Everglades NP

                                                                        

America's Everglades - The largest subtropical wilderness in the United States

Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther.
An international treasure as well - a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty.

Nov 25, 2024

We took in the northern portion of the park this trip. We first stopped at Oasis Visitor Center. This is a small Visitor Center with a few exhibits to take in. We then headed out on a short trail walk along Bobcat trail. This trail is less than a mile and offers a nice easy walk to take in the flora and wildlife. We did see a few alligators basking in the sun. We then headed over to Gator Park for the Highlight of the day, an Airboat ride in the Everglades. There are three company's licensed to offer rides. We had a great time, and our guild was outstanding pointing out the Gators and Turtles. We highly recommend doing an Airboat ride with one of these companies. 

Mar 31, 2019

Part two was a relaxing 38-mile drive down to the Flamingo Visitor Center. The Visitor Center was being rebuilt so only a temporary center serves the area. We took a trail hike to the campground to do some wildlife and bird spotting. We enjoyed the peace and quiet down here. The Visitor Center is only staffed in the winter every day and the other times it is intermittently. We still have much more to see in this park and will be making a return trip to finish it up.

Feb 28, 2019
This was part one of our adventure of exploring Everglades NP. We started this day at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. Took in the movie and what the Center had to offer in displays. It was then off to Royal Palm. We arrived and picked our time for a ranger lead hike. Meeting our group and the Ranger we set off on the Anhinga Trail. This trail is 8 tenths of a mile and a easy trail to walk. We saw many alligators and birds. Our ranger was really good at telling what each one was and pointing out ones we missed. I would say this is a must do to take in and understand the park. After the hike we grabbed a quick bite to eat from the small store there. It was then off to a very different part of the park, the Nike Missile Site HM-69. This is not what you would expect in the middle of a National Park. This was a site from the cold war era that was activated in 1964. We took in the site and one of the missile barns that serves as a Visitor Center. This site is chilling to see as it shows how close we were to war with Russia. As there was no time to request permission to defend the United States from missiles coming from Cuba it was up to the Base commander alone to fire the Missiles. This site was deactivated in 1979. We took in the sites but opted out of the Ranger lead tour. This concluded part one.

Click here for photos of our visit 2019 

NPS Webpage

Our 137th NPS Unit and 19th National Park

Big Cypress National Perserve

 

Freshwater to the Sea

The freshwaters of the Big Cypress Swamp, essential to the health of the neighboring Everglades, support the rich marine estuaries along Florida's southwest coast. Conserving over 729,000 acres of this vast swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve contains a mixture of tropical and temperate plant communities that are home to diverse wildlife, including the Endangered Florida panther.

A National Preserve - One Land, Many Uses

Big Cypress National Preserve is a diverse landscape, where one can see cypress and mangroves, alligators, and panther tracks all in one day! 

Just like the diversity of the land, the National Park Service manages for a diversity of activities within the national preserve that national parks typically do not allow. In the 1960s, plans for the world’s largest Jetport, to be constructed in the heart of the Greater Everglades of south Florida, were unveiled. This project, and the anticipated development that would follow, spurred the incentive to protect the wilds of the vast Big Cypress Swamp. To prevent development of the Jetport, local conservationists, sportsmen, environmentalists, Seminoles, Miccosukees, and many others set political and personal differences aside. The efforts of countless individuals and government officials prevailed when, on October 11, 1974, Big Cypress National Preserve was established as the nation’s first national preserve.

The concept of a national preserve was born from an exercise in compromise. Everyone saw the importance of protecting the swamp, but many did not want this region merely added to nearby Everglades National Park that was created in the 1940s. Many felt that national parks were managed in a restrictive manner and access to the swamp would be lost. The resulting compromise created a new land management concept – a national preserve. An area that would be protected but would also allow for specific activities that were described by Congress within the legislation that created the preserve.

25 Nov 2024

We made a stop into Big Cypress National Preserve stopping at the Oasis Visitor Center. This is a small Visitor Center that offers a movie that tells the background and reasons this was set aside as a National Preserve. The Center has a few displays and small store. We went for a walk along an elevated boardwalk and took in the many alligators sunning along the banks as well as the many fish you can see in the clear water. There is so much to see here, and we will have to plan a longer visit to see more of what is offered. 

NPS Website

Click here for photos of our visit

Our 180th NPS Unit

Biscayne NP

                                                                           

A Watery Wonderland

Within sight of downtown Miami, yet worlds away, Biscayne protects a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and fish-bejeweled coral reefs. Here too is evidence of 10,000 years of human history, from pirates and shipwrecks to pineapple farmers and presidents. Outdoors enthusiasts can boat, snorkel, camp, watch wildlife…or simply relax in a rocking chair gazing out over the bay.

