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re: a national parks thread
Posted on 2/2/26 at 5:57 am to iwantacooler
Posted on 2/2/26 at 5:57 am to iwantacooler
June and July are dangerously hot. I think the lodge closes for renovations in May
From the website:
Pardon Our Dust
Thanks to funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, work on two large construction projects in the Chisos Basin is scheduled to begin May 1, 2026 and continue for approximately two years. As work begins, the Chisos Basin area will be closed to visitor entry. This includes the Basin Road, lodging units, Basin Campground, restaurant, NPS visitor center, camper store, and surrounding trail access. This work will ONLY affect the Chisos Basin area of Big Bend National Park. As major components are completed, park managers will assess which areas can be safely reopened to regular public access.
Stay tuned as construction contracts are finalized and work timelines are set.
From the website:
Pardon Our Dust
Thanks to funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, work on two large construction projects in the Chisos Basin is scheduled to begin May 1, 2026 and continue for approximately two years. As work begins, the Chisos Basin area will be closed to visitor entry. This includes the Basin Road, lodging units, Basin Campground, restaurant, NPS visitor center, camper store, and surrounding trail access. This work will ONLY affect the Chisos Basin area of Big Bend National Park. As major components are completed, park managers will assess which areas can be safely reopened to regular public access.
Stay tuned as construction contracts are finalized and work timelines are set.
1
Posted on 2/2/26 at 6:30 am to ecb
The contract has not been awarded. The May 2026 date will be pushed back again. I heard they were having problems getting bidders due to the logistics of the project. One major problem is labor and lodging.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 10:56 am to cgrand
Keep a running total. Not just National Parks, but counting all of my National Park Service units visited (which includes national monuments like Mt. Rushmore, National Seashores, National Historical Parks, National Military Parks, National Recreation Areas, etc.), they total up to 61.
In terms of just National Parks alone, I've been to 19:
• Denali National Park and Preserve, AK
• Kenai Fjords National Park, AK
• Hot Springs National Park, AR
• Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
• Yosemite National Park, CA
• Mammoth Cave National Park, KY
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
• Badlands National Park, SD
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN / NC
• Big Bend National Park, TX
• Zion National Park, UT
• Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
• Capitol Reef National Park, UT
• Canyonlands National Park, UT
• Arches National Park, UT
• Mount Rainier National Park, WA
• Yellowstone National Park, WY
• Grand Teton National Park, WY
• Gateway Arch National Park, MO
In terms of just National Parks alone, I've been to 19:
• Denali National Park and Preserve, AK
• Kenai Fjords National Park, AK
• Hot Springs National Park, AR
• Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
• Yosemite National Park, CA
• Mammoth Cave National Park, KY
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
• Badlands National Park, SD
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN / NC
• Big Bend National Park, TX
• Zion National Park, UT
• Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
• Capitol Reef National Park, UT
• Canyonlands National Park, UT
• Arches National Park, UT
• Mount Rainier National Park, WA
• Yellowstone National Park, WY
• Grand Teton National Park, WY
• Gateway Arch National Park, MO
This post was edited on 2/23/26 at 10:10 am
Posted on 2/2/26 at 8:14 pm to BRich
Didn't see Death Valley on anyone's list. Its so bizarre and totally worth going especially if you're a hiking and can score permits to summit Mt. Whitney while in the area.
Posted on 2/2/26 at 9:42 pm to ks_nola
quote:
Didn't see Death Valley on anyone's list
I was there last June. 115 degrees at 10:00am at Badwater.
Posted on 2/6/26 at 11:48 am to Snoop Dawg
Badwater finisher. Was 119 at 9pm for 2022 race start. I crewed last year and it didn’t seem as hot.
The park and surrounding area is oddly spectacular.
The park and surrounding area is oddly spectacular.
Posted on 2/18/26 at 6:11 pm to cgrand
quote:we did these two cave tours today at Mammoth Cave National Park. First time visit, quick review
Drips and Domes tour - Mammoth Cave Historic tour - Mammoth CaveP right on, I’ll be doing those in three weeks
Park is in the middle of very rural KY but surprisingly I65 runs right next to it so easy to get to. The little towns on the south side of the park are pretty grim, so if you need supplies etc stop in Glasgow. We stayed in a very nice cabin 15 mins from the visitor center outside park city.
