Blog on hiatus, Youtube Channel is where you'll find us...

No time lately for lengthy write ups of our trips, but eventually we'll dust off the journals and share here.

For now I'm  making videos, please visit our channel at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalParkRoadTrip/videos

and for older (Flip) videos of Yellowstone, Glacier, Olympic, Grand Teton,  Glacier, and the Channel Islands National Parks, please visit:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LitigiousLegumeFam/videos

Jason and Christy

For the National Park Buffs: Ranger Doug's Vintage National Parks Posters and Decals

Between the years of 1938 and 1941, in a bid to increase visitor numbers to the National Parks, the W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration), temporarily employed out-of-work artists under the F.A.P. (Federal Arts Project) to create posters advertising the Parks.

In hopes of raising awareness of National Parks related W.P.A., and C.C.C area accomplishments, Ranger Doug Enterprises began restoring and reprinting these National Parks advertisements, for posters and post cards. These simple, elegant designs embody the highlights of their respective Parks.

In addition to poster advertisements, Ranger Doug Enterprises also no reprints replica National Parks annual entry pass stickers, often referred to as "zoo windshield" stickers, after the animals featured on each respective National Park. In use from 1918 to 1940, these National Park's passes were a point of pride for Park visitors who proudly displayed them on their cars. (The passenger side of my car is lined up with replica decals to the National Parks my wife and I have visited.)

Whether you're a fan of Americana, the National Parks, or just good, clean vintage graphic design, there's a little something for everyone on Ranger Doug's website.

* A small portion of proceeds go back to the National Parks, click HERE for more info.

Ranger Doug: Ranger of the Lost Art

Planning A Multi-Day National Park Road Trip

In less than a week, my wife and I will be embarking on yet another multi-day National Parks tour. While the core of the trip is already planned, we're in the final stages of purchasing the few odds and ends we'll need to be comfortable on the road for a few weeks. While this isn't our first trip spending several weeks on the road, this will be the longest stint of "tent-camping" we've ever done. What I hope to do in this post is articulate how we went about planning this trip... and when it's all over at the end of June, we'll report back with what worked and what we might do differently in the future.

Where to go?

First and foremost you need to identify the amount of time you have to work with, 1 week, 2 weeks, etc. Knowing how much time you CAN take off will make the decision of choosing where you will go much easier. You may want to Yosemite, Lassen, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree National Parks, but if all you have is a week vacation and you live in Florida, it isn't going to happen.

Determining how long it will take to get from place to place is as easy as pulling up Google Maps, entering your home address (or an airport or hotel, if you're not making the entire trek by car), and then entering your destinations. For instance, we're leaving from Orange County en route to Zion, Bryce, Arches, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Rocky Mountain, a 2-day pit stop in Denver, CO to visit some breweries, then Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, and finally back home. We figured our drive time from place to place and how long we would need to spend at each destination to do the hikes and see the sites we want to do and see. Nothing ever works out right the first time, trust us. I probably added a day here, and subtracted a day there, at least five times before we had an itinerary that made us happy. But there is no bigger dissapointment than getting to a park and realizing that you don't have enough time to do your visit justice. It happened to us in Glacier. We spent 3 days there, and it just wasn't enough time to properly hike and explore a Park that big. That experience taught us a lot about proper planning, so hopefully we won't make the same mistake again.

Try To Plan A Year In Advance

If you plan on lodging or camping in a National Park, it is of the utmost importance that you identify the earliest possible date you are able to reserve a room or a campsite - and make your reservations that day. Competition for primo park camping and lodging is cut throat; the early bird truly gets the worm here. Some Parks have different rules as to how far in advance you can reserve a campsite or a room. The longer in advance you plan your trip, the better the chance you'll have of getting that site.

We recently found out that the same is true for certain ranger-led tours, such as the popular Fiery Furnace Tour in Arches National Park. This tour is a trail-less maze (literally!), so unless you have experience in the area, a ranger-led tour is strongly recommended. (Even if you do have experience, a permit is required to hike the Fiery Furnace on your own.) We almost missed out one of the top hikes in the park by waiting too long to book. Lucky for us, they added an extra tour just this week. :)

To find the campgrounds (or ranger-led tours) in your favorite National Park site, visit NPS.gov

Once you know what campground you want to stay in, reservations can be made by visitingRecreation.gov

List Making 101: Harnessing your inner O.C.D.