Nov 18, 2024

Made a short quick stop at the Visitor Center to get Daisy's Bark Ranger Tag, we then walked around the center and out along the boardwalks. There is not much for dogs at this site, but she enjoyed the walk and earned her new tag.

Feb 27, 2019
As most of this park is under water it presented a challenge to us to fully take in and understand. We decided that a boat trip out to Boca Chita Key would do for us. After taking in the Visitors Center and movie it was off to the Boca Chita Key. The trip out was a 45 minute ride out. Once out there we got a hour to explore the Key. We took in the light house and walked the loop around the key. The guild was great at explaining the difference between Keys and Islands ( Keys sit on top of coral reefs and are made from debris and sand covering the reef, Islands are outcroppings of land that are above the sea floor ) and pointing out the different wide life and sea birds we were seeing. He also gave us the history of Boca Chita Key, it was a private resort for Mark Honeywell who was a electronic industrialist from the early 1900s that founded Honeywell. He built the light house on the Key. We had a great visit and there is much to do at this Park.

Click here for photos of our 2019 visit

NPS Webpage

Our 136th NPS Unit and 18th National Park

Castillo de San Marcos NM

 

America Begins Here

Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections.

1 Nov 2024

Made a revisit here to do some more exploring of this NM. We spent half a day exploring.

21 Nov 2013

This is a great place to get an understanding of our earliest history. Having changes hands many times, it highlights the struggles of who was going to have control of the new land. We spent the morning exploring the Fort and the surrounding area. The movie was well done and explained the timeline and reason this fort was so important to Spain in keeping control of this new land. We spent a half a day here and we combined this with an afternoon trip to Fort Matanzas NM.

26 Apr 1994

Solo trip to explore this NM. 

NPS Website

Our 13th NPS Site

                                                                        

Buffalo NR

 

America's First National River

Established in 1972, Buffalo National River flows freely for 135 miles and is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states. Once you arrive, prepare to journey from running rapids to quiet pools while surrounded by massive bluffs as you cruise through the Ozark Mountains down to the White River.

Oct 17, 2024

We made a return visit to the middle Buffalo River area. It was a perfect day to go up and let Daisy have fun in the river. 

Oct 9, 2022

We had a beautiful Fall Day to take in the unit. We decided to take in the middle Buffalo River area starting at the Visitor Center at Tyler Bend. This is the main Visitor center for the Unit. The Visitor center is small with a few exhibits. We took in a short movie there that helped explain the history of how this river was saved as a free-flowing river. After the Visitor Center we went down to the river and beach. Daisy had a great time frolicking in the river. This was a great time to visit as we almost had the river to ourselves. There are lots of great trails to take in and a float down the river is a must do. We spent a few hours here this visit but there are days of exploring to do. This park will go on our revisit list. 

Click here for photos of our 2022 visit

NPS Website

157th NPS Unit

Daisy Mae enjoying a romp in the river. 

Fort Smith NHS

 

Life on the Edge of the Frontier

Explore life on the edge of frontier and Indian Territory through the stories of soldiers, the Trail of Tears, scandals, outlaws, and lawmen who pursued them.

From the establishment of the first Fort Smith on December 25, 1817, to the final days of Judge Isaac C. Parker's jurisdiction over Indian Territory in 1896, Fort Smith National Historic Site preserves almost 80 years of history.

Sept 27, 2024

We made a return trip to take in the Visitor Center that was closed for renovation our last visit. The Visitor Center was very well done with so much to take in that you can spend a couple hours going through it. Daisy also tagged along to get her BARK Ranger Tag, and she enjoyed her time taking in the grounds. 

Sept 25, 2021

Lots of interesting history. Fort Smith was the last fort before the Indian territory of Oklahoma. It was here that Judge Isaac Parker held the bench. While not a strong supporter of capital punishment he sentenced 160 men to death due to the sentencing guidelines during his time on the bench, resulting in the Judge earning the nick name "The hanging Judge". 86 men met the gallows under his tenure. The Visitor's Center was closed for renovation during our visit, so we plan on a return trip later. We got to take in the rest of the unit including the rebuilt gallows and a nice trail that takes in most of the outlying areas of the unit. We spent a few hours here this visit and look forward to a return to take in the Visitors Center and Court room of Judge Isaac Parker.    

