I’m told that today is the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Huzzah! I treasure my trips to the gems of the park system. This is my little thank-you note to the NPS team.
Acadia National Park, Maine.
I love Acadia, and I love it even more in the off-season. Best trip there I ever had was on a blustery, showery October weekend when I had the carriage trails practically to myself.
Acadia’s carriage trails get heavy use in the summertime, but October finds them quiet and inviting.
When I visited Yellowstone, bison greeted me as soon as I crossed into the park on Route 20. My one trip was during a week before Memorial Day – a shoulder season, post-winter and pre-summer, with no traffic jams. A week is too short a visit; there’s so much to see, and choices must be made. I felt the same way after seeing Yosemite.
Geysers are all well and good, but be sure to get away from Old Faithful to find the Yellowstone River.
A springtime visit means seeing the bison calves – from a distance. I was safely in a car when taking this photo.
Grand Geyser is more impressive than Old Faithful and draws smaller crowds. I loved it.
It wouldn’t have occurred to me to visit Grand Teton National Park if I hadn’t gone to Yellowstone. On a map, Grand Teton looks like an afterthought compared to its imposing neighbor to the north. It’s a marvel in its own right.
The Teton range from across Colter Bay Village. The summits were in cloud throughout my trip.
Another side of Grand Teton NP: looking east from Signal Mountain.
I like my local hikes just fine. They’re affordable, for one thing, while a trip to any national park farther away than Acadia is a bit of a reach for me. I’m glad I’ve done some reaching, though. We have treasures out there.
Granite State Walker 