What national parks haven't you visited, but would like to?

[greatlaker]

Besides IR which I plan on visiting this summer, I'd also like to check out these national parks in the future:

• Voyaguers
• Glacier Bay

You?

[sgerbs]

This is my list of parks I wish to visit, once I visit some of these parks I'm sure I will find others to fill the vacancies.
1) IR - I will be making a trip there in June
2) Glacier
3) Yosemite
4) Yellowstone-Tetons

[Kevinl]

I have a brother who lives not far from Big Bend NP and would like to check it out.

[LarryL]

This is my list of parks I wish to visit, once I visit some of these parks I'm sure I will find others to fill the vacancies.
1) IR - I will be making a trip there in June
2) Glacier
3) Yosemite
4) Yellowstone-Tetons

Went to Glacier NP in 2006 - had a great time. We had a short backpacking trip to Cracker Lake, but it was beautiful. Also went whitewater rafting on the Salmon River.

Went to Tetons in 2008. Planned to backpack the Teton Crest Trail. This had to be changed on site due to huge snow remaining in some of the passes, which required ice axes. We did a watered-down route, but it was still fun. We also went whitewater rafting on the Snake River. We did a day in Yellowstone, but no backpacking.

Even better than the Tetons in Wyoming was the Wind River Range (not a national park) in 2003. I'd highly reccomend it. The Winds are huge - lots of trails, as opposed to the Tetons. We started at Dickinson Park trailhead along the Bears Ears and Lizard Head trails to the Circ of the Towers. Then over Jackass Pass and the Continental Divide to Big Sandy trailhead. Another highlight was following sites along the Oregon Trail through Nebraska and Wyoming. Wagon ruts can still be seen! Great history lesson. I bought a book through the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) by Greg Franzwa (sp?) that re-traces the Oregon Trail using today's roads.

http://www.octa-trails.org/

Luckily, my navigator (it was a boy scout high adventure trip) also was interested in the Oregon Trail history, so we saw a few of the sights that the emmigrants saw along the trail on the 1840s (Ash Hollow in Nebraska, South Pass in Wyoming). We missed a bunch of other places I want to go to (Scotts Bluff, Chimney Rock, Independence Rock, Guernsey Wagon Ruts), but it's hard when you have other people to try to please when you're travelling.

We went to IR in 2002 and are going back this summer! As cool as these other trips to the mountains were, there is something special about IR. Maybe it's the fact that it is an island 4+ hours out in Lake Superior, the moose and wolf study, the fact that it is in the midwest and reasonably close, or the fact that it has this community of interested people. IR is extra special. I can't wait for the trip!

Anyway, maybe I'm OT since some of these are not NPs, but I want to go to:
1. Those sites I missed along the Oregon Trail.
2. Porkies in Michigan.
3. Big Bend in TX.
4. Shawnee SF in southern Illinois.
5. Cahokia Mounds in Illinois. Anybody been there? I can't believe I haven't since I live in Illinois - it sounds interesting and close.
6. Yosemite.
7. Bryce Canyon in Utah.
8. Climb Mt. Mitchell in the Winds - you can hike to the top - not a technical climb.
9. Grand Canyon - was there as a kid, but I want to backpack to the bottom and out. I know some people that have done this and it sounds spectacular.
10. Devils Tower, Wyoming.
11. To be continued?

[Kevinl]

Hi Larry.

My parents used to live in the town of Cahokia (the mounds are actually just north of that town). My son and I went to the mounds to get out of the house on Christmas Eve. The museum was actually open. I don't see how anyone would get much out of the visit without the museum. The history there was amazing. It was strange how the mounds are in such an urban environment, you're just across the river from downtown Saint Louis and can clearly see the Arch etc. For me, a couple hours was all I needed there.

[trailgoat]

I really want to see Acadia National Park in Maine. Actually, the entire New England region is particularly appealing to me. Maybe it's the moose. Maybe the pine. Probably the mountains. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that it's quite similar to parts of Michigan--very familiar!

[Kevinl]

That Maine coast is pretty spectacular, but like you say, I kept thinking it was similar to Lake Superior's shore, with whales and seals.

This post has got me thinking about a road trip. I live in southern Minnesota. Once July comes, I have no time constraints for three months. So I'm thinking about getting in the car and driving due west and spending some time in the Badlands area. Why not go a little further west and check out the Wind River Range. Then slowly work my way south through the Rockies. As I mentioned earlier, my brother lives in south Texas, so I would spend some time at Big Bend, then shower and visit his family. Then over to coastal Louisiana where I grew up (grew up?) and follow the Mississippi home. No hurries. Tent camping and sleeping in the car. Stops for short (2-3 nights) backpacking. Avoid tourist stuff. Keep the itinerary flexible. Aside from gasoline cost, I think I could do this relatively cheap. I mentioned the idea to my son yesterday (he's 17) and he sounded interested.

It's fun to dream, now the miracle will be if I get out of the driveway.

[johnhens]

Voyageurs
Glacier
Virgin Islands
Yosemite
Rainier
Olympics
Acadia (hopefully will go this summer)
Grand Canyon
SEKI
Redwoods

[LarryL]

Old thread, but there's lots of good info here for newbies and I didn't want to start a new thread for this:

Ever heard of Kentucky's Red River Gorge (inside the Daniel Boone National Forest)?

I still didn't do my Porkies trip and this is about the same distance (9 hours) from the western suburbs of Chicago. A friend of mine has been to the Red River Gorge (1980s) and really liked it. I'm just worried it's a climber and dayhiker destination rather than a backpacking place. I just want 2-3 days of relative solitude.

[Backpacker534]

Yosemite
Glacier
Grand Canyon
Arches
Crater Lake
Acadia
Katmai
Yellowstone
And, I know they're not U.S. National Parks, but I'd also like to see Jasper and Banff in Canada

[kfinnguy]

Yosemite
Yellowstone
Grand Teton
Arches
Any Park in Alaska
Acadia
Glacier

I would like to go to all parks but these are my tops.

[LarryL]

Hi Larry.

My parents used to live in the town of Cahokia (the mounds are actually just north of that town). My son and I went to the mounds to get out of the house on Christmas Eve. The museum was actually open. I don't see how anyone would get much out of the visit without the museum. The history there was amazing. It was strange how the mounds are in such an urban environment, you're just across the river from downtown Saint Louis and can clearly see the Arch etc. For me, a couple hours was all I needed there.

Regarding Cahokia Mounds in Illinois:

National Geographic has a fantastic article about Cahokia this month - America's Lost City. After originally posting about Cahokia on 2/7/2009, I still have not made the trip. I want to do it this spring. It really looks interesting. The article talks about lots of additional Native American burial mounds that were located in St. Louis, but were destroyed and hauled away for fill. Awful.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/ ... ges-text/1

[donjuansw]

One that I'd love to visit but realistically most likely will never make it to is Aniakchak in Alaska. Takes wilderness and solitude to an entirely new level.

[Tampico]

Dry Tortugas

[Midwest Ed]

The ten least visited national parks are as follows (visitation figures are from 2007):

1) Kobuk Valley, Alaska – 847
2) Lake Clark, Alaska – 5,549
3) American Samoa – 6,774
4) Gates of the Arctic, Alaska –10,942
5) Isle Royale, Michigan – 15,973
6) North Cascades, Washington – 19,534
7) Dry Tortugas Florida – 60,895
8 ) Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska – 61,085
9) Great Basin, Nevada – 81,364
10) Katmai, Alaska – 82,634

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmen ... -124040809

I’ve only been to one.
~Ed