National Parks host final free weekend of the summer

by Kraig Becker on

As we’ve mentioned a couple of times this summer, the National Park Service has designated several weekends as “fee free”, meaning we can get into any and all national parks and monuments without paying the usual entry fees. This weekend, August 15-16, is the final free weekend of the summer, and your last chance to take advantage of the government’s generosity.

There are a number of amazing parks spread throughout the U.S. and I’ve recommended five of them here and five more here. When writing those lists, I was looking at parks that were a bit off the beaten path, and less crowded in the summer months, when travelers flock to the top parks, resulting in traffic jams and less than ideal conditions. But as the dog days of summer begin to fade, it may be time to visit one of the more iconic parks. Here are five of the best.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho
Perhaps the most famous and popular of all the national parks, Yellowstone is home to Old Faithful, the geyser that erupts at regular intervals of roughly 90 minutes or so. Yellowstone offers travelers plenty to do year round, with hiking, fishing, camping, and much more. There is spectacular wildlife to be seen as well, including elk, moose, bear, and wolves. But be warned, this popular park can get crowded quickly, and it can definitely impact your experience there.

The Great Smokey Mountain National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina
The most visited of all the national parks, Great Smokey Mountain offers up access to the mountain range that is gives it its name, thanks to more than 800 miles of hiking trails and remote backcountry campsites.There are an estimated 1500 bears living within the park, along with plenty of deer and elk as well, and the plant life is equally diverse, with more than 1660 different kinds of wildflowers alone. The park is celebrating its 75 anniversary this year, with plenty of activities and attractions for everyone that visits.


Glacier National Park, Montana
For sheer beauty, it is difficult to beat Glacier National Park, which has 700 miles of hiking trails that wander through the snow capped Rocky Mountains and past crystal clear lakes. But the major attraction is the Going-to-the-Sun Road, which is 53 miles in length and takes visitors right through the heart of the park’s amazing wilderness, crossing the Continental Divide at Logan’s Pass along the way. But the road is only open from June through October, so go before it is closed for the winter.

Acadia National Park, Maine
Some of the best wilderness found on the East Coast falls within Acadia National Park, the oldest park east of the Mississippi River. Acadia offers adventures both in the mountains and on the sea, with plenty of hiking and biking trails through the wilderness and along the coastline. Campsites on Mount Desert Island are just minutes from the ocean, while Mount Penobscot offers a challenging and scenic climb. Visitors to Acadia truly do get amazing experiences from sea to summit.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
At more than a mile deep and 18 miles across, the Grand Canyon is as awe inspiring as any landscape on the planet, and no list of top parks in the U.S. would be complete without it. The hike down into the canyon and back is tough, but rewarding, and for many it is an experience of a lifetime. And if you want to visit the North Rim, which is more remote than the typical tourist trails, you’ll want to visit in the summer months, before the snows move in and close the road for the season. The Grand Canyon is the quintessential national park and a must see for anyone.

Honorable Mentions: Denali National Park, Alaksa, Yosemite National Park, California, and Big Bend National Park, Texas.

Enjoy the final free weekend of the summer!

New geyeser erupts in Russia

by Kraig Becker on

Geysers are a relatively rare geological event. They are the result of some specific conditions that only occur in a few places on Earth, which results when a water source meets rocks that are heated by volcanic magma that is close to the Earth’s surface. There are roughly a thousand known geysers across the planet, and about half of those are found in Yellowstone National Park in the United States, including the most famous geyser of all, Old Faithful.

The number of known geysers has recently increased by one however, when a new one erupted for the first time on Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula. According to National Geographic, the new geyser has been named “Prikolny,” which means “Peculiar” in Russian. Reportedly, a surprised observer of the geyser’s first burst shouted out the word when the hot water and steam shot from the ground, and the name has stuck.

According to the story, Peculiar is unique in more ways than one, as it appears that the geyser is also eco-friendly. The geyser shoots water five meters into the air on intervals varying between six and twenty minutes, but when that water falls back to the ground, it is collected once again and recycled to be used for the next eruption.

This new geyser is located in Kronotsky Nature Reserve, not far from the region known as the Valley of the Geysers, which was once a very active geyser field before a landslide covered most of the area back in 2007. The appearnce of Peculiar marks the first new known geyser in the area since the 1960’s.

Visit Yellowstone this summer minus the crowds

by Jamie Rhein on

According to tourism officials, advance bookings at Yellowstone National Park are down 13% this year which means that this summer would be a great time to put gas into a vehicle and head west. Gas prices are half of what they were last year and lodging is not particularly expensive anyway. With less crowds waiting for Old Faithful or the other geysers to do their shows or seeking out wildlife along the park’s miles and miles of roads, a vacation to Wyoming and Montana sounds more relaxing than ever.

When we went to Yellowstone six years ago, I don’t remember having to fight off that many crowds or search forever for a parking lot, although we made reservations to stay at the Rough Rider cabins in February even though our trip wasn’t until July. We weren’t able to get spots on the horseback ride that included a steak dinner, but my daughter and I were able to snag a two-hour trail ride for the day we were leaving. The day we hiked on a trail leading from the back of the Roosevelt Lodge, we only saw a couple other hikers.

With the numbers being down, I imagine that taking advantage of Yellowstone’s beauty will be easier than ever, and probably cheaper as various tourist spots vie for your dollars. [Jackson Hole Daily]

Roads in Yellowstone National Park are beginning to open to car travel

by Jamie Rhein on

This winter has dumped several feet of snow on Yellowstone National Park’s roads. Getting them cleared for tourists is an undertaking that is not yet done. In the winter, snowmobiling takes over, but in March, the plows start getting the roads ready for car traffic.

If you think you might want to head to Yellowstone to check out the spring flowers and the thaw, find out which roads are open. Supposedly, Mammoth to Norris Junction to Madison Junction to Old Faithful; Madison Junction to West Entrance; and Norris Junction to Canyon are already open according to Yellowstone.net.

These are the road opening dates for others if all goes well. I would call the park office to make sure the section you want to see is one you can get to.

May 2, 2008: Canyon to Lake; Lake to East Entrance.

May 9, 2008: Tower to Tower Fall; Lake to West Thumb; West Thumb to Old Faithful; South to Old Faithful.

May 23, 2008: Tower Fall to Canyon via Dunraven Pass; Long Lake Gate to Red Lodge via Beartooth Pass.

Photo of the Day (8/22/07)

by Jamie Rhein on

Ywlstonegirl’s shot of Castle Geyser in Yellowstone National Park reminds me of the Glass Eye Studio globes that I saw the day before yesterday at the Ohio Craft Museum. But, the difference is, instead of looking into the marble from the outside, the angle here gives the impression of being pulled towards the center of the scene. I missed this geyer when we went to Yellowstone two years ago. Maybe the timing was off. It only errupts every 10 to 12 hours. We did see Old Faithful do her thing. I have to say, as touristy as it is to do the thing that everybody else does, it’s worth hanging around to see that geyser shoot up to 8,400 gallons of water into the air. (Old Faithful does a show every 65 to 91 minutes.)

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, head to the Gadling Flickr site and post it.***