If you’re going to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky just to visit the cave, you’re missing out. There’s plenty to see and do above ground, and much can be found along the park roads.
A lot of activities at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky can be found in the visitor center area. There’s the visitor center itself, hiking trails, and, of course, the cave tours.
There are many cave tours available at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, but we decided on the Domes and Dripstones tour. Why? First of all, it was available two days before our visit. Secondly, it includes the entire routes for the Frozen Niagara and Focus on Frozen Niagara tours.
Mammoth Cave National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to the world’s longest cave system. Over 400 miles of cave have been discovered so far. With several choices for exploring both beneath and above the ground, it’s a great place to spend a day or more.
The Trail of the Shadows at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington gives visitors a good look into the history of the park. Located in the Longmire area, it’s a ¾ mile loop trail that starts across the street from the National Park Inn. It travels through the old James Longmire homestead, settled in 1883, 16 years before the park was established.
The road from Nisqually to Paradise, in the southwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park, has a few places to stop and hike, or just enjoy the natural scenery.
The Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington was named by James Longmire’s daughter, who upon seeing it exclaimed “Oh, what a paradise!”. It’s a fitting name, as there aren’t many places in the country as beautiful.
16 years before Mount Rainier National Park was established in 1889, James Longmire built a 13 mile long trail from Ashford to a hot springs he discovered in what is now know as the Longmire Historic District. By 1890, he had built cabins and a small hotel, attracting up to 500 guests each summer by the turn of the century. His family also built a trail to the Paradise area, six miles away.
Iconic Mount Rainier is the centerpiece of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. The snow-capped volcano is just the beginning of what you can see and do while visiting. The park offers over 260 miles of incredible hiking trails, waterfalls, pristine lakes, and plenty of outdoor activities.
We spent a windy, rainy day exploring (or trying to explore) some of the Pacific beaches at Olympic National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Washington. The beaches are often described as “wild” in many park publications, and for good reason. They’re part of the longest stretch of undeveloped beach in the contiguous United States. This entry covers all beaches we visited except Shi Shi Beach.