Today is the Day!

Don't forget to tune in to your local PBS station and watch Ken Burns' "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"!

We would be watching, but we'll be camping outside of Bryce Canyon, recovering from an exciting day of hiking in Zion!

For more information follow this link:
http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/

Enjoy!

Glacier National Park

1 Day until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Glacier National Park is one of our new favorite places. It is called the Crown of the Continent for a reason. No matter where you hike in the park, you'll see stunning views of high alpine lakes, towering mountain peaks or "Horns", meadows filled with wildflowers and of course lots of wild life, like marmots, big horn sheep, mountain goats, and maybe even a grizzly!

Hovenweep National Monument

2 Days until "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Situated on the border of Utah and Colorado, Hovenweep is home to unique ruins and cliff dwellings. Hike around Little Ruin Canyon for great views of many ruins like Square Tower. Nearly 500 people lived in the area at one time, departing sometime after 1300AD. Keep watch for beautiful collared lizards which like to hang out in the ruins!

Mojave National Preserve

3 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Joshua trees, cholla, prickly pear and barrel cactus carpet this beautiful and diverse park. It is also home to the Kelso Sand Dunes, the third highest sand dunes in North America at about 600ft. These dunes actually hum, when the humidity is just right. We also love to visit Hole in the Wall and Banshee canyon for a short but interesting hike featuring changes and rings, unique rock formation created by gas pockets after a volcanic eruption, and petroglyphs!

Olympic National Park

4 Days until "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Olympic National Park is home to several unique ecosystems. You'll find beaches with great tide pooling, mountain meadows full of wild flowers and wildlife, pristine alpine lakes, and most unique of all are the rain forests.

Mt St Helen Volcano National Monument

5 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"
Mt St Helen is a reminder of the awesome power of Mother Nature. On May 18th, 1980 Mt St Helen lost over 1000 feet of its height in an eruption that blew down over 230 square miles of forest in less than five minutes. The blast and the resulting mudslides forever changed the area even creating new ecosystems including 2 new lakes. We recommend hiking around Coldwater Lake to discover the rebirth of the area, including a great display of wild flowers in July!

Mount Rainier National Park

6 Days until "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Mount Rainier rises14,410 above sea level. But it is more than just a mountain. This giant is actually an active volcano with its last eruption occurring 150 years ago. It has 25 glaciers and many beautiful alpine meadows carpeted with alpine flowers. You'll hundreds of miles of hiking trails here, including the Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile trail that circles the mountain.