National Parks Traveler

Hike to the top of any sand dune within this national park and you've got a great view of the land below and beyond. In this image, you see the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east, with the flat, snow-covered flat expanse of land below where Medano Creek will flow during spring and summer. Look closely enough and you might even be able to see the trail in the snow created by hikers leaving the parking area and heading toward the dunefield.

How many of you have hiked the dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and noticed black patches or black ripples in the otherwise beige palette of the soft sand? What you are seeing are black magnetite grains in the sand. Magnetite is magnetic, and if you place a magnet on the sand, you'll pick up clumps of black magnetite grains. For real, and not an April Fool's joke! Cool, right?

"Majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, surrounded by the beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota, tell the story of the birth, growth, development and preservation of this country. From the history of the first inhabitants to the diversity of America today, Mount Rushmore brings visitors face to face with the rich heritage we all share."

"In the middle of a bustling urban setting, this 72 mile river park offers quiet stretches for fishing, boating and canoeing, birdwatching, bicycling, and hiking. And there are plenty of visitor centers and trails that highlight the fascinating human history of the Mississippi River."

"The Mescal Historic Mining District was a small-scale producer of tungsten and tin in the Mojave Desert, and produced tin for domestic World War II stockpiles. Due to the temporary nature of mining activity on the site, some of the features have deteriorated, but the character and significance of the site remains strong."

"Rolling hills, deep river valleys, and the world's longest known cave system. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to thousands of years of human history and a rich diversity of plant and animal life, earning it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve."

Cave tours are a unique and immersive way to understand and safely explore Mammoth Cave. You can go to the website to learn more about tours, tickets, and times.

"For centuries, the Oneida Carrying Place, a six mile portage connecting the Mohawk River and Wood Creek, served as a vital link for those traveling by water from the ocean to the Great Lakes. When Europeans arrived, nations fought for control of the carry, the homelands of the Six Nations Confederacy, and the rich resources of North America. In this struggle, Fort Stanwix would play a vital role."

"Originally established as a private fur trading fort in 1834, Fort Laramie evolved into the largest and best known military post on the Northern Plains before its abandonment in 1890. This 'grand old post' witnessed the entire sweeping saga of America’s western expansion and Indian resistance to encroachment on their territories."

According to the National Park Service, "In the northwest corner of Fort Vancouver's protective palisade wall, a three-story tower called a bastion or blockhouse rose above the surrounding plain. From the top, Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) employees could keep watch over the Columbia River valley and its gently rolling hills. The bastion was a common feature of HBC posts throughout North America. They typically had open slits or windows through which guns and cannons could be aimed at attacking enemies ... Though Fort Vancouver's bastion never saw any real military action it was still certainly an imposing structure. The tower, shaped like an octagon, was built into the northwest corner of the palisade. It stood three stories tall and was capped with a pointed roof. It was the tallest building at the fort. At the top level, eight three-pound iron guns pointed through small windows in each of the bastion's eight sides. When not in use, the windows were shuttered. The entrance on the ground level was probably on the bastion's southeast wall since that was the only side accessible from inside the fort. When the HBC left Fort Vancouver, the bastion fell into disrepair along with the rest of its buildings. Sometime after 1860, it burned to the ground. While it stood, however, the bastion was an important part of Fort Vancouver's image, and a key way that the HBC projected strength in a tangible, visible way."