|
Joose Caboose posted:Looking at going to Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef in early February (already been to Zion and Bryce). Anyone been to these at that time of year? I've been to those places a few times in early January, which on average should be similar to but slightly colder than early Feb. I'm gonna go again in a few weeks. Overall, it's my favorite time to go. As you say it's (much) less busy. Last year in the Canyonlands needles area we had the campsite basically all to ourselves and trailheads had only 0-2 other cars. In Capitol Reef, the main campsite in the park was pretty sparsely populated, and we had trails mostly to ourselves most of the time. For canyons and such outside of national parks, we would see like 0-1 person all day. Snow can make everything really pretty, although there can be road closure immediately during and following a storm. In general, things seem to get plowed very quickly. The lower angle sunlight is also very pretty, imo. If you plan on camping, night time temperatures can potentially get quite cold, so be prepared for that and properly equipped. We had a couple single digit (Fahrenheit) nights last January, but that's colder than average, and February should be warmer. As far as lodging goes, we've never had a problem yoloing it at the last minute day by day on an as- and where-needed basis during that time of year. We mostly just sleep in the car, though, so ymmv. Depending on where you go, don't expect a lot of shops, restaurants, etc. to be open, as a lot of tourist towns sort of shut down after New Year. Daytime temperatures are never terribly cold, and unlike most of the year never hot, which is great. Trails can be icy, so definitely have some microspikes or similar. Winter storms can temporarily close some roads or mountain passes, so having some flexibility in your plan is good. I've visited during some unusually severe weather and it's never been that hard to just drive somewhere with reasonable conditions and find something fun to do. But if you have a very rigid itinerary, a storm could potentially mess things up. The biggest, and imo only real issue during winter months is mud. There are a lot of places in Utah that are approached via dirt or 4x4 roads. The quality of those roads in winter can range from "fine with AWD and high clearance" to "fine in a proper 4x4" to "an ATV will sink past the axles into the mud". If your itinerary involves off-roading or trailheads at the end of dirt roads, be sure to read up on road conditions during winter. February could be worse than January in this regard--you're slightly more likely to get precipitation and it's less likely to remain frozen. On the other hand, warmer temps and more sun may mean it dries up faster, idk. In general, winter is not the best time for off-road vehicle based recreation, but for hiking most things are quite accessible. Anything accessible by paved road is no problem.
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2022 23:25
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 30, 2024 01:53 |
|
|
Going to Nashville for a wedding and want to stay longer. Any good national parks within an easy drive that people would recommend? I see Mammoth Cave but we’ve been to a few caves already.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2023 17:50
|
|
|
Mammoth Cave is pretty mammoth though.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2023 18:27
|
|
|
Mammoth Cave is really cool, you do need advance tickets however. The only other park down that way is the Lincoln birthplace, which isn't very interesting. I think there's a couple of Civil War battlefields if you go rather out of the way.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2023 18:46
|
|
|
Mammoth Cave is a good place to take kids. On my second trip there I was actually more impressed with the rest of the park. We spent a couple of nights camping in backcountry sites and had more encounters with coyotes and flying squirrels than anywhere else I've been. You're also close to Land Between the Lakes (national recreation area) where you can see bison and elk.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2023 18:57
|
|
|
I forgot I went to Lincoln Birthplace. It's not much more than a parking lot.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2023 20:45
|
|
|
Ha! https://www.nps.gov/places/symbolic-birth-cabin.htm Very historic-ish.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2023 21:09
|
|
|
Not a national park and maybe not at its best this time of year, but garden of the gods is a pleasant day trip. Maybe hunt around for a cypress tree grove if you've never seen them. Again, not the most spectacular in late winter but maybe still worth it because they're pretty neat trees. Southern tip of Illinois has a couple of them, I'm sure all the surrounding states do too.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2023 22:20
|
|
|
I mean if you're heading up into Kentucky then there's always The Bourbon Trail.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2023 23:09
|
|
|
Or just bourbon.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2023 00:17
|
|
|
Mammoth Cave is definitely a very neat park, I've been there a couple times and have always wanted to take a longer tour there. It's not quite as visibly spectacular as, say, Carlsbad Caverns, but it's still worth checking out imo—and, as mentioned, the above-ground sections are also very nice. Just south of Nashville you have the Natchez Trace, a 444-mile long scenic road that goes all the way to Mississippi. There's a bunch of historic sites and trails just off the trace, and in general it's a very pretty drive. I'd certainly recommend it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2023 06:14
|
|
|
https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2023/feb/08/loophole-allows-construction-private-home-along-mc Ahhhhhhhhhh this stuff makes me so angry.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2023 01:27
|
|
|
If there's two things rich people love, it's building on water and on top of hills.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2023 01:49
|
|
|
Mr. Crow posted:https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2023/feb/08/loophole-allows-construction-private-home-along-mc It’ll burn inside of five years and flood at least once before it does. Hope it was worth it.
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2023 05:31
|
|
|
Some people who support and enjoy public lands seem to be very "we must respect in-holdings" for some reason. How about we build a spite fence around them instead? Not really, but maybe we don't need to bend over backwards for them cuz their great great step uncle took a poo poo there
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2023 22:50
|
|
|
Epitope posted:Some people who support and enjoy public lands seem to be very "we must respect in-holdings" for some reason. How about we build a spite fence around them instead? Not really, but maybe we don't need to bend over backwards for them cuz their great great step uncle took a poo poo there The problem is that most of those in-holdings are owned by locals, and fighting them over comparatively small tracts of land usually isn't worth the time or energy by the park. Locals inherently have more of a stake in things than transitory employees, and they can and will fight for what they think is theirs.
|
|
#
?
Feb 11, 2023 00:34
|
|
|
Never noticed this thread before, I’m a seasonal NPS biological science tech on the east coast and heading back to the beach in a few weeks  It’ll be my 4th season keeping an eye on sea turtles and shorebirds (plus another term doing some of the same in Florida). The birds are angry and the turtles are judgy, but excavating a turtle nest and getting high-fives from the little buddies that are still down there is such a good feeling 
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2023 15:53
|
|
|
Mesa Verde questions, if people are familiar with it. I was planning roughly a trip around May 18th, or possibly a little later in June. The guided tours will started (just) by then. Car rental will be as much as air fare, if I rent one - so I was hoping to fly in, cab it to a motel, and the taxi service said it goes to the park. From there, I was hoping to hike and see things, but wondering if I really will need wheels there. I could do the trip for about $700 without, or $1000+ with. Trail maps show a lot of the trails right from the visitor center. Anyone know if tours are walkable from there, or is it a series of drives? I can hike a good distance (and will be) but it's a BIG park.
|
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2023 20:01
|
|
|
Arkhamina posted:Mesa Verde questions, if people are familiar with it. Only been there once, but from what I remember you'll definitely need the car to get around. The visitor center is actually below the mesa, and it's an hour drive to get to Cliff Palace from there.
|
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2023 20:51
|
|
|
Arkhamina posted:Mesa Verde questions, if people are familiar with it. Book the car. The tours are all down on the southern end of the park and they don’t provide transportation from the visitor center. It’ll be worth it though - we did Cliff Palace last year and it was awesome. With the car you’ll be able to see a lot of other sites as well.
|
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2023 22:11
|
|
|
Hah. A dumb thing I didn't think about. Here I am looking at a map going 'oh, looks pretty close!'. *Mesa* yeah, might be a bit of 'as the crow flies' there! So used to living in flat Midwest. Thanks for the advice. I grew up reading through a neighbor's hoard of old National Geographic magazines, and this place used to fascinate me as a kid. It's been on a bucket list since before people were using the term bucket list...
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2023 14:29
|
|
|
It's an awesome site for sure. I certainly wouldn't mind going back myself!
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2023 17:11
|
|
|
I would also recommend staying in the park if you can, depending on how many days you’re there. Just because the drive up onto the mesa takes a long time to do each day.
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2023 20:42
|
|
|
I went to Mesa Verde last year, unfortunately a bunch of the dwellings were closed for repairs so I didn't get to see them. Also remember to book reservations for the dwelling tours! You'll definitely want to stay in the park if possible and definitely need a car unfortunately... I don't think they have bus services like a lot of other parks are starting to do. Also, one thing that I saw but regret not doing is the Ute tribe owns the land on the other side of the park and they offer all-day tours of cliff dwellings on their land that isn't part of the park and isn't accessible to the public.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 16:22
|
|
|
Neat! How do they make the arrangements, then? Tribal company for tours? I'm currently at the point where I am juggling the merits of a less expensive, but maybe missing the mark trip, a more expensive, but later (Fall?) trip, or rain checking it for a future year, and just doing more hiking in Wisconsin. I've spent the last couple years fully supporting my sister, as she fights through the disability application process and it eats all my 'spare' income. It sucks being responsible, when I finally have a job that has both the income and time off for adventures. So many places to see, and Google helpfully pointed out that last month I didn't go 20 miles from my front door.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 18:44
|
|
|
Finding tribal guides can be a chore because they don't have the best internet presence. Generally what happens is you do a bunch of google searching, find a phone number, and call to figure out specifics and maybe make a reservation. So you're going to have to be willing to sit on the phone and ask around. I'll never talk anyone out of coming west to explore parks but Wisconsin (and the areas around it) has a lot of great hiking if you want to stay out that way. The Sylvania Wilderness, the NF surrounding Moquah Barrens and all the trails along the north shore in Minnesota are my favorites. Pretty much any Wisconsin State Natural Area is a lot of fun too because there's a couple hundred of them and all are super low population.. they make great day trips.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 19:10
|
|
|
Mr. Crow posted:https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2023/feb/08/loophole-allows-construction-private-home-along-mc What gets it first, beavers or floods?
