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The Best Natural Wonders Our Country Has To Offer During National Park Week 2024
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Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of Not Your Average Bucket List by OnlyInYourState. This week is a big one for us, it’s the kick-off to National Park Week 2024. We have a comprehensive article about the 2024 National Park Week, which dives into the history, how it’s celebrated, and what else you can expect. Plus, our hosts Sara and Marisa sit down to discuss their favorite national parks and what each has visited!
Let’s dive in…
Things we’ll cover in this episode:
- When is National Park Week?
- What is the history of the National Park System?
- What are some of the best national parks our hosts have been to?
Podcast Timestamps:
[00:03:50] Fun National Park trivia!
[00:8:42] What is the history of the National Parks System?
[00:14:14] Our OnlyIn team discusses their favorite national parks.
Get In Touch!
If you have personal experiences with any of the attractions mentioned above, call or text 805-298-1420! We’d love to hear your thoughts on these places and maybe even share your clip on the show! You can also reach out to us via email at [email protected].
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Transcript
Introduction to National Park Week
00:00:06
Speaker
This is not your average bucket list by Only In Your State, a podcast about exploring the hidden gems right in your own backyard.
00:00:18
Speaker
Welcome back everyone to another episode of Not Your Average Bucket List by Only In Your State. This week, we're celebrating National Park Week. I'm here with my co-host, Sarah. Hi, Sarah. Hey, Marissa. How are you? Doing well. Very excited about National Park Week and Only In Your State. This is kind of like a holiday for Only In Your State. Yeah, it is.
00:00:42
Speaker
Yeah. So, yeah, we have tons of new content being rolled out across the website, socials, and now a podcast episode.
Personal Connections to National Parks
00:00:51
Speaker
For you personally, what does National Park Week mean? So, wow, big question. I, you know, actually like growing up and up until like a few years ago, I really didn't think much about the national parks, not because I didn't know them or wasn't interested. It's just like,
00:01:11
Speaker
I don't know. It just wasn't in my worldview. I didn't think about it. I grew up having one close to me and I went to it multiple times. It just never struck me at how important it is. So before it didn't mean much, but now I want to like, it's like part of my personal to-do list in life. You know, I want to hit all the national parks. I want to explore what there is to explore. I wish I could be in the Junior Ranger program. You know, all the things. How about you?
00:01:35
Speaker
Yeah, no, same. I think it wasn't that big of a deal growing up. You know, I would do like over summer break and whatnot, my grandparents would take my sister and I to different museums and more localized parks. We went to a fish hatchery once, just to kind of like, you know, keep the learning going.
00:01:55
Speaker
Yeah. But in New Jersey, there weren't a lot of national parks within that area that we could go to on a day trip. So it really wasn't that big of a deal growing up. But now as an adult, I am all about it. I do think it's part of the, once you get past 30, you're going to start caring about birds. You want to go to the national parks. Loving naps, I think. After what?
National Park Trivia and History
00:02:22
Speaker
30, you said?
00:02:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, like once you hit your 30s, then you start like, you're gonna wake up one day and be like, huh, I like birds. And then on my 35th birthday, I had a ranger hat. I was like, what? Okay, so just curious what happens after 40, asking for a friend. I think, okay, 40, maybe more antiquing, which is not a bad thing. Okay. Love antiquing and thrifting. I just think it can up your skill once you hit 40.
00:02:51
Speaker
nice okay so yeah yeah definitely uh i think i'm behind the what is it behind the book behind the i don't know
00:03:00
Speaker
I got to get into birds, I guess, because I missed my mark there, but. I mean, look, I'm just now doing it. It's, it's easy to get into. You can get that, uh, was it, um, the ornithology app, that Cornell ornithology, and then you can record. So you know what? On upcoming trips, take out that app and if you hear a bird, it'll record it and they'll say like, this is the bird you hear, which is great. What a different experience compared to.
00:03:28
Speaker
my grandparents birdwatching, which really was just like a very faded book that they carried around. Yeah. Circled things. To book some binoculars. Yeah. Now you can record a sound and be like, oh my gosh, that's the purple-throated, I don't know. Yeah. You got it. Very cool. Okay. So I wanted to kick off this episode with a couple of trivia questions for you. You know how I love a curveball.
00:03:58
Speaker
Um, you probably, you probably know these answers already. I would assume, but, um, no pressure. Okay. So in honor of national park week, what is the largest national park in the United States? By square footage. Uh, acreage, acreage, I guess acreage would make sense. Um, uh,
00:04:23
Speaker
I bet you it's, I wanted to say something out west, but I bet you it's like in Alaska. There's a lot of space in Alaska. Look at you. I don't know, oh, I don't know the name. Is it in Alaska National Park? Yes. Which one? It is Alaska's Rangel St. Elias National Park and Preserve. It's 13.2 million acres. It's larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Switzerland combined.
00:04:55
Speaker
What a weird addition to that, right? Okay. All right. Cool. Didn't expect that. Nice. Great guess. All right. I was going to give you a question for you actually. Oh no. Is it about Alaska? No, it's not. It's not. Don't worry. What is the most visited national park? Okay. I feel like I know this one because I've been to it and I want to say it's someplace like Appalachian
00:05:24
Speaker
Maybe ish. You're warm. Crap. I don't remember. Great Smoky Mountain. Yes. I have been there before. Yeah. See, we're so smart. We talked about that, I think. I mean, probably. Great Smoky Mountains. That was a great park. Beautiful.
00:05:49
Speaker
and I've been to it twice too. Also, Appalachian, how do you pronounce it Appalachian, right? Oh, so yeah, I'm one of those like dirty Midwesterners that probably don't say it right. I say Appalachian a lot. I know like the pronunciation that it should be is like Appalachian. Yeah. I've been hearing two people say Appalachian, which I'm like, that can't be right.