I was thinking we’d have the tours to ourselves since the area around the park was so dead, and it was a Tuesday in February and chilly/rainy/dreary…both tours were completely full about 90 ppl each. So definitely book well in advance. The two tours we did are incredible and should not be missed I’ve never seen anything like this…mammoth cave needs to be seen to be believed.
They aren’t doing the adventure tours in the winter but if we ever come back we are definitely doing a couple of those. The visitor center and lodge buildings both look brand new and there are also cabins and what looked to be a nice campground both right there. We gotta get going to Nashville tomorrow but another day here would be nice there are tons of trails and other stuff to see. Everyone we talked to said the place is pretty up for grabs during the summer so take that into account
Posted on 2/18/26 at 7:51 pm to ks_nola
Death Valley may be the most dynamic one I have been to. March is a great time to hike it but viewing the Milky Way isn't the best. Yosemite is my favorite since it was the first one I ever went to
Posted on 2/21/26 at 7:50 pm to jmarto1
I want to go to Death Valley and Dry Tortugas in the Winter. Zion is next on the list though.
A loose ranking of my Parks - only my opinion. Have probably been to a few others that I forgot. But all of these were awesome:
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Grand Canyon
Bryce Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Smoky
Redwood
Rocky Mountain
Mount Rainier
Everglades
Carlsbad Caverns
Mammoth Cave
White Sands
Shenandoah
Indiana Dunes
Petrified Forest
Painted Desert
A loose ranking of my Parks - only my opinion. Have probably been to a few others that I forgot. But all of these were awesome:
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Grand Canyon
Bryce Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Smoky
Redwood
Rocky Mountain
Mount Rainier
Everglades
Carlsbad Caverns
Mammoth Cave
White Sands
Shenandoah
Indiana Dunes
Petrified Forest
Painted Desert
Posted on 2/22/26 at 9:22 pm to cgrand
Love this thread. I recently watched the Ken Burns park series and have a desire to hit more. Wife isn’t a hiker so we will do low key things like drive. We did Crater Lake and loved what we could drive to in the park.
Posted on 2/23/26 at 9:58 am to cgrand
If we are limiting this to true National Parks, my list is kinda short:
Badlands
Bryce Canyon
Everglades
Gateway Arch
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Smoky Mountains
Mammoth Cave
Petrified Forest
Rocky Mountain
Yellowstone
Favorites are hard to pick, but probably Bryce, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Smokies.
Best memories are walking the rim trail at Bryce and first seeing the Grand Canyon framed by the limbs of two pines behind the visitor center.
If you add in all of the places administered by the park service that list grows immensely - multiple national battlefields, national historic sites, etc
Badlands
Bryce Canyon
Everglades
Gateway Arch
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Smoky Mountains
Mammoth Cave
Petrified Forest
Rocky Mountain
Yellowstone
Favorites are hard to pick, but probably Bryce, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Smokies.
Best memories are walking the rim trail at Bryce and first seeing the Grand Canyon framed by the limbs of two pines behind the visitor center.
If you add in all of the places administered by the park service that list grows immensely - multiple national battlefields, national historic sites, etc
Posted on 2/23/26 at 12:43 pm to Snoop Dawg
quote:I think Im up to 21 NP and I kinda treat Hawaii as separate because it's so different.
I visited Haleakala last week.
If I had to pick one today, Yosemite is the one that stands out at the top followed by Glacier.
I have Big Bend and Crater Lake on the list for now......
This post was edited on 2/23/26 at 12:44 pm
Posted on 2/23/26 at 12:58 pm to cgrand
quote:
how many have you visited?
Great Smoky Mountains (4)
Grand Teton (3)
Yellowstone (3)
Mount Rainier
Olympic
Death Valley
Zion
Glacier
Rocky Mountain
Grand Canyon
Hot Springs
quote:
which are your favorites?
Grand Teton
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Glacier
Olympic
quote:
what parks are next on your list?
Katmai
Denali
Kenai Fjords
North Cascades
Acadia
Badlands
Teddy Roosevelt
Banff
Jasper
Sequoia
Kings Canyon
Posted on 2/23/26 at 4:57 pm to cgrand
quote:
how many have you visited?
20
quote:
which are your favorites?
