Our National Parks
Every National Park tells a story, from breathtaking landscapes and ancient forests to historic landmarks that preserve our shared past. Each visit offers a chance to pause and reflect, to feel gratitude for what endures and to witness how nature and history together remind us of the beauty worth protecting.
Recent Posts
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument – Idaho
Another remarkable place that preserves a much older chapter of Earth’s story is Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. Located in southern Idaho, along the Snake River Canyon near the small town of Hagerman, this landscape holds fossil deposits dating back 3 to 4 million years. This region was once very different. Instead of the dry terrain […]
Muir Woods National Monument – California
I have heard that visiting Muir Woods today is a different experience than it was. Reservations are required and there are timed entries in order to manage the number of people visiting the park each day. The few times I visited Muir Woods National Monument there was more flexibility. My strategy was the same: arrive before […]
Timpanogos Cave National Monument – Utah
On a solo trip, I flew into Salt Lake City and made my way into the mountains towards Timpanogos Cave National Monument. The drive led me away from the city and into the Wasatch Range. The caves are hidden within the mountains and inside holds features that seem to ignore the rules: these delicate formations that […]
National Parks Canyon de Chelly National Monument – Arizona
Visiting Canyon de Chelly was a unique experience from the moment we arrived. We stayed in a hotel just outside the canyon, and the environment was a bit different: dogs and even horses were roaming freely. It was clear that the rhythms of life here followed different customs. The canyon lies within the Navajo Nation, the largest Native […]
General Grant Memorial Park – New York
The General Grant National Memorial, often called Grant’s Tomb, is the final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant. Located along Riverside Drive in New York City, it stands as the largest mausoleum in North America and one of the most prominent memorials to a Civil War figure. Grant died on July 23, 1885. At the time of […]
Saint Croix Island International Historic Site – Maine
Erin and I drove to Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, a place that marks one of the earliest European settlements in North America. Located along the St. Croix River, this site sits on the border between the United States and Canada, just east of Calais. From the mainland, you look out across the water to […]
Guadalupe Mountain National Park – Texas
Exploring the national parks of Texas takes a commitment and the willingness to spend long hours on the road. Driving around Texas is unlike traveling through New England, where towns and landmarks seem to come one after another. Here, the distance stretches out, and I would drive for miles with little interruption. As I made my […]
Great Sand Dunes – Colorado
A special trip to Colorado brough Erin and me there, where we met Emmy. When we met at the airport, the weather was warm and sunny, and it felt like the beginning of an easy day. We set off with the intention of visiting the Great Sand Dunes, expecting wide open skies and calm views. […]
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site – Massachusetts
The first time I visited the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline, everything was new to me: his name, his work, even the realization that so many landscapes I had walked through carried the imprint of one mind. I did not grow up knowing who Frederick Law Olmsted was. I knew about parks. […]
Hamilton Grange – Bronx, New York
For those who have seen the musical Hamilton, do you remember the moment when the family “moves uptown? In the late 18th century, uptown meant leaving the crowded streets of lower Manhattan for open farmland to the north. This are would later become Harlem. That is where Alexander Hamilton built his country retreat, a house known […]
Korean War Veteran’s Memorial – Washington DC
In Washington, D.C., the nation’s story unfolds across sweeping lawn and reflecting pools, carved into marble, bronze and stone. Each memorial is scattered through the city’s landscape translated into physical form by artists tasked with shaping our memory. Among the most moving memorials is the Korean War Veterans Memorial. This memorial does not soar skyward but meets […]
Pinnacles National Park – California
On a trip to California to teach, Erin and I carved out time for a hike at Pinnacles National Park. These small windows of exploration enrich our journeys to teach. We didn’t know what to expect. Pinnacles isn’t one of the big-name parks. Pinnacles rise from the rolling hills of central California. The dramatic rock formations […]