Celebrating National Park Week
00:06:14
Speaker
I feel like the most true is Appalachian, and then Appalachian, I feel like me is not quite right. I mean, I grew up in the foothills. I was in Appalachia, but not like West Virginia, Tennessee sort of, Appalachia. Okay, one more trivia question that's going to segue into our episode officially. What was the very first national park? That I've been to.
00:06:45
Speaker
or in existence. I guess it wouldn't be trivia. That'd be a personal question. Very first. I am going to guess something on the East Coast.
00:07:15
Speaker
Gosh, uh, Shenandoah? No. Oh, what is it? Yellowstone. Really? 1872. You know, I feel like, so at Only In Your State, we had a great national park ranger come on and talk to us about the civilian corps and like the building of the national park system. And yeah, it was, it was out wet. Should've known.
00:07:39
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. But I do think, so in terms of history, going back to, you know, 1800s, early 1900s. So Yellowstone became a national park. It was the first national park in the 1870s, but the National Park Service itself, right, wasn't established until like early 1900s. Yeah. Wasn't Roosevelt responsible for? I think it was Woodrow Wilson.
00:08:08
Speaker
Oh, was it? What was the civilian? Hold on. Civilian core. You know what? Let's take time to plug. Go to our YouTube channel at only in your state and look up this park ranger video that we have. We haven't recorded and we had a really great session on it. Civil core. That was a good one. Yeah. Yeah.
00:08:30
Speaker
I think I'm thinking, so the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933 was established by Roosevelt, but yeah, not the actual creation of the parks. Okay. So 1916, Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, which created the National Park Service. And the point of this was to conserve the natural and cultural areas within the country for future generations to enjoy, which to me, gotta love that.
00:09:00
Speaker
And it's such a big deal that now there is an annual celebration called National Park Week, which we are focusing on today.
Engaging Kids with Junior Ranger Program
00:09:11
Speaker
That typically takes place every year in April, coincides with Earth Day, which I think is very cool.
00:09:17
Speaker
And there's a lot of stuff that is offered in these national parks during this week, which I didn't know until I just thought, oh, National Park Week, they're highlighting the national parks, and you get in for free to every and any national park in America. But they actually have things going on.
00:09:37
Speaker
Throughout the week. Yeah, there are special events Yeah, and the free admission. I think it's just one day correct. There's like a free admission day to any national park Yeah, cuz I don't think it's the entire week but
00:09:55
Speaker
Yeah, so April 20th, National Park Week, Saturday, the entrance fees will be waived. So this Saturday, April 20th, it is, I'm gonna just have to tromp around to National Park. Look, I already have plans and it's free. Amazing. Definitely. Yeah. Yeah, so the very first National Park Week started, believe it or not, in 1991.
00:10:22
Speaker
Wow, that recent. Yeah, this isn't even like a super historic weekly celebration. But in 1991, it actually marked the 75th anniversary of the National Park Service. And then they skipped a couple years. The next one wasn't until 1994. But ever since then, 1994, it's become an annual celebration. And now today,
00:10:46
Speaker
people love it. They will go to a national park during this week to check out all the park related events that are going on.
Exploring National Parks: Personal Experiences
00:10:55
Speaker
I do love that. Like I know I joke about it, but the evolution of the Junior Ranger program and getting kids and like if I was a kid and there was like such a focus on the Junior Ranger program, I probably would have been way more into it. But like there's a Junior Ranger day during National Park Week.
00:11:12
Speaker
So yeah, it's getting kids interested and there are all different kinds of events. So if you live near a national park or, you know, take interest in one of the ones we talk about today, it's definitely worth doing. Like, no reason not to. I agree because I also, whenever I visit a national park, it always surprises me with
00:11:32
Speaker
Even just, gosh, our episode when I went to Hobe Sound and the Jonathan Dickinson State Park, there was so much to do. I couldn't even fit it in.
00:11:44
Speaker
a week-long thing to check out a state park like that. But National Park, there are so many opportunities for you to go hiking, for you to possibly go swimming, kayaking, camping, which is my favorite. But there's so much to do. And then you have these little pockets of cultural significance, ranger-led tours. It's just really neat. I've never had a bad time at a National Park. I'll just say that.
00:12:15
Speaker
Yeah, I really love how passionate people are. I know we talked about park rangers before, but whenever I have interface with any national park ranger, they're always so well educated, so helpful, very respectful. They take the parks very seriously and the laws about maintaining the parks taken
00:12:32
Speaker
like pack in, pack out kind of stuff. But I just love like you can get a wealth of information just by going into a visitor center, talking to the park rangers. The NPS has an amazing app where you can like track all your parks, your visited parks, your favorited ones. So yeah, it's really accessible now, which is great.
00:12:52
Speaker
Yeah, and I think also we should mention the National Parks Pass, which you pay an annual rate, and that gets you into a good bulk of these parks. And also, it's not just parks either, you can all, they're all, you also have these like historic battlefields and like national seashores and stuff. So it's not just like a national park, it's the national park system, which includes all these other places.
00:13:18
Speaker
Yeah, there's actually one really close to me, aside from the park, but a National Historic Landmark, which is the National First Ladies Monument, I think. And it's like, I used to live down the block from it, and I didn't even realize it was part of the national park system. Cool. And yes, it's just really cool. And I'll see them with their little pamphlets and stuff during local farmer's markets. And for some reason, I just never realized it's part of the MPS system, which is really cool. Wow, very neat.
00:13:45
Speaker
Okay, so before we segue into our favorite national parks that we've been to, I just want to add in. We recently spoke to some of our colleagues from only in your state. They shared with us their favorite national parks, which I love listening to other people talk about their favorite national parks, especially when it's ones that are on my list and I've never been to. So we're just going to share those with you right now.
00:14:17
Speaker
Hey, my name is Megan Chute and I'm the manager of editorial at Only Near State and my current favorite national park is Shenandoah National Park. This park is like 75 miles south of Washington DC where I live and it features all of my favorite things sprawling mountain views and a winding road with endless viewpoints and some cool waterfalls and the best fall foliage in like September-October time frame.
