This blog will briefly describe the parks that I have visited that are managed by the National Park Service. It will eventually include all the National Parks, Monuments and Historic Sites plus a few others. I started the visits about a year ago so I have a few post to catch up on.
We visited Wrangell-St. Elais NP located in Alaska in the summer of 2026. The park is 13 million+ acres so clearly you aren’t going to see all of it. We stayed at the Kennecott Lodge where there are many things to do. You can get there by driving or flying. Driving is 6+ hours from Anchorage and the last 60 miles are on a dirt road that takes two and a half to drive. We hiked out to the Root Glacier and then walked a bit on the glacier, there are half day and full day trips on the glacier. There are two hour tours of the copper ore factory which is surprising as it looks like it will collapse at any moment. We also did a full day white water rafting and flight seeing trip. All these activities are worth doing. There are also ice climbing and back country trips to do. There is a small Visitor Center with no movie but a gift shop of course.
We visited Sitka NHP located in Sitka, Alaska in the summer of 2026. This is another site that you can get to only by plane or boat. The site tells the history of the Tlingit tribe and their relationship with Russian trappers and traders and later American trappers and traders. Both relationships were very contentious at times with some battles. We were lucky to be there on a day when there weren’t any cruise ships in town so we could get around without difficulty. The Visitor Center is very nice with good exhibits and a movie. There is a display hall that shows the old original totem poles that have copies on display along the Totem trail. We also went to the Alaska Raptor Center where injured raptors are rehabilitated and some that can’t be released are on display.
We visited Glacier Bay NP located southeast Alaska in the summer of 2026. We stayed at the Glacier Bay Lodge located in Gustavus, the only way to get there is by plane or boat. The Park covers 3.3 million acres and we saw only a small portion of it but what we saw was pretty good. We took a cruise from the lodge which went up the bay and we saw wildlife and tidewater glaciers. There is a short hike that leaves from the lodge and gives you a look at what the spruce forest looks like. We also did a half day kayaking trip where we got close to sea otters. There isn’t really a Visitor Center but there is a desk in the lodge where there are rangers and of course a gift shop.
We visited Klondike Gold Rush NHP located in Skagway, Alaska in the summer of 2026. There is another location for this park in Seattle, Washington which we have also visited. We took the ferry between Juneau and Skagway which I highly reccomend rather than flying. The captain makes stops along the way to view wildlife and do some whale watching. Some other passengers on the ferry said it is more reliable than flying because of the frequent bad flying conditions. There are several historic sites in town to visit but the main attraction is the train which follows the White Pass Trail up into Canada and the Yukon. We took the train as did hundreds of cruise ship passengers. You get an assigned seat and there is narration to let you know what you are seeing There are several hiking trails that leave right from the downtown some lakes and waterfalls.
We visited Arkansas Post NM located in Gillett, Arkansas in October 2026. There is a large Visitor Center with a movie and a large museum with many displays of the history of the Post. There is a walk to the town site but there are only signs describing what was there, there are no buildings still existing. There is a nature trail which we didn’t do as my foot was very painful. It is better now as I wtite this. The Post was first established in the late 1600’s by the French. The Post location has changed location several times for various reaasons. In the late 1700’s France ceded the land to the Spanish and then it went back to the French who sold it to the US in 1803. It then became a center for hunting and trapping and eventually cotton production. During the Civil War the Post was attacked by Union forces essentially destroying the town from which it never recovered.
We visited President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home NHS located in Hope, Arkansas in October 2026. The home is where Clinton lived for the first four years of his life. He lived with his grandparents while his mother was going to school to be a nurse. His father was killed in a car accident before Clinton was born. There is a very small Visitor Center with a movie and small museum. Ranger guided tours of the house are available and are the only way to see the interior of the home.
We visited Hot Springs NP located in Arkansas in September 2026. It’s not your typical national park as the main attraction is the bath houses located in the downtown of the city. There are scenic drives with views and hiking trails accessible from the scenic drives. There is also an observation tower that gives a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. We didn’t do any hiking as one of my feet was very painful.
There is a large Visitor Center which is mostly museum. The top 2 floors are self guided tours as is the first floor but there is a ranger guided tour of the first floor which gives you more detail of what you are seeing. We also paid for a soaking at one of the baths which was interesting and hot. There is a city parking garage and if you park on one of the top 2 floors it is free. It isn’t advertised until you go to the elevator.
We visited Chickasaw NRA located in Oklahoma in September 2026. The Travertine Nature Center was closed on the day we were there but the Park Administration offices share a building with the Chickasaw Nation Visitor Center where you can get information. We hiked to Antelope Springs and Buffalo Springs along a pretty flat and shady trail. We also hiked around part of the West Bison Pasture where we did see Bison. There was a large area of the park we didn’t visit as it was mostly oriented to boats. Apparently the parking areas fill up on weekends and holidays but we were there mid week.
We visited Alibates Flint Quarries NM located in Texas in September 2026. There is a Visitor Center with a movie and a small museum area. There is a short hike at the Visitor Center but in order to see the quarries you must take the ranger guided tour which is well worth it. If you don’t take the tour you don’t actually enter the monument as the Visitor Center is located in the Lake Meredith NRA. The tour is about a 1 mile hike with some elevation gain and steps. You will see many artifacts scattered on the ground and evidence of the quarry pits which the natives dug in. On a hot sunny day it would be a difficult hike as there isn’t any shade.
We visited Lake Meredith NRA located in Texas in September 2026. There is a small Visitor Center located in Fritch, Texas. It consists of a desk with a helpful ranger. If you have boat you could do more than we did. We visited a couple of areas and did some hikes. We hiked in the Fritch Fortress and McBride Canyon areas.
