If your summer travel plans call for a visit to Hawaii, be sure to see at least one of the better-known national parks: Hawaii Volcanoes, Haleakala, or Pearl Harbor Memorial.

Also know that there are several other tucked-away and less-visited park sites that highlight a remarkable Hawaiian historical and cultural legacy. During my 6 years as a park ranger in Hawaii, I explored these parks and developed a greater appreciation and understanding of this significant legacy.

1. Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park

Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau is a National Historical Park located along the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii. This site is one of the most revered places in Hawaiian history and, for generations, offered refuge to those who broke the kapu (religious) laws or were fleeing from civil strife. Warriors and civilians caught up in these dangerous situations could be guaranteed safety and forgiveness. The concept of seeking asylum and finding a place of refuge is strongly rooted in Polynesian tradition and was brought by early voyagers who established a distinctive Hawaiian culture on the islands.

You can explore the park via several options. A half-mile, self-guided walking tour takes you through the Royal Grounds — an area formerly reserved for the aliʻi (chiefs). In addition, an audio tour is available that covers the same area as the walking tour and provides an audio interpretation. Access this version by downloading the National Park Service app from either the App Store or Google Play.

On this walk, be sure to see the small bay known as Keone’ele Cove. The cove’s coral sand beach is where the aliʻi would arrive by canoe and spend their days tending to the religious and civic matters of the islands.

For those interested in a longer hike, the 2-mile round-trip along the 1871 Trail to Kiʻilae Village is a great option. The trail follows the coast with dramatic views of pali (cliffs) and cultural features from both ancient and modern eras. Begin your trek by stopping at the visitor center for a map and directions to the trailhead.

Another striking feature of the park is the Pā Puʻuhonua (Great Wall). The immense wall structure — 12 feet tall, 18 feet wide, and over 950 feet long — was built over 400 years ago using lava rocks fitted together so precisely that no mortar was used in its construction. 

Of all the parks I worked at and visited, this is by far my favorite. Once I left the visitor center area, I felt an immediate sense of peace and serenity while walking along the trails.

Pro Tips: When visiting this and other parks, be sure to take water, snacks, sunscreen, and sturdy footwear. Most trail surfaces are either coarse, coral sand, rough lava rock, or a combination of both.

2. Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park

Also located on the Big Island (Hawaii), 2 miles from Kailua-Kona International Airport, is Kaloko-Honokōhau. The park preserved a typical Hawaiian kauhale (village) from the pre-European contact (before 1778). Life in the village was one of hardship, balance, and harmony with the environment. The people followed an ancient tradition of ahupua’a (land allocation) that extended from the mountains to the sea and included all the necessary ingredients to sustain life. A system of trade existed between each ahupua’a that exchanged items from the sea (fish, shellfish, and coral) for items from the mountains (taro, breadfruit, and mulberry shrub) for making cloth. Extended families depended on each other and this system functioned for centuries to the benefit of all.

The National Park Service now protects many of the features that sustained the ancients’ existence. One of these features is the use of aquaculture to harvest fish. The system consisted of enclosing a small bay with a rock wall and a gate to allow fish to enter and become trapped for use by the people of the kauhale.

The park has undertaken a long-term project to rebuild this wall and restore it to its original state. Studies have shown the wall was once 30–40 feet wide, 6 feet tall, and over 700 feet long. Hawaiians also raised fish in carefully constructed fish ponds. These ponds represent some of the finer points in Hawaiian culture. Nowhere else in Polynesia are fish ponds more numerous or developed. They bear witness to the remarkable engineering skills and management in the art of aquaculture.

When you visit the park, take time to see this great engineering feat. Consider how many rocks were transported and carefully stacked to produce this immense wall and the coordinated effort to maintain it so that the kauhale could produce fish for the entire ahupua’a.