00:14:43
Speaker
Um, my favorite thing to do is just like drive along skyline drive and stop wherever we feel like it. But if you can only do one hike, I really like Doyle's river falls. Hi, I'm Catherine. I'm senior manager of content operations for only in your state. And my favorite national park is Cuyahoga Valley national park. Um, it's a really unique national park in that there's no entrance fee to go there.
00:15:08
Speaker
It's the town of Peninsula is situated inside the park. So hundreds or thousands of cars drive through that park every day. I often drive through it when we're on our way to Cleveland. It's about 30 minutes south of Cleveland. So it's really accessible and easy to get to. And it's got some really cool features. Brandywine Falls is beautiful and we get a lot of rain here in Ohio. So after a rainstorm, the waterfall is just amazing. Just tons of water crashing down.
00:15:35
Speaker
It's really fun. There's a boardwalk that you take some staircases down and then you're right, right almost on top of that waterfall. So if you like waterfalls, that's a great one to visit. The other really cool feature that I that I visit multiple times a week is the Beaver Marsh and the Beaver Marsh used to be an old auto junkyard.
00:15:55
Speaker
Sierra Club came in and cleaned it up back in the 70s, early 80s. And when they cleaned out all the cars and everything, some beavers took up residence, built a dam and flooded the whole thing. So now it's this really cool marsh area. You can go and see turtles and there's great blue herons, which also have a nesting site really close to that beaver marsh, which I highly recommend visiting in the spring.
00:16:21
Speaker
You can see the baby herons in their nests. Um, but the Beaver Marsh has, you know, that you'll see snakes and turtles and all kinds of birds, just tons of wildlife. And you can walk out on a boardwalk right over the marsh and kind of just be enveloped by all of it. It's a really, really accessible national park. You don't have to worry about big crowds. You don't have to worry about long lines or traffic, anything like that. And like I said, it's free to visit. So.
00:16:47
Speaker
That's definitely my favorite part and a place I love, so I hope you like it too. Hi, my name is Meg and I'm the Engagement Editor for only in your state. My favorite national park is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. I was lucky enough to visit this park earlier this year and I was so impressed by the beauty and magnitude and
00:17:14
Speaker
just incredibly unique terrain here. The views of the main crater from the overlook are beautiful, but my favorite part was hiking the Kilauea Iki trail. It's only about four miles long and it takes you down into the crater of Kilauea Iki and across an ancient lava lake.
00:17:36
Speaker
So you get a little bit of the jungle and then just this barren, amazing landscape that's so unlike anything I've ever seen. If you go, I suggest going a little later in the day. We timed ours just perfectly, so there were not very many people on the trail at the time, and we felt totally alone in this massive volcano. It was so cool.
00:18:11
Speaker
Okay. So what is, are you going to touch on your favorite national park in the list? Should I not spoil it or do you want to add what yours is straight away?
00:18:20
Speaker
I can add mine. I'm going to add my favorite one because it's also one that I went to most recently. Okay, great. This might surprise you because I feel like you're going to think that I'm going to say Big Bend because I've talked about it so much. You have. I'm like a Big Bend spokesperson now, unofficially, so I'm waiting for my application to be approved.
00:18:44
Speaker
So I'm going to talk about Joshua Tree National Park first because I went there back in October. It was my maybe second or third time going and
00:18:54
Speaker
I absolutely love this park. It's located in southeastern California. It is known for its desert landscapes and these beautiful rock formations and obviously the iconic Joshua Tree, which if you've never seen it, do a quick Google. These trees are gorgeous. I love this park and I hope to go
00:19:16
Speaker
every couple of years because I just love a desert landscape. We've talked about this before. There's something so beautiful. Maybe it's because I grew up on the East Coast and it was like trees galore. Totally understand that. Yeah. It's so different. It's novel. Yeah. Right. Yeah. And just I love cacti.
00:19:33
Speaker
you know, like, it's just that's probably one of my favorite plants ever. And then you have like great stargazing too at night, everything, there's a lot of light pollution, which I love, you can see the stars and yeah, that's great. Yes, Joshua True would be my number one. What's your number one?
00:19:53
Speaker
Yeah, you took me by surprise. All right. Oh, you know what? I think it might just be recency bias, but I am going to say one that I visit also in October. So Sequoia National Park, and I'm going to touch on it later in our list. But for so many similar reasons to you, like I grew up with the East Coast
00:20:12
Speaker
you know, biome and that area and to see something so otherworldly, different, giant, historic, meaningful made me feel so small and so insignificant, but it's like a good way. You know, I'm processing it, but still, it's one of those places, I think, and I'm assuming, you know, maybe Redwood is very similar, that people need to visit and you're just, your breath's going to be taken away. So yeah, Sequoia, I would say. I don't want to say too much because we're going to get to it, but
00:20:42
Speaker
Yeah. Redwoods is on my list too, as one of my favorites because exactly like you said, these massive trees will, it's very, like, I don't want to say it's like an out of body experience because that sounds kind of like, you know, I don't know. It's just like a very magical moment to be standing next to this tree that has
00:21:09
Speaker
lived how many years, you know, and it's just these massive trunks and these giant branches. So giant, yeah. It's crazy. You do feel so small in comparison and it kind of, you're reconnecting with a part of nature that I feel as if not a lot of people get to do, you know, so far removed from nature and a lot of aspects of our society that when you're standing there in front of these trees, you like tap into something that
00:21:40
Speaker
you know, like you probably have never experienced before. And it's so bigger than you. And it's one of those things that, you know, when we say old growth, we mean old growth trees, like thousands of years old. And so it just makes you realize how you're just a small part of a bigger picture. And honestly, I feel like walking around those parks made me realize like, Oh God, I need to stop driving a car.
00:22:03
Speaker
Like, you know what I mean? Like, it makes you really think about your impact on the world. Also, if you're a Star Wars fan, it's like Endor. So, you know, I think they did do filming locations in like the Redwoods and different parks. Yeah. So, um, well, if you want to jump into, I would love to hear about your experience at Sequoia because that is on my list and I know you've been there. So I would love to hear, uh, hear you share with us.
