So far on our journey Matt and I have been to Arches,
Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Sequoia National Parks. Here’s some things
that have surprised me about the parks-
You are pretty well left to explore the park as much as you
want without many restrictions. There are signs that say “Your safety is your
responsibility.” Beyond that, the rangers really don’t tell you that a specific
area of the park is dangerous and there are not tons of signs telling you not
to do things. In some of the Utah parks they had signs teling you to stay on
the trails because the desert soil is alive and if you walk on it you’d kill
it.
One park ranger told me they don’t like to have too many
signs telling people what to do because it would insult our intelligence.
What I was expecting was lots of roped off areas, rangers
watching you to make sure you follow rules, lots of signs telling you where
things are and how to act.
I feel like the National Parks we’ve been to so far really
allow you to enjoy the land and explore it as much as you can.
In Sequoia there were signs telling you to keep all food and
trash stored properly to keep the bears out of the campsites and from breaking
into your car for food. All parks ask that you not feed any animals in order to
keep them wild and non-dependant on humans to feed them.
Back in the 1920’s-1950’s part of the attraction of some of
the parks was that people were able to feed the animals (even bears!). This
caused animals to become really comfortable around people, then aggressive with
people that didn’t feed them, then those animals had to be killed to protect
the humans. People started to realize that while feeding a bear (or any other
animal such as chipmunks, deer and squirrels) was entertaining it was not in the
best interest of the animal so the park put a stop to that.
Some more things I’ve noticed-
All deer do not look alike. The deer I’ve seen at the
different parks most def look different from each other.
Going off the beaten path even just a little is usually so
worth it. It’s great to see the parks main attractions. After I’ve seen those,
I like to hike on different trails. There have been many hikes where we don’t
see another person for a few miles. That is both neat and a little scary when
you realize how alone you are in the woods.
Parks always have an orientation video at their visitor’s
center. I love watching these before exploring the park to get a better idea of
what to look for and expect from the park.
Campgrounds at National Parks- There’s usually one or two
that are reservable and the rest are first come first served. The reservable
campgrounds are usually the nicer campground. If you can get a reservation it’s
really worth it.
If not, it’s great that there are still campsites available for
those willing to get up early and go claim a site. In the more popular parks
(Zion, Giant Forest area in Sequoia, Arches) it can be tough to get a
non-reservable site. In less popular parks you can show up at 4 in the
afternoon and still get a spot no problem. We’ve found that looking for a first
come first served sight on Sunday-Wednesday in the morning is best. Trying to
get one over the weekend would be tougher because so many people camp on the
weekend.
The parks have really cute vintage post cards right now and
we’ve been collecting them as we go!
All the parks we’ve been to have night sky programs.
National Parks are great places to look at the stars!
Park Rangers put on programs such as evening talks or
informational hikes. Some park rangers are really good at their talks and you
can learn a lot from them.
Many parks are surrounded by National Forest. National
Forests are called “Land of Many Uses.” They have campgrounds but seem much
more rugged and wild.
I’m so glad that there has been so much land preserved for
us to enjoy. When I enter a National Park I get to see what my country looks
like without development. There are roads and a few buildings in the main areas
of the parks but that’s about it for development. It’s great to know that some
of the USA has been able to stay wild.
I agree with the slogan that National Parks are America’s
best idea! If we didn't have them then some of the beautiful wilderness would probably be gone by now. If it wasn't it may be on private property so that not as many people could enjoy it. How do you feel about National Parks? What surprises you about them?
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