Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, with six wild and scenic rivers, is a paddler's paradise/NPS
You received $100,000 for Christmas from a loving aunt, but you need to spend it in the next 365 days. So, where in the National Park System would you go, and why?
I think I'd have to punch my ticket for Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska. I've long loved paddling, whether by canoe, kayak, or raft, and with six wild and scenic rivers, Gates of the Arctic would be hard to pass up and certainly give me plenty of paddling miles and wildness to enjoy. To get a feel for this place, check out this sketch book made by Robin Peterson, who was an artist-in-residence in the park back in 2009.
Plus, there's incredible wildlife: caribou, muskox, loon, grizzlies, weasals, otters, wolverines, lynx, wolves, and more bird species than you might imagine.
So, where would you go?
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Big Bend in the spring for the Wildflower bloom, and Glacier in the fall, and the great love of my life, Acadia for Christma.
With that amount of money, I'd rent a place outside of Gardiner and spend a month exploring and photographing Yellowstone during the fall/winter, then travel to national parks I've yet to see, such as Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Yosemite, and Sequoia national parks.
ake Clark in Alaska and Gates of the Arctic. A winter trip to Dry Tortuga and then opposite coast to the Channel Islands. A campout and paddle in Isle Royale followed by an overseas trip to American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
State side- hike the wonderland trail around Mt. Rainier and spend a couple weeks in Yellowstone during the rut. Wrap it up with a hike over the divide in Glacier and then a quiet paddle on Jordan Pond in Acadia. Finish it all off with a couple of popovers at the Jordan House.
Visited the parks in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies a great deal....so now I'd like to explore some of those in the Southwest and Great Basin. Canyonlands? Would like to avoid crowds, seek out lesser visited places.
Being retired, the trip would be "The Loop" - a re-visit to all the Parks we HAVE visited (a majority, I'm glad to say!!) & a discovery of the rest that we've missed!!!
Dry Tortuga, Denali, Acacia and all points inbetween.
Dry Tortugas, Volcanoes Canyonlands and Isle Royale!
With a sum that large, my husband and I would rent an RV and visit as many of the parks as we could. Some must-sees would be: Zion, the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and Yellowstone, but there are so many others as well. What a trip we would have!