00:22:29
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. So we went to Sequoia and part of Kings Canyon. They are adjacent to each other. So usually whenever you take a trip there, you're going to be hitting both. But we stayed in the Waksuki Lodge, and that is inside the park, which was lovely because there were trail heads actually attached to this place.
00:22:47
Speaker
And so whenever we started driving in, it was actually a really unique experience because in October, 2023, they were controlling the rabbit fire. And it wasn't a controlled fire like they typically do on a schedule, but it was basically a natural fire they just used to their advantage because they were scheduled for a controlled burn sometime in the future. And that area, the acreage hadn't seen a burn like that in
00:23:15
Speaker
I want to say hundreds of years, but it was something to where it really needed it. Driving in wasn't what I expected because it was all charred trees, but what's so interesting about sequoias and trees of that biome is that they so desperately need it because they withstand it, it clears out the forest floor, and it helps their seeds grow and take, which I think historically before the national parks kind of wised up to it, they were stopping fires, which was actually hurting the growth of these trees and forests, which I thought was really interesting.
00:23:46
Speaker
So anyway, yeah, it was just absolutely gorgeous. So once we get past that and all the like seeing like the firefighters work and what they were doing, which is really fascinating actually, like just walking around with like gas cans and blow torches and stuff, it was great.
00:24:01
Speaker
Would not envy that job. It looks so, so freaking hard. But basically we go in and we went to the giant, the giant forest giant trail and big tree and General Sherman. And these are like, General Sherman is like the biggest. So seeing that straight away as soon as you get in the park was just jaw dropping. I was, I could not get over it. And they're so well manicured too because a lot of these trails
00:24:30
Speaker
are paved and safe and they want to keep people on the trail and away from the giant sequoias. And it was just the most lovely experience, very quiet.
Challenges and Beauty of Visiting Parks
00:24:39
Speaker
It was an off season when we went in October, but still like really great weather. So yeah, every time I saw a sequoia, I was just like drawing the floor. So like, I was just walking around, like completely overwhelmed. It was amazing. I loved it.
00:24:55
Speaker
And honestly, all the little placards and things. I'm the person at the museum where I'm just reading all the little things and I just want to know. So all the posted signage was just amazing inside of the park. And you learned so much about the process and how some of the youngest trees were just giant, not monarchs yet, but still hundreds of years old. And here I am, 35.
00:25:17
Speaker
Oh gosh, I'm getting up there. So yeah, it was lovely. I would highly recommend Sequoia. It's just, yeah, it's beautiful. And I remember you saying you went with your nephews, right? I did, yes. So would you say this is like a super kid friendly kind of park?
00:25:37
Speaker
I will say that, yeah. I mean, obviously with any park you go to and you're looking at the trails, you have to note the difficulty level. Is it an out and back? Is it a loop? We went on the Takopa Falls Trail, which is considered an easy out and back where there's a waterfall, but I will say kids are kids and they don't want to stay on the path. They were not interested in the paved paths, the easy walks. They just wanted to be climbing on rocks and almost hitting their heads and jumping over logs.
00:26:06
Speaker
That being said, the trails we went on were family friendly and some of the most iconic ones, very accessible, very family friendly. But I will say the Congress Trail, which is the one that goes through all the... They named the trees after the Senate and the House and all these historical figures.
00:26:24
Speaker
It was quite a, um, elevation change. So if you're used to like going up and down hills or, you know, you're a walker runner, it's not bad, but the kids did not appreciate it. And they're like, they're like, you know, little kids that are outside playing and they're fairly fit and, you know, they were, they were struggling. Um, so just a fair warning. There are lots of benches. Use them. They even have signs like take your time. Don't push yourself because it's, it's a really challenging walk.
00:26:53
Speaker
Yeah. And I feel like anything with a crazy elevation change, you don't realize until you're like halfway up and it's just like, whoo, I need a break. You know? Well, especially just like altitude and stuff. But yeah. Yeah, absolutely. That's cool, though. Yeah. That is definitely on my list for sure. I would love to to check that one out. Yeah. It was a sleeper park for me. If you would have asked me before last year, I wouldn't have named it. But I was absolutely wrong. It's crazy good.
00:27:24
Speaker
That's awesome. Yeah, in the similar vein, so Redwoods National and State Parks in Northern California. I was lucky enough to go before the crazy fires that were in the area, which is very, very lucky that I was able to do that.
00:27:42
Speaker
Because again, as we said, just these trees in this particular park, these towering redwood trees are some of the tallest living organisms on the entire planet. Yeah. And like what a cool claim to fame, you know, and I think that's like part of why I love Northern California so much in Pacific Northwest is just like
00:28:04
Speaker
you know, these giant, ancient giant trees and old growth forests, I just think are super neat. And we did just like a basic hike through which, you know, you start at the visitor center and just go around in a loop. I think it was like maybe a mile and a half, less than two miles. It was a loop.
00:28:27
Speaker
And it was beautiful. I feel like you, first of all, the drive up or into the park is a little intense. I don't know if things have changed now after the fires. I'm assuming that they have tremendously. But the drive to the, I was in an RV at the time and the drive to the
00:28:45
Speaker
The park was crazy. Just up these winding roads, down these winding roads. Yeah. I mean, I didn't even go all the way up to that park, but we were at Golden Gate and we wanted to go to some of the park properties across the bridge. And we were in a rented van, but I'm like, oh, I am white knuckling a little bit.
00:29:03
Speaker
I wasn't expecting it to be quite the hike, but I think that's why it took us so long to get to the park that we only had enough time to go to the visitor center and do the one short loop. Because we didn't want to be driving those roads at night. We weren't camping.
00:29:18
Speaker
That is one thing to note about any of these national parks because it is remote. Take it seriously. These aren't just easy joints. And if there's warnings about winter and weather, please pay attention to them. I was speaking to some folks that were in outside of Yosemite. They just lived in a little town that was real close. And I was like, yeah, what was your biggest complaint about tourists? Because that's all there is coming in and out. They're like, they do not listen to weather warnings and they will crash into us who live here and we're used to it. And we chain our tires, but they do not. So, you know, take it seriously.