Click here for photos of our visit 2021

Click here for photos of our visit 2024

NPS Website

Our 148th NPS Unit

Minuteman Missile NHS

 

Hidden in Plain Sight

During the Cold War, a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles was placed in the Great Plains. Hidden in plain sight, for thirty years 1,000 missiles were kept on constant alert; hundreds remain today. The Minuteman Missile remains an iconic weapon in the American nuclear arsenal. It holds the power to destroy civilization but is meant as a nuclear deterrent to maintain peace and prevent war. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site protects two facilities that were once part of a Minuteman Missile field that covered the far western portion of South Dakota from 1963 through the early 1990s. There were 15 Launch Control Facilities that commanded and controlled 150 Launch Facilities (Missile Silos) holding Minuteman ICBM's. The park preserves two of these facilities in their historic state—Launch Control Facility Delta-01 with its corresponding underground Launch Control Center and Launch Facility (Missile Silo) Delta-09. These two sites, along with the Minuteman Missile Visitor Center, comprise Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

17 Sept 2024

This is a great Park to double up with Badlands NP. We took in the Visitor Center first. The movie was well done and explained why sites like these had to exist and still do but now in much smaller numbers. After taking in the movie and exhibits at the Visitor Center we headed west to Delta 09. Delta 09 lies about 15 miles west of the Visitor Center and is a self-guided tour. We dialed the recorded program and listened to an informative nine-part description of what we were seeing around the Delta 09 site. We then stopped at Delta 01 to get pictures. We had missed out on getting tour tickets for the unground tour at Delta 01. This was a great unit to take in. Plan well ahead if you want to try and get tour tickets for Delta 01. We will have put this unit on our must return list when we get our tour tickets. You can do all three sites in a few hours and add an hour if you get tour tickets for Delta 01. Be mindful of hours and days closed for the unit, currently closed on Sundays and Mondays. 

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 179th NPS Unit

Badlands NP

                                                                   

Good Times in the Badlands

The rugged beauty of the Badlands draws visitors from around the world. These striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds. Ancient mammals such as the rhino, horse, and saber-toothed cat once roamed here. The park’s 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets live today.

16 Sept 2024:

We did this return visit to take care of the must return list to get in a sunset and sunrise in the park. We spent the first day taking in the park loop road, but in the opposant way we did in 2016. Not much in wildlife except a couple of Buffalo and a bunch of Prairie Dogs. The turn outs offered breathtaking views that make this such a spectacular park, we took in most of the turnouts. We then spent the evening at the Big Foot Pass overlook for the sunset and was treated to an amazing sunset. Up early the next morning and a stop at the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail turnout for the sunrise. We got to watch this amazing sunrise lighting up the valley below and cliff walls around us. We then took in the Visitor Center to take in the exhibits and movie. Ensure to stop by the Paleontologists room to watch them working the fossils found in the park. We highly recommend this Park for a two-day visit and taking in a sunset and sunrise. 

8 July 2016:
This was our first visit to the park and with a name of Badlands we were curious and excited to see just what made this park so special and it only took a few moments of driving into the park to see this would be a great park, the views are amazing and stunning. We stopped at each turnout and was amazed how different each vista was. We have plans to go back for a sunrise or sunset (maybe both). Lots of wildlife to be seen, even Bighorn sheep. We were lucky to spot 3 sheep as we were leaving the Park. This is a park you can do in a few hours or a couple of days depending on how much you want to see. This Park will go on to the must return list.

Click here for photos of our visit of 2016

Click here for photos of our visit of 2024

NPS Website

Our 118th NPS Unit and 17th National Park

Little Bighorn Battlefield NM

 

Little Bighorn, A Place of Reflection

This area memorializes the US Army's 7th Cavalry, Crow, and Arikara scouts and the Lakota's, Cheyenne's, and Arapaho in one of the American Indian's last armed efforts to preserve their way of life. Here on June 25 and 26 of 1876, 263 soldiers, including Lt. Col. George A. Custer and attached personnel of the US Army, died fighting several thousand Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. 

NPS Reading

14 Sept 2024

Taking in this unit is like reading the final pages of a long and bitter chapter of our history. We all have read or heard of George Custer, but what lead to this ending involves going back many years and many battlefields with our war against the Native Americans. We decided to take in this unit with a walk up to Last Stand Hill were Custer, and his command meet their final demise. The Visitor Center is closed right now for remolding so this site will go on our return list. This site is very dog unfriendly, and dogs are not allowed out of your vehicle. Be aware also that this is one of the few National Monuments that have an entrance fee.

Click here for photos of our visit

NPS Website

Our 178th NPS Unit

Yellowstone NP

                                                                      

The World's First National Park

On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park for all to enjoy the unique hydrothermal and geologic features. Within Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres, visitors have unparalleled opportunities to observe wildlife in an intact ecosystem, explore geothermal areas that contain about half the world’s active geysers, and view geologic wonders like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.

