Gates of the Arctic & Kobuk Valley

Welcome to the three-part series of Alaska’s National Parks, 2nd edition. This summer I explored four more of Alaska’s eight National Parks: Gates of the Arctic, Kobuk Valley, Wrangell St. Elias, and Glacier Bay. This was a much-anticipated trip, with lots of excursions and flights planned. We were traveling to all of these parks via […]

Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park is located in southwest Colorado. The Park is known for its well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. The cliff dwellings provide insight into the lives of the ancient people who once farmed on the mesa tops. After living on the mesa top for nearly 600 years, the Ancestral Puebloans began building dwellings […]

Indiana Dunes National Park

The last stop on our spring parks trip was Indiana Dunes National Park. This Park was upgraded from a National Lakeshore to a National Park in February 2019, making it America’s 61st National Park. Indiana Dunes is located just an hour outside of Chicago, which is where we would be staying for the next two […]

Gateway Arch National Park

The Gateway Arch was named an official National Park in February 2018. Even though it is our nation’s smallest park, it offers a whole lot of history. The Arch was originally built as a monument to symbolize the role St. Louis played in westward expansion during the 19th century. The Arch measures in at 630 […]

Hot Springs National Park

Before traveling to Hot Springs National Park, I didn’t really know what to expect. For starters, I had no idea this park was in the middle of a city. However, Hot Springs is considered an “urban park,” and is indeed nestled in the heart of downtown Hot Springs. The Park is surrounded by shops, restaurants, […]

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park is located in northeastern Arizona. What once was a swampy forest is now a vast dry land flooded with petrified wood, some 225 million years old. The history, geology, and unexpected beauty within this national park really impressed me. With so much to see & explore, Petrified Forest is definitely worth […]

Grand Canyon National Park

The Grand Canyon became a National Park in 1919. The canyon touches four different states (Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado) and covers an area of 1,900 square miles. My sister and I visited the South Rim in March, which is the perfect time to visit before temperatures being to rise. We visited the South Rim, […]

Virgin Islands National Park

The island of St. John covers the majority of U.S. Virgin Islands National Park. It’s a park known for its breathtaking beaches and tropical forests. This was a combo parks and birthday trip because both my mom and I have birthdays in January. I have yet to meet anyone who loves the beach & ocean […]

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park was my second solo park adventure. This Park ranges in elevation from 2,180 ft in the Tucson Mountain District to 8,666 ft elevation in the Rincon Mountain District. The vast differences in elevation create widely varied habitats in each region of the park, making them both equally awesome to explore. I started […]

White Sands National Park

I set out for my first solo parks trip in the fall of 2021 to White Sands National Park. This national park is located in New Mexico in the Tularosa Basin, completely surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range. White Sands was upgraded from a National Monument to a National Park in December 2019. I […]