00:29:48
Speaker
Yeah, yes, definitely second that. Um, yeah, and that was pretty much my experience in Redwoods. I think it's a really beautiful, I want to say like, I don't know if you remember, is it like an hour and a half outside of San Francisco, like an hour from the bridge? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But beautiful drive. It's close enough to drive. But yeah, if you're like flying into San Francisco, it's not just like an easy hop across the bay or something. So it's gonna take some time.
00:30:15
Speaker
Yeah. Um, yeah, but that, that one, uh, that was one of my favorites. I do love those redwood trees.
00:30:23
Speaker
Okay, so next up, I have some stuff from the East. So I'm going to be going over things I've gone to. And I just wanted to start with maybe the more like little known or maybe not as, I don't know, just not as like fancy and famous as some of the other ones. So okay, well, I'm gonna start off with New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia. It is gorgeous in the middle of
00:30:51
Speaker
Appalachia and or Appalachia. And it is just one of those scenic drives you can go through. There's white water rafting, lots of hiking, lots of stuff we can pull over. Historic towns that you can go through nearby like Thurman, West Virginia. I know that we've covered before and one of our editors visited herself.
00:31:12
Speaker
But it's just a really cool park and the gorge bridge. I don't know how you are with bridges. I am terrible with bridges. I am panicked. I am sweating profusely. But I will say it's a gorgeous, gorgeous view. You go across the New River Gorge on this giant steel bridge and it's just an incredible view. And then from the other side, there are a bunch of lookout points.
00:31:35
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's, um, to me, it's kind of a hidden gem. Like, I feel like if people are traveling from across the country, they might not realize it's such a beautiful spot. But yeah, that was my first I thought that people should pay attention to. Cool. I've never been to West Virginia. I know that I've driven through, I'm sure. Yeah, I've never spent a lot of time there. I feel like you had to have, like,
00:32:00
Speaker
I don't know. I know we talked about it in our local lore and legends season. Yeah. Right? Because it's a big, uh, cryptid area. It is, yeah.
00:32:11
Speaker
I don't know, there are just some states I feel like if I had to, you know, I would say I have three states that kind of just, if I were doing a quiz on naming all 50 states, they would always I would always forget them. And West Virginia is like kind of one of them. No offense to anyone. I don't know why it just doesn't like stick in my brain.
00:32:32
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, look, it's not necessarily a giant state. I feel like it's just kind of tucked in between a couple. So I can see why maybe some people don't think about it, I guess. I don't know. What's that song? What is it? John Denver with Virginia? Country Roads? Yeah, Country Roads.
00:32:58
Speaker
I'm still saying that and I know the lyrics but... You're just a liar then. West Virginia, New River Gorge. That's awesome. I am going to speak about one that is in Florida, which I think everybody should go visit.
00:33:19
Speaker
whether or not you are afraid of alligators. Everglades National Park. This is a big one. And I just think this park is so unique, especially to Florida. Talk about only in Florida. Everglades is giant, first and foremost. It is just acres and acres of beautiful
00:33:45
Speaker
mangroves and you have trails you have biking trails a lot of it is kayaking and boating and there's so much natural beauty there's a lot of like ecological significance of the area as well because this is one of the largest tropical wilderness areas in the country
00:34:02
Speaker
Yep. What do you think is so cool? Preparing, not on purpose, but over the weekend, I listened to a podcast about the Everglades, so I'm really excited that you're talking about the list. Awesome. Yeah, it is. Yeah. It's a giant area, and even the national park, it's not even all of the Everglades. It is just a tiny portion.
00:34:20
Speaker
Yeah. And there really is a lot to do. I've been there personally. I've biked to Sharp Valley before. I've hiked some of the trails. There's one thing that we've written about on Only In Your State that I'm dying to do. It's like throughout the park, they have these little raised docks. I think they're called Chicky Huts. Not entirely sure. Okay. So it's like, and you take this guided tour with somebody for, you know, 24 hours, 48 hours, whatever you, however brave you're feeling.
00:34:48
Speaker
And you kayak around and then you set up your tents on these chicken raised, chicken huts. And you like spend the night in the Everglades, which is, I don't know why it doesn't scare
Admiring Park Biodiversity and Culture
00:34:58
Speaker
me. It's something I really want to do. Um, look, I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and shine a flashlight and just see eyes. That's a, ooh, you're braver than I am. Alligators can't really climb, right?
00:35:13
Speaker
Do I want to test that? Yeah, actually that's a great question because we have iguanas here and I didn't know that they could climb until one got stuck in my gutter, which that's a story for another time. No, it was fine. He got out safely.
00:35:28
Speaker
But yeah, I don't know why alligators don't freak me out. I hate snakes. So like the whole Python thing that they have going on in the Everglades right now where people are releasing their snakes and they grow up to be these monsters, that freaks me out. But I don't know why alligators don't.
00:35:44
Speaker
I'm underestimated them, right? I think you're underestimated them. They're fast. They're going to take you underwater. And at least in the Everglades, there's not that much water. There are a lot of places where it's like five inches. And it's just like a field of saw grass growing up through the water. So you might be able to.
00:35:59
Speaker
be okay, not gonna drown you. No, I think it's such an interesting part of the country and the specific biomes that are all together in the Everglades and how it's even formed because there's like a ridge, well, a ridge running through Florida that's like 20 feet above sea level, but it's still what's one of the boundaries of the Everglades is this like, I forget what it's called, what ridge specifically, but I thought that was so interesting that that's just one of the things that keep the Everglades in place. That's cool. I didn't know that.
00:36:29
Speaker
So, um, so you are going to camp on one of those. Um, I, I could, what's it called? Yeah. And, uh, not getting eaten by an alligator. Um, I do love me some mangroves. They are the most fascinating tree. I am just blown away every time. I agreed. Yes. Yeah. So, uh, highly recommend the Everglades. I actually have been considering since it's national park week and you can get it for free.
