A Sea Of Red

This is a short list of sparsely-visited national parks. The only one I've been to is Redwood National Park. Most of them are places I've always wanted to visit, but some I've never heard of. All are amazing, though.

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2009 ... parks.html

Any of you Carolina boys recognize this place?

The Nantahala River is a great place to go rafting. It has Class I, II and III rapids so it's pretty good for all ages.

Really great river. Just be sure to go at the right time of year if you plan on rafting because dams control the water flow. My friend works for Duke Energy (in Charlotte) and is in charge of opening and closing the dams. They are required to be normal flow only during tourist season, so double check before you go early in the season.

i may have gone to the mammoth cave when I was a little tike.

One interesting thing I read on the Redwoods: their roots actually, on average, only go 10 feet into the ground. the roots actually grow out around the base and spread around on the ground. also, their bark is fireproof. when their is a fire in a redwood forest, the trees actually burn from the inside.

ALUmnus wrote:This is a short list of sparsely-visited national parks. The only one I've been to is Redwood National Park. Most of them are places I've always wanted to visit, but some I've never heard of. All are amazing, though.

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2009 ... parks.html

Any of you Carolina boys recognize this place?

Shouldn't there be banjo music playing in the background?

scuzdriver wrote:

ALUmnus wrote:This is a short list of sparsely-visited national parks. The only one I've been to is Redwood National Park. Most of them are places I've always wanted to visit, but some I've never heard of. All are amazing, though.

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2009 ... parks.html

Any of you Carolina boys recognize this place?

Shouldn't there be banjo music playing in the background?

How do you know there isn't any. haha

ALUmnus wrote:This is a short list of sparsely-visited national parks. The only one I've been to is Redwood National Park. Most of them are places I've always wanted to visit, but some I've never heard of. All are amazing, though.

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2009 ... parks.html

Any of you Carolina boys recognize this place?

Nope, but I have been canoeing and tubing down the New River in the mountains of Jefferson, NC.

Glacier is my favorite park in the Continental US. Mammoth is great the first time you visit.

I've been to Congaree, Redwood and Glacier. Redwood was unimpressive, Congaree is a complete waste of time and Glacier is a must-see.

Redwood had one decent hiking trail when I was there and the only thing of any real interest was the giant trees. Obviously, that's why the park is there but there wasn't much else of anything that you might think of when you think of a park. No great views, a tiny camping area and nowhere to go. If you really want to stand on a stump the size of your house, go to Redwood. Then leave.

Congaree, on the other hand, shouldn't even be a park. It's literally nothing more than a big old-growth swamp. If you like canoe rides where you get to be eaten alive by mosquitoes the size of your fist while pretending you're an extra in "Deliverance", you might like it but I don't see the attraction for anyone else. It's hard to get to, you can't hike anywhere and considering the kind of creatures that call the place home, I wouldn't recommend camping there either.

Glacier, however, is unparalleled. I was there in early June and I missed out on some parts of it because many of the park roads still hadn't been completely cleared yet of the snow...from May. Even so, Glacier is huuuuge with two different mountain ranges and a hundred or so lakes making it possible to visit it multiple times without going to the same area. It's a great place to visit and it's actually connected to a Canadian national park on the other side of the border so, if you're going to visit western Canada as well, Glacier Park is the perfect place to cross.

I've been to Glacier several times and it never disappoints. I used to be a Yellowstone Evangelist until my first trip to Glacier. Road to the Sun is one of those drives you must do at least once in your lifetime. And the lodges are spectacular on both sides of the border (although unlike Niagara Falls, we get the best stuff on our side).

I hope to take my family back to Glacier next summer. We usually wait until July so that most of the roads are passable.