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 19:20
|
|
|
Rick posted:What gets it first, beavers or floods? https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2023/apr/12/district-boa3d-issues-cease-and-desist-order-inhol/ County hopefully 
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 19:33
|
|
|
xzzy posted:Finding tribal guides can be a chore because they don't have the best internet presence. Generally what happens is you do a bunch of google searching, find a phone number, and call to figure out specifics and maybe make a reservation. So you're going to have to be willing to sit on the phone and ask around. For sure! I am slowly ticking off Ice Age Trail segments (which while not a National Park, is a National Trail!) With the aid of a stonkin map poster the Trail Alliance made:  It would be nice to see the Southwest again.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 22:45
|
|
|
My parents are flying out next weekend and they want to go to Joshua Tree. Its about a 2.5 hour drive from my house, so it's really just a day trip. We have been there before, but only had a few hours. Is there anything to see in that timeframe besides the main road/viewpoints? Hiking is limited because I have small children. Coachella is also next weekend. Is that a concern? I imagine we should avoid the south entrance.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2023 14:50
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:Hiking is limited because I have small children. Does limited mean zero? Hidden valley is nice, like 5 minutes to the gap, then half hour loop if you want
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2023 19:14
|
|
|
I actually visited Joshua Tree myself recently for the first time! I think my experience was somewhat atypical, though...   
|
|
#
?
Apr 18, 2023 20:42
|
|
|
One of these winters I'll make the 3hr drive out when it snows.
|
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2023 04:59
|
|
|
Mammoth Cave trip report: To see the cave you need to book a tour. In late April, not much need to book far ahead for any of the daily tours. Apparently very different in the summer which leads to a lot of disappointed people. We debated a lot over which tour to take. Ended up doing the Violet City lantern light tour. The whole thing is only lit by vintage lanterns and is intended to mimic the tours of a hundred years ago. It was very cool but three hours long and got to be a bit of a slog two thirds through. Lanterns honestly aren’t a very good light source and so you had to look down a lot to not trip. And they didn’t really illuminate the whole cave and the point of this cave is that the chambers are huge. Tour guide was really great though. Would have liked to go back another day for the more basic tour but alas, no time. Definitely worth going to, even if you’ve seen other caves since it’s a bit different. Not really any stalactites or stalagmites, just big rooms with fairly flat ceilings.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2023 13:44
|
|
|
Well I was gonna make a big post of all the parks I went to last year, but it turns out I may have gone to too many parks and I keep putting off finishing the post  So instead, I'll ask what parks are y'all planning on visiting this year? I know I'm gonna try and make it to Haleakala, Hawaii Volcanoes, and Mt. Rainier this year, and would certainly appreciate any advice for visiting those parks.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2023 06:47
|
|
|
Anyway, have some pictures from last year of some perfectly average-sized trees.           
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2023 07:18
|
|
|
We might take our 2yo to Joshua Tree later in the year. But we are definitely going to check out the tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument.
The Aardvark fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Jun 13, 2023 |
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2023 18:43
|
|
|
Acebuckeye13 posted:Well I was gonna make a big post of all the parks I went to last year, but it turns out I may have gone to too many parks and I keep putting off finishing the post I did Hawaii Volcanoes last year, and visiting at night is highly worth it. I arrived pre-dawn, and was thinking, "boy this parking lot is really foggy." I had parked next to a steam vent. I'm thinking about doing Death Valley and Grand Canyon with my parents. I've been to both but had bad weather in GC, so I'd like to see it again.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2023 19:04
|
|
|
I got to visit Volcanoes a day last year and that wasn't nearly enough time. The active volcano is obviously a big draw but the rain forest and lava flow exploration ended up being my hilights. Gotta go back. Great Sand Dunes and RMNP are now local to me so I'm really looking forward to exploring the heck out of them. We already did RMNP twice before the summer reservation system kicked in and loved it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2023 19:09
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 30, 2024 01:53 |
|
|
We enjoyed the hike across the Kīlauea Iki crater although it’s a longer hike than the mileage would suggest and bring more water than you would think. https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/hike_day_kilaueaiki.htm
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2023 19:39
|
|