We visited Olympic National Park earlier this week. It's spread out but it's beautiful.

Crescent Lake:


Hoh Rainforest...check out the trees growing off the old root structure of the fallen tree.


Sol Duc Falls:


Hurricane Ridge and Obstruction Point:





Waterfall in the Quinalt rainforest:


Ruby Beach and tidepooling:

After Olympic, we headed north to Glacier Bay for our first Alaskan adventure. Although it was hot and a bit hazy at times, it was quite beautiful. By the way, this was our 30th National Park!

Glacier Bay:







Grainy cell phone pic of a bear:


Grainy cell phone pic of mountain goats:


A few pics from above/on the Hebert and Mendenhall Glaciers outside Juneau:





Dog camp:



And obligatory pic of freedom:

Dog camp pic is fire.

Heading to Yellowstone/Grand Teton in a couple of weeks for a last minute trip. Four nights. Big question is how to split up the time? More time to Yellowstone? Grand Teton? Split?

Lodging not yet booked.

there's a full debate on the boards about the split - lots of opinions so search around and you will see my post and others share thoughts

Tetons - Jackson Hole is cool temps and slow paced
Yellowstone - hot and touristy - unless you head farther north, then it thins out

get the lodging...that might determine split. Most will be booked a year ago.

nosoupforyou said:

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Yellowstone - hot and touristy - unless you head farther north, then it thins out

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Yellowstone is hot? Dang. I booked 4 nights there next August and the lodges dont have AC. My wife is going to be pissed. FWIW, we are going to do 3 nights in Grand Tetons as well so that's the split we have as of now. Would love to follow this conversation and see how it goes.

BSD said:

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nosoupforyou said:

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Yellowstone - hot and touristy - unless you head farther north, then it thins out

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Yellowstone is hot? Dang. I booked 4 nights there next August and the lodges dont have AC. My wife is going to be pissed. FWIW, we are going to do 3 nights in Grand Tetons as well so that's the split we have as of now. Would love to follow this conversation and see how it goes.

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It can be hotter. But not bad coming from Texas.

Summer from NPS website.
"Daytime temperatures are often around 70F (25C) and occasionally 80F (30C) at lower elevations. Nights are usually cool and temperatures may drop below freezing at higher elevations. Thunderstorms are common in the afternoons."

BSD said:

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After Olympic, we headed north to Glacier Bay for our first Alaskan adventure. Although it was hot and a bit hazy at times, it was quite beautiful. By the way, this was our 30th National Park!

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How'd you get to Glacier Bay?

We took Alaska Air from Seattle to Gustavus (via Juneau) and the Lodge picked us up at the airport. We did the day boat tour from the GB Lodge. I'm not a cruise person so the small boat tour from the park service appealed to me more than doing the inside passage. We flew Alaska Seaplanes (wasn't a seaplane) back to Juneau and then Alaska Air back to Seattle.

we did 7 days in Jackson Hole a few years ago - in July... was planning on driving to Yellowstone twice but it was so crowded (Chinese tourists making up a high % of the crowds and they aren't particularly friendly or courteous if you end up behind their tour) and it was closer to 90 degrees for us - vs. much cooler weather in Jackson

heard if you go higher in Yellowstone (past Old Faithful which you have to see) it's better - but then you're getting pretty far from Jackson Hole

we stayed in https://www.firesidejacksonhole.com/ - nice, simple, cheaper price when we were there.

IMO- 1-2 days in Yellowstone is great- more days in Jackson Hole is even better

I have posted notes on favorite things to do in Jackson Hole - if you can't find it, I'd be happy to share as there are some must-sees for sure

A quick trip up north. We left Thursday night to ND and flew back Tuesday night out of Denver (don't ask). We essentially had 3 full days and two travel days so it was an action packed trip.

National Park #31: Theodore Roosevelt
I wasn't expecting much here but was pleasantly surprised. It was my intro into the western Dakotas so it was my first badlands and prairie dog experience so that may have helped. Not too much action here but it's a nice small park.





National Park #32: Badlands
A cool park. One day was enough








National Park #33: Wind Cave
Unfortunately the elevators were broken so we only got a history lesson and saw the natural entrance, which is a 12" diameter hole that was blowing out cold air. We'll go back to experience this when my son climbs devils tower...or when he changes his mind and we just go play at Custer.



A few national monuments:

Devils Tower


Mount Rushmore


Minuteman Missile Site


Scotts Bluff (Nebraska)


A few Jr Ranger badges


We also hit up Agate Fossil Bed (also Nebraska) and Jewel Cave but those are all pics of my son so I typically don't post those. I will say this: I ran out of time in the Black Hills. I should have added a day for climbing, a day for hiking, and a day for rest...because I'm worn out.

You guys have had an outstanding summer! Well done!

Where did you fly into for Glacier Bay? That dog sledding looks awesome!

My wife absolutely LOVED the Black Hills (I, unfortunately, missed that leg of that trip).

