Once an overlooked park for elk watchers, the Park Service’s successful elk recovery program now makes their sighting more commonplace. While Cades Cove on the Tennessee side of the park attracts deer and black bears in the fall, your best chance of spotting elk is in the Cataloochee Valley on the North Carolina side. Here in the fall spotting elk is so common that rangers and volunteers work to manage the crowds of visitors, who are trying to photograph the animals.

Point Reyes National Seashore, California You might not associate a seashore with forest-dwelling elk, but the strain of Tule Elk here subsist quite nicely in the grasslands and scrub. While the native herds had been wiped out by the 1860s, a recovery program started in 1978 has been successful – in 2009 more than 400 elk were tallied at Tomales Point. The Tule Elk Preserve at the Point remains the best spot to see these magnificent animals. Here the rut can begin as early as late August, and continue through October.

Olympic National Park, Washington The largest subspecies of elk – Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) – calls Olympic National Park home. While there is a lot of good habitat in Olympic for these elk, look for them in the Hoh Rain Forest, where one herd spends the entire year. September is a great time to visit the park with hopes of hearing the bulls bugling in their bid to build harems. Take care and keep your distance, though, as elk can be unpredictable during the rut.

Simple rules for keeping your distance while wildlife watching in the parks / NPS

Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

These elk were grazing in Horsehoe Park just inside the Fall River Entrance / Kurt Repanshek

Zion National Park, Utah Far and away most wild turkeys in the United States live east of the Mississippi River, but there are some western spots where you’ll find these big birds. If you’ve stayed at Zion Lodge you’ve likely encountered wild turkeys on the lawn in front of the lodge, or strutting in the parking lots. Indeed, turkeys can be found throughout the lodge area, and just about anywhere along the Virgin River corridor where there’s some grassy areas and tree cover.

Mountain Goats Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, along the Continental Divide, is ground zero for mountain goats. These goateed ungulates with their heavy white coats of fur can be found browsing, meandering, and simply lying around watching the day go by. Hike along the trail to Hidden Lake and you’ll see plenty of them posing for pictures. But Glacier isn’t the only park that’s got goats.

seek the salt from human urine or even sweat-soaked pack shoulder straps. Watch from a good distance.

Wild Turkeys They strut, they fan their tail feathers, they travel in rafters, and most often you’ll find them in the hardwood forests and meadows of Eastern parks. But there is at least one place in the West to find gobblers and hens.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina/Tennessee

There weren’t always mountain goats in Grand Teton. They have migrated into the park from “herds that developed after goats were transplanted by the Idaho Fish and Game Department into the Snake River Range and Big Hole Mountains of southeastern Idaho beginning in 1969,” according to park biologists. You might catch sight of them in Cascade Canyon above Jenny Lake, or perhaps even along the shoreline trail around the lake.

As with most other wildlife in the park, turkeys appear in both the Cades Cove and Cataloochee areas. Cades Cove, even with its 11-mile loop road, is a likely spot, but also more than likely will be crowded. Of course, whichever valley you follow, you just might be able to cross off several game species on your wildlife watching list.

Olympic National Park, Washington Mountain goats are seen as exotics in Olympic, and have developed a bad reputation due to the fatal goring of a hiker by a ram on Klahhane Ridge back in October 2010. The problem at Olympic, and possibly Glacier, is that mountain goats have become too used to having humans nearby. Plus, they

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Shenandoah’s hardwood forests, with their annual mast production, are a hot spot for turkeys. Keep your eyes open on the leaf-covered forest floors while out hiking, as you never know when you’ll come upon a flock. One fall day I encountered turkeys roaming the woods along the Rapidan Fire Road. Show up in the park in winter and you also might spot them. Don’t forget to look up into the trees, as turkeys roost there.

Wolves While wolves have been spotted from Wyoming to Washington State, the best place to see them in the park system remains Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The Lamar Valley, while offering better wolf-spotting odds in spring, can be a reliable place in the fall to see these predators. However, they are likely to turn up in the Hayden Valley, in the Pelican Valley, and even in the Upper Geyser Basin near Old Faithful. Grand Teton National Park and Glacier National Park also have wolf populations, though those in Glacier are hard to see any time of year. At Grand Teton, wolves have been spotted near the north end of Jackson Lake when water levels fall, though it’s never quite that easy to see them. As fall wears on, though, wolf packs in the park tend to follow elk down to the National Elk Refuge just south of the park. Those are the major wildlife groups that attract interest. Grizzlies do, too, but predicting their whereabouts is much more difficult. Wild horses can be spotted in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and pronghorn antelope are quite visible in Grand Teton, Wind Cave, and Theodore Roosevelt national parks. Wherever you go in search of wildlife, do so from a distance, to keep yourself and the wildlife safe.

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014

Answers: 1. False. Snow normally closes Crater Lake National Park roads by mid-October. 2. True. In the Tallgrass Prairie bottomlands, where the soil is deeper and water is more abundant, grass can grow taller than a person standing upright. 3. True. Coho salmon spawn in Olympic National Park during the summer and fall, with the peak normally occurring in late September and early October. 4. False. Yosemite is not a very good place to look for fall colors because the park is dominated by evergreens. 5. True. The abundance of aspens, oaks, and sagebrush at Lassen Volcanic accounts for the predominantly golden yellow hue of that parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fall colors. 6. False. Winter offers the least desirable conditions for scuba diving and snorkeling at Dry Tortugas because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when the water is coldest and visibility is poorest. 7. True. Deer hunting is allowed in Big South Fork NRRA, and the fall hunting seasons are the same as in corresponding areas of Kentucky and Tennessee. 8. False. The Harvest Moon, the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, offers poor conditions for astronomical observations because moonlight overwhelms the dimmer light from stars. 9. True. Sea turtle eggs usually hatch in late summer or early fall at Canaveral National Seashore. 10. True. Hawk Hill in Golden Gate National Recreation Area is probably the best place in California to watch hawks during their autumn migration.

True or false? Yosemite National Park is noted for its gorgeous fall color displays. True or false? Salmon spawn in Olympic National Park during the fall. Photo by NPS

True or false? Sport hunting for deer is permitted each fall in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

True or false? Fall is a good time to watch for hawks and other raptors in Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

True or false? The fall colors at Lassen Volcanic National Park are predominantly yellow.

True or false? The Harvest Moon would be a particularly good time to photograph the nighttime sky in Western national parks.

True or false? Conditions for scuba diving and snorkeling at Dry Tortugas National Park are usually worst in the fall.

True or false? Some sea turtle eggs hatch in the fall at Canaveral National Seashore. Photo by NPS

True or false? Some of the grass at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is six feet tall by fall. True or false? Late October is the best time to see fall colors in Crater Lake National Park.

Test your knowledge of autumn in the national parks! by Bob Janiskee

autumn QUIZ

Parting Shot

Kecia Weigand captured Denali National Park and Preserve’s vivid fall colors near the Savage River during a September 2011 trip. Along with capturing this scene, she saw “about 20 grizzlies, 15 moose, numerous Dall sheep, and various other animals.”

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A bighorn ram leads his harem across the sandstone in Zion National Park / Kurt Repanshek

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Essential Park Guide | Fall 2014