Tag: national parks
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Visiting Every National Park Site in Tennessee
After sharing about the Junior Ranger program a couple of weeks ago, I started thinking about the many National Park Service sites we’ve visited—especially those close to home. Exploring these parks and historic places has become one of our family’s favorite ways to travel and learn together. Over the years, we’ve slowly worked our way…
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A Kid’s Guide to the National Park Junior Ranger Program
This week, the country celebrates National Park Week, with special events, programs, and fee-free days at parks across the United States. As a family, we love visiting national park sites, and at every single one, our daughter asks to complete the Junior Ranger program. In honor of National Park week, she wanted to share her…
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Five Favorites : Lesser Known U.S. National Parks
As a family, we love visiting national parks across the country. We carry our annual park pass everywhere, tuck our national park book into backpacks, and never miss a chance to collect stamps and stickers. You could say we’re committed. Over the years, we’ve explored quite a few parks, and each one leaves us in…
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Exploring Mount Desert Island & Acadia National Park {Maine}
We brought my mom along and spent a few slow, golden days wandering the central coast of Maine, where autumn seemed to spill over everything. The leaves burned in shades of copper and gold, the rocky shoreline stretched out like something from a painting, and Acadia’s trails pulled us deeper into that crisp, salt-tinged air.…
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Hiking the Sigmud Thun Gorge in Hohe Tauern National Park {Austria}
Our family has a deep love for national parks. There’s something about heading out onto a trail, not quite knowing what waits around the next bend, that feels like pure adventure. Visiting a national park in another country adds an extra layer of excitement — stepping into a landscape with no expectations, no familiar landmarks,…
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Summer Beauty & Hiking Trails of Shenandoah National Park {Virginia}
With a long weekend ahead, we were looking for a quick getaway—somewhere to spend a couple of days outdoors. Logically, we probably should have stayed home to prepare for our big trip to Europe in a few weeks. But the call of a weekend escape was too strong to resist. We finally settled on Shenandoah…
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A Winter Day Wandering Jackson Hole & Grand Teton {Wyoming}
After a few days at home and carving turns on the slopes of Brighton, we packed up and pointed the car north toward Wyoming. While most people are done with winter by this time of year—chasing sunshine and warmer temperatures—we were heading straight back into the snow. We wanted mountains dusted in white. We wanted…
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Five Favorites: Rocky Trails Around the World
There’s something about a rocky trail that feels different from any other path. Maybe it’s the way the terrain slows you down, asking you to watch each step, or the way the landscape seems to rise up around you, pulling you into it. Over the years, I’ve found that many of my favorite hikes are…
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5 Fascinating Places Connected to Past Civilizations
A Collection of unforgettable places where ancient civilizations, cultures, and stories still eave visible traces across the world. There is something fascinating about standing in a place where traces of an ancient civilization still remain. Whether it is ruins scattered across a hillside, artifacts preserved behind glass, or landscapes that once held thriving communities, these…
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Snowy Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park {Utah}
After our drive through Zion National Park, we continued along the scenic route toward our next stop in Utah’s famous “Mighty 5” national parks. Known as the Utah “High 5,” these five parks are some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the United States—and Bryce Canyon National Park has always been one of my personal…