Western Region
American Samoa, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, and Nevada.
American Samoa
- Not yet: National Park of American Samoa
Arizona
- Visited: Canyon de Chelly National Monument
- Not yet: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
- Visited: Chiricahua National Monument
- Visited: Coronado National Memorial
- Visited: Fort Bowie National Historic Site
- Not yet: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Visited: Grand Canyon National Park
- Not yet: Hohokam Pima National Monument
- Visited: Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
- Not yet: Montezuma Castle National Monument
- Visited: Navajo National Monument
- Visited: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
- Not yet: Petrified Forest National Park
- Visited: Pipe Spring National Monument
- Not yet: Saguaro National Park
- Not yet: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
- Visited: Tonto National Monument
- Not yet: Tumacacori National Historical Park
- Visited: Tuzigoot National Monument
- Not yet: Walnut Canyon National Monument
- Not yet: Wupatki National Monument
California
- Not yet: Cabrillo National Monument
- Not yet: Castle Mountains National Monument
- Visited: César E. Chávez National Monument
- Not yet: Channel Islands National Park
- Visited: Death Valley National Park
- Not yet: Devils Postpile National Monument
- Not yet: Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site
- Visited: Fort Point National Historic Site
- Visited: Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Visited: John Muir National Historic Site
- Not yet: Joshua Tree National Park
- Not yet: Kings Canyon National Park
- Not yet: Lassen Volcanic National Park
- Not yet: Lava Beds National Monument
- Visited: Manzanar National Historic Site
- Visited: Mojave National Preserve
- Visited: Muir Woods National Monument
- Visited: Pinnacles National Park
- Visited: Point Reyes National Seashore
- Not yet: Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
- Not yet: Redwood National and State Parks
- Visited: The Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park
- Visited: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
- Visited: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
- Visited: Sequoia National Park
- Visited: Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
- Visited: Yosemite National Park
Guam
- Not yet: War in the Pacific National Historical Park
Hawaii
- Not yet: Haleakalā National Park
- Visited: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Not yet: Honouliuli National Historic Site
- Visited: Kalaupapa National Historical Park
- Visited: Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park
- Visited: Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
- Not yet: Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site
- Not yet: World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument
- Visited: Pearl Harbor National Memorial
Nevada
- Visited: Great Basin National Park
- Visited: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Visited: Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
- Visited: Death Valley National Park
Recent Posts
Pipe Spring National Monument
In the dry desert landscape of northern Arizona, Pipe Spring National Monument preserves a precious resource in the American Southwest, water. The national springs flowing here made life possible in a harsh environment where dependable water sources were often separated by vast distances. Located close to the Arizona-Utah border, Pipe Spring became an important stopping place for Native peoples, travelers, […]
Navajo National Monument
Hidden deep within the sandstone cliffs of Northeastern Arizona, Navajo National Monument preserves some of the most beautiful and best-preserved ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings in the American Southwest. Built into enormous natural alcoves high above the canyon floor, these ancient stone villages seem to emerge directly from the rock itself. Located near the Four Corners region, the monument […]
Manzanar National Historic Site
The landscape leaves a lasting impression before you ever read the history connected to it. Surrounded by the stark mountains of California and swept by winds that stir dust across the barren ground, the isolation itself becomes part of the story. Standing here, it is impossible not to feel the harshness of the environment and to imagine what life must have been […]
Kalaupapa National Historical Park
Visiting Kalaupapa National Historical Park was one of the more difficult and emotional National Park sites I have experienced. This was another journey that I made alone, and perhaps that solitude added to the feeling of reflection that stayed with me throughout the visit. Reaching Kalaupapa is part of the experience itself. I flew in on a small plane, […]
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
The deep blue waters and forested mountains of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area create a peaceful landscape in northern California. Located near Redding, the park blends mountain scenery, clear lakes and remnants of California’s Gold Rush history into one setting. At the center of the park is Whiskeytown Lake, a reservoir created in the 1960s as part of the […]
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site
I looked forward to visiting Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site expecting to find a trading post filled with Native crafts, handmade rugs, jewelry and traditional wares. I pictured something frozen in time. This was not simply a museum display created for tourists. It was still an active trading post serving the local Navajo community and is recognized as […]
Great Basin National Park
Driving to Great Basin National Park felt like chasing something that kept moving farther away the closer we got. This is one of the most remote National Parks in the lower 48 states, tucked into the isolated desert and mountain ranges of eastern Nevada. I remember the endless highways stretching across the Nevada desert, mile after mile […]
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
The Big Island of Hawaii is a place where the power of nature is impossible to ignore. Among this rugged shoreline near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the land feels raw and unfinished, shaped by fire, lava and the constant pounding of the Pacific Ocean. Here we are standing on black volcanic rocks with waves crashing against the shoreline. Hawai’i […]
Chiricahua National Monument
This photo brings back memories of one of the most unique landscapes we explored as a family: Chiricahua National Monument. Hidden in the mountains of southeastern Arizona, this park feels almost like another world, filled with towering rock spires, balancing stones and narrow formations that seemed carved by imagination rather than nature. Often called the “Wonderland of […]
Fort Bowie National Historic Site
Walking into Fort Bowie National Historic Site was a hot and dry experience, and in many ways that added to the feeling of the place itself. The long walk across the desert landscape gave us a small sense of the isolation and harsh conditions faced by those who lived and fought here. As we moved through the heat and silence, […]
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island of Hawaii is one of the most important and sacred historic places in Hawaii. Long before Hawaii became part of the United States, this area served as a “City of Refuge”, a protected santuary where people could excape punishment, violence or death. An ancient Hawaiian society, life was governed by a […]
Death Valley National Park
For another December birthdays and Christmas trip, we visited Death Valley National Park. Death Valley is another vast national park, and on this trip we explored the section closest to Las Vegas. Even though the landscape appears harsh at first glance, it quickly became one of the most unforgettable parks we have visited together as a family. The immense […]
