These are natural wonders, not US national parks

Yellowstone, the 50th National Park System, and its Environmental Impact on the Interior of the US Fish & Wildlife Service (Extended Abstract)

“National parks are the best idea we have ever had,” said American writer and environmentalist Wallace Stegner. The park system became popular, like many great inventions.

• The granddaddy of national parks (and arguably the most famous), Yellowstone ranks only 25th in most visits of all NPS sites. It’s edged out by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which was dedicated in 1997 in Washington, DC. Yellowstone is No. 7 among the 63 headliner national parks for 2022.

Popular parks such as Yosemite and Zion had to impose reservation systems for just entering during the busy summer months. Motorists are stuck in traffic as they slow down to see bison and other wildlife. It’s harder to get a campsite at a high season park than it is in Las Vegas.

While some alternative parks are overburdened by the same issues as the more popular national parks, many others give you a chance to get away from it all on your own.

National Wildlife Refuges: The US Fish & Wildlife Service manages more than 560 land and water parcels that protect many iconic American species and provide incredible wildlife viewing.

Since President Benjamin Harrison created the first federal forest reserve in 1891, the system has grown to include 439 wilderness areas, 122 wild and scenic rivers, nine monuments and more.

The Lost Coast and St. Marks Wilderness: a road trip through Utah’s Big BLM park and the Sinkyone State Park and US Highway 89

Fewer than a million people a year visit Utah’s big BLM park, and most of those don’t stray far from State Highway 12 along the monument’s northern edge or US Highway 89 in the south.

The park takes its name from the Grand Staircase plateaus that descend like giant stone steps across southern Utah and the sinuous Escalante Canyons carved by streams flowing into the Colorado River watershed.

Best known for hiking, mountain biking and canyoneering, the park also boasts hundreds of Native American archaeological sites, copious dinosaur digs and an astounding 660 species of wild bee.

Book an RV hookup, cabin or Airstream trailer at hipster hangout Yonder Escalante and embark on day trips to Devil’s Garden, Calf Creek Trail or Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon that are easily reached by road.

The Lost Coast is 40 miles from Mattole Beach to Shelter Cove, and it’s the nation’s longest underdeveloped shoreline.

A vision of what Big Sur would be like if Highway 1 had never existed, the coast and its pristine backcountry are protected within the confines of Sinkyone Wilderness State Park and the BLM’s King Range National Conservation Area

There are a lot of animals in this area, from elephant seals and bald eagles to black bears and some of California’s last wild salmon streams.

Established in 1931 and one of the nation’s oldest federal wildlife refuges, St. Marks harbors a range of wild things from alligators, manatees and dolphins to bobcats, black bears, white-tailed deer and hundreds of bird species including the bald eagle and whooping crane.

Venture to the reserve by car from a room at the Sweet Magnolia Inn , a bed and breakfast in a vintage building that previously served as a general store, brothel, church and St. Marks City Hall.

It’s easy to get around the Florida National Scenic Trail with seven campsites in St. Marks.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/us-national-park-alternatives/index.html

The Alaskan wilderness: Wood-Tikchik, Baxter State Park and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway

Maine’s sparsely inhabited North Woods offers a wild and rugged escape for more than 25 million people living in New England and eastern Canada. More water and woods are found in the region than any other part of the world.

Baxter State Park and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway are the region’s premier parks. The two state reserve deliver on getting away from it all with only 65,000 visitors a year.

Baxter boasts Maine’s highest peak, 5,269-foot (1,606 meters) Mount Katahdin, and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, while Allagash provides a 92-mile (148-kilometer) corridor of wild rivers and lakes that Henry David Thoreau extolled in an 1864 travel story about his own paddle through the North Woods.

With towering snowcapped peaks and a dozen large glacial lakes, pristine forest and tundra, plus grizzly bears, moose, caribou and other iconic Alaskan wildlife, Wood-Tikchik would probably be a national park if it was in any other state.

Some parts of the reserve can be accessed via road, while others require good hiking boots and a backpack. The largest federal wilderness area outside of Alaska, the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness spreads across 2.3 million acres of secluded woods, water and snowcapped peaks.

With only two ranger stations and five remote fishing lodges scattered across the park, anyone who ventures on their own into Wood-Tikchik should be self-sufficient and experienced at wilderness survival.

The cliffs are named after the iron oxide and magnesium they are caused by, which is located in the red sandstone.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/us-national-park-alternatives/index.html

N Pali, the United States’s newest national monument and the Rocky Mountains’ most dramatic landscape is the “Jurassic Park”

There’s a lottery system for access to the “Wave” rock formation, because it’s so popular. But the rest of the national monument is largely devoid of online influencers and selfie snappers.

Tucked amongst the cliffs are dramatic gorges such as Paria Canyon as well as other fantastic rock formations including Toadstool Hoodoos, White Pocket and the Alcove.

Mount St. Helens was a beautiful peak until May 18, 1980, when the volcano blew it’s top in an eruption that released 24 megatons of thermal energy.

The Forest Service’s national monument was created by the eruption of Spirit Lake, which made a huge crater, left a large expanse of debris, and killed hundreds of trees. Hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and exploring the Ape Cave lava tube are the park’s main activities.

Just passing through, you can take Highway 504 or Highway 99 and see the crater of the lake as well as the Eruption Trail.

The nation’s newest national monument — created by presidential decree on October 12, 2022 — features an awesome expanse of Colorado’s high country that combines outdoor recreation, military history and magnificent Rocky Mountain scenery.

The Continental Divide Trail is located in the park, as is Camp Hale, where the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division trained during World War II. Some of those soldiers would fuel American snow sports and create more than 60 ski resorts after the war.

There’s a reason why the opening scene of the original “Jurassic Park” was filmed on the N Pali Coast — the north shore of Kauai Island really does look (and feel) primeval.

The cliffs of N Pali are crowned by thick tropical vegetation. Just beyond the coast is Waimea Canyon , a 3,000-foot-deep (914 meters) gorge often called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” To explore the region you need a boat and a foot.

Although there are many rare plant and bird species in N Pali and the nearby forest reserves, there are no dinosaurs in the area.

Another area that surely deserves national park status, Idaho’s Salmon River and Sawtooth Mountains are among the most spectacular ranges of the Rocky Mountains. Until that happens, the remote region and its epic wild rivers are sheltered by several national forests including Salmon-Challis.

The Most Visited US National Park Sites 202022: A Top 10 List From CNN Monthly Ticket Production in the 1990s and 2000s

CNN launched a monthly ticket series called Monthly Ticket that spotlights some of the most fascinating topics in the travel world. We will be going to the great outdoors in March.

The 424 sites administered by the US National Park Service recovered from the flu last year, and a perennial favorite came in as the most visited site for the next four years.

In the statement, the National Park Service Director said they were excited to see their efforts to increasevisitors in parks during the off-season pay off.

Just two sites – one a long, scenic parkway in the East and the other a recreational area in a populous West Coast metro – accounted for around 10% of all visits to all sites. The numbers are rounded for the top 10.

If you are not fond of crowds and parking lots, it is important that you consider where to go when you are pondering where to go. Click here for the full rankings from the majority of visits.

Some 38% of people go to recreational parks. Another 32% go to cultural and historical parks. And finally, 30% of folks go to nature parks, according to the NPS.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/most-visited-us-national-park-sites-2022/index.html

Unlocking the World: A Tale of Two Planets in the Pacific: The Last Few Visited National Parks of American Samoa in 2022

CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter is Unlocking the World. The latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay are some of the things that can be found in this section.

The National Park of American Samoa in the South Pacific is the only National Park Service site south of the equator. According to the National Park Service, it only had 1,887 visits in the year that ended in 2022, a decrease of 34%.

Stretching across more than 4 million acres, this national park and preserve is home to three designated Wild Rivers and two National Natural Landmark volcanoes. The land has a long and rich history of humans and is home to the ancestral homeland of the Dena’ina people.

“In keeping with the meaning of the word Samoa – ‘sacred earth’ – the park helps protect fa’asamoa – the customs, beliefs, and traditions of the 3,000-year-old Samoan culture,” the park’s website says.

