national parks

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.

Maine coast from a hill with autumn color — _{Acadia National Park, Maine. All photos by Ellen Kolb.}

I love Acadia National Park in Maine, 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.

wide unpaved trail lined with large stones — _{Acadia’s carriage trails get heavy use in the summertime, but October finds them quiet and inviting.}

When I visited Yellowstone National Park, 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.

Gorge cut by the Yellowstone River — Geysers are all well and good, but be sure to get away from Old Faithful to find the Yellowstone River.

bison calf walking with adult bison — A springtime visit means seeing the bison calves – from a distance. I was safely in a car when taking this photo.

Grand Geyser erupting, Yellowstone National Park — 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 in Wyoming 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.