Category: NPS

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NPS

Rainy Day Parks

A few months ago we made a reservation for Shawnee State Park. When the day of our adventure arrived all-day rain was in the forecast. While we did enjoy some rainy day cabin activities (including Parks and Trash Pandas), we mainly filled our day with visits to the visitor centers of three National Park System sites: the Flight 93 National Memorial, the Johnstown Flood National Memorial, and the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. These stops formed a nice loop from our lodging.

Flight 93

The Flight 93 National Memorial visitor’s center does a great job of both walking a child through the timeline of what happened and of providing a space to reflect on the horrors and heroics of the day. The Junior Ranger program didn’t do as much as I thought it could have to capitalize on the excellent visitor center.

Johnstown Flood

The Johnstown Flood National Memorial had exhibits that felt dated but still communicated a lot of information effectively. The Junior Ranger program did an excellent job of helping the would be Junior Rangers engage with the material available. The view of the was-a-lake from the visitor’s center also contributed to the impact of the site. We did not watch the film (the Ranger indicated it may not be suitable for all children).

Allegheny Portage Railroad

The Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site was our family’s highlight of the day. The visitor center offered multiple hands on areas helping our kids engage with the history and engineering of the Allegheny Portage Railroad. Some highlights included a walkthrough canal boat, 19th century children’s toys, a model of a safety brake, and both a miniature stationary steam engine and a life size replica of one. There was also a fun narrative film that told the story of the canal and railroad from inception to demise.

While much of what there was to see here was indoor (as at the other locations), there were multiple indoor areas and so we were glad for an easing in the rain that allowed us to slip between areas.

The Junior Ranger program while fine, was not as strong as the site itself.

Categories
Biking NPS

Gettin’ the Stamps

Yesterday we set our family record for number of US National Park Service cancellations collected in a single day: thirteen! If the goal was simply stamps, many more could readily be obtained in the National Mall area, but with the set we chose we were truly able to enjoy each stop (as well as picking up a couple Junior Ranger Badges) and our 8 and 9 year old were able to peddle the 5ish miles without the distance distracting from the sites.

We parked our car in East Potomac Park south of the National Mall and rode the following route:

Stamps obtained:

*Cancellation stamps available here (including stamps for nearby locations)

**We decided to save this one for a time when we can get tickets to go inside

***Bookstore and gift shop closed at time of visit due to construction

Both the White House (21-90 reservation window) and the Washington Monument (main release at 30 days, second release at 10 am day prior) require advance reservations. These reservations are obviously limited. Because these are timed reservations we opted not to include them. The loop nature of our bike ride and the desire for an at-our-own-pace visit would have made working in these reservations difficult. We hope to make a second trip in the near future.

Categories
NPS

Tenting on Assateague

We recently enjoyed two nights on Assateague Island in Maryland’s Assateague State Park. In addition to visits from the iconic wild ponies, we enjoyed the clean and empty beaches.

Ponies Visiting Our Tent
Yoga on the Beach
Assateague State Park

We were impressed by how well our tent withstood the ocean wind.

We also took advantage of the adjacent Assateague National Seashore walking both the Life of the Forest Trail and the Life of the Dunes Trail. The Life of the Forest Trail was a short easy walk. We did it mid-day to get out of the sun, but perhaps because it was mid-day we did not see much wildlife.

Life of the Forest Trail

The Life of the Dunes Trail was much more alive. We went in the morning and the sandy path was covered with tracks from the night before. We saw an Eastern Hognose snake eating a toad. Less fun were the bugs that swarmed around us part way through our walk.

Tracks in the Sand
Eastern Hognose Snake Eating Toad
Life of the Dunes Trail

Our kids also earned another Junior Ranger badge. If you have kids, but haven’t yet discovered the program, take a minute to discover a National Park near you with a Junior Ranger program. Less official, but perhaps more helpful someone made a map of their locations.