Grand Canyon (North Rim)
Glacier (Two Medicine)
Yellowstone (Lamar Valley)
quote:
what has been your favorite hike or activity?
Angels Landing - Zion
Buffalo watching in Lamar Valley - Yellowstone
Mount LeConte (full hike) - Great Smoky Mountain
Highline Trail - Glacier
Santa Elana Canyon - Big Bend
quote:
what parks are next on your list?
Yosemite, Olympic, North Cascades
quote:
what's the park you've visited that most people haven't?
Technically the least visited of my 20 is Virgin Islands NP. On the mainland it's Black Canyon.
Posted on 2/25/26 at 6:19 pm to cgrand
After going through that list - I've been to 76.
My favorite is Denali followed by Glacier for the lower 48. Other favorites - Capitol Reef, Cumberland Island, Dry Tortugas, Big Bend.
Favorite hike - Iceberg Lake at Glacier (Garden Wall too). Too many to list at Rocky Mountain NP (hundreds of days there). Activity - taking the boat into Kenai Fjords. Camping at Cumberland Island and the Dry Tortugas.
Next on the list - Isle Royal.
Parks visited that most others haven't - Gates of the Arctic, Cumberland Island, Dry Tortugas, Capitol Reef, Theodore Roosevelt. (I HATE crowds and love parks with very few people.)
Best thing I ever did was buy a VW camper and spend 2 summers with the wife on the road to Alaska one summer and out west for another summer. The US is the best place in the world to live on the road.
My favorite is Denali followed by Glacier for the lower 48. Other favorites - Capitol Reef, Cumberland Island, Dry Tortugas, Big Bend.
Favorite hike - Iceberg Lake at Glacier (Garden Wall too). Too many to list at Rocky Mountain NP (hundreds of days there). Activity - taking the boat into Kenai Fjords. Camping at Cumberland Island and the Dry Tortugas.
Next on the list - Isle Royal.
Parks visited that most others haven't - Gates of the Arctic, Cumberland Island, Dry Tortugas, Capitol Reef, Theodore Roosevelt. (I HATE crowds and love parks with very few people.)
Best thing I ever did was buy a VW camper and spend 2 summers with the wife on the road to Alaska one summer and out west for another summer. The US is the best place in the world to live on the road.
Posted on 2/25/26 at 6:46 pm to cgrand
I lost count. Most of the big ones.
Yellowstone, the ones in Utah. Rockies, smokes.
Not sure on the total though
Yellowstone, the ones in Utah. Rockies, smokes.
Not sure on the total though
Posted on 2/25/26 at 11:08 pm to cgrand
I had one of those park stamp books.
I think I've been to every civil war site between North Carolina and Vermont.
My favorite bit was, as a kid, was when I realized how much terrain matters in battle.
Mammoth Cave was awesome, Nothing takes the cake of waking up in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and looking out to the west towards the "smoke" though. Free Bird automatically plays when you watch it.
I think I've been to every civil war site between North Carolina and Vermont.
My favorite bit was, as a kid, was when I realized how much terrain matters in battle.
Mammoth Cave was awesome, Nothing takes the cake of waking up in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and looking out to the west towards the "smoke" though. Free Bird automatically plays when you watch it.
Posted on 2/26/26 at 11:52 am to cgrand
23 apparently. If you google National Park Checklist there's a handy website.
-Glacier is the most stunning (x2)
-Arches and The Needles (Canyonland) x2 Have the coolest energy
-The beehive hike in Acadia is the most fun hike
-Scrambling with my boys in Joshua Tree is the most choose-your-own-adventure fun
-Glacier is the most stunning (x2)
-Arches and The Needles (Canyonland) x2 Have the coolest energy
-The beehive hike in Acadia is the most fun hike
-Scrambling with my boys in Joshua Tree is the most choose-your-own-adventure fun
Posted on 2/26/26 at 1:27 pm to RaginCajunz
cool site! 
Posted on 2/28/26 at 11:35 am to cgrand
I think we have hit 13, all of Utah, Most of Colorado, all of Wyoming. I have loved them all and want to hit Glacier and a number on the west coast, plus Alaska. Perhaps one day... We have found the Guide Along App to be a great tool to learn about the parks and the surrounding areas while driving. Great way to learn and pass the time.
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