Nature

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

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Luckily Lake Powell is high enough for the boat tour, which cost $145 and took 7 hours, including an hour hike, 30 minutes at the bridge above (see people bottom right for scale) and a beautiful song sung at the site by our Navajo guide. That’s far better than hiking overland for at least two days. At least Zane Grey (below left) had the sense to ride a horse. This is my favorite park to follow in his footsteps. The boat trip alone is marvelous, as Glen Canyon just gets more stunning the deeper you explore into Utah. But the canyon up to the monument is a delight too, with wildflowers, echoing cliffs & alcoves and a spring, allowing you a glimpse of a glen before the dam tragically flooded most of them. Before our Navajo captain navigated the twisting channel for the return trip, a brief shower brought at least half a dozen waterfalls down the towering rock walls. Spectacular!

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

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The 220’ three-tiered Whiskeytown Falls were a local secret known only to loggers and a few others until rediscovered by the park service staff in 2004. The ‘strenuous’ trail opened in 2006, and, since the shaded trail is in the 3% of the park not completely burned by the 230,000 acre Carr Fire in 2018, I decided to hike it earlier this summer, rather than broil on the water in my kayak.

But then these folks from Cal-Fire Bully Choop & Sugar Pine CC #9 passed me on my way up. Rather than complain, I gave them a bit of applause and thanked them for their heroism. They were taking turns cooling off in the 50° water. Of course, it’s not fair to expect these young people to risk their lives to protect our forests and property from the Climate Crisis we are all guilty of making worse, so they deserve our thanks all the more.

Shasta, Trinity and Whiskeytown Lakes are all National Recreation areas in the Shasta Trinity National Forest, with the first two managed by the US Forest Service and the latter by the National Park Service. Shasta is the largest, and you may have driven over it on I-5 in northern California. Whiskeytown is the smallest, but all three suffer from lower snowpacks and longer droughts due to climate change.

At the Whiskeytown visitor center, I noticed that they are using an underwater curtain to block the warm surface water from continuing downstream from the dam. This innovation helps keep the water temperature low enough for Chinook salmon eggs and fry in the Sacramento River. I’m not sure how long it will work given the Climate Crisis, but it’s the least we can do after damming Clear Creek. Maybe we could ban gas-powered boats too?

I was disappointed to read the park newsletter with three long articles about the fire and zero mention of the Climate Crisis. I expect my tax dollars to be used more wisely. Denying the crisis only gives us less time to act.

Lava Beds National Monument

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One of the surprising number of caves here, this photo is just inside the entrance of Valentine, a large multi-tube lava cave that’s fun to explore. I also like Skull Cave (named after animal skulls, mostly). It used to have a pristine ice floor at the bottom, but that’s turned dark, uneven and much smaller due to people. Merrill Cave used to have an ice floor large enough for skating, but it melted recently due to global warming, drained into a hole, and opened up a warm air vent. The same sort of thing has happened to at least a dozen other caves here, so you’re too late for the underground ice experience here, forever.

And it’s definitely a cave park. Except for parking lots, few walk around above ground. In 2000 the 85,000 acre Caldwell Fire burned 2/3 of the park, so I’m not sure what’s left to see besides dead trees and, of course, the lava beds themselves, which are black, rough and inhospitable. I recommend going to the visitor center to borrow a large lantern if you don’t have one, otherwise it can be hard to see down the more distant passages. They also have helmets if you’re a smaller, more flexible person who is willing to try the many more challenging caves. And, if you’re wondering what type of caves they have here (Goblin, Lizard or Vampire), I have to say Ghost. The caves have a haunted atmosphere with many strangely cold corners deep in the earth. Enjoy!

Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve

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Since the cave was discovered in 1874, explored and expanded early, humans caused very significant damage to geologic structures making it hard to find beautiful natural features. The ‘cave drapery’ above is at the top of two flights of metal steps up to the Paradise Lost high ceiling above the Ghost Room in the far back of the cave tour. The cave has a stream pouring out from the entrance, and there’s a pretty pool there in front of the Château, which is closed pending renovations. There are also several pretty hikes above ground, including one to a very large Douglas Fir. Easy to get tickets at rec.gov or at the visitor center in Cave Junction, before driving all the way up to the cave itself. Be sure to check in as soon as you arrive at the other visitor center next to the cave, as they often let folks take an earlier tour when space is available, especially in the morning.

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

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John Day was merely an unfortunate trader who got robbed along the river here, but the event was noteworthy enough that this Columbia River tributary was named after him, then the whole region in Oregon. I first explored the area in 2017 when finding a campsite to observe a full solar eclipse, but I skipped the fossils. I really should have visited the museum earlier.

The John Day River flows through a huge volcanic landscape that contains the best Cenozoic fossils discovered in the country. Layers of forests and ash preserved some of the most important fossils used to understand evolution. The Cenozoic is the age of mammals, including the John Day Tiger above and the big entelodont (pig/hippo) behind it on the left. There is a camel skull, a gomphothere (elephant) jaw, mastodon teeth, horns of a giraffe-deer, bones of a short-faced bear previously thought to live only in Asia, rhinos, and some kind of giant dog-bear called a nimravid. There are also fossils of the Dawn Redwood, which still lives in China. The fossils I’ve seen at Fossil Butte, Florissant and Agate are all from periods covered here. If you have time, it’s possible to hike in the three separate remote park units, but the exhibits above are in the Condon Visitor Center in the Sheep Rock unit near the scenic Picture Gorge.

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

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Defining much of the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, this river and its tributary the Namekagon were among the first rivers protected by the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, supported by Walter Mondale and many other locals 55 years ago. The forest was quickly and heavily logged 150 years ago, but the water remained clean. Even though there are several dams, including a hydroelectric one at Taylors Falls, the river is much healthier than most, especially the upper St Croix. Below the dams, near the Mississippi, there are power boats, a power plant and non-native mussels, but higher up there are dozens of native mussel species, various fish, otters, bald eagles, kingfishers, great blue heron, several different colorful warblers and more.

