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Subpar Parks

TexPx

By TexPx
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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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I collected an entry map from every single National Park I visited since Elementary School.   I'm up to 30+ or so.  I've never seen one that wasn't gorgeous in some way.  Although, to the points above---Indiana Dunes and Everglades are forgettable.  Everglades is interesting and very different once you get there.  But after an hour, it quickly becomes, "Welp, okay...what's next?"  

Indiana Dunes will always hold a special place in my heart.  Went there summer between Sophomore and Junior year while seeing the Grateful Dead down in Noblesville.  We put small pieces of paper on our tongues as the sun set on behind Lake Michigan.  Laid out on the sinking sand looking at the stars and somebody in our group talked me out of following organized religion.  Almost 30 years later, I've never been able to rewire myself to become a member of a Church again.  

So National Parks are ruining the moral foundation of our country, and I will not stand for it!  Ban National Parks!  

Levity aside, I love our National Park System and I hope the powers that be never find out the massive, massive quantity of illegal drugs consumed in our parks every single day.  I can't remember the last time I was sober in one.  And as I said, I've been to several dozen. 

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mininghorn88

mininghorn88 2314

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I have a National Parks Passport so I record the date(s) that I was there along with a stamp and, per the enclosed checklist, I have been to 70+ park properties.  Some are National Parks, others are Memorials, or even National Recreational Areas, etc.  Some are obviously better than others and being at one for an hour is enough and for some it requires multiple days to fully enjoy or even repeat visits.

Covid has allowed me to work from "home".  So, in 2020 I visited Glen Canyon NRA, Grand Canyon NP, Petrified Forest NP, Pipe Spring NM, Sunset Crater Volcano NM, Tonto NM, Walnut Canyon NM, Wupatki NM, Buffalo NR, Fort Smith NHS, Pres. Clinton Birthplace, Pea Ridge NMP, Poverty Point NM, Aztec Ruins NM, Bandelier NM, Capulin Volcano NM, El Malpais NM, El Morro NM, Pecos NHP, Petroglyph NM, Mesa Verde NP, Arches NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Canyonlands NP, Zion NP, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP, Abraham Lincoln NHP, Cumberland Gap NHP, Brices Cross Roads NBS, Natchez Trace NST, and Tupelo NB. Love me some National Parks and the great outdoors that many of them offer.

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Superhero

Superhero 8884

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Went camping at Joshua Tree NP this weekend, so it hits close to home.

The rock formations are great. The girls (we're part of the "Adventure" Princesses program) had a lot of fun scraping their knees on the stones. The dads were huffing and puffing behind our mountain goat children.

At night, the stars are so... vivid. We didn't see the milky way probably because I didn't know what to look for.

No running water, heat, sweat, endless sand, and taking a shit into a septic tank detracted from the experience. But overall I still rate it 10/10.

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mininghorn88

mininghorn88 2314

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3 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

No Dry Tortugas NP?

I'm headed there in 2 weeks.

Not yet, albeit it is on the "to do" list.  I am driving up to Chicago in May so I will hit some along the way up and back.   I plan on driving up to Vermont (Killington) early this summer and will take some parks in.  Will be driving to Chapel Hill, NC in July so will hit some parks then.  Will be going to the Texas game in West Virginia so will visit some then too along the driving path.  Will have to see what the balance of the year holds for hitting some other parks.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45761

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On 4/11/2021 at 5:33 PM, mininghorn88 said:

I have a National Parks Passport so I record the date(s) that I was there along with a stamp and, per the enclosed checklist, I have been to 70+ park properties.  Some are National Parks, others are Memorials, or even National Recreational Areas, etc.  Some are obviously better than others and being at one for an hour is enough and for some it requires multiple days to fully enjoy or even repeat visits.

Covid has allowed me to work from "home".  So, in 2020 I visited Glen Canyon NRA, Grand Canyon NP, Petrified Forest NP, Pipe Spring NM, Sunset Crater Volcano NM, Tonto NM, Walnut Canyon NM, Wupatki NM, Buffalo NR, Fort Smith NHS, Pres. Clinton Birthplace, Pea Ridge NMP, Poverty Point NM, Aztec Ruins NM, Bandelier NM, Capulin Volcano NM, El Malpais NM, El Morro NM, Pecos NHP, Petroglyph NM, Mesa Verde NP, Arches NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Canyonlands NP, Zion NP, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP, Abraham Lincoln NHP, Cumberland Gap NHP, Brices Cross Roads NBS, Natchez Trace NST, and Tupelo NB. Love me some National Parks and the great outdoors that many of them offer.

Wow dude.  Well fucking done.

