Hot Springs National Park is extremely unique. It was the smallest National Park at 5,500 acres, until the St Louis Arch was upgraded to Gateway Arch National Park a couple months ago. These two are pretty similar in their qualities that make them unique from other Parks; small, nestled in the middle of an urban area, and not what comes to mind when you think “National Park.” Normally I love parks for having lots of great hiking and…
I’ve started to see why people visit Florida for spring break, and why snowbirds GTFO of Florida in the summer…. it’s only early May and I don’t know if I’ve ever sweat more. And that’s saying a hell of a lot since I’m a sweat monster. Despite all this, Mike and I continued our journey to south Florida to visit the three national parks in this state. (Spoiler alert – we only made it to this one before I…
What a hidden gem! Congaree National Park in South Carolina was recently established in 2003, but had been protected still as a national monument the past few decades. It is one of the least visited parks in the country with approximately 110,000 visitors a year (Smoky Mountains is most visited with 9 million annual visitors). I read somewhere that this park boasts one of the biggest varieties of mosquitoes and poison ivy! How exciting, right? I don’t know if that’s…
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited National Park in the country with over 9 million visitors a year. It’s not hard to see why – this vast park has incredible diversity in it’s flora, fauna, weather, and activities to suit all ages, interests, and fitness. And bonus – it’s FREE to get into this park. I think that is actually a mistake on their part, but what do I know. The only negative to this park…
We arrived to Mammoth Cave after checking out two more wonderful distilleries; Willitt and Makers Mark. Both beautiful and delicious. Shoutout to my friend Clare for the perfect recommendations – woman, you know your bourbon trail. If I had to sum up this park with one word: underrated! I had never really heard much about this park but it is a must see! First, this park is technically free. Anything above ground is open to anyone (including dogs!) and the…
Thinking of going to Hawaii? Learn from my experiences and here are some recommendations for you. Get up early! All the hikes and activities were SO much better without a million other people around. Surfing and other water activities: you’re not as naturally good at things as you think. Get some lessons and an actual instructor. Oahu There are more hikes than you could possibly do unless you’re living there full time. Out of the ones we did, I would…
Haleakala is separated into a couple sections; park headquarters with the summit and the coastal area of Kipahulu Kipahulu is accessed on the Road to Hana, so we saw this side on our first day in Maui. It was definitely our favorite side. It is coastal so it’s a rainforest, with incredible bamboo forests. We hiked the Pipiwai Trail to see the Waimoku Falls – unfortunately, this area is prone to flash floods, so the trail was closed about a…
Squeeeeee! There’s just something so exciting about the first National Park… and unlike other firsts in a girls life, this did NOT disappoint! We arrived as quickly as we could when we landed on the Big Island; around 7:30am after an easy drive from the Hilo airport. However the visitor center didn’t open until 9 so we took a quick cat nap in the car. And by we, I mean Mike slept and I tossed and turned like a kid…
Mike and I spent three wonderful days on the Big Island where I earned my first Junior Ranger badge of this trip! Geoff took us to the airport at a time I didn’t even know existed unless you’re a 21 year old that’s making poor choices – 3am. What a good friend. We got dropped off to wait for the doors to open. Then waited in line for TSA to even show up. Then waited to board. All to be…