We did some non-NP Colorado traveling and then up to Montana to re-visit Glacier earlier this month - I'll try to get some pictures up

AgRyan04 said:

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You guys have had an outstanding summer! Well done!

Where did you fly into for Glacier Bay? That dog sledding looks awesome!

My wife absolutely LOVED the Black Hills (I, unfortunately, missed that leg of that trip).

We did some non-NP Colorado traveling and then up to Montana to re-visit Glacier earlier this month - I'll try to get some pictures up

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It's been a blast. Time to slow down a bit though. We'll do the Smokies over Labor Day and Dry Tortugas over Columbus Day and that'll be it for the year.

For glacier bay, we flew into Juneau first thing in the morning to do the 10:30am helicopter up to the dog sledding and glacier fields (2 stops). We then hopped a later flight (5:00ish) to Gustavus (pronounced Gus Davis). The GB Lodge bus picked us up for the 15 minute ride over. There isn't much in Gustavus...at all. Two full day so good there: one to kayak/hike and one for the GB boat day tour. If you want to kayak longer , you should extend the trip accordingly.

The Black Hills were fun. The buffalo traffic jam is always exciting.

Here are our Glacier NP pictures....

We hiked to Iceberg Lake











Then we also rafted the Middle Fork of the Flathead River

Yo. Just got back from Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Did an even split, two days/nights in both places.

Yellowstone was great. Stayed in West Yellowstone which I knew was close to the western entrance, but it's literally right outside of the gate which really helped in terms of maximizing time and there was plenty to choose from for eating/drinking considering town size. In terms of variety, Yellowstone has it all. I get that it's the first NP and all so it shouldn't be surprising, but it was everything I built it up to be. The Grand Loop is great if you're wanting to take in the sights and honestly, it could probably be knocked out all in one day (Canyon, Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, etc). As mentioned, I would try to get inside the park before 8:00 if possible because the Chinese tour buses are real and DGAF. Also hiked up to the fire lookout on Mount Washburn which was awesome. Wide trail and great 360 views of the park. Also the wildlife was nuts. Saw just about everything.

Grand Teton was flat out awesome. I have to say I enjoyed it more than Yellowstone and I loved Yellowstone. Those mountains are breathtaking. Jackson/Jackson Hole was a really cool small town with a couple of breweries which was nice. The park itself was incredible. Wish we had more time. Knocked out the Cascade Canyon hike and a day kayaking on Jenny Lake. If I had known they had a whole ass cycling path from Jackson all the way through the park, I would have tried to do that too. Two days isn't enough. If I had to do the four days again, I'd give more time to Grand Teton. Plus hanging out in Jackson was really cool.

Anyways, both parks deserve their reputations. Two of the best.

Here are two quick snaps of the Tetons. One at sunset and one at sunrise.

great pics - I have a similar one as the one you have below, but with Mormon Row houses in the foreground.. did you make it there? stunning!

Sure did. Took this shot below, but left the Mormon lodges out of the foreground. Just couldn't get over the mountain range. Also, I knew it looked familiar. It was Kanye West's last album cover. Haha.

Have to change my vote. In the OP, I said my favorite non-Top 10+1 park was Capital Reef. Well, in early August, I went to Kings Canyon and hiked Raes Lake Loop. It moved into number 1.

We did the Raes Lake Loop clock-wise, which I recommend as the better route. You spend the first few days climbing from 5,500' up to the lakes, which are over 10,000'.
https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/rae-lakes-loop.htm

After climbing for 2 days, we reached the lakes. You literally could not take a bad picture here.


Dollar Lake. The first lake you come to. Note that you can see a few trout in the foreground. The rings on the water towards the right are trout hitting bugs. We did some fly fishing and had fresh trout one night.


Arrowhead Lake


Middle Rae Lake


Middle Rae Lake with Fin Dome on the right and the Painted Lady on the left.


Middle Rae Lake

The high point (elevation at least) of the trip was Glen Pass (11,926'). Despite being early August, still snow above 11,000'.



View from Glen Pass

It is bear country, so bear canisters are required. We saw 6 bears while there.

42 miles in 5 days, with almost 7,000' of elevation gain. Absolutely wonderful.

wow - that's amazing! I've never done back country camping - did you create a list of supplies you have to own in order to do that? did you have a guide or just figure it out? I bet you saw very few people doing that hike - very cool!

Looks like you were just south of Yosemite - I have never even considered Kings Canyon but after seeing that - wow!

nosoupforyou said:

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wow - that's amazing! I've never done back country camping - did you create a list of supplies you have to own in order to do that? did you have a guide or just figure it out? I bet you saw very few people doing that hike - very cool!

Looks like you were just south of Yosemite - I have never even considered Kings Canyon but after seeing that - wow!

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I used to do a lot of backpacking, so my supplies were based on experience. Here's an old thread about backpacking gear. https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/1420838

I went with my brother and some of his friends/co-workers. So no guide, but did read about the trip on various blogs.

