Tired of rubbing elbows at America's national parks? These lesser-known parks offer wilderness, adventure — and seclusion
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Bruce Leonard Jr.
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MotorHome, February 2005
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Touring America's national parks in an RV can be a transcendent experience. In fact, numerous RVers purchase their rigs specifically to explore as many of the 58 parks under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS) as they can. Sitting around a campfire and reminiscing with new friends about previous national park visits -- or making others envious by bragging of upcoming trips -- could almost be considered a hobby among some travelers.
Over the years, these motorhoming Argonauts will visit the most widely known and most-popular parks -- Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon -- which is as it should be, since no one should miss these beauties. After visiting these parks, however, some travelers abandon the tried-and-true and set out for lesser-known wonders: parks that offer wilderness, adventure and, