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Post by Sleeping Bag Man! on Jan 25, 2017 14:01:23 GMT -8
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RumiDude
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Marmota olympus
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Post by RumiDude on Jan 25, 2017 14:42:55 GMT -8
You toss aside Scarlett and return to your old flame? You cad!
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Post by markweth on Jan 25, 2017 14:45:44 GMT -8
I spend most of my time backpacking in national forest or wilderness areas, but I have greatly enjoyed my time in these national parks:
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My first multi-day backpacking trip was in GSMNP, so it will forever hold a special place in my heart.
- Cumberland Island National Seashore. Very enchanting place.
- Glacier National Park. Mountain majesty.
Hoping to visit a few more NPs this year.
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Post by johntpenca on Jan 25, 2017 15:05:08 GMT -8
I hate this OT thread drift. Some may think it is funny but I just find it moronic.
Gone to most of the NPs in the west, none east of the Mississippi. My vote goes to Yosemite and SEKI. The east side of the sierra is not a NP but is certainly a magical place.
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Post by vinovampire on Jan 25, 2017 15:06:19 GMT -8
Yosemite--that place blows my mind.
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bcpete
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Post by bcpete on Jan 25, 2017 15:17:52 GMT -8
Just down the road, and we spend a lot of time there ... Jasper NP.
For the States ... Katmai NP and Gates of the Arctic NP are pretty cool places to spend a week or so.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Jan 25, 2017 15:42:29 GMT -8
You toss aside Scarlett and return to your old flame? You cad! I think it's because she needs help. She has a monkey on her back.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Jan 25, 2017 16:11:35 GMT -8
Similar threads have been tossed out several times on this board. Tend to have a negative reaction to web threads or news media stories about favorites or best of whatever. Of course Backpacker Magazine and most other outdoor enthusiast magazines have always been addicted to filling pages with such. In any case broad favorite or best questions have value in stimulating forum discussion. Will instead make a comment about the value of personal inputs.
There are several dozen national parks and most of us on the board have just been to a handful, usually those in our local region plus a few others when out on distant vacations. I've been to 7 of the 8 California parks, but only 8 outside my state. Some of these parks are huge and one needs a lot of time to even become familiar with prominent front country features much less those in the backcountry. I can say I am not familiar enough with ANY of the California parks to rate any on value at an authoritative level. What I can rate are the limited places in each park that I have experienced. Thus one thing we might get clear is that when a regional local person says they like park XYZ the best, it probably is just a personal choice from preferred limited experience and not an indication that XYZ is a better park than others in that region. Especially regarding backcountry areas. That is not to say there are not some real experts in each of these parks because there certainly are especially for a few that have lived in some parks many years and extensively explored them.
If the question was what are some of your favorite backcountry destinations in national parks, I would be able to offer a list of interesting responses.
David
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Jan 25, 2017 17:15:16 GMT -8
Patagonia ParkKris Tompkins is working on turning it over to Chile to become a national park, in addition to the 2.2 million acres she and Doug have already donated. I think she has about 3 million more acres in the works, but I've forgotten the exact numbers. In any case, they have - by far - donated the most land in history, and she's working on donating more of their holdings as the land is restored.
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amac
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Post by amac on Jan 25, 2017 19:33:52 GMT -8
Beautiful photo Reuben! I'm up for Patagonia.
I've been to RMNF, Yellowstone, Glacier twice and Yosemite last year. My personal favorite is Glacier. I could go there every year and never get tired of it. It's truly the crown jewel of the Continent!
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jan 25, 2017 21:02:59 GMT -8
No way I can pick a single favorite, even though I do most of my backpacking outside the parks (well, the last couple of summer we've been in SEKI quite a bit; I forget how far north Kings Canyon NP goes.
But the CO Plateau may be my favorite hunk of land, so that would make it Zion, Arches, Grand Staircase-Escalante (yeah, not a park), etc.
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Post by tallgrass on Jan 25, 2017 21:27:35 GMT -8
Years ago, we drove through Badlands. My kids were very young and don't even remember it. I loved the colors of that park but not how empty it made me feel. I love the Badlands because of that very reason. Easily my favorite park (not that I've been to a ton). I love the desolation and wide open, yet disappearance (pop down a valley and you're gone). Cut my backpacking teeth in that place. When I lived ~5hours from the park, we would hightail it out there at noon on Friday. Grab a permit, park the car and just go wandering into the Sage Creek Wilderness. Carrying a couple gallons of water sucks.
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RumiDude
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Post by RumiDude on Jan 25, 2017 21:56:29 GMT -8
Currently it would be Olympic NP. I can walk to it within 30 minutes. Of course that doesn't get me to interesting trails, but a 17 mile drive gets me to Whiskey Bend TH or Boulder Creek TH. It's also 17 miles to Hurricane Ridge and another five miles to Obstruction Point. About 20 miles to the Dungeness THs, 70 miles to Rialto Beach or First Beach or Shi Shi Beach or Ozette access to the coast. Only about 6 miles to the THs for Lake Angeles or Heather Park. So I can explore a lot fairly easily. I have wild coastal beaches, alpine, river valleys, rainforest, lakes, etc. It's fun.
North Cascades is a true wilderness NP. It is great if you like solitude along with your mountains.
Rumi
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Post by paula53 on Jan 25, 2017 22:52:20 GMT -8
Yosemite. The valley is crowded, but hiking in Tuolumne Meadows is heaven.
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toejam
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Post by toejam on Jan 25, 2017 23:31:45 GMT -8
If I could avoid national parks I would. Paying an exorbitant entrance fee to get a pamphlet telling me how much damage I do and how the place would be better without me never sits well (what I refer to as the NPS You Suck doctrine, as opposed to the TR/Mather doctrine, but I digress...).
My favorite hike in a national park is climbing Mt. Rainier.
My favorite park is Sequoia - easy permits & lots of trailheads that don't involve hoards of non-backpacking tourists.
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