NPS does require permits from those on Raes Lake Loop. I think it is roughly 25 people per day. It isn't crowded, but because half of the Raes Lake Loop is part of the John Muir Trail, you do see folks who are thru hiking. Cool to meet people doing that. We had dinner one night with a couple from Germany doing the JMT.

nosoupforyou said:

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wow - that's amazing! I've never done back country camping - did you create a list of supplies you have to own in order to do that? did you have a guide or just figure it out? I bet you saw very few people doing that hike - very cool!

Looks like you were just south of Yosemite - I have never even considered Kings Canyon but after seeing that - wow!

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Kings is mainly backcountry. Sequoia is similar in that most people see very little of the park. You can get a bit the backcountry and away from most of the masses that inhabit Valley in Yosemite. I'd consider them basically an extension of Yosemite since they are all just high Sierra. So much awesomeness

Rae lakes is very popular.

If you really want to backpack, there are hundreds or thousands of sample lists of what to take. Then with experience you dial in what works for you.

nosoupforyou, where do you live? Could help find a good introductory backpacking trip for you

Houston

But just dreaming for 2 years from now when our first heads off to college.. wanting to take the wife up to Jasper - north of Banff.. and considering some backcountry hiking then

Always thinking ahead though

Took the long weekend and bolted out to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's certainly not my favorite, not even in the top ten. I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying it's not up there...for me. I've spent a lot of time in the southeast so the scenery was very familiar to me. I do appreciate the vastness if it, and the protection of the resources. Like all parks, it can get busy, but it's the most visited park of them all, so throw extra crowds into the plan and get out there early! With only one road gong thru it, venture out to other areas at the park boundaries for a more intimate feel.

Very, very cool. This has actually been on my list for a while. Waiting for my son to get a bit older first.

That is awesome.

My son and I have talked about backpacking but haven't ever pulled the trigger. We'll probably start somewhere relatively tame - like Big Bend or Guadalupe Mtns - but would love to do some significant miles in a big mountain range.

Glad you did it last week and not this week!

We had planned (but canceled several months ago) a trip to the Smokies to piggyback off the Clemson game....it's probably best we pulled the plug on that.

We were over in Scotland at the end of last month and got to drive through the two national parks there (Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and further north, Cairngorms National Park). Didn't have any time to explore off the main highways but it was gorgeous.

AgRyan04 said:

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That is awesome.

My son and I have talked about backpacking but haven't ever pulled the trigger. We'll probably start somewhere relatively tame - like Big Bend or Guadalupe Mtns - but would love to do some significant miles in a big mountain range.

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One of the advantages of some of those "big mountain" ranges is the water. Big Bend and Guadalupe are sparse on water. Many possible trips in the Rockies, Sierras, Cascades, Winds, etc have lots of water so they are actually easier in some ways. Keep that in mind.

Thanks...that makes a lot of sense

National Park #35/61: Dry Tortugas

We took advantage of a 5 day weekend and flew into Fort Lauderdale for a drive down the keys. We stopped by the Anhinga Trail at the entrance to the Everglades for a quick gator encounter and then started driving south. We first stopped at Big Pine Key for a snorkel trip out to Looe Reef. It was a good experience, I saw lots of fish, a giant moray eel, and a nice sized reef shark. We then finished the drive to Key West to call it an early night for the early rise to ferry over to Dry Tortugas.

The ferry ride out was about 2 hours. As we arrived, we could see the frigate nesting grounds on the key next to us. It seemed like hundreds were in the sky. We docked and went straight to the water, skipping the guided tour. This worked well since it wasn't as crowded. My son and I snorkeled along the most wall and saw some good coral and an absolute giant barracuda. We swam for an hour and then came in for lunch and to check out Fort Jefferson on our own and do the Junior Ranger badge (so easy, just four pages and one is a bingo of what you see).









This was cool. The water that seeps through the old fort is causing stalagmites and stalactites to from in the old halls.



Blurry barracuda pic


Hermit Crab


And that's our last park for a few months. We'll revisit Zion and Grand Canyon for Spring Break and then hit some new parks next summer. As the little guy gets older, these trips will become more and more exciting. He can't wait to hit the Great Lakes parks to fish. And neither can I.

Have a little time today to get caught up

In October we took a long weekend out to L.A. and made it out to Channel Islands NP. We did some kayaking, but I actually got a bit sea sick (which never happens to me) so we had to cut the excursion shot. The island itself was beautiful and we ended up just chilling on the beach.





Then this past weekend, we flew into Atlanta and went to the Georgia game in Athens and then drove up to Columbia and spent the morning and early afternoon on Sunday at Congaree National Park. It was a beautiful day and we had a nice hike (Weston Lake Loop Trail) - but I can't imagine being there if it was any warmer/muggier. Definitely a one day stop. The park volunteer, Mr. Davis, at the visitor center was one of the nicest NPS representatives we've come across.