The creation of this park is a collaboration between the Native Hawaiian community and the National Park Service to restore the spirit of cultural identity through its preservation and management. The Hawaiian culture has struggled through many periods of adversity and its spirit remains strong because of this partnership. Contact the Hale Hoʻokipa — the park’s visitor center — for additional information.

3. Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historical Site

Just minutes away from some of the most lavish resorts in Hawaii, this historical site — along the Big Island’s Kailua-Kona Coast — was the serene home of Hawaiian royalty.

For centuries, rival warriors fought to gain control and rule all of the islands. On Hawaii island, following the death of an exalted chief, his son and nephew waged a familial struggle over who was to rule. This led to open warfare and plunged the island into a bitter civil war not only for control of this island but for the other islands as well. Finally, Kamehameha I, perhaps the greatest Hawaiian leader, was told of a prophecy by a kahuna (priest) that if he built a heiau (temple) on top of a hill called Pu’ukohola, he would triumph over his cousin and unite the islands into one kingdom. Several years later, after having finished construction of the heiau, Kamehameha fulfilled the prophecy and became king of all of the islands.

Today, this sacred temple is part of the Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historical Site which preserves the legacy of this crucial portion of Hawaiian history. Below the heiau is the Pelekane — the Royal Courtyard. Stroll among the trees and walk the grounds of this beautiful portion of the park.

There is a great, half-mile loop trail that begins near the visitor center. The trail leads you the Pu’ukohola Heiau and several other cultural sites before returning to the visitor center.

Another option is hiking a portion of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail to the Pelekane. There you can walk in the footsteps of Hawaiian royalty. The Royal Courtyard is the location of cultural festivals and an excellent place to watch sharks cruising just offshore.

Pro Tip: In winter, this is an excellent spot to see humpback whales. Starting in November, these large mammals travel some 3,000 miles from feeding grounds in Alaska waters to Hawaii where they breed and give birth. In May, they return north to begin the cycle again. I have fond memories of watching these giants just a few hundred yards offshore, breaching high out of the water and returning with a gigantic splash.

Be sure to check out the park calendar as well as the website for special programs, whale watching, cultural activities, and other experiences. 

This historic site gives you the opportunity amid warm breezes and the soft sound of breaking surf to slow down and ponder how life must have been for these early Hawaiians. Sit for a moment and breathe in the spirit of their culture.

Visiting these three park sites gives you a sense of how ancient Hawaiians valued a system of refuge and asylum, and a feeling for their royalty, and how they used aquaculture and other means to survive for centuries.

Related Reading:

• I Went In Search Of Elvis’s Hawaii — This Is What I Found
• 7 Things You Need To Know Before Visiting Diamond Head On Oahu, Hawaii
• 11 Best Things To Do In Oahu For Solo Travelers

Does your city have a national park? You may not be aware but there are many cities, both large and small, that have park sites. Many of these are homes of historical figures or places that commemorate significant, historical events. They are often tucked away in a quiet neighborhood or hidden in plain sight in a downtown area.

Since traveling can satisfy and enrich us on so many levels, let’s visit five of these urban national park sites and discover some little-known facts about American history that may prompt you to plan a visit.

1. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

“Gold, Gold, Gold” proclaimed the newspaper headline. On July 17, 1897, the steamship Portland docked in Seattle carrying 68 prospectors and a ton of gold dug from the Klondike River in a remote corner of the Yukon Territory of Canada. The arrival of the ship set off a stampede that turned the frontier town of Seattle into the “Gateway to the Gold Fields.” Over 70,000 adventurers, infected with “gold fever,” stopped in Seattle to purchase supplies and equipment for the epic, 1,800-mile trek to the Klondike.

You can relive the stories of this gold rush by visiting the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park located in Seattle’s Pioneer Square Historic District. A former hotel for the miners now houses the park’s visitor center and museum.

The museum features exhibits that tell the stories of gold seekers, merchants, Native Americans, and many others who participated in the frenzied and short-lived event. Rangers are available to facilitate an understanding of the significance of the gold rush by giving guided tours, talks, and demonstrations — including gold panning — that highlight this historical episode.

