Best Park: Yellowstone. Geysers, wildlife, recreation, lodges, forests, mountains, waters. Yellowstone is spectacular and the best park in many categories.
8 trails cross the Rocky Mountain region, including 6 National Historic Trails and a National Geologic Trail that link multiple sites, plus the North Country National Scenic Trail that is an individual park unit. Here’s a quick summary in case you are interested in exploring the trails in the region.
In South Dakota the expedition traveled north along the Missouri River from Yankton Sioux to Lakota territory.
In North Dakota they hired Sacagawea and her husband at Knife River.
In Montana they split near the Yellowstone confluence where Fort Union Trading Post was later built and rejoined near the Snake confluence where the Nez Perce NHP is now. Grant-Kohrs and Big Hole are both on their trail too.
California NHT 1841 to 1869 also crosses Colorado and Utah.
Mormon Pioneer NHT 1846-1847 continues to Utah.
The Pony Express NHT 1860-1861 followed the pioneer trail through Colorado, Utah & Wyoming, but the young riders rode from Missouri to California in only 10 days.
One terminus of the North Country NST is in North Dakota while the other is in New York.
In 2024, my total reached 400 *including 3 extra types*—affiliates, heritage areas and trails—even though they aren’t official national park units. My official total is 385 (out of 433).
My earlier favorites mostly hold, with several important changes.
What a beautiful place! A Canadian horticulturalist, Dr Henry Moore, deserves credit for the idea creating a peace garden—built during the Great Depression—on the Manitoba / North Dakota border. America has far more war memorials than parks devoted to peace. Chamizal on the Mexican border is dedicated to diplomacy, and Perry’s is both a war and peace memorial. As we begin a new year, we should not take peace and diplomacy for granted, given all we sacrificed in wars.
This affiliated park, a favorite of mine, is a neutral zone with the entrance between each country’s border security. You will need proper id either to continue on or to return to your home country after your visit here. The park is not far from the small town of Rugby North Dakota, which is the geographic center of North America. It’s a bit of a trek from the nearest US supercharger in Grand Forks, but there are a couple car dealers on the way that offer CCS charging if you have the adapter. Also, the park itself has a free electric 1772 car charger at the drop off entrance to the Conservatory, which has a massive collection of succulents donated by local enthusiasts.
Technically I missed the peak season, but as you can see above, there were plenty of flowers still in bloom at the end of September. There’s a long winding drive through the woods with lakeside picnic grounds below, a campground and a few cabins and more around the central border gardens. And if you walk the length of the formal garden above, the building at the end is the Peace Chapel, which is the perfect place to find inspiration and hope for peace in the quotes from famous leaders and philosophers carved inside its walls.
[Sorry for not following the alternate Saturdays posting schedule this week, but Rhode Island is such a small state that it slipped through my rigorous editing process. Enjoy the bonus state photo summary!]
I recently completed visits to all national park units in New York and New England. Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont each count only 1 unique park. Maine has 4, including the only National Park in the region. Massachusetts has 14, and New York has 21 unique park units, plus 2 shared with the Mid Atlantic region and 2 world heritage sites. The multi-region Appalachian and North Country scenic trails start/end in the region, and the New England scenic trail crosses Connecticut and Massachusetts. Follow the links for more, including affiliates, heritage areas and the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.
Maine has Acadia National Park, France Perkins, Katahdin Woods & Waters, and Saint Croix Island. All four parks showcase the state’s pine woods, clear waters and scenic views, while Perkins celebrates the woman in charge of the New Deal and Saint Croix tells the story of the first French settlers. If you want to hear French spoken, you can visit the Acadian Culture partner village area in the far north, where I hiked as a boy. Mt Katahdin is also the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The coastal area from Acadia to Saint Croix Island is part of the Downeast Maine heritage area, including the bridge to Campobello in New Brunswick Canada.
New Hampshire is home to the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ studio and marvelous sculpture garden. Freedoms Way heritage area is shared with Massachusetts, and the Appalachian Trail crosses the state.
Rhode Island protects our religious liberty at Roger Williams and affiliated Touro Synagogue, and the state preserves our mill town history at Blackstone, which extends into Massachusetts within a broader eponymous heritage area. The Rochambeau Route begins here.
Gateway is multifaceted, but for me the most important part is the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge above. Here there are migratory and year round birds, butterflies, trails, groves of trees and pleasant views. The contrast between the busy planes of JFK and the mute swans could not be more striking. Although the road noise limited my birdsong app, I still lost count at a dozen species. With more time, I would have kayaked around to see more birds.
But for folks interested in other things, the park includes Forts Hancock, Tilden & Wadsworth, beaches, parks and more, spread out over western Long Island, Staten Island and Sandy Hook peninsula in New Jersey. The Sandy Hook unit has miles of beautiful beaches (below with NYC skyline view) and paved bike trails to enjoy.
Zero Carbon Travel 