I doubt there is another husband and wife team out there that likes making lists more than we do... but lists really are important for a variety of reasons. I make a list for all the meals that we plan on eating in camp, and meals that we'll be getting on the road to help us judge how much spending cash we'll need. We'll also make a list of all the gear we're going to need to bring. Not only does writing everything down help you realize what you have and what you may need, but when it comes time to pack, you're list is now a checklist. Being organized in your planning will help you be organized on the road. You don't want to be 1500 miles away from home fighting about why there's not enough money to buy that snazzy souvenir, and why you can't find your gloves and headlamp.

I could bore you with the minute details of our system of organization, but it's a very personal art form. Everyone will want to do it differently. With that said, here are at least some of lists we made this time around that you might find helpful for long term road trip camping:

• Meals (eating at camp or on the road)
• Kitchen Items (camping stove, dromedary, ziplock bags, utensils...)
• Tent and Sleeping items (Tent, repair kit, stakes, sleeping bags, pillows...)
• Audio/Video/Electronic (Cell phone chargers, batteries, camcorder charger, steadicam...)
• Car/ Safety (Car jack, tools, first aid kit, Windex wipes...)
• Snacks for the Car
• Misc Gear (Hiking poles, travel chairs, laundry bag...)
• Toiletries Bag
• Clothes
• Things to See (Make lists of what you want to see in each area, hikes you want to go on, museums you want to visit. It will help you budget time.)

Take a Hike!

Road trips can be taxing - both physically and mentally. You may have every intention of doing that 11 mile hike, but after a 5 hour drive, there's a chance you'll be singing a different tune. For this year's big trip, my wife and I have put together a list (another list!) of several hikes that we'd like to do in each park that range from super easy to pretty strenuous. That way, when we arrive at a park, we have options. This can also be helpful when a trail (or the road to a trail) is unexpectedly closed.

Eating on the Road: A Word About Yelp.com

While much of your meals in camp are going to consist of hot dogs, peanut butter & jelly, and your other classic camp fare (especially if you plan your trips like we plan ours where you're always on the go), when you're on the road it's a great time to roll the culinary dice and try something new. Enter Yelp.com. For those who are unfamiliar, Yelp.com is an online directory of restaurants and business that features ratings by loyal foodies. The website is easily accessed by any phone with internet capability. You can simply type in a city, or use your phone's GPS to find the restaurants nearest to you. To get a good idea of the most popular dishes, sift through the user reviews and get an idea of what worked - and what didn't - for everyone else. We have had such good luck using this website and have found some incredibly bizarre, off-the-wall, and delicious food on the road. (Visit Yelp)

Be Prepared... for Anything!

There are things you can lose sight of in the excitement of planning a big trip... especially a long trip. For instance, you are probably going to have to do laundry, and you are definitely going to need to shower. Not all campgrounds have such amenities. Even at those that do, there's always the chance of water being shut off unexpectedly, or showers being broken (see our post on Pinnacles National Monument). For this trip, my wife has put together a list of laundromats, grocery stores, camping supply stores, and shower facililies in and around the National Parks and cities we'll be visiting... just-in-case.

This probably goes without saying, but you should also be prepared for any type of weather. I'm not just talking about clothes (although you should pack a wide array of clothing with plenty of layering options) - you also want to make sure you weatherproof your tent and rain gear, have a rainfly that is free of tears, and tarp(s) for building impromptu shelters. It really depends on what kind of trip your taking and what parks you'll be visiting... just be sure to give the boring stuff some thought while you're daydreaming about seeing Half Dome or hoodoos or the Everglades for the first time.

Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and National Parks: Social Media Makes Trip Planning So Much Easier!

About six months ago, I began planning the National Park road trip that we're taking this summer. As I visited the National Park websites for places like Zion, Arches and Rocky Mountains, I noticed that many of them had links to Facebook and Twitter accounts. My first thought was, "What could a National Park possibly write about on Twitter?"

I went into Twitter with my own preconceived notion that it was nothing more than a one-stop shop for checking in on what Ashton Kutcher had for lunch. I didn't think there was much useful, helpful information on Twitter from anyone. I will be the first to admit that I am usually wrong, and this was no exception.

Many of your favorite National Parks use Twitter to update travelers with up-to-the-minute information on weather, road and trail conditions, Park closures and openings, fire info, and occasionally really cool links to videos, pictures, and natural history tidbits. I've even received Tweets informing subscribers of smoke they might encounter from prescribed fires. After several months of surveying Twitter and the official National Park pages, I have found that Twitter is now consistently the most current source of information.