The forests have regrown too, so it can be difficult to get a decent view of the river. The photo is from the Minnesota state park ($5 to park) below Taylors Falls, and it has a a canoe & kayak rental, picnic tables and camping. Nearby you can catch the scenic riverboat pictured that offers views of the basalt cliffs shattered by glacier melt. I’m going to have to return a third time, since my first trip was during spring floods and this summer during extreme low water. I believe the best views will be paddling the upper St Croix from the Namekagon confluence to highway 70, but I need good conditions for the rapids.

The Wisconsin parks are $11 to park with very similar views and features. There’s also a waterfall at Osceola, but the bluff trail there is now called the Falls Bluff Trail Loop, or the Cascade Falls Trail or the Eagle Bluff Trail or maybe the Simenstad Trail or the Osceola Rivertown Trail, but not the Osceola Bluff Trail like the park map says. Fortunately, you can also see the waterfall from the road, and the Watershed Café is quite good.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

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The tiny tributary (above) of the Mississippi River is Coldwater Spring, one of the few parcels of land the park service owns here except for islands. Buildings were removed, plants planted, and the birds and butterflies have already returned. A mink was sighted a few days ago. Having a good spring near the confluence of the Minnesota River made it ideal for an early trading post. Eventually the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul arose, but, even though you can hear traffic, the spot is mostly wildflowers, prairie grasses, and old Live Oaks.

The trail will be ready in September, so I wasn’t able to walk down to the floodplain to see the Cottonwoods here, but they’re visible in other locations. Nearby are the Minnehaha Falls, named after Hiawatha’s love in Longfellow’s 1/2 imagined and 1/2 native lore mashup epic “Song”. Hidden Falls / Crosby Farm and Lilydale-Harriet Island / Cherokee park partner sites are also recommended for views and other activities. The main visitor center is in the science museum and has mainly kid-friendly exhibits.

Missouri National Recreational River

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“O, Shenandoah, I love your daughter,
Away you rolling river.
I’ll take her ‘cross yon rolling water.
Ah-ha, I’m bound away, ‘cross the wide Missouri.”

American folk song

Above looks upstream from the hill above Mulberry Bend in the 59 mile eastern park district, where Lewis & Clark scouted some 219 years ago, along with other places introduced by the Yankton Sioux, one of many tribes that helped the expedition. The Yankton Sioux relinquished most of their land 165 years ago before either South Dakota (right) or Nebraska (left) were states, but they are still considered defenders of Pipestone in Minnesota. Their reservation runs along the north bank of most of the 39 mile western park district, above the confluence of the Niobrara, and they are park partners. Both districts of the park preserve the natural river flow, without commercial traffic, and most power boaters stick to Lewis & Clark Lake in the middle.

Further up the ‘big muddy’ Missouri River, at the confluence of the Knife River in North Dakota, teen mom Sacagawea joined their expedition with her French fur trapper husband and their infant. Like Pocahontas, her story is part of America, and similar stories are part of our heritage. As a child, I loved the song “Shenandoah” but was confused whether it was about the Shenandoah River in Virginia or the Missouri River. Turns out, Skenandoa was an Iroquois Chief, whose daughter was stolen by a French fur trapper and taken away across the wide Missouri River. Romantic stories about natives are part of our cultural heritage, albeit often one-sided. Especially given current tragedies of missing and murdered indigenous women, more effort—and funding—is needed to protect these women and tell more stories from a Native American perspective.

Niobrara National Scenic River

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Smith Falls above is the largest waterfall in Nebraska, and it makes a good picnic stop when floating down river. I got a ride with Little Outlaw from Brewer Bridge up to Fort Niobrara and kayaked back. Most people start at Berry Bridge and just float down on giant tubes ‘lazy river’ style, but they miss the pretty part at the beginning. I suppose the nature reserve doesn’t allow alcohol, so that may explain it. Either way, it’s very pleasant, with thick grassy banks, high bluffs, a couple of Great Blue Heron, several smaller waterfalls and no boat engines.

The interesting little town of Valentine is a decent base, with the small visitor center and places to stay. It’s in a well known Dark Sky county, which makes sense since the area is remote & peaceful. There’s a large nature reserve to the south, where I spotted a bald eagle but no bison. With all the space, they should have even more wildlife areas. Somewhere downriver were likely hideouts of bank robbers Frank & Jesse James. There are a number of reservations in the area, especially in South Dakota. There are not many places to charge, so I had to plan and drive a little slower than usual. Be sure to try a Runza—meat pie/ sandwich—if you see the local chain restaurant in one of the larger towns. I recommend mushroom Swiss.

Waterton Glacier International Peace Park

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Canada is to the left of the mountain with the historic Prince of Wales chalet on the far left bluff, and to the right is Glacier National Park in the US. This World Heritage Site includes both parks. Waterton village is accessed from Canada, uses Canadian dollars, but is mostly on US soil. Not that it matters. I saw no border officials here, and it indeed very peaceful. There’s a classy old tour boat which runs down into Montana, as well as camping and lots of interesting trails.

Unfortunately, there was a terrible forest fire here in 2017, and the only glacier above is far off in the distance to the right, a shadow of its former self and a reminder that we all must reduce our carbon footprint. I was happy to spend several hours charging my car at the marina’s destination charger, walking the shoreline, eating, trying the local beer and just soaking in the view above. I enjoyed my detour to Alberta’s five world heritage sites very much, and I didn’t have any trouble charging in Canada. The Tesla even converts the speed limit to mph, so you don’t need to do any math.