Category: National Parks & Monuments

This small National Monument protects one of the first permanent settlements (1100 – 1250) in this region. This unique area is considered a biological “hot spot”, offering plants and animals from both mountain and...

Located just north of Sunset Crater we find Wupatki National Monument (NM), which protects some spectacular early farming villages or pueblos. These areas were occupied and farmed for about 400 years prior to the...

Jacob Lake Pit stop On the way to Flagstaff, we experience some very high winds. So, we decide to duck into the woods just north of Jacob Lake, Arizona and continue south tomorrow. To...

Located in Southwestern Utah, this iconic national park stands proudly at the junction of the Great Basin, the Mojave Desert, and the Colorado Plateau. The main (and most visited) section of the park is...

Great Basin National Park is one of the least visited national parks in the United States. Which is really a shame because it has caves, volcanoes, glaciers, alpine lakes, incredible dark skies, and is...

Located just east of Ashland Oregon the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is found where the Cascade Range, the Siskiyou Mountains, and the Klamath Mountains meet. Geology dating back 425 million years ago created the unique...

Established in 1902, Crater Lake National Park was formed to protect the deepest lake in the United States. The caldera was created 7,700 years ago after a 12k foot (3.7k meter) volcano erupted and...

The Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve offers adventure above and below ground. There are historic buildings, the cave tour, and several hiking trails leading to dramatic overlooks, deep forest, babbling creeks, and flowing...

In 1918 paleontologists, wanting to save and preserve the redwoods campaigned to protect these living links to our history. From these efforts, three California State Parks were born: Prairie Creek (1923), Del Norte (1925),...

Newberry Volcanic National Monument encompasses over 57k acres within the Deschutes National Forest. Designated in 1990 the National Monument is comprised of three distinct sections: Lava Cast, Lava Lands, and the Newberry Caldera. We...