Category: National Parks

Adventures in the 63 Big Baddies

Things Go Wrong at Glacier National Park

March 10, 2022

Back in the car we ate sad peanut butter sandwiches and stared glumly at the list of hikes we wanted to do.

“It’s going to be tough to hike ten miles to Grinnell Glacier here, drive thirty miles, then do another three-mile hike to sleep,” I said, resenting the seven miles I’d already hiked today.

We considered other hikes nearer the campsite. We considered other campsites nearer the hike. No combination worked in a satisfying way.

“This is really stupid,” I concluded. “I want to go home.”

… More Things Go Wrong at Glacier National Park

North Cascades National Park, where contradictory things went awry

March 7, 2022

We sat in the car, staring at our tent in bemusement for a few silent moments.

“Huh,” one of us finally said.

Our tent sat in the middle of a perfect circle of standing water, as if it had decided to grow its own moat. It was perfectly centered. I judged the moat’s depth at about two inches.

… More North Cascades National Park, where contradictory things went awry

How to Get a Last-Minute Ticket for Going-to-the-Sun Road, Angel’s Landing, Rocky Mountain National Park, and More

February 6, 2022

You’re finally taking that epic national parks adventure this year. You’ve done all the planning, but there’s still one big problem: you’ve just learned that one of your favorite activities requires an advance ticket, you missed the on-sale date, and it’s already sold out. No worries. It’s usually possible to score a last-minute ticket if you know how to play the game. We’ve been in your shoes, and we’ll tell you exactly what you need to know to save your vacation. … More How to Get a Last-Minute Ticket for Going-to-the-Sun Road, Angel’s Landing, Rocky Mountain National Park, and More

Olympic National Park: Camping on Third Beach

January 14, 2022

My efforts to plan a great four-day trip to Olympic National Park left a little to be desired. In hindsight, I totally give myself a pass because this park is complicated, and without ever having visited before, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the huge number of places to visit, trails to hike, and completely different experiences to try out. You can be in a rainforest one morning, on a glacier the next afternoon, and wading through tidepools the next day. Ridiculous! Awesome, but ridiculous. … More Olympic National Park: Camping on Third Beach

Olympic, Night 1: Sneaky Frontcountry Camping

January 12, 2022

“Where will we sleep?” Dustin asked.

“There are two front-country campgrounds, and if they’re both full we can disperse in the National Forest.” You know we’re getting desperate when front-country camping and dispersed camping (pitching your tent along the side of a road in an approved part of a National Forest) are the best options. Our general philosophy is that if we’re going to go through the discomfort of sleeping in a tent, we really ought to be getting something (a remote, lovely view and serious solitude, usually) out of it. Sleeping in a tent in close proximity to dozens of neighbors? Meh.

… More Olympic, Night 1: Sneaky Frontcountry Camping

Hiking Mount Baldy, Black Hills

November 28, 2021

Even the trail signs want to make sure you know this won’t just be a stroll in the park – though parts of it really are a lovely stroll. The trail itself isn’t heavily trafficked, so it can be a little unclear in places. Keep your eyes out for the next trail marker – there’s almost always another one in view as soon as you pass the last one.

Until you get to this rock. … More Hiking Mount Baldy, Black Hills

For the Love of Glaciers

November 5, 2021

This, then, is what the love of glaciers means:

Yesterday, you hiked Mt. St. Helens. You climbed up 4,500 feet over the course of four miles, clambering over sharp boulders and loose scree. You then turned around and picked your way back down 4,500 feet of the same.

You woke up this morning with every muscle in your lower body wailing, suggesting maybe you should be a little kinder today.

You arrived at the Mt. Rainier National Park wilderness office, because backcountry camping was your only plan for finding a place to sleep tonight, and asked if there were any sites left that did not require a strenuous or lengthy hike.

You listened as the ranger ran through a list of unappealing options – seven miles is too many, 2,000 feet elevation gain is too many, 2,000 feet elevation lost is WAY too many, three miles might be okay except half of it parallels the highway?

And then you listen as the ranger kindly offers to check for available group sites, since those could be given away to a non-group at such short notice.

You listen as she says, “the Glacier Basin site is open, oh, but that’s four miles in and nearly 2,000 up-“

And you hardly let her finish the sentence before you say “WE’LL TAKE THAT ONE.”

… More For the Love of Glaciers

Crater Lake

October 28, 2021

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to splurge on a room at the Crater Lake Lodge,” I said.

“Are you proposing we buy a $300 hotel room so that you don’t miss the chance to buy a $100 dinner?” Dustin asked.

“NO,” I replied not-at-all too quickly. “No, but really, look: we’re coming from the north entrance of Redwoods. It’s a 4-hour drive, and if we manage to get a tour at Oregon Caves along the way, the earliest we can hope to arrive at Crater Lake is mid-afternoon. That means we’ll be in the park for less than 24 hours. If we camp, we’ll spend our entire visit hiking in and out of our campsite, and none of the campsites have views into the crater.” … More Crater Lake

A photo-journal of a visit to Redwood State & National Parks

September 20, 2021

I don’t have a particular narrative to go with our photos of our time in Redwood National & State Parks. My jaw dropped open the moment I saw my first redwood, and I really didn’t manage to get my mouth closed until we left. (Good thing banana slugs can’t fly.) I was just in a perpetual state of awe the whole time. That doesn’t make a very interesting story, though. … More A photo-journal of a visit to Redwood State & National Parks