Pro Tip: Give yourself a half-day touring the museum and pick up maps and additional information about the self-guided tour of the nearby Pioneer Square Historic District.

2. Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

A boyhood fantasy to fly like a bird inspired two Dayton, Ohio, brothers — Wilbur and Orville Wright — to pursue their dream and introduce the wonder and awe of powered flight to the world.

Today, the Dayton Aviation Heritage Historical National Park memorializes the legacy of the brothers’ determination and perseverance to fulfill that dream.

The self-taught engineers, bicycle mechanics, and inventors overcame the challenges of designing and building something the world had never seen — a motorized, controllable flying machine.

On December 17, 1903, on the sand dunes at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville flew their creation for an astounding 120 feet. The world had changed!

Capture the thrill of the brother’s adventures when you visit the park. Be sure to see the park film, Wright Brothers On Great White Wings, showing at the visitor center. The park website is a great resource for the latest information that will enhance your understanding prior to your visit.

The Wright brothers’ 120-foot flight at Kitty Hawk was the first step in a long series of events propelling us to explore our solar system, the stars, and beyond.

Pro Tip: The Park offers several ranger-led tours and other programs during the summer months that provide a deeper understanding of the remarkable events that took place in the early stages of aviation.

3. Salem Maritime National Historic Site

Located in downtown Salem, Massachusetts, Salem Maritime National Historic Site was our country’s first national historic site.

The history of Salem is a 600-year blend of industrial manufacturing, a vibrant maritime tradition of ships, and profitable international trade. A darker chapter in this trade involved enslavement of people and the commerce it generated. The National Park Service presents an honest and factual representation of this chapter by offering several programs at the site including a guided walk: Slavery at Salem Maritime. Check the visitor center for details.

The park preserves and interprets 9 acres and 12 historic buildings that represent various stories in a long tradition of people, settlement, enslavement, and struggle. The site’s grounds, trails, and gardens are open year-round, and the buildings, tours, and other ranger programs operate seasonally.

A great way to begin your adventure is to see the historic Salem Armory Visitor Center. This restored 1880s building is a rare and stunning example of the Gothic revival style of architecture that flourished in the 1800s.

The center offers a free park orientation film, a bookstore, and additional information on the larger Essex National Heritage Area. This federally authorized non-profit organization, often called “a new kind of national park,” provides a balance between resource protection with economic development for the benefit of the area. 

The park also offers a wide variety of virtual options either as a prelude to a visit or for those unable to come in person.

4. Thomas Edison National Historical Park

Thomas Edison was an American icon and prolific inventor. Not only did he acquire over 1,000 registered patents, but he also devised the all-inclusive process to engineer, manufacture, and market his inventions.

Despite the utter failure of his first invention, a vote recorder, Edison continued to create and improve his ideas. His first break came when he devised a method that vastly improved the stock “ticker tape” machine. These innovations were followed by the incandescent light bulb and power plants to produce electricity, X-ray technology, and improved storage batteries.

The Thomas Edison Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey, celebrates a life devoted to making dreams happen. In 1956, the park received a collection of 39,000 phonograph recordings stored in the Edison Laboratory when it was donated to the National Park Service. Today, this exceptionally valuable collection is being digitized for public listening at a later date.

Visit the park and tour the main and chemical laboratories, machine shop, and manufacturing building where Edison’s creations became reality.

Many thought of Thomas Edison as a genius but he often said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”

5. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park

American history is a chronicle of people, places, and events that shaped our country. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands out as a civil rights champion, intellectual giant, and a deeply spiritual man. His non-violent principles inspired generations of Americans to work toward a better world for everyone. One of his greatest accomplishments came in 1964 when he became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta celebrates a life devoted to spiritual growth, freedom, and justice. The park is a complex of several sites that commemorate his life. Visitors can see the Martin Luther King, Jr. World Peace Rose Garden dedicated to the peace and civil rights movement championed by King. The garden was planted to commemorate the August 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech he delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The restored Ebenezer Baptist Church, an Atlanta historical landmark, is where Dr. King served as co-pastor with his father, Martin Luther King, Sr., from 1960–68. The church held his funeral service as a final tribute to a life well lived.

