Tag Archives: National Park

National Park Service: Celebrating 100 Years!

12 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in National Parks, The Great Outdoors, Travel Destinations

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National Parks Service turns 100It’s time to celebrate!  The National Park Service turns 100 on August 25, 2016. In honor of this amazing year, we are launching a 12-part series dedicated to the enjoyment and beauty of our glorious national parks.  Stay tuned each month as we continue the celebration with park highlights, destination ideas, and general good-to-know information.

History of the National Park Service

YellowstoneThe Act of March 1, 1872 established Yellowstone National Park as a public park.  This founding created a worldwide park movement.  Following the establishment of Yellowstone, the United States authorized additional national parks and monuments.  Some were administered by the Department of the Interior while others were administered by the War Department and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture.  But, no single agency managed the various parks and monuments.  On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Parks Service.  This new federal bureau is responsible for protecting and managing all national parks and monuments.  It is now made up of more than 400 areas, covering over 84 million acres in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan and the Virgin Islands.

Criteria

Most national parks have been established by an act of Congress and the president confirms this by signing the act into law.  All parks are to be of national importance and should meet the following criteria:

  • It is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource.
  • It possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of our Nation’s heritage.
  • It offers superlative opportunities for recreation, for public use and enjoyment, or for scientific study.
  • It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of the resource

Visitors

Blue-RidgeThe National Park System receives over 280,000,000 visits each year and visitation is continuing to grow.  According to the 2014 Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visitors, the ten most visited areas of the National Park Service handle 28% of the visits to the 400+ park areas.  The #1 ranked national park is the Golden Gate National Recreation Area with over 15 million, followed in 2nd by the Blue Ridge Parkway with over 13 million visits.

Over 13 million visitors spend the night in one of the national parks, including those who stay in lodges, tent campers and RV campers.  Over the last 30 years, the largest increase in overnight visitors has been RV campers.  The most popular park for RVers is Yosemite National Park with over 160,000 RV campers followed by Lake Mead National Recreation Area with over 140,000 RV campers.

We encourage everyone to visit at least one National Park.  There is plenty to learn, see and do – you will be inspired!  Be sure to participate in Find Your Park Experiences as you have fun in national parks.  So get outdoors and Find Your Park!

Source: National Park Service

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Destination Highlight- Bryce Canyon, National Park

29 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by in Travel Destinations

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Bryce Canyon National Park

Inspiring. Surreal. Breathtaking. These are just some of the words that people have used to describe Bryce Canyon, Utah. Bryce Canyon is a National Park that encompasses almost 36,000 acres of Southwestern Utah.

History

Historians have indicated that people have lived in the Bryce Canyon area for over 10,000 years. The Paiute Indians are credited with calling the stone formations so prominent in the park “hoodoos,” or pinnacles. They are also credited with creating much of the mythology surrounding these hoodoos. These stories include the story of Coyote, being somewhat of a trickster, who turned the Legend People into these hoodoos.

When the Mormons came to Utah in the 1850’s, they eventually sent Ebenezer Bryce to the area. It was here he built a road, a canal and he began to raise cattle. When other settlers followed him, they began to refer to the area as “Bryce’s canyon”, which eventually became known as Bryce Canyon. Drought, flooding, and the ultimate over-grazing of the area led to those early settlers leaving the area along with the remaining Paiute Indians. Congress made the area a national park in 1928.

The real story though is its history of 5 million years of erosion that has that has created, and continues to create, a stunning display of natural formations.

What You Can Expect to See

Bryce Canyon offers visitors unforgettable views of natural rock formations that seem to rise out of the ground. Many who visit are spiritually moved by witnessing such creations, which seem to be around every corner.

There is so much to see here you will want to carefully plan your adventure. Bryce Amphitheater alone is worth taking a day to see. Formations here include:

  • Thor’s Hammer
  • Aquarias Plateau
  • Grotoes
  • Silent City
  • The Alligator

While you can see much of Bryce Canyon’s amazing beauty from strategically placed parking areas in the park, there are some incredible views that can be best seen by hiking through a variety of trails. This will give you a close up sense of the size and significance of each of these formations.

RV Camping

While there are multiple private RV camping options around the Bryce Canyon area, there are two within the park itself. There is the North Campground and the Sunset Campground. Both are close to the visitor center and to the Bryce Amphitheater. The North Campground has 13 RV sites available by reservation and another 86 RV and Tent Sites that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Sunset Campground does not have any RV sites that can be reserved in advance but it does have RV and Tent Sites that available on a first-come, first-served basis. In the summer these sites fill up by early afternoon.

Without bright lights or fanfare, Bryce Canyon offers up its natural beauty in impressive fashion. Sunsets can be extraordinary. It is an RV trip you and your family won’t soon forget.

Keep your RV adventures on track. Towable or motorized, make sure you have RV-specific roadside assistance with Coach-Net. Our Technical and Roadside Assistance Plans can cover all of your personal vehicles, including motorcycles, and provide coverage on any vehicle you own, rent, borrow or lease.