Facebook pages for the National Parks are also very informative. I often find great journal entries, articles, and even more pictures and videos. Although very interesting and definitely worth reviewing, the information on Facebook is not geared specifically for folks who are on the road and "getting there".

Great travel information doesn't stop at the National Parks - state departments dealing with highways conditions (like CalTrans), weather stations, and online blogs and magazines like National Parks Traveler all have great Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Yelp.com deserves an honorable mention here. While Yelp is a user review based website mostly for restaurants and services, there is quite a bit if useful information on Yelp as it pertains to National Parks. "Yelpers" use the site to discuss their experiences, both good and bad, at National Park campgrounds and lodges, at dining locations, and on trails... and if you have the time to sift through the posts, you'll find some great information in there, such as where to go to escape the crowds. It's all a part of the planning process.

This summer I know that my wife and I are going to be better prepared to react to changing road and weather conditions because of the Twitter feeds from the National Parks. If you find yourself traveling and you have mobile access, you'd be a fool not to sign up for a free account and start following your favorite Parks.

[Shameless plug- Follow the National Park Road Trips blog's Facebook page by clicking HERE]

Pinnacles National Monument (Paincines, CA)

There are two entrances to Pinnalces - East and West - but the roads do not connect. Since the campground is on the East side of the park, if you're from Southern California and planning on spending a few nights camping in the park, you'll probably get stuck driving the boring I-5. But once you get off of the I-5 and onto the 198 (and then the 25 and 146), it's a beautiful drive with plenty of winding roads and panoramic views.

[[CAMPGROUND ACCOMMODATIONS]]

The campgrounds here are not run by the National Park Service, but instead a contracted concessionaire - the Royal Elk Company. Some campsites are definitely better than others. Many of the campsites are out in the open with little shade, packed in tight against one another, but there are a some tucked away in dense thickets with few neighboring sites. We found campsite numbers; 10, 17, 18, 19, 35, 56, 57, and 64-69 to be the most secluded.

We had a fair share of issues with the campground. We showed up early in the morning on the first day of a busy holiday weekend and found the shelves of the general store nearly bare. Unless you needed 22oz Mike's Hard Lemonade or Twizzlers, then you were fresh out of luck. The workers here also were unfriendly, and blocked the aisles chit-chatting with each other, never offering us help.

The rest rooms were poorly stocked and were often out of toilet paper. In the men's room, something in the plumbing caused the water to periodically back up, bubble, and shoot water on whatever poor fellow happened to be sitting there. Nothing livens the spirit like having an involuntary bidet. There are showers available at the park; however, while we were there, only one shower worked in each of the men's and women's facilities. In the men's facility, it was obvious that the broken stall had been broken for quite some time.

We heard other fellow campers grumbling, so hopefully the next time this contract is up for renewal the Park Service will take notice of the complaints. Regardless, Pinnacles NM is such an amazing hiking destination that not even exploding toilets could bring us down!

[[HIKING]]

Pinnacles Monument has kind of an odd layout. While it's not unusual to have 2 separate entrances that don't connect, it's a little strange to have the 2 entrances only have 3 miles between respective roads end. Nevertheless, we're grateful that they left those 3 miles untouched as they are the heart and soul of Pinnacle's beauty. (Note: If you plan are not camping at the park, you can enter via the west entrance which is predominantly for day hikers.)

We completed three hikes while in the park: Moses Spring-Rim Trail Loop (to Bear Gulch Cave), the Six Bridges Nature Trail, and Old Pinnacles Trail from the east end of the park to the west (to visit Balconies Cave). The caves here weren't like any of the solutional or sea caves we'd visited before... they are talus caves, formed by large boulders that had fallen into a narrow ravine and gotten wedged high up on the walls. The upside is that since there are no sensitive stalactites and stalagmites, you can walk through these caves without a tour guide (many times if you so desire!). The downside is that it's a bit intimidating to look up and see these massive boulders that some day could erode enough to fall a bit farther... needless to say, visiting these caves is probably not a good idea for the severly clautrophobic.

Of the two caves we visited in the park, Bear Gulch Cave is certainly the safest and the easiest to navigate - a good choice for hikers with small children with them. However, our favorite by far was the Balconies Cave.

