The United States boasts many scenic national parks, monuments, and forests. They can be visited with the “America The Beautiful” Year Pass. It is THE reason my hubby and I explore the United States. After we visited America’s (and the world’s) first national park since 1872, Yellowstone, Wyoming, in 2008, we became hooked on the experience!
We visited 28* national parks fifteen years later (2023). Each park has its unique character, energy, and vibe. For me, It is a spiritual experience to wander through the wilderness.
“Between every two pine trees, there is a door leading to a new way of life. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine into trees.”
— John Muir, Scottish-American naturalist
2008 – Yellowstone National Park, WY Badlands National Park, WY, Mount Rushmore National Monument, SD
North Cascades National Park – Day 2 Washington The Blue Lake Trail On our second and last day in North Cascades National Park, we started with the Blue Lake Trail. I expected a challenging hike since we had to climb 1100 feet in about 2.4 miles to reach Blue Lake. Blue Lake Trailhead Waterfall Liberty […]
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North Cascades National Park Washington Hiking in North Cascades National Park We stayed in Sedro-Woolley, WA, mainly to visit our third and last National Park of Washington State, the North Cascades. In August 2020, we only drove the scenic route through the park and stopped at some overlooks. We wanted to come back even thought we already
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Mount Rainier National Park Washington Mount Rainier National Park – Day 3 Mount Rainier National Park – Day 3 We returned for a last visit to Mount Rainier National Park because hubby still wanted to hike up to Panorama Point over the snow-covered, steep Skyline Trail. I was still wondering if I would give it
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Mount Rainier National Park Washington Mount Rainier National Park – Day 2 Mount Rainier National Park – Day 2 The weather looked promising! We saw a blue sky with a few clouds. So, six days after our first visit, we returned to Mount Rainier National Park to explore the Longmire area. Wonderland, Rampart Ridge, and
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Several Hikes and Walks in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Washington Visiting Mount Saint Helens NVM Mount Saint Helens NVM is among Washington’s top 10 attractions. It had been on our to-do list for a while. When we left Eatonville, the sun was shining. It was raining two hours later at Mount Saint Helens
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Mount Rainier National Park Washington Mount Rainier NP – Day 1 Saturday, March 30, 2019 7.50 mi 2:10:58 hrs Now that we were in Eatonville, a visit to Mount Rainier NP was a must, as the park was only an hour away. Especially because the weather looked promising today (although mountain weather can be very
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Cabrillo National Monument & Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Our Stay in San Diego, CA Strolling Around @ Cabrillo National Monument Cabrillo National Monument is fantastic for several reasons. This southern end of the Point Loma Peninsula offers breathtaking views of San Diego, the bay, and the Pacific. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson sailing to
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Guadalupe Mountains National Park Our Stay in Van Horn, TX Guadalupe Mountains National Park, The Most Beautiful Spot in Texas “El Capitan,” Guadalupe Mountains National Park’s iconic beacon, greeted us when we approached its main entrance. As usual, we went to the visitor center first to show our “America the Beautiful National Park Pass,” picking
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Big Bend National Park – Day 3 Our Stay in Terlingua, TX Our Last Day in Big Bend National Park! We again enjoyed beautiful views of the desert, river, mountains, and wildlife. We hiked the short Rio Grande Village Nature Trail, which offered a great panorama of the surrounding area. We spotted a very shy
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Big Bend NP, Day 2 Our Stay in Terlingua, TX Visiting Big Bend NP, Day 2 On our second day in Big Bend, we drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and hiked a few trails. We started at the end, at the Santa Elena Canyon, where the Rio Grande borders Mexico. While walking the Santa
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