One of the things we loved most about our time in Hot Springs National Park was the hiking trails. The trails here are old, many developed during the CCC era of the 1930s and 40s. You get the sense that many feet have wandered these paths, looking for an escape from city life and to…
We’ve written about this before, but one of many reasons we choose camping vs. hotels in national parks is the easy access to hiking trails. Getting an early morning start before the crowds at the gate and staying until sunset are some of the best parts about camping in the parks. Among national park campgrounds…
Did you know that more than 80 different units in the National Park Service preserve and protect a fort? National park forts have become some of our favorite spots to visit on our journey to visit all 400+ units in the NPS. They’re a chance to step back in time and get to know the…
We’re continuing back onto the recaps of our Midwest Road Trip this week. Even though we can’t be out in the parks right now, we know that at some point we’ll be enjoying the parks again soon. And when we do we hope it will include adding a stop to Fort Smith National Historic Site…
Can you believe we’ve made it to the end of National Park Week? We’re so excited to be celebrating this year’s BARK Ranger Day with members of the National Parks Creative Exchange. And what better way to wrap up a terrific week than with a special guest joining us today! We’re thrilled to have Brad…
We’ve been thinking about this question all week: How do you celebrate Earth Day at home in our time of social distancing? Our week-long celebration of National Park Week continues today as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with the National Park Service and our friends at the National Park Creative Exchange. It’s…
Amid stay-at-home and social distancing, thousands of national park fans from around the world are coming together this week to celebrate National Park Week 2020. We’ve joined together with other members of the National Parks Creative Exchange to create a full week of virtual content to celebrate our parks and the places we cannot wait…
Most people don’t naturally put hiking and Civil War battlefields together. We didn’t either, until our visit last month to Pea Ridge National Military Park in Garfield, Arkansas. Yet, it turns out that spending time on foot is exactly how you should learn about these unique spaces in the National Park Service. A morning of…
When we pulled into George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri, last month, we expected the standard drill for smaller NPS units. In about 90 minutes, we can typically check out the museum exhibits and the grounds, collect the passport stamps, and be on our way. For our 84th of 400+ national park units,…
Among all of the different types of National Historic Sites, forts have quickly become some of our favorites. And of all the different forts we’ve been to so far, Fort Scott National Historic Site in Kansas ranks among the top. What we thought was going to be more of a ‘get the stamp and get…