00:36:57
Speaker
going to the Everglades next Saturday, just to kind of do a couple fun trails. But again, we'll see. Might be packed. Who knows? Would you ever do a fan boat tour? I would. Yeah. I don't know why. Alligators don't freak me out. I feel like they should for all of my things.
00:37:23
Speaker
Yeah, I would do. Would you do? Have you done a fan boat twice? No, I haven't. The mechanical aspect, like, I feel like it'd be very loud and disruptive to be on a fan boat, both to me and the natural wildlife. Like, it's exactly like quiet things. But also, I played enough video games to know that swamps are dangerous. And if that breaks down in the middle of it, what am I going to do? It's a very good point. Yeah.
00:37:50
Speaker
I would do it. Maybe we make that an episode. Marissa steps out of her comfort zone and- Oh my God. We got to get you a GoPro. Just strap it to your chest and see your adventures through the Everglades. I'd love that. That would be fun. Hear me shrieking every time I see a snake bigger than 12 inches. Marissa in the wild, scary, silly. I love it. Oh boy.
00:38:17
Speaker
OK, so the next park I'm going to talk about is one we already mentioned, but it is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And this is in North Carolina and Tennessee. And I know we already talked about the fact that it is the most visited park, the National Park, which is shocking to me, not because it's not beautiful and worth visiting, but I just assumed it would have been something like the Grand Canyon, which might be number two. But, you know, that's really cool that the Great Smoky Mountains is so beloved by people.
00:38:45
Speaker
maybe just accessible. There are so many states that you can get to Grey Smoky Mountains pretty easily. Fun fact, this park is home to over 1,500 types of flowering plants that bloom year round. You can do a spring wildflower pilgrimage each year, and there's a festival with walks and hikes so you can learn about flowers. That's awesome. Really cool. It's a huge park. Like I said, it's in North Carolina and Tennessee on the border.
00:39:15
Speaker
And it is just, you know, prime, once again, prime, Appalachian culture and beauty. Yeah. I remember camping there. It was great. I drove the RV in. It was like 10 to 15 bucks a night, which was amazing. First come, first serve. I don't remember exactly what campground I was in, but I just remember it being exceptionally quiet.
00:39:42
Speaker
and really beautiful. And from the campground, there were a lot of trailheads that you could just wake up and go on a hike, which I loved. I feel like the trail density for that park is really great because it's not like you have to go way out of the way to find a trailhead in ones that are all difficult or dangerous. So I think that is really appealing. Yeah, definitely. Cool. Okay. Great ad and also fun trivia fact that we covered.
00:40:11
Speaker
Thanks. No surprise, I'm going to talk about Big Bend because I just feel like it's required. Every podcast episode we record, I have to, as the unofficial spokesperson, talk about Big Bend. Yeah, we need a little sponsor bell. Big Bend National Park.
00:40:30
Speaker
Um, so I was going to cover actually because I, Big Bend is, um, I was just talking about this park to Madison, who's on our team, only in your state team. Uh, she's in the socialist department, social media.
00:40:44
Speaker
And she was asking me what my favorite park was. And she actually said to me, I heard it's Big Bend. And I was like, Oh, so word gets around. Um, but yeah, so I was talking to her about the park and, um, explaining how, why I love it. Because, which I've said before, there are different ecosystems. There's a desert, because also this is in the Southern part of Texas.
00:41:14
Speaker
It is split between Texas and Mexico by the Rio Grande River that you can literally just like swim across the river and you're in Mexico, which not sure, you know, like what that's like now, but this was when I was there years back and
00:41:34
Speaker
What I loved about it was that you could be in the desert and in the same day drive up to the mountains and be in a completely different ecosystem with like pine trees and it's the clouds rolling in so it's kind of just a little bit damp and colder. It was 10 to 15 degrees colder and I just thought that was so cool that you had these in one park you can experience two different
00:42:04
Speaker
climates, and also because to get to the top of the mountain area, which a lot of other trails, they're beautiful, beautiful trails. Because it's such a huge elevation change, they didn't allow RVs a certain size. I think it was above 30 feet maybe, weren't allowed to go up because there were a lot of switchbacks and you're driving straight up a mountain.
00:42:28
Speaker
But also like Big Bend, I saw my first javelina, which is kind of... For listeners, if you don't know, they are basically wild boars in the desert. Yeah, I saw a big one and it had a baby with them. So I saw a baby javelina. Mike Ant just posted a picture of a baby javelina in her yard. It's so funny! Where does your aunt live? Tucson. Okay.
00:42:56
Speaker
Yeah, not in Ohio. It's so cute. No, I was like, what the heck? No, I just like, I love that also like at night you could hear the coyotes in the distance, which is one of my favorite sounds. And then so I hiked to this hot spring. They have a hot spring there that it actually overflows. It's like a natural infinity pool. It overflows into the Rio Grande. And it's like surrounded by some stones.
00:43:24
Speaker
uh hot spring you can take this canyon hike which i did to get to it which is much longer than just taking the half mile hike um and it kind of can be busy because obviously people you could drive there and then walk half mile and you're there i took the long route and then i didn't compensate for the time it takes to get back so i ended up walking back to my campsite in the dark oh no yeah not advising this to anybody because i was terrified
00:43:52
Speaker
And two women who are completing a hike and driving on the road saw me, picked me up. I went with them. Oh, thank goodness. And they brought me back to my campsite because it was pitch black. I was clenching just hearing you tell that story. I'm like, Oh, yeah, it was not enjoyable. But so yeah, plan accordingly when you go to the hot springs. That's my best advice. But there are a lot of people just like sit in the hot spring. And then you know, like you have the river right next door. So
00:44:20
Speaker
Yes, that is my long-winded explanation of why you should go to Big Bend immediately. Also, I feel like so many people, myself included, not in Big Bend National Park, but you have to do a lot of backwards math to figure out when you might be getting back to your car campsite. There's been so many times where I'll go on the Ohio Erie Canal towpath trail. I went on my bike.
