Discriminating Explorer

Discriminating Explorer: Kalispell, Montana, Gateway To Glacier National Park

Flying into Kalispell, your eyes dart here and there, trying to take in all the peaks clawing skyward. While this laid-back Montana town is the western gateway to Glacier National Park, it's also seated in the Crown of the Continent, an idea as much as a phrase that captures Rocky Mountain wildness.

Read more about Discriminating Explorer: Kalispell, Montana, Gateway To Glacier National Park

May 31st, 2015

1 comment

Discriminating Explorer: Lake Hotel, Yellowstone National Park's Elegant Lady, Renovated And Invigorated

When Robert Reamer approached the task of remodeling a simple lodge in the still fledgling Yellowstone National Park, he had a backdrop of a sweeping lake rimmed by mountains that remained jacketed in snow well into summer. And yet, to draw Eastern society out to this wilderness, he realized he would need more to lure them than a stunningly beautiful setting.

Read more about Discriminating Explorer: Lake Hotel, Yellowstone National Park's Elegant Lady, Renovated And Invigorated

July 6th, 2014

3 comments

Estes Park, A Great Base Camp For A Rocky Mountain National Park Vacation

Your ascent to Estes Park, the front door to Rocky Mountain National Park, is anything but smooth. Climbing up through Big Thompson Canyon from Loveland, Colorado, you twist and turn and rise and fall with the road as it crawls through the canyon...and marvel at the cyclists pedaling those beastly 34 miles.

Read more about Estes Park, A Great Base Camp For A Rocky Mountain National Park Vacation

August 14th, 2013

1 comment

Discriminating Explorer: Friends Groups Sample The Secrets Of The East’s Best National Parks

It’s hard to argue that Acadia, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smokies, and Shenandoah don’t represent the cream of what the National Park Service offers in Eastern America. There are a lot of great experiences in these top East Coast national parks, but for the truly discriminating explorer, the friends groups for these parks have truly awesome best-kept-secret suggestions.

Read more about Discriminating Explorer: Friends Groups Sample The Secrets Of The East’s Best National Parks

August 15th, 2012

Fort Monroe: A New National Monument Has A Rich Past And A Potentially Complex Future

Fort Monroe, Virginia, our newest national monument—is the largest stone and masonry fort in the United States. But this site embodies much more than just a look back at coastal fortifications. Fort Monroe's pivotal military and even cultural significance reaches back centuries before the United States and forward as recently as last year.

Read more about Fort Monroe: A New National Monument Has A Rich Past And A Potentially Complex Future

August 6th, 2012

16 comments

Parks Beyond Borders / Video Feature: Riding the Rails to Canada's Banff And Jasper National Parks

There are great national park train trips all over the world—and one of the best is riding the rails to Canada’s Banff and Jasper National Parks. Swaying through the Canadian Rockies is as good as it gets—and on the Rocky Mountaineer, the setting, service, and food are first-class. Lesser cost options make these parks a not-to-be-missed world-class experience.

Read more about Parks Beyond Borders / Video Feature: Riding the Rails to Canada's Banff And Jasper National Parks

July 16th, 2012

1 comment

Discriminating Explorer: Memorial Day Meander—The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail In North Carolina And Tennessee

The 330-mile Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail—Eastern America’s first NHT—isn't just a motor trip. On this Memorial Day meander in Western NC and East TN, you can hike the actual colonial roads that felt the tread of patriot militia. Or plan for fall, during the anniversary of the October 7, 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain.

Read more about Discriminating Explorer: Memorial Day Meander—The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail In North Carolina And Tennessee

May 25th, 2012

2 comments

Discriminating Explorer: Two Incredible National Parks, One Great Town

Sunlight so bright it stains the rocks? It certainly seems so in the red-rock country of southeastern Utah, where Arches and Canyonlands national parks dazzle with both their scenery and their adventures.

Read more about Discriminating Explorer: Two Incredible National Parks, One Great Town

April 23rd, 2012

10 comments

Discriminating Explorer: Appalachian Spring

The Blue Ridge Parkway, between Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Parks, is a prime venue to a secret season—the explosive beauty and bounty of Appalachian Spring.

Read more about Discriminating Explorer: Appalachian Spring

March 21st, 2012

2 comments

Discriminating Explorer: Visiting Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve By Mothership

As our kayaks bobbed on the currents of Fingers Bay, a multi-fingered bight in Glacier Bay, we listened quietly for the tell-tale whoosh of the humpback spouting. We had seen it earlier as we neared the mouth of the smaller bay, and watched as the whale circled the bay, its wispy froth marking its progress.

Read more about Discriminating Explorer: Visiting Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve By Mothership

February 21st, 2012

4 comments

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Discriminating Explorer

National parks and their natural resources belong to you. The National Parks Traveler works to ensure you know how these essential places are being cared for.

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.