Category: National Parks

NPS Honoring Veterans

NPS Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day in the United States. We honor and thank all military personnel and their families.

Many places are offering ways to honor the military. One of them is the US National Park Service. Many national parks have direct connections to the American military—dozens of battlefields, military parks, and historic sites commemorate and honor the service of American veterans.

The National Park Service invites all visitors to remember our veterans by visiting any National Park Service site for free on Veterans Day (November 11).

In addition, they offer a free Military Pass as a way to thank current US military members and their dependents, Gold Star Families, and US military veterans for their support of our country and to encourage them to explore recreational opportunities on their public lands and waters.

National Park Military Pass

For more information, visit the National Park Service Veterans Day page.

Feel free to contact me if you’d like to chat more about a national parks trip. We have been to over half of the major ones in the US so far and plan to get to all of them soon. We do a bunch on our 2023 cross-country road trip (posts coming soon). They’re all beautiful and unique. I encourage you to visit as many as you can.

© National Park Service

Survey: Daily Road Trip Posts?

Hot springs path

Quick question! Did you like the daily posts and emails from my Leaf Peeping Trip, or was that too much?

We have a three-week cross-country road trip to post about next. Would you want an update to this blog and your emails every day or just every few days?

A: Daily posts and emails.

B: Posts and emails every few days.

C: Update at the end of the 3 weeks.

Feel free to Reply to my email or in this post’s Comments.

Fall 2023 Leaf Peeping Trip – Part 3

Poconos lake

In today’s post, we cross the Delaware River into Pennsylvania and go searching for waterfalls and lakes amidst the Fall leaves.

If you’re on Instagram, Follow my channel @adventures_by_anne to see all the pics.

This is the last of our leaf peeping trips, but next, we’ll start on a 3-week cross-country road trip! Follow along!

Dingsmans Falls

Fall 2023 Leaf Peeping Trip – Part 2

Catskill Mountains

In today’s post, we drive through southeast New York and northern New Jersey, finding more Fall colors and walking in the steps of George Washington!

If you’re on Instagram, Follow my channel @adventures_by_anne to see all the pics.

Come back tomorrow as we cross the Delaware like George Washington and drive through the Poconos region in Pennsylvania for more scenic views.

Time For More Road Trips

Road trip

Phew, there’s been so much trip news lately! But now, it’s time to get back to more road trips!

We’ll be doing another cross-country road trip, a giant 3-week loop across the USA, visiting many National Parks and other exciting sites! Follow along!

Subscribe to my site to get my trip posts and emails.

adventuresbyanne.com

If you’re on Instagram, Follow my channel there to see all the pics.

https://instagram.com/adventures_by_anne

@adventures_by_anne

Instagram

Bring the road trip snacks!

Plan Your Visit

Canyonlands National Park

Even though my National Park Week series has ended, I will continuously go back and add pages for other parks that we’ve visited in the past and for new ones that we’ll visit soon. Keep an eye on my Park Visits page as the list grows.

Hopefully, this has inspired you to visit some of the amazing national park sites yourself. As you begin to research your trip, refer to the National Park Service Plan Your Visit site for lots of useful information. This can help you decide which parks to visit and learn the vital info for your trip.

One thing to consider if you’re planning to visit several parks in a 12 month timeframe is to get an annual pass. Some parks do not have an entrance fee, but the ones that do could range from $10 – $30 approximately per car to enter. Research the parks that you think you might visit and tally up any entrance fees to see if an annual pass would make sense for you. The pass costs $80 USD, so it can be a good deal if you visit multiple parks in a year that charge fees. There are also specific annual passes for military members, senior citizens, 4th graders, and folks with physical disabilities, some of which are free. Visit their Passes page for more details.

You can get some ideas for possible trips on their Trip Ideas page or use their Find a Park search to find a park by location. Also, see if any Events are occurring during your visit.

As always, feel free to contact me if you would like to chat about a national park trip or would like me to help you plan your trip. See you out there!

Valley Forge NP Chapel

National Park Week Day 7 – Bryce Canyon National Park

To cap off the National Park Week series, we’re going to one of my all-time favorite parks!

We fell in love with Bryce Canyon during a tour of Southwest National Parks about 25 years ago and have been back several times since. I still remember waking up early to catch the sunrise and staying late to watch the sunset, seeing the amazingly vivid orange-red colors as the sunlight shined against the vast hoodoo formations. We also did a hike down to the canyon floor and across the canyon, walking amongst those mesmerizing hoodoos. I remember looking up at them in amazement! That is still one of the most favorite things I’ve ever done.

Come join us at Bryce Canyon National Park!

National Park Week

National Park Week Day 6 – Gateway Arch National Park

To continue the National Park Week series, we’re going to a different type of park!

Gateway Arch National Park

Did you know that there are National Park Service properties that are not the typical rugged outdoor park? Tons of memorial and monument parks are also under the National Park Service umbrella, such as the Washington Monument and others on the National Mall in Washington DC. One monument that was elevated to national park status a few years ago was the previously named St Louis Arch, now officially called the Gateway Arch National Park.

Let’s learn about this “monumental” park, Gateway Arch National Park!

National Park Week

National Park Week Day 5 – Pinnacles National Park

To continue the National Park Week series, we’re going all the way over to the West Coast!

Pinnacles National Park

Today, I wanted to highlight Pinnacles National Park in western California because it is one of the newer national parks and may not be as well known as other California parks, such as Yosemite or Sequoia. We visited here several years ago as part of a Pacific Coast trip and spent an afternoon hiking in the park.

Let’s go hiking at Pinnacles National Park!

National Park Week

National Park Week Day 4 – Saguaro National Park

To continue the National Park Week series, we’re exploring another different landscape.

Last December, we visited Saguaro National Park in southeast Arizona as part of our cross-country trip. Saguaro is home to the huge saguaro cactus, the tall one with multiple arms that you typically think of when you hear about cacti in the American West. Well, there are tons of them clustered together here!

Come with us to the Sonora desert to visit Saguaro National Park!

National Park Week