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
Indiana Dunes National Park – Indiana
On our cross-country family road trip in 1995, we stopped at the Indiana Dunes National Park. The massive sand dunes stretch along the southern shore of Lake Michigan and they are interwoven with wetlands and beaches. The dunes were formed over thousands of years as glaciers retreated in the wind and water shaped the sand into ridges […]
Obed WSR – Tennessee
When I traveled through Tennessee, I found myself moving through the landscape of the Obed Wild and Scenic River. Unlike many places we visit and clearly arrive at, this was a landscape you enter without gates or formal entrances. At the Obed WSR there are miles of creeks and rivers. This remarkable river system came […]
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Carved into the granite face of the Black Hills are the towering likenesses of four of our presidential leaders. Visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a ceremonial experience. Upon approaching the site, we walked the Avenue of Flags, with flags representing all U.S. states and territories. This walk takes us to the overlook where the […]
Mt. Grant-Kohrs Ranch – Montana
On a road trip to Glacier National Park, we took a few side trips to see more of the beautiful state of Montana. We followed long stretches of open road with expansive valleys and distant mountain ranges. One of our destinations along the way was the Grant-Kohrs Ranch. Coming from the East, it is difficult […]
Marsh-Billing-Rockefeller National Historical Park – Vermont
Marsh-Billing-Rockefeller National Historical Park is the only National Park Service site in Vermont. Unlike other parks created to preserve wilderness or historic battles, this park tells the story of the birth and evolution of conservation through stewardship. In the early 19th century, George Perkins Marsh, who grew up on this land, published the book: Man and […]
Pullman National Monument – Illinois
While teaching in Chicago in 2018, we took a trip to Pullman National Monument, a relatively new addition to the National Park Service at the time. The Pullman community was a grand idea. It was created in the 1880s by George Pullman, founder of the Pullman Palace Car Company. His vision was to create a […]
Grand Canyon – Arizona
I wanted to be someplace special on my 65th birthday, and my thoughts naturally turned to Grand Canyon National Park. My December birthday comes with some challenges as many of the majestic national parks have limited access that time of year, but the Grand Canyon felt right. I can still remember the first time I stood […]
Fort Smith – Arkansas
While traveling around Arkansas, I visited Fort Smith National Historic Site. This fort was established in 1817, as a U.S. military post to project federal presence on a volatile frontier. From the beginning, it served as a gateway to the West, a place where eastern law met western uncertainty. The strategic position of this fort made […]
Acadia National Park – Maine
The only designated National Park in the Northeast, Acadia National Park, is another spectacular place. There are sweeping ocean views and granite. Mountains rise from the sea, while waves crash against ancient rock. Long before Acadia became a national park, the rugged coastline and granite mountains of Mount Desert Island drew wealthy summer residents and by […]
The Touro Synagogue in Newport – Rhode Island
The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, stands as the oldest surviving synagogue in the United States and a powerful symbol of religious freedom in the nation. Completed in 1763 for a community of Sephardic Jews as a place where their faith could be practiced openly and without fear. Many in this Jewish community had fled the Inquisition […]
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Historical Park – Pennsylvania
I visited the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Historical Park a few years ago. Tucked along a narrow street in Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood is a house that reveals the story of a man whose ideals helped shape two nations. Thaddeus Kosciuszko was a Polish-born military engineer and idealist who came to America during the Revolutionary War. He […]
Saint Gaudens National Park – New Hampshire
The Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park is a place I have returned to many times. Any excuse to be near Cornish, New Hampshire feels like a good reason for a repeat visit. It is not simply a museum or preserved home, but a living landscape shaped by creativity and collaboration. The park centers on the home, […]