00:44:43
Speaker
And I think like, Oh, I'll be back in time and it's dark and there's no lights. I don't have a headlamp and it's yes, it's not a good situation whenever you're trying to beat the sun back and you're panicking. Cool. Speaking of Ohio, I'm going to talk about the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
00:45:01
Speaker
this is just you know i think i've taken it for granted for so many years and finally i've woken up and realized how beautiful this park is and that there's a giant national park right in my home state been to it countless times it has you know forest rivers waterfalls farmlands it's just like a very diverse
00:45:21
Speaker
National Park and it even has a lot of wildlife and birding opportunities.
Unique Parks and Conservation Awareness
00:45:28
Speaker
So one fun fact I'm going to share, which maybe a colleague of ours already shared, who knows. It has a beaver marsh and it's called that because it was literally
00:45:39
Speaker
Created by beavers that moved along the remnants of the canals and to this day there's beaver marsh and you can go view wildlife there But really the the main appeal to me of Cuyahoga Valley National Park are all of the glacial Rocks and remnants of you know the glaciers moving from north to south in the United States and you can see that a lot in Ohio and Michigan and
00:46:02
Speaker
some of these like even New York and seeing like grooves and caves and things that were a result of the glaciers and there are some caves that you can see some carvings and like little little like tiny little shimmery shimmy caves that are really cool and there are biking trails all throughout the park. I mean but I think I took the longest one I've ever done was like a 40 mile bike ride starting in Cuyahoga National Park and went all the way down the Topaz Trail.
00:46:29
Speaker
Um, and yeah, it's just, there's so much to do and there's a lot of towns nearby. So it's not like it's in the middle of the desert. So if you wanted to hit a trail and then go get brunch in the same day, you really could. And yeah, which is really nice. Um, and really, really accessible. So highly recommend Cuyahoga Valley national park, lots of events, even for the solar eclipse, um, because we were in the path of totality.
00:46:54
Speaker
Oh my God, it was nuts. They were shutting down parking lots. They were posting signs like, look, we're going to ticket you. Please don't overwhelm our parking lots because there was a special event for Junior Rangers as well to where they would give you a special stamp in your book for the totality. So it's at 3.15 PM, April 20, whatever.
00:47:15
Speaker
April 8th, and then you also got a special Solar Eclipse Junior Ranger badge. If you are a Junior Ranger, and they still might have bags. I know it's like a limited series. So if you're in Ohio near Cuyahoga Valley and you're a Junior Ranger, go check it out. You get a special badge, which is really cool. Yeah. Oh, I love that exclusivity. Yeah, Catherine did mention that she loves this park.
00:47:43
Speaker
And the beaver tidbit really fascinated me. Shout out to all those hardworking beavers. Can you still see them? Can you still see beavers when you go or it's like they've retired?
00:47:58
Speaker
I've never seen one, but beavers are actually a really fascinating like keystone species. Like if they're in the area, they're doing work and they're making things happen. And I never realized just how important beavers were to the environment. So yay, beavers. I have seen river otters there though. I've seen river otters, which don't get close because apparently they can be vicious. FYI, keep your distance. Yeah. Wow.
00:48:23
Speaker
So I know that there was a news story, I think maybe last summer if someone, I don't think in Ohio, but they were doing a tube float, you know, as you do in the summer down a river. And apparently they got too close to otters and not good things happen. So maintain your distance from wildlife people. I mean, that's just a good role to follow no matter what. Yeah. No, good thing you told me because really social media shows different.
00:48:48
Speaker
Well, also river otters are a little bit different. Look up a picture of one and you'll see why maybe you don't want to get too close. Oh no. It's fine. They're cool. My dreams are dashed. No, no, no, no. You can see some otters, hold some hands, give them little clams and then they'll
00:49:09
Speaker
Okay, so the last one I want to talk about, because I did mention Joshua Tree already and I discussed it, and if there's anything to add, I highly recommend going to hike the Skull Rock Trail. Very cool at the end, there's a giant boulder that looks like a skull, which is really neat, so I recommend that. But my last park, my last favorite park of all times, is the White Sands National Park in New Mexico.
00:49:38
Speaker
And I love this park because it is so vastly different, I think, from other parks in the country. It's basically, you know, this gypsum sand that is shimmering white all over the place. It's desert terrain, but you have these beautiful sand dunes of gypsum sand that is really, it's very surreal when you're walking there, when you're seeing it in person.
00:50:08
Speaker
especially if you go during the sunset holy moly the colors of the sky contrasted with the sand it's just absolutely stunning and uh you can just drive in there are some scenic trails you can take it is they also offer opportunities where you can rent a sled and you can sled down these dunes yeah is the um very cool does gypsum sand hold heat like like certain kinds of sand or is it like you can walk on it and it's
00:50:39
Speaker
When I went, the sand was very cold. Nice. Yeah, it was not uncomfortable. It was really cool. Yeah, it was just really fun time. If you enjoy taking photos, this is the place to go. They allow pets, which is also very cool. I love that. Yeah, and it's like the scenery too. It's like the backdrop is the San Andreas Mountains.
00:51:08
Speaker
So you have these beautiful white sand dunes and then contrasted with the mountains in the back. It really was one of the most beautiful national parks I've ever been to. So definitely would recommend that one. Nice. I unfortunately haven't spent a lot of time in New Mexico aside from just driving through one way or the other. So I think that has to be on my list just to really take some time. I feel like Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, I just need to spend some time there.
00:51:36
Speaker
So funny, because those are three of my favorite states in terms of because I just love the desert. And I think you would love it too, because we talk about the desert all the time.
00:51:46
Speaker
So, yeah. I do. And like we said earlier, maybe it's just because of being like growing up on the East coast, but like it's such an otherworldly environment where I'm just like constantly amazed. Although the first time Fen was, my dog was ever in the desert. I was moving out to LA, driving over. I'd take him for a walk at a gas station in the desert and immediately he steps onto a cactus and gets something. Oh no.