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RPM

RPM 26421

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12 hours ago, honolulu horn said:

Somebody actually went to the trouble to bitch about Arches NP? That place is fucking awesome. What a tool. 

Fun Fact: They realllly don't like it if you drive an 18 wheeler in from the back way. Would have helped if they had a sign or a gate. They probably do now.

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mininghorn88

mininghorn88 2314

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5 minutes ago, RPM said:

Fun Fact: They realllly don't like it if you drive an 18 wheeler in from the back way. Would have helped if they had a sign or a gate. They probably do now.

What route would that be?  All I remember is that there is a unpaved road coming in from the NE and a Scenic Byway on the SE side that never actually gets into the park.

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RPM

RPM 26421

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128, I looked at the map and it cut like 50 miles off going to Moab. It was a skinny 2 lane desert road that eventually came alongside the river. Then I started seeing a few campers, then it was a shitload of campers, then I roll up to the Park entrance/exit and a park ranger asks me WTeverlovingF I am doing there. I calmly told him, just trying to get out. I was heading for the potash mine South of Moab so skinny 2 lane desert roads were pretty standard going to a mine.

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mininghorn88

mininghorn88 2314

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1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

Wow dude.  Well fucking done.

Thanks a million. Driving many miles at a time does not bother me so I can cover a lot of distance in a relatively short time. Some of these have been trips that I have made alone so I am not on a schedule and can go and do it at whatever pace I want. My GF has made some of these with me and fortunately she is very flexible as well and usually defers to my planning and recommendations for trips. Also did a 2 week trip with daughter, granddaughter and SIL last November/December. Due to the age (18 months) of the granddaughter, we were on more of a schedule so we did a mixture of group and individual activities. All in all it is hard to go wrong in a Park.

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BonzoMontreaux

BonzoMontreaux 1114

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Fort Zach in Key West, Dry Tortugas, and Bahia-Honda State Park - end of Seven Mile bridge heading east are worth the time.

I hiked all levels of Fort Jefferson when I was there.  Maybe heard a whisper or two when no one was near by. :)  

Did the Everglades on the same trip as Dry Tortugas.  Wasn't a big excursion but we did the guided tour at Shark Valley.  The guys doing the tour did a fantastic job explaining how that area was built for touring, the history of the Seminoles,etc... 

They also discussed the threat of the Burmese Python in the Everglades.  Made me want to do some wrangling.  But Alligators and native venomous snakes make that a no go.  

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10961

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On 4/11/2021 at 6:33 PM, mininghorn88 said:

I have a National Parks Passport so I record the date(s) that I was there along with a stamp and, per the enclosed checklist, I have been to 70+ park properties.  Some are National Parks, others are Memorials, or even National Recreational Areas, etc.  Some are obviously better than others and being at one for an hour is enough and for some it requires multiple days to fully enjoy or even repeat visits.

Covid has allowed me to work from "home".  So, in 2020 I visited Glen Canyon NRA, Grand Canyon NP, Petrified Forest NP, Pipe Spring NM, Sunset Crater Volcano NM, Tonto NM, Walnut Canyon NM, Wupatki NM, Buffalo NR, Fort Smith NHS, Pres. Clinton Birthplace, Pea Ridge NMP, Poverty Point NM, Aztec Ruins NM, Bandelier NM, Capulin Volcano NM, El Malpais NM, El Morro NM, Pecos NHP, Petroglyph NM, Mesa Verde NP, Arches NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Canyonlands NP, Zion NP, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP, Abraham Lincoln NHP, Cumberland Gap NHP, Brices Cross Roads NBS, Natchez Trace NST, and Tupelo NB. Love me some National Parks and the great outdoors that many of them offer.

How is Capulin Volcano NM? I drive by it every time I go to Colorado, but I've never stopped.

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mininghorn88

mininghorn88 2314

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19 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

How is Capulin Volcano NM? I drive by it every time I go to Colorado, but I've never stopped.

It is a quick and easy visit (1 to 1.5 hour) that provides excellent views of the volcano and surrounding area.  You can actually drive all the way up to the rim of the volcano.  Once at the top you can hike (1 mile) the rim of the volcano which provides fantastic views of the surrounding area.  You can also hike (.25 mile) down into the volcano.  All is paved so it is easy. I was there in October and the clouds rolled in so the view was obstructed some but was still fantastic because I was above the cloud cover.  Also walked up onto some mule deer.  Down below you can hike some of the lava fields.  However, if that is your thing then I would recommend visiting El Malpais NP.

There is not much of a visitor center but if memory serves me correctly they did have a video about the park.  It is also recognized for its stargazing.

You can see my truck in the parking lot across the rim in the below pic.

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