Moses Spring–Rim Trail Loop (to Bear Gulch Cave)

2.2 mile loop, 1 1⁄2 hours

elevation gain: 500 feet

Moderate

Much of our time on the way up to the Bear Gulch cave was spent stopped on the trail, gazing up at the overhead rock formations, "ooh'ing and ahh'ing" at the amazing views. Approaching the cave, our excitement really built when we saw the "Flashlights Required Beyond This Point" sign at the entrance. Immediately the temperature dropped 20 degrees as the walls closed in and and the light was squeezed out. The cave had been built up fairly well, with plenty of stairs and handrails to safely guide visitors through the slick rock and past the various waterfalls inside the cave.

The cave is also home to the Townsend's big-eared bat, a "California Species of Special Concern" (CSC). Due to the bat's status as a sensitive species, portions of the Bear Gulch cave are closed when they are breeding, and rearing their young (the entire cave is rarely open - typically only a week or two in spring and fall - but other than a couple months in the summer, the lower half of the cave is usually open).

{Don't forget your flashlights! Much of the cave is pitch black.}

The Six Bridges Nature Walk

1.2 miles round trip, 1.5 hours

Minimal elevation gain (just a couple of short, steep hills)

Easy

This trail follows Bear Gulch Creek across - you guessed it - six beautiful wooden bridges. The lush riparian habitat makes for a peaceful evening walk. We really enjoyed this serene hike!

{The Six Bridge trail lays under the beautiful canopy of Coast live-oaks and California buckeye.}

Old Pinnacles Trail to Balconies Cave

6.3 miles round trip, 3 to 4 hours (add another 2.5 miles round trip to hike to the west entrance/Chaparral Ranger Station, +1.5 hours)

Minimal elevation gain

Moderate

Hands down this is one of the best hikes in California and it's definitely on our personal "Top 10" list. Early birds are treated to an empty parking lot, and an empty trail head. We started somewhere around 7am and didn't see a soul on the trail for the first 3 hours. (You just have to love a park when you have it all to yourself!)

The Old Pinnacles trail is pretty much as flat as they come, which made for a nice day of sauntering in a park loaded with some of the finest examples of oak woodlands and chaparral plant communities we have ever seen. It took us probably twice as long to hike this trail than it should have, as we were constantly stopping and examining the wildflowers and plants.

Near the mouth of the Balconies Cave, the trail follows a creek shaded by cottonwood, buckeye, and oak trees. The trail inside Balconies Cave is much shorter than the than the path in Bear Gulch Cave, but considerably more exciting as there aren't any stairs or handholds. It's an adventurous climb requiring a lot of boulder scrambling, navigation of the trickling stream, and climbing through dark passageways up and out through the opening at the top.

At this point, you have three choices: you can turn around and head back through the Balconies Cave to the east entrance, you can hike up along the base of the Balconies Cliffs instead of going back through the cave and return to the east entrance, or you can hike to the west entrance. We chose option three and hiked another 1.5 miles to the west entrance of the Park to the Chaparral Ranger Station. Near the ranger station, there are plenty of places to sit down and have a picnic against the background of Condor Gulch, which is the beautiful, deeply cragged rock formation used in most of the park brochures and guides. We spent about thirty minutes here eating our lunch and enjoying the views.

{Christy scrambles her way out of the cave}

We spent the first part of our return discussing which route to take back to the east entrance - Balconies Cliffs or Balconies Cave. Ultimately, even though we typically delight in new trail opportunities, we found ourselves so much in love with Balconies Cave that we decided to retrace our original steps. Being the new spelunking experts that we considered ourselves to be, we quickly slid our way down through the cave and out of the mouth, sad to have that part of the trail over.

{Plenty of tight squeezes to be found in and around the Balconies Cave.}

All in all, we recommend taking your time on this hike - plan for at least 6 hours, especially if you decide to hike all the way through to the west entrance for a lunch break.

Official National Park map, click HERE

Hiking trails in Pinnacles, click HERE
Cave information, click HERE

[[FLORA AND FAUNA]]

Fauna

The crown jewel attraction of Pinnacles National Monument is the endangered California Condor. While the condor graces much of the literature, and is the official symbol of Pinnacles National Monument, this is no guarantee that you're going to see one. There are trails you can take to better your chances of viewing a condor, but we stuck to the cave trails instead. Not surprisingly, we saw no condors.

