The next few weeks I thought I’d write about something a little closer to home and a little bit different. Pennsylvania unfortunately does not have any National Parks of its own, but it does have 121 State Parks! There are a few State Parks that I visited all the time as a child, so I thought I would share these with you in case you’re ever in the Western PA area looking for something to do.

The first State Park is Moraine State Park and it is only about a 15 minute drive from my house. The main focus of the park is Lake Arthur, which is a man-made lake. The lake draws people from the Pittsburgh area who are looking for an escape from the city. They come to kayak, paddle board, sail, fish, swim, picnic, bike and hike. Another fun aspect of the park is the disc golf course. My dad got into disc golfing and bought a bunch of discs, so we go disc golfing at Moraine and other nearby courses. They actually held the disc golf world championship in the Pittsburgh area in 2015, and my dad and I got to watch at Moraine. This was a very interesting experience for sure!

My family has been going to Moraine ever since I can remember. When we were younger we would swim at the beach and occasionally rent a pontoon boat to have an afternoon on the lake. (My brother even works summers at the boat rental now) This was always a great time! We also had an old sailboat that my dad bought from his brother. My parents took us sailing in the summers and it was always a lot of fun to work on the boat and get it ready for the water. Unfortunately, my dad went sailing by himself one day and flipped the whole boat over. Luckily people helped him get it upright and to shore, but he lost a key part of the boat; the rudder. We never bought a new one because honestly the boat was so old the rudder would cost more than the boat!

As we got older we bought 2 paddle boards and 2 kayaks along with our canoe so that we could all be out on the lake together. One of the most fun activities is running and jumping off of the paddle boards into the lake. The paddle boards are great with friends too! There is even an island in the middle of the lake we can paddle to and have lunch on. This past spring, my dad decided to buy a new sailboat, which is bigger than our old one, but still just as old. It took a lot of work to get it ready to actually sail, but this summer was fun taking sailing trips. We even got our dog, Moose onto the sailboat after much coaxing, and eventually just pushing him. He actually seems to enjoy the sailboat (much more than the paddle boards) he is just terrified of the wobbly dock!

As some of you know my family loves hiking. The past 2 years we have been hiking much more because Moose requires a daily walk or swim or he is insane and won’t sleep. Moraine is our go to hiking spot when we have time to take a real hike. There are so many great trails, including parts of the north country trail.

Thanks for reading about my family and Moraine!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota was made in honor of the outdoors-loving President. Roosevelt’s love for the outdoors began when he visited the Dakota Territory to hunt bison in 1883. During his presidency, he focused a lot of his energy on conservation. Roosevelt dedicated 230 million acres of Public Land during his time in office. He was well known for his conservation efforts and was very focused on preserving the beauty of America.

There is lots to do in this amazing park, starting with the Painted Canyon Visitors Center. At the visitors center, you can see your first real view of the Badlands from a scenic overlook! The canyon is known for its unique colors and stretches as far as the eye can see. There is also a 2 mile long hiking trail that ventures down into the canyon. It is a little bit steep, but I’m sure it is well worth the effort for some great views!

Another cool thing about Theodore Roosevelt National park is that there is a lot of wildlife that we do not usually see. From bison to prairie dogs, the park has a wide range of interesting creatures. One thing that visitors love to see is the wild horses. There are many herds throughout the park, and you can find many places to view them. There are also many bison and elk in the park, and you will likely get to see some while on your trip. Another fun fact is that North America’s fastest animal, the pronghorn, which is similar to a deer lives here. Above all, in my opinion, the prairie dog towns are something that you don’t want to miss. People gather near the towns to watch the cute creatures pop in and out of their burrows and move around their tunnels, using barks and yelps to communicate. I would love to see this and watch how the community of animals works together to keep their town running. I would love to see all of the diverse wildlife of the park and learn about a different ecosystem than I am used to.

Another attraction in the park is the scenic loop drive. This 36 mile loop has many pull-off spots around the park which give you some of the best views of the park. These stops also have signs that tell you all about the history and natural features of the park. This is also one of the best ways to see all of the wildlife mentioned above! The Maltese Cross Ranch Cabin is also located in the park and was a temporary home for Roosevelt. You can visit this house during your trip to the park!

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about what there is to do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I hope to be able to visit this amazing, diverse area in the future. I would love to see all of the different animals around the park as well as go on some hikes with unique, amazing views! I would also love to learn more about the history of the land and Roosevelts connection to the area.

Citations:

“8 Things to See and Do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.” Official North Dakota Travel & Tourism Guide, North Dakota Be Legendary, https://www.ndtourism.com/best-places/8-things-see-and-do-theodore-roosevelt-national-park.

“Theodore Roosevelt National Park (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1 Oct. 2021, https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm.

Hi all, welcome to my passion blog for semester 2 of RCL! I will be continuing my topic from last semester of exploring America’s National Parks. For those who are new to my blog, I grew up in a family that loved outdoor adventure, and I have been on a variety of trips out West and locally. My family loves any activity that we can do outside as a family. I have been to Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Maine, and Michigan, visiting national parks and hiking destinations in each of these states. I have been to Rocky Mountain National Park; Sedona, Arizona; Zion National Park; Bryce Canyon National Park; Grand Canyon National Park; Acadia National Park; and Pictured Lakes National Lakeshore. At these locations my family has gone hiking, camping, repelling, rock climbing, and white water rafting. Above all, my family loves to go hiking and enjoy the beauty of nature. The purpose of this blog is to explore all of the amazing places there are to visit without even leaving the United States. I hope you all can get some ideas of places to visit in the future, I hope I can visit many of these places one day!

Here are links to my first and second blog posts for a little more context/background on me and my family if you are interested. 🙂

Today I am looking into Gates of The Arctic National Park which is located in Alaska. This is one of the less-visited National parks because of its remote wilderness location. Despite this, it provides amazing views and opportunities to see the wildlife of the region. It includes the Endicott Mountains and the Schwatka Mountains as well as six rivers that provide stunning views.

This is definitely somewhere to visit if you want to witness nature that is untouched by humans for the most part. It is described as one of the last truly wild places on earth. There are no roads or manmade trails in the park. This means you are truly submerged in nature. To get to the park you either have to fly by air taxi or hike in as there is no way to drive in. There are many options for backpacking, but it is recommended that only experienced hikers take on the park in this way. The National Park Service warns “Visitors to the park should be PROFICIENT in outdoor survival skills, and be prepared to care for their own life and their partner(s) if an emergency arises” (NPS). This is because of the remote location and difficult terrain including cold rivers, mountain peaks, and valleys as well as dangerous wildlife like grizzly bears and wolverines.

Don’t worry though, there are many options for those of us who don’t have quite the equipment or experience that this option requires! There are many guided trips such as flight-seeing trips, river trips, day trips, or overnight camp-outs at remote locations. You can also “spend the day fishing at an alpine lake, watching the caribou pass through northern valleys, or picnicking by a wild river while listening to the wind in the boreal forest” (NPS). Whatever you chose, no matter where you go in the park, there are sure to be unbelievable views. On top of this, you will most likely have the whole area to yourself, so you can get away from the hustle and stress of everyday life.

I hope you enjoyed reading about Gates of The Arctic National Park! I hope I have the opportunity to take a trip to a remote area like this one day. I think it would be so cool to be submerged in nature and be able to hike through beautiful surroundings that are mostly untouched by society.

Citation:

“Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 8 Dec. 2021, https://www.nps.gov/gaar/index.htm.