The birth home of Dr. King offers the only ranger-guided tour in the park. Tours are conducted Monday–Saturday. They are free and on a first come, first served basis with no advance reservations necessary. Plan to arrive early to sign up and be patient — you may have to wait an hour or longer before your tour begins.

Pro Tip: Traffic in Atlanta is notoriously unpleasant. Prepare in advance by checking with the Georgia 511 website for current conditions.

These parks represent a common theme that weaves through our history. Whether it is the lust for gold, a fantasy of flight, or the quest for civil rights, we follow different paths toward our goal to achieve the American Dream.

For history buffs worldwide, there are plenty of fascinating places to explore:

• 10 Fascinating Spots In New York City For History Lovers
• Explore The Past At These 11 Midwest Living History Museums
• 6 Small Towns With Big Black History Stories

When most of us think of visiting our national parks, we conjure up images of the larger, more visited parks: Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, Yellowstone, or the Grand Canyon. These larger parks can range upward of several million acres, and you may feel overwhelmed by their sheer size.

Smaller parks can help focus your attention, especially if you have a limited amount of time. These small parks may be a bit off the radar for many travelers but offer a wide range of engaging activities.

1. Gateway Arch National Park

Tram Ride To The Top

As the fledgling United States moved into the 19th century, President Thomas Jefferson made a bold move and accepted France’s offer to acquire what is now known as the Louisiana Purchase. The following year, he commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore this vast, newly acquired territory.

The sleek and striking 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch — imagine a 63-story skyscraper — symbolizes this historic event as the opening, or gateway, to Westward expansion. The park, a mere 91 acres, is the smallest national park and is located in downtown St. Louis adjacent to the Mississippi River.

The most popular feature of the park is the tramway ride to the top. This 4-minute journey takes visitors to the observation area and, on a clear day, you can see up to 30 miles. Allow 45 to 60 minutes for the tour. Reservations are suggested during busy summer months.

While the tram ride is a key feature of the park, be sure to check out the walking tour of Explorers’ Garden, an area displaying many of the plants discovered on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

All in all, give yourself 2 to 3 hours to enjoy the park.

Pro Tip: The tram cars are cozy so if you are claustrophobic, you may want to view the model car in the West Entrance Lobby to make sure you’ll be comfortable in the confined space. The ride to the top is not wheelchair accessible but can be viewed with a virtual journey.

2. Hot Springs National Park

Bathhouse Row

Who doesn’t enjoy a soak in a hot spring bath? Indulge in some spa therapy and visit a national park at the same time. On Bathhouse Row, visitors can enjoy an authentic opportunity to take to the baths. The Buckstaff Bathhouse has offered bathing experiences ever since its 1912 opening while the more recent Quapaw Bathhouse affords more modern day-spa opportunities.

The human history of Hot Springs National Park is rich with stories of Native Americans coming to and living around the springs. Later, Europeans settled here in the early 1800s, and African Americans migrated later but were subject to Jim Crow segregation laws that for decades restricted where they could live and work. Today, the city of Hot Springs reflects the diversity of this history.

Although it officially became the 18th national park in 1921, Hot Springs was designated a federal reservation by President Andrew Jackson in 1832. Although Arkansas has eight National Park Service sites, Hot Springs is the state’s lone national park.

While bathing is the most popular activity in the park, there are 26 miles of trails ranging from easy strolls to difficult treks. One of the most popular hikes according to park ranger Kate is the Goat Rock Trail off the North Mountain Loop road. The trail is rated easy to moderate and offers a striking view from Goat Rock Overlook. Allow yourself a leisurely half day to enjoy the park.