Click HERE for information from the NPS on the California condor, and what you can do to better your chances of seeing a condor.

Flora

If you're a fan of California chaparral habitats, then this is your kind of park. Chaparral is California's largest, and most diverse plant community, characterized by evergreen shrubs like ceanothus, manzanita, and chamise. The National Park Service does an amazing job of describing the natural history, plants, trees, wildflowers, lichens, birds, mammals, amphibians, etc... rather than duplicate their efforts, we will share just a few of the hundreds of the photos we took along the Old Pinnacles trail, which took us through several unique plant communities: riparian, oak woodlands, grasslands, and of course, chaparral.

Click HERE to be sent to NPS page on Pinnacles Monument natural history and wildflower checklists.

{Pipe Stems}

{Pretty Faces}

{Chinese Houses}

{Woodland Star}

{Douglass' Wallflower}

{Mules Ear}

{Bush/Sticky Monkey Flower}

{Chia}

A Must Read Online Magazine...NationalParksTraveler.com

We're not sure how it took us so long to discover this website, but we're a sure glad we did! NationalParksTraveler.com is an online magazine created by Kurt Repanshek and centers it's content completely around the National Parks, Monuments, Historic Sites, and anything to do with the National Park Service in general. While Kurt authors most of the content, they have a handful of other writers offering their unique perspective of sights, hikes, lodging, etc...

My wife and I are in the final stages of planning our next National Park mega-road trip that we'll be kicking off in June, and NationalParksTravler.com has helped us with addressing some concerns pertaining to road closures in Rocky Mountain National Park and special one-time-only Ranger led interpretive hikes to lesser known areas of Mesa Verde National Park.


If you're a diehard National Park traveler, or just planning your first trip, NationalParksTraveler.com needs to be at the top of your favorites list!

Grand Teton National Park

Our arrival to the Grand Teton area was somewhat underwhelming as the clouds were socked in pretty tight and hung low over the mountains, completely obscuring our view.

The next morning was much of the same, low clouds stuck to the Tetons until the mid afternoon. Thankfully, during an incredible "float" trip down the Snake River, the clouds finally parted and the snow-capped Tetons revealed themselves. We were both born and raised in Southern California, and so w'ere used to some sort of transition into our local mountains. Usually you have foothills, gradually building in size, that eventually give way to the mountains. This is not the case with the Grand Tetons. Much of the Park is an open plain until just on the other side of Jenny Lake, where these incredible steep mountain spires erupt out of the ground with no warning. It's an amazing site.
(For info on scenic float trips, click HERE.)

{The Tetons behind Jenny Lake}

Unfortunately, we were ill prepared for high country hiking and so, as there was still a good amount of snow even in the lower elevations, most of our hiking was relegated to the low country. We explored trails around Colter Bay Village, and Jenny Lake where we sat admiring the amazing Teton background with the lake at our feet.

This was also our first time staying in what's called a "tent cabin". In the Colter Bay Village, for a very reasonable price, you can try your shot at "roughing it" in a structure that has 1 wall made of stacked logs (like a cabin) and the three remaining walls and roof are comprised of heavy duty canvas. Inside the tent is a wood burning stove to help you keep warm. I fancy myself an expert in starting campfires, but I had a little trouble finessing the wood stove into producing viable, long-lasting heat. I expect the next time we come here we will probably have kids, and I can't think of a cooler place to camp with them than the Colter Bay tent cabins.
(For more info on the Colter Bay Tent Cabins, click HERE.)

{Inside the Colter Bay Tent Cabin}

Grand Teton also gave Christy and I our first glimpse of some of the fauna that contributes to the region's fame. Within the first few hours we saw grizzly bears, moose, and elk - all seemed as much disinterested with our presence as we were interested in theirs. In once instance while we were hiking the Lunch Tree Hill trail, a 1 mile interpretive walk starting in the parking lot of the Jackson Lake Lodge, we encountered a fox that seemed to be following us. Right in front of our feet he zig zagged our path, once brining a dead snake that he sniffed several times then left on the trail. Finally he crossed our path with what looked like an egg of some sort. He happily pranced off into the brush to enjoy his egg in private. An animal encounter we will not soon forget.

{The fox surveying his kill}

Grand Teton was the "sleeper hit" for us on our National Park tour. We really didn't quite know what to expect, photos we saw online just didn't do this place justice.

Grand Teton National Park Home Page

Official NPS Park Map