Ok, travelers, the blush is still on the new year, but that doesn't mean we can't plan, right? With that in mind, what national park adventures are on your 2016 calendar?
I know I'll be visiting Rocky Mountain National Park in May to attend the World Ranger Congress, floating through Dinosaur National Monument in June, exploring Grand Teton National Park by kayak in July, and heading through Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park in September, but the rest of the year is wide open right now. And with all the crowds that turned out in some of the bigger parks last year, I'm thinking park visits this year would best be enjoyed in some of the relatively under-the-radar parks.
A backpacking trip to Saguaro National Park in Arizona would be nice. Ditto with one at Great Basin National Park in Nevada. I've also wanted to explore Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin by kayak and Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota by canoe. Roamining the landscape of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas to see if creating a "buffalo commons" really can be done would be an adventure, too.
So, what about you? Where do you plan to go in 2016?
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Comments
Freycinet NP
Tasman NP
Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair NP
Mt. Field NP
Kalbarri NP
Nambung NP
Millstream-Chichester NP
Karijini NP
... and hopefully some others in Western Australia.
I'm taking a bussman's holiday with my Annual Leave!
I hope to get out to Joshua Tree and maybe Mojave & Death Valley this spring, especially if they get lots of rain. I'm resigned to using AL to do my own science.
But late spring / early summer, I'm hitting Mountain Home State Forest (not park), then Sequoia / Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Lassen, Lava Beds, and maybe more. I may try to time things to line up with colleagues' fieldwork to get backcountry with local knowledge (ok, that may be wishful thinking).
ps: Tallgrass Prairie is _way_ too small for a buffalo commons, but it was beautiful 20+ years ago and it should be even nicer now with the restoration efforts.
It's not a national park, but if you're in California and want to see desert wildflowers, don't overlook Anza Borrego State Park. It's a stunner!
Crater Lake, Lassen Volcano, Redwoods, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Arches, Great Smokey Mountain.
Every park in Utah this summer. Can't wait.
I will be going with my brother to Yosemite for 5 days in the spring and MT Lassen NP in the summer.
Maybe Channel Islands and Joshua in the spring.
Badlands, Devils Tower Nat. Monument, Little Big Horn Nat. Monument, Yellowstone, Grand Teton.
Badlands, Devils Tower Nat. Monument, Little Big Horn Nat. Monument, Yellowstone, Grand Teton.
Mammoth
Olympic
Mount Rainer
North Cascades
Joshua Tree in January
Statue of Liberty Island in March
Either Acadia or Ranier/Olympia/Mt St Helens in July
Fall is TBD.
Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef along with Natural Bridges NM and Colorado NM in October. Can't wait!
BIG BEND in West TX!! right in my neighborhood. please visit us :)
I have been lucky enough to visit almost all the NPs, many several times over. However, I still have a couple on my bucket list which I play to take care of this year - Big Bend, Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mnts., that will leave me with only Channel Islands, America Samoa & Virgin Islands as unseen. Also hope to revisit the two Hawaiian parksif we can get out there to celebrate our 30th annniversary.
this year I will be employed at the north rim of the Grand Canyon may-October as a bus driver after that I think I will head to Gardiner to watch the elk rut.
Haleakala & Volcano
I plan to visit Big Bend in a few weeks and Sequaro and Organ Pipe in February. March is Joshua Tree and Death Valley. Yosemite in early spring and Lassen, Crater Lake and My Rainier in late spring/ early summer. Then on to Yellowstone.
Spring trek is usually set around Grand Canyon Members Association weekend in May. Taking an extended trek to hit some on the West coast haven't been too. Current plan leaving from St. Louis includes: Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Chaco Canyon, Grand Canyon (hoping back country permit comes through), Death Valley, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Lassen Volcanos, Redwood, Crater Lake, Yellowstone, and Wind Cave. Five new national parks and a few favorites.
Acadia NP this summer
Hunsband and I will be going to Rocky Mountain National Park in October. Hope to also visit Arches.
Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, Teton, Capitol Reef, Flaming Gorge NRA, Lee's Ferry NRA, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Everglades
My husband and I are headed to Everglades, Dry Tortugas, Biscayne, Hawaii Volcanoes, Haleakala, Badlands, Wind Cave, Great Sand Dunes, Yosemite, Katmai, Denali, Crater Lake, Lassen, and Grand Tetons in 2016.
Having just moved to [the doorstep of] North Cascades National Park this last summer, that's probably where we're going to do most of our exploring this year.