But while they may be sparsely visited compared with other parks, several of them saw substantial jumps in visitor numbers last year, with increases of 30% to 50% over 2021.

And one Alaska park that was among the least visited in 2021 – Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve – has catapulted out of the list with a 500% increase in visitors, thanks to a more robust return of cruises.

With more and more travelers going out for the busy summer and spring seasons, the less-visited national parks have a lot to offer.

Most parkgoers in a remote part of the South Pacific will need a passport. Hawaiian Airlines offers direct flights to American Samoa twice a week from Honolulu. The first cruise ship in three years arrived in January after the Covid-19 travel requirements were relaxed last year.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/least-visited-us-national-parks-2022/index.html

Isle Royale: The Least-Visited Us-National Parks 2022 – An Outdoor Experience in an Unexplored Wildland

With no roads, no trails, no cell service and no established campsites, this massive expanse is a true wilderness experience. There are six designated wild rivers in the park.

The park is home to over 8 million acres of natural beauty. Visitors must be self-sufficient, flexible and “able to execute self-extraction and communication, should an emergency situation arise.” Arrive prepared.

There are no campgrounds or entrance gates for the 1.8 million acres of land. According to the National Park Service, there are over a million caribou moving through this park. There is a tradition of hunting in this area for thousands of years.

Isle Royale is an archipelago in Lake Superior with 165 miles of trails. It’s open from mid-April through the end of October. Ferry and seaplane service typically runs from mid-May through the end of September, according to NPS.

The number of mammals on the mainland is 18 more than here because animals have to cross at least 14 miles of Lake Superior. Notable animals include wolves and moose.

Peaks crowned by more than 300 glaciers tower over this alpine landscape. A large amount of plants have been discovered on the land that spans a rainforest to a pine forest. There are close to 400 miles of trails.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/least-visited-us-national-parks-2022/index.html

The US National Parks 2022: The Smallest Visited Area of the Natural History of the Big Bay Area, as Described by the Park Service

Katmai is an important habitat for thousands of brown bears. According to the Park Service, there are an estimated 2,200 brown bears in the area. Brooks Camp along the Brooks River is one of the most popular viewing spots to observe bears feasting on salmon.

The Park Service says Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in America with more than 13 million acres. Most of the park is open to the public. There are some maintained trails in the frontcountry Nabesna and McCarthy areas.

Dry Tortugas is mostly open water with seven small islands, it is west of Key West. One of the nation’s largest forts is located in Garden Key. The park is accessible by boat or plane and is host to nearly 300 species of birds. Bush Key closes from February to September to allow sooty terns to breed.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/least-visited-us-national-parks-2022/index.html

Little-visited US National Parks-2022: A World Heritage Site of Water, Islands and Horizons in the Great Basin National Park

Hot desert valleys meet mountain peaks. There are 40 caves, and a wide array of plants and animals in Great Basin National Park. hiking trails for all levels can be found at the elevation of 5,000 to 13,000 feet.

The park depends on floodwaters from the Congaree and Wateree rivers to cover its upland pine and bottomland hardwood forests. Kayaks and canoes are popular ways to explore the park. There is a canoe trail.

This park boasts the four highest peaks in Texas and the world’s most extensive Permian fossil reef. The Salt Basin Dunes are a hike that rises 100 feet from the desert floor.

A park of “water, islands and horizons” covers 218,055 acres and 84,000 liters of water. It is the best place to go for boat trips in the park as there are more than 500 islands and four large lakes. Voyageurs shares its northern boundary with Canada, and lucky visitors may even see the northern lights.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/least-visited-us-national-parks-2022/index.html

Pinnacles National Park: A Natural Park with a Variety of Hiking Routes and Climbing Paths for Kids and Families

Pinnacles was formed when volcanoes erupted some 23 million years ago. Talus caves and towering rock spires draw hikers and climbers; there are more than 30 miles of hiking trails and hundreds of climbing routes.

While Pinnacles is not among the 15 least visited national parks, it is busy on weekends, holidays and throughout the spring. It’s a good idea to arrive early to beat the crowds.