Click here for photos of our visit in 2016

Click here for photos of our visit in 2017
Click here for photos of our visit in 2018

Click here for photos of our visit in 2020

Click here for photos of our visit in 2021

Click here for photos of our visit in 2022

Click here for photos of our visit in 2023

Click here for photos of our visit in 2024

Sept 11, 2024

We got a very early start this morning with a drive over St Joseph's highway and the Northeast entrance to get into the Lamar Valley at sunrise. We found a pullout to park and waited and hoped to spot the elusive wolves of Yellowstone, but did not have any luck this trip. We did get to see a large heard of buffalo and had to put up with the buffalo jams that come with them. We then headed out to West Yellowstone but first we stopped at Virginia Cascades and Gibbon Fall's. After a few hours of exploring West Yellowstone, we headed back into the park and took a side trip on the Firehole canyon loop road and Firehole Falls. This is a very scenic drive, and we highly recommend it. We then made a stop at Old Faithful but had just missed the eruption of Old Faithful, so we headed on. We headed out the East entrance and was treated to a Black bear sighting at the crest of Sullivan Pass. We look forward to next year's adventure in the park and will always be finding new things to take in when we go up there.  

 

Sept 23, 2023

We got in another day at the park. As the Beartooth highway was closed due to snow, we went in the East entrance and hit a heavy snowstorm going over Sulivan Pass. Once we made it over the pass, we decided to do a counterclockwise loop. we made a few stops along the way including Mammoth VC and Old Faithful VC. 

Sept 2, 2022

This trip into the park took us to the Upper geyser basin and Old Faithful geyser. We got a great show from Old Faithful then decided to take in lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge. We then headed over to the Historic Old Faithful Inn to take in the granger of the Inn. We then headed out to the loop trail around Old Faithful geyser taking in the hot springs and geysers along this trail. During this walk we were treated to our second eruption of Old Faithful today, we had never seen it from this prospective. We love coming up here each year and always see something new. 

July 24, 2021

Our yearly trip into the park was a very busy trip with lots of planned stops. We first stopped at Beryl Spring. This spring is right off the road and easy to see with little effort. We then headed over to the Fountain Paint Pot trail, taking in Leather Pool, Clepsydra Geyser, and many more features this trail offers up. We then stopped and had a nice picnic lunch. After a peaceful lunch we headed down to the Midway Geyser Basin Trail. This trail takes you to Excelsior Geyser Crater and one of the crown jewels of Yellowstone, the Grand Prismatic Spring, plus many other springs and geysers. We were not finished yet, so we went down to the Biscuit Basin trail and took in Black Opal Spring, Sapphire Spring, and the other features on this trail. 

July 24, 2020

Made a trip into the park today. We decided to head over Beartooth pass this trip to finish what we could not last year due to a winter storm. Had a great drive into the park and into Lamar Valley. We spotted a few bears this trip, but again no wolves. Had a great picnic lunch at Mammoth and then took in the North Gate. We did not make many stops this trip as we were just out for a relaxing drive.  

June 16, 2018

Today we added another trip into the park. This trip we decided to spend it at West Thumb mostly. After the trip in though Sullivan Pass and a snowstorm. We made it to the West Thumb Geyser Basin. We took the walk around the trail to take in the sites of the Basin. While not as grand as some of the other basin's it is still worth the time to take it in. We then headed to the Grant Village Visitor Center and took in a great display telling the story of wildfires in the park. Then it was on to lunch at the Grant Village. The meal was good and filling, not the highest on our go back to list but decent. We then headed around to Old Faithful and had good timing this trip, getting there shortly before the eruption of Old Faithful. We finished the day with a stop at the Canyon Visitor Center to take in the Museum that's explains the Thermal Geology of the Park. This was a great day in the park, and we look forward going back to take in more areas we have yet to explore.

July 7, 2017

Today we made another trip into the park. This time we brought my dad along for the day, we toured the upper loop this trip as it has been many many years since I had been up there. We had a great day to spot wildlife and got to see two bears today. We were hoping to get lucky and spot one of the wolf packs in Lamar Valley but did not see them this trip. We had a great Picnic lunch at Mammoth Hot springs and explored some of the area around the Hot springs. We stayed away from the lower loop as this trip was more about wildlife and Mammoth Hot springs.

July 3, 2016
We made a return trip with the entire family and got to take in Old Faithful, The Canyon and a few other sites. Lots of wildlife but no bears or wolves. This Park never stops giving and there is still much to be seen and explored. How much time to spend in this park is up to you but plan on at least 3 days to see most of the big site's but even 3 days will leave you with a big return to see list.

July 16, 2010

I passed through the park on the way out to OR. This is a park I grew up in, spending many of my summer days exploring and fishing. The surprising thing is there are part's I have never been to. Spending a few days at the Lodge at Old Faithful is on our must do list.

Apr 1993 Date unknown
Karen and I made our second trip into the park. Took in the normal sites and will have to come back to see more. So much to see and do.

July 1990 Date unknown

We got to take in Old Faithful and a few other sites with kids. It was fun watching them get play in the snow till our youngest messed up his big toe really bad. He got to spend the rest of the visit hobbling around the park. As this is our home park, we will be making many trips back here.

NPS webpage

Our 3rd NPS Unit and 2nd National Park