Pro Tip: Reservations are recommended at the bathhouses, and not all offer online booking, so you may need to call in advance.

3. Indiana Dunes National Park

The Dunes

Stretching for 15 miles along the southern shores of Lake Michigan is one of the nation’s newest national parks. The 15,000-acre site, formerly known as Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, was designated in 2019 as the 61st national park.

Yes, the dunes are the main attraction and are the reason most visitors come to the park. The dunes — several over 100 feet high — are the result of thousands of years of prevailing wind/wave action from Lake Michigan. This dune landscape creates a rich mosaic of diverse ecosystems including marsh, dunes, forest, and grassland areas that yield a dazzling assortment of plant and animal habitats.

The park has many other attractions, including

• excellent birding during spring and fall migrations
• 37 miles of interconnected bike trails
• swimming in Lake Michigan
• 50 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy to moderate and from 1 to 8 miles in length

According to park ranger Nikky, the Great Marsh Trail is one of the park’s most popular and widely used trails. The 1.4-mile-long trail is rated easy and offers views of a large wetland complex. It also features an accessible paved trail that leads to a scenic overlook. Allow yourself a full day to savor the sounds of waves on the beach and enjoy the park’s natural beauty. 

Pro Tip: The visitor center is always my first choice when I visit any national park site. It’s the place to get oriented and see professionally designed exhibits that showcase the parks’ themes. At Indiana Dunes, the Dorothy Buell Visitor Center is a shared building with the State of Indiana Tourism Site. These types of partnerships are becoming more common with shrinking budgets and rising visitor numbers. At the center, welcoming staff will answer your questions and give you the latest information on ranger programs and other park news and activities.

4. Congaree National Park

Boardwalk Loop

This 26,000-acre park, located in central South Carolina, preserves the critical habitat of the largest, intact bottomland old-growth forest in the Southeast. Huge specimens of native bald cypress and tupelo dominate this temperate forest. For over 13,000 years people have lived here — from Native Americans to Spanish explorers and escaped slaves. The mission of the park is to tell their stories of seeking refuge and making a home amid the area’s diverse landscapes. Park rangers and volunteers are available year-round to conduct guided hikes and informative talks about this history. 

With over half of the park a designated wilderness area with few developed trails, there are also ample opportunities for exploration outside the wilderness boundaries. Since most of the park is subject to periodic flooding, several boardwalk trails are options during flood conditions. An excellent starter trail is the 2.4-mile Boardwalk Loop that takes you on an elevated portion through an old-growth, hardwood forest. There are benches for taking a rest and the trail is fully accessible. 

Due to its floodplain geography, canoeing and kayaking are popular activities in the park. Whether you are a novice or an experienced paddler, you will delight in exploring miles of meandering water routes along the Congaree River and Cedar Creek watersheds. This is an excellent way to quietly observe the many bird species and other animal life that thrives here.

Pro Tips: Canoe and kayak rentals are available in nearby Columbia City. Also consider our Beginner’s Guide To Kayaking and these 10 must-haves to bring on your next kayaking adventure.

Congaree National Park is only 14 miles from east to west and 5 miles north to south; you can see most portions in a day or less.

5. Pinnacles National Park

Spotting California Condors 

Pinnacles are a park with a long geologic legacy. It is located in central California midway between I-5 and Monterey, and lies beside the San Andreas Fault. Geologists believe its unique development began some 23 million years ago — when the park was 17 or more miles southeast of its present location due to movement along the fault. There were violent eruptions of molten rock, and over time, erosion sculpted the landscape we see today.

The tall spires (pinnacles), gigantic boulders, and deep caverns created by these natural actions produced perfect conditions for present-day rock climbers. Indeed, the park offers many challenging opportunities and draws climbers to test their skill on a variety of routes, from novice to expert.

