Hot Springs National Park is more of a historic town than a park. The town of Hot Springs became famous as early as the 1850’s due to the supposed therapeutic properties of the water. The Caddo, Choctaw, and Cherokee tribes also believed in the medicinal properties of the springs, calling it the “Valley of Vapors.” … More Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States. It straddles the Tennessee and North Carolina border and runs along the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is a division of the Appalachian mountain chain. The Cherokees … More Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee
My birthday fell on probably the best day of the road trip. We started with a patio breakfast with mimosas in Asheville, North Carolina. After some good ole southern grits for breakfast, we visited the Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore opened on Christmas Eve of 1895 as the home of George Vanderbilt. The 250 room French … More Asheville, North Carolina
After Voyaguers National Park, we drove south through Minnesota and east into Wisconsin. Our friend Rachel, who grew up in Madison, recommended Friends of the Apostles National Lakeshore as a must see place in Wisconsin. We had a wonderful bath in Lake Superior at the lakeshore. Don’t worry, our soap is biodegradable. We then had … More The Great Lakes, Wisconsin and Indiana
Shenandoah National Park is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia along the Shenandoah River. The famous Skyline Drive traverses the mountain ridgeline for 105 miles providing countless amazing panoramas. The famous Appalachian Trail runs through the park, as well. This year is my first time buying an Annual Parks Pass. I could barely … More Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Cuyahoga Valley National Park was created in 1974 as part of Parks to the People, a civil rights initiative to create parks in metropolitan areas. The park is located along the Cuyahoga river between Akron and Cleveland. Some of the original inhabitants in the region were the Lenape nation, considered the “grandfathers” of the Upper … More Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Voyageurs National Park is located in Northern Minnesota on the Canadian border. The large network of lakes and boreal forests create a remote and ecologically diverse park. The park name commemorates the French-Canadian fur traders, called “voyageurs” who were the first European settlers in the region, but the region has been occupied for 10,000 years … More Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
Isle Royal is the largest island in Lake Superior, located near the Canadian border. Although we accessed the island by sea plane departing from Grand Marais, Minnesota, the island is technically part of northern Michigan. It is an UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve and due to its remote location, the landscape is pristine. Indigenous people including … More Isle Royal National Park, Michigan
Road trips are our thing. We love long drives, the expanse of the open road, the literal and metaphorical space to just think. We needed this road trip for our mental health. Feeling stuck for two months in places that were not our own while our travel plans for the next four months crumbled apart … More National Park Road Trip
North Cascades National Park is basically the Glacier National Park of Washington, featuring dramatic peaks, alpines lakes, and glaciers along the Canadian border. The park is bisected by the Skagit River, which unfortunately has a series of dams along it. The North Cascades Ranges is the most expansive glacial system in the contiguous United States … More North Cascades National Park, Washington