New Mexico is full of history from many eras. The three ruins sites preserved by Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument offer the visitor a glimpse into the meeting of the Puebloan and Spanish cultures that dates to the 1600s. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park Review Our Visit. I […]
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Tag: things to do
Pecos
Pecos National Historical Park sits just a couple of miles from the busy I-25 corridor near Glorieta Pass, New Mexico, but it feels like a world apart. Surrounded by juniper forests and mountains, Pecos NHP is a beautiful place, but it’s not its beauty that makes it part of the National Park system. First declared […]
Fort Union
New Mexico is rich in history, and many of its National Park units protect this history, both Native American sites and sites which speak to the United States’ westward expansion. Fort Union was perhaps the most important fort in the Southwest because it not only protected the important Santa Fe Trail, but it was a […]
Route 66
Route 66 is an icon of the golden age of automobile travel in America. While US Highway 66 was officially decommissioned in 1985, it’s still easy to travel pieces of this route from Chicago to Los Angeles and revisit a bit of history along the way. While not officially a National Park, Route 66 […]
Badlands
What’s to love about a bunch of eroding cliffs? Everything! While not as beautiful as the erosion in Grand Canyon or Zion, Badlands offers a great way to explore some amazing scenery in a very accessible and “hands-on” way that’s great for families. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating Scenery Uniqueness Wildlife […]
Devils Tower
Devils Tower is a natural icon so unique it has been the basis of mystery and legend from the time the native Americans first saw it to the science fiction craze of the 1970s. Whether you want to see something truly unique, explore an island of pine forest in the canyons and grasslands, or see […]
Wind Cave
Is Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota worth seeing when the cave is closed? That was the question before me when I visited in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t just the pandemic, though, elevator repairs had kept Wind Cave from offering cave tours for more than a year, and […]
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic landmarks in the United States. While it doesn’t offer enough activities to be a destination location by itself, its placement in the center of the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota makes it a great centerpiece to the myriad of beautiful parks, drives and attractions in the […]
Curecanti
Most people visiting Curecanti National Recreation Area do so driving through on US 50 or boating on Blue Mesa Reservoir. If this is all you do, you would miss the real beauty of Curecanti which is off the beaten path but still readily accessible for those willing to take the back roads. Visitor Rating (write […]
Andersonville
Walking around the site of the Civil War prison at Andersonville, one can’t help but envision the horrid conditions of more than 30,000 men crammed into a 26-acre pen left mostly to fend for themselves against the environment, hunger and rampant sickness. Andersonville serves as a somber reminder of one of the most grim aspects […]
Kennesaw Mountain
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia preserves the site of the last major battle in the defense of Atlanta from Sherman’s advancing forces during the American Civil War. Despite being outnumbered 2:1, Johnston’s Confederates held out against Sherman’s forces in two separate attacks in June of 1964. While it was a tactical victory for the […]
Mammoth Cave
Do you have claustrophobia? How about a fear of being trapped underground? If so, then Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky is NOT the place for you! Enjoy exploring strange places? Then you’ll love this park! Discovered by modern settlers in the 1700s, Mammoth Cave started life as a saltpeter mine for making gunpowder. In […]