00:52:11
Speaker
I'm like, well, you did learn this very quickly. Okay, so I'm not going to talk more about Sequoia. I think we already covered it enough. Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, both worth a visit. I will say that Kings Canyon was designated by UNESCO as part of the Sequoia Kings Canyon.
00:52:33
Speaker
So they're kind of all one thing, which is really important. So if you're going to one or the other, book time to like just drive up the road to see the other. And then I guess the final one I'll talk about will be Yosemite National Park in California.
00:52:49
Speaker
And I do think this, I feel like Yosemite and Yellowstone and Grand Canyon all get like a lot of press, but it was my first time ever visiting this past year. And I was just so, so impressed with it. It's just like this incredible wonderland in the middle of a valley. And I was not expecting that to like, if you're entering the park in Yosemite, you're like literally driving into the valley, you're on the valley floor.
00:53:15
Speaker
And then it kind of just like opens up and you see all of these beautiful, like granite monoliths and waterfalls. And it is just, it's such a, it's such a lovely experience. And there are a couple entrances that you can drive into the park. There's like a tunnel road up at the top to where if you're coming from, I guess it'd be the
00:53:35
Speaker
east when you coming in like if you're coming from Sequoia to Yosemite it's this beautiful opening up at the top of the tunnel and you have the entire view of the park and it is just just stunning um and I will say that being able to look at like El Capitan and the three brothers and all of these like different rock like granite rock faces and just having them be so so far up from where you are on the valley floor is just
00:54:02
Speaker
It's one of those things same with Sequoia. It's just the scale of it by itself is just really shocking. Same with the Grand Canyon. I think that there are a lot of reasons why these places became national parks because the actual like majestic beauty of it is just you can't believe it.
00:54:17
Speaker
Um, and for anyone, uh, I went with again with my three young nephews to Yosemite. We had a lot of kid friendly trails. There was like a meadow in the middle of the valley floor. That's really accessible. Um, a lot of like little waterfall hikes that aren't too difficult. Um, and also, uh, one of my absolute favorite moments was going up to Glacier Point lookout, which isn't a hard hike. It's right by, uh, um,
00:54:44
Speaker
a parking lot and everything, but if you're afraid of heights, it is dicey. Oh my gosh. There's a little rock overhang, and there's a metal railing that it says on it built in 1983, which I'm like, oh wow, so recent. This is crazy. But basically, you are at eye level with the top of El Capitan, but then you see the valley floor.
00:55:10
Speaker
I don't get vertigo, but whenever I look at even pictures of it, my hands are sweating. I can't do it. It was just, it was an amazing view. Highly recommend. It looks like you're looking at little tiny toy models, but I don't see how people do the half dome hike. I know it's on a lottery. I know it's not for everyone. It's very challenging, but kudos to you, whoever does it. That is crazy.
00:55:37
Speaker
We're like that one's also pretty nuts. I don't I really don't understand those either, you know Like even the in Utah, what is the one in Bryce Canyon Angels Angels landing? Yeah
00:55:52
Speaker
Like, I don't think I can do those. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah. It's, I know, I don't have the faith in myself to do it. I don't have the faith in other people to not like bump me off of something. Oh my gosh. Whenever, so yeah, to wrap up Yosemite, gorgeous, worth a visit, look at El Capitan and go, wow, it's huge because it is. Yeah.
00:56:20
Speaker
But I will say on that note about not doing dangerous hikes. So whenever I visited the Grand Canyon, I was once again an amazing place. We don't have to dive into it too much. Go see the Grand Canyon once in your life. But what really frustrated me with it was so heavy with tourists and people taking Instagram photos that I was just kind of like walking along some trails. And I saw people climbing over ropes do not cross to like get on top of rocks and go like this. And I'm like,
00:56:48
Speaker
Nope. Do people fall and die? No. So please be careful, respect yourself, and you're not invincible in these places. Just because there's a lot of people doesn't mean that you shouldn't be respecting the boundaries that are set by the park rangers, by the park service, because- 100%. Yeah. I think also in that same vein, this whole episode, we're talking about national parks, and the reason why these national parks are protected and so beautiful when we visit is because
00:57:18
Speaker
We have to follow the rules. The rules are there for a reason. Whatever you bring, just be mindful of littering. I remember my trip to Yosemite was not as wonderful the first time around. There were just so many tourists who were littering and throwing rocks at ducks.
00:57:35
Speaker
And it just frustrated the heck out of me.
Conclusion and Encouragement to Explore
00:57:38
Speaker
Yeah. So yes, we're also talking about safety measures. Like, you know, don't, don't do it for the gram. It's not worth it to risk your safety, anyone else's safety, but also just like, you know, let's keep these parks beautiful and keep them around for generations to come because they're really special places in this country that
00:58:00
Speaker
deserve to be protected and we all need to do our part, especially when we're going to visit. Absolutely. Take the rules very seriously. Don't go climbing over things. Don't be stealing stuff. Even something as simple as there's foot scraping stations, you can bring a lot of seeds and bacteria and bio matter into a park that isn't
00:58:23
Speaker
you know native so that's why they advise like yeah clean your shoes don't be you know um bringing in things that you're just gonna like toss down and leave even if like it's an orange it doesn't belong there and you know it could have effect so just be mindful yeah good point all right cool so everybody enjoy national park week uh let us know if you can always call us email us let us know what you do if you decide to check check anything out um or if you have a favorite part that you want to shout out let us know
00:58:53
Speaker
Um, we'll be back next week with a special episode of our river otters dangerous. You know what? I'm going to go out in the wild. I'll have my own camera. We'll, we'll see. Only in your state is an award-winning travel publisher that uncovers hidden gems and local favorites across the U S.
00:59:20
Speaker
We have a presence in all 50 states with a passionate following of fellow travelers looking to get out and explore. Head on over to OnlyInYourState.com to find the best attractions in your backyard and beyond.