Birders will delight in the many sighting opportunities the park offers, including a good chance to see an endangered California condor — the largest land bird in North America with a wingspan of up to 9.5 feet. The condor story is remarkable, as they went from as few as 6 wild birds in 1995 to over 300 wild condors living across several Western states today. These magnificent condors, considered to be one of the rarest birds in the world, can often be seen from the Bench Trail near the Pinnacles Campground.

Pro Tip: Ask for more specific condor sighting info when you stop at the visitor center.

“It’s a wonderful life.” This thought frequently came to mind during my career as a park ranger. The national park sites where I worked represented, for me, the finest examples of what filmmaker Ken Burns described as America’s best idea — the creation of the National Park Service.

One of the most common questions visitors ask park rangers is “What are your favorite spots to see in the park?” Listed below are my answers to that question.

1. Chaco Culture National Historical Park

New Mexico 

Chaco is a place of mystery and beauty amid the high desert landscape of Northwest New Mexico. The park protects the ruins of an ancient culture we now call Ancestral Puebloan. Scattered along a wide, shallow canyon are the remains of well-designed and carefully constructed stone structures called Great Houses that reveal the creativity of the industrious people who lived here. Built between 800 and 1150 A.D., these sites remain a mystery when it comes to why they were constructed, how they were used, and why they were abandoned. When you visit the park, challenge yourself to find your own answers to these questions. 

I have a special affinity for Chaco because it is where I began my ranger career. I spent two summers there assisting the park archaeologist with her field work.

Learning the basic methods of archaeology was by far my greatest joy but exploring the park in my off-duty time was a close second. I discovered a place called Wijiji and returned there many times. Built between 1110 and 1115 A.D., it was the last of the Great Houses and, unlike other sites; it was constructed quickly and abandoned just as quickly. Wijiji is quiet, off the beaten path, and a great place to reflect and relax. It’s an easy 3-mile roundtrip hike along an old dirt road. I suggest allowing three hours to do the hike and view the site.

Pro Tip: For those who desire a less strenuous adventure, you can drive to Pueblo Bonito and view the greatest of Great Houses at Chaco. Pueblo Bonito had 800 rooms and the back wall rises five stories.

2. Haleakala National Park

 Hawaii

Located in Hawaii on the island of Maui, Haleakala National Park protects a landscape that ranges from tropical sea level habitat at Kipahulu to the 10,000-foot, desert-like summit of a dormant volcano. Be prepared for surprises and stunning vistas.

Haleakala means House of the Sun, and this is the place to view sunrise. Today thousands of visitors make the early morning drive to the summit to see this often spectacular event. During my 6 years at the park, I frequently witnessed this event, but never lost the sheer joy in seeing the sun rise above the rim of the volcano. You can count the summit sunrise as my favorite thing to see in the park. 

Pro Tips: If you decide to make the journey, be prepared for the long, dark, pre-dawn drive and changing weather conditions from balmy temperatures at sea level to high winds and freezing rain at the summit. Check the park’s website for more information about sunrise at the summit. Allow 2.5 to 3.5 hours for the drive depending from where you begin.

3. Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Washington

After 40-plus years, the eruption of St. Helens still reminds us of the power of nature to shape our planet. Following the eruption, I worked at the monument as an interpretive ranger and presented programs at a place called Windy Ridge. The ridge is on the south side of the mountain, only 5 miles from the wide-open crater. On clear days, you can watch steam and gas venting from this still-active volcano.

And yes, Windy Ridge is my favorite place at St. Helens. Driving through a dense forest along a 36-mile, paved road from Randle, Washington, you suddenly emerge into the “blast Zone” that surrounds the volcano. This zone is where the lateral explosion of gas and shattered rock blasted out at over 600 miles per hour and leveled a mature forest as far as 20 miles from the crater. This scenic drive has numerous pull-outs that provide stunning views of the volcano. When you visit the monument, be sure to make the drive to Windy Ridge. 

