National Parks

An Amazing 2 Days in Lassen Volcanic National Park

January 17, 2025 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

We had the most amazing 2 days in Lassen Volcanic National Park! This park, which is sadly overlooked in a state with Yosemite, Death Valley, Redwood, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and other beautiful spots, should be a destination on your road trip because it is so unique!

Unique meaning a mini-Yellowstone, Haleakala, or Mount Rainier. This park is home to both the world’s largest plug dome volcano (Lassen Peak) but also is home to all 4 types of volcanoes (plug dome, shield, cinder cone, and stratovolcano), which is rare in such close proximity. It is also home to a geothermal area named Bumpass Hell that feels like Yellowstone. You also have some higher elevation areas that felt like a high elevation mountain.

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Stunning 3 Days in Redwood National Park

March 23, 2024 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

We came for 3 Days in Redwood National Park for the trees, but stayed for the unexpected and special beauty of the ferns, the beaches, and the tidepools! Here is how we had a stunning 3 days in Redwood National Park!

This park, much like Olympic National Park, has a lot more to it than people typically would think. We came from the north on our way from Crater Lake National Park and a quick stop at the Oregon Caves National Monument. The beauty of the drive through the mountains and along the Smith River on Highway 199 was special before we came upon the exit for the Howland Hill Road near Hiouchi, CA in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park.

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3 Unique Days in the Crater Lake Area

January 7, 2024 By Kim Nelson 1 Comment

Crater Lake is the deepest and one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States. It is also both easy to visit and hard to experience. It is easy to visit because as long as the road is plowed you can get to see the lake itself often. It is hard to experience because the shore is approximately 900 feet below the rim drive and only one path leads down to the lake itself. Making matters worse is that the trail, as well as the boat rides that leave from it, are not open to visit for as long as you would expect and the boat tour was still closed in late June when we visited.

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Why we should care about National Parks

November 13, 2022 By Ross Nelson Leave a Comment

A special post by Kelsey Nelson

Introduction

When was the last time you walked in a National Park? How did that make you feel? Was it calming? There are 4 reasons that will be introduced to prove that National Parks are helpful to humans, animals, and the environment.

Grand Prismatic Spring – Yellowstone National Park

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The Best Things to do in Voyageurs National Park with Kids

May 1, 2022 By Kim Nelson Leave a Comment

Our tips for the best things to do with kids in Voyageurs National Park — Morning at our 2nd Houseboat Site

Our summer trip to Voyageurs National Park was perfect – it included beautiful sunsets, stunning lakes, great hikes, and some fun history. We spent a total of 4 nights in the park, with 3 of those being on the water on our houseboat.

As mentioned in our other post here on Voyageurs National Park, we went out on Crane Lake and as a result some of these things to see are on that side of the park, but we visited Kabetogema Lake Visitor Center and Rainy Lake Visitor Center as well so we got to two of the three Visitor Centers and did activities at each of them. We have organized this post by the nearest visitor center so you can choose where you go and what to see in that area.

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Complete Guide to 1 Day in New River Gorge National Park

August 2, 2021 By Ross Nelson 1 Comment

Our newest National Park, christened in January 2021, is New River Gorge National Park and Preserve! I have to say first that I am often leery of new National Parks because they can be a stretch to consider them worthy of that status when compared to their peers (I’m looking at you, Indiana Dunes). Rest assured that after exploring New River Gorge this summer this is worthy of being called a National Park!

Our visit spanned a few days including 2 full days in the park, so we will share this as a choose your own adventure plan where you could spend a single day doing either itinerary or combine them for a great 2 day visit! I will dispel one other thought right off the bat here as well — you do NOT need to be a whitewater rafter to enjoy the park. We did not choose to do that and still had a fantastic visit that left us wanting to return to the area.

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Top 9 Things to do with Kids in Great Smoky Mountains

May 26, 2020 By Ross Nelson 2 Comments

Our family’s picks for the top 9 things to do with kids in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Of the national parks east of the Mississippi, Great Smoky Mountains is, well, the greatest! This beautiful park is, especially at sunset, a sea of hills that layer stunningly and distinctively. Mountains? Umm… Not in the western mind, but for the east it is a “yes!”

For families, Great Smoky Mountains should be considered solidly on the list of “top 5” national parks. It is easily accessible and has many kid-friendly programs and hikes. With Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg directly next to the park you can easily blend nature hikes and wildlife with mini golf, laser tag, wax museums, and a legitimate amusement park with a good dose of twang!

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Complete Guide to 1 Day in Everglades National Park

May 22, 2020 By Ross Nelson 2 Comments

Provided are two options for spending 1 day in Everglades National Park – choose your own adventure. Note: we receive a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.

Complete Guide to 1 Day in Everglades National Park

Whenever I think of the Everglades the first thought I have is – alligators. Sure enough, on our family trip to Everglades National Park we saw alligators. Lots and lots and lots of alligators! So many alligators, in fact, that when we were at the Oasis Visitor Center (in the adjacent Big Cypress Preserve), the woman next to us was surprised by how dismissive “Tots” was when he told me not to bother walking to the end of the boardwalk because it was just another few alligators. That’s what seeing 100 alligators in a day will do to you…

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Kings Canyon National Park with Kids

July 17, 2018 By Kim Nelson Leave a Comment

Our tips for visiting Kings Canyon National Park with kids.

We recently came back from our summer trip to some of California’s National Parks. After one day in Sequoia National Park, we decided to visit Kings Canyon the following day. While Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are managed as one park, they are quite different and we found we liked Kings Canyon best. Kings Canyon is so much less well known than Sequoia but it really does stand alone as the best kept secret in the area!Unfortunately for them, most visitors to Kings Canyon only visit the small part of the park that is home to the General Grant tree and the Grant Grove Village shopping area and Visitor Center and then call it a wrap. What a shame!

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Our Comprehensive, Non-Hikers Guide to Sequoia National Park

July 10, 2018 By Kim Nelson 3 Comments

Our top picks for a non-hikers guide to Sequoia National Park. Note: We receive a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.

Beyond hiking in Sequoia, we enjoyed a few other sights that are worth visiting while in Sequoia. These stops are perfect if you don’t have a lot of time in the park or are just driving through. Beyond these quick stops, we would also recommend visiting Crescent Meadow and General Sherman tree which were quick little hikes. You can read more about those hikes in this post. All of these stops were easy drives from our rental home in Three Rivers.

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National Parks

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