Pro Tip: The summer months are the best time to visit. Give yourself at least a half day to see these sights.

4. Dinosaur National Monument

Colorado, Utah

I worked at Dinosaur shortly after the blockbuster movie Jurassic Park was previewed in theaters. The park’s visitation rose dramatically with the public’s renewed interest in dinosaurs. Quarry Exhibit Hall is a large building constructed over a massive slab of rock that exposes over 1,500 fossilized bones of giants like Allosaurus (a smaller version of T. rex), Apatosaurus, and Stegosaurus.

During my time at the park, I gave talks, led hikes, and answered questions in the busy visitor centers. One of my programs was at Cub Creek rock art site — my favorite place to go in the park. The site has numerous petroglyphs — images etched into the smooth rocks. They were left by those we now call The Fremont Culture and are open to your own interpretation as to their meaning. Imagine sitting there a thousand years ago and pecking images onto the rock. You are sending a message, but what is it and why did you leave it? The Cub Creek site is a 10-mile drive from the Quarry Visitor Center, and it’s a short walk to the petroglyphs. 

Pro Tip: The park protects over 200,000 acres of high desert environment that straddles the Colorado-Utah border. Summer is the peak visitation season, so be prepared for crowds and temperatures that can soar above 100 degrees F. 

5. Joshua Tree National Park

California

Joshua trees are a mystery. They’re not really trees as they have no annual rings and are more closely related to palms and grasses. They can be 50 feet tall and two feet in diameter and grow almost exclusively in the Mojave Desert — one of the driest places in the U.S.

Joshua Tree National Park is a great destination for rock climbing, wilderness exploring, and hiking. The park covers almost 800,000 acres, half of which is designated wilderness. Located in southeast California, it is the meeting place of two distinct and very different ecosystems: the Mojave and Colorado deserts. If you have never experienced the desert, this is your chance to explore and expand your horizons.

My all-time favorite hike is at a place called Skull Rock. This is a 1.7-mile loop trail that takes you past large, granite boulders, Joshua trees, and stunning desert vistas. Bring your camera for some of the best photo ops in the park. Skull Rock trail is an easy walk with some minor up-and-down sections. The drive from Joshua Tree Visitor Center to the trailhead is about 40 minutes. Ask at any of the three visitor centers for directions. Bring water, a hat, and sunglasses, and wear good hiking shoes. I like this trail because it gives easy access to a typical Mojave Desert landscape.

Pro Tip: When driving in the park, it is recommended you stay on paved roads to avoid getting lost or stuck in the sand. GPS/cell devices often lose service in the park and are known to provide misleading or false directions. 

6. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Washington 

My first experience with living history happened at this park. I led guided tours dressed in historic costume from the 1820s.

Fort Vancouver lies along the Columbia River in Southwest Washington state. Stories of people, history, and the settlement of the Pacific Northwest converge in this restored site. From 1824 to 1860, it was the headquarters for the Hudson’s Bay Company — a private fur trading business. Today, the reconstructed fort takes you back to a time when animal fur was called soft gold and European markets required beaver pelts to meet the frenzied demand of the fashion world. 

Be sure to include in your visit a tour of The Chief Factor’s House. This is a tastefully furnished home for the Chief Factor (CEO) and his family and my vote for the best reconstruction project at the fort. Check with the park’s website for tour times and dates.

These are a sampling of my six favorite park sites. I hope you will enjoy your journey to America’s best idea — the National Parks System.

Pro Tips: When you visit national parks and other federal recreation sites, take advantage of the America The Beautiful annual pass. For $80 per family, you have unlimited access for a year. Better yet, if you are 62 or older and a U.S. citizen, you can buy a Senior Pass for $80 and it is good for a lifetime. If you travel to any national park sites, a great resource is the NPS App. This is your guide for accurate, concise, and informative details on weather, trail conditions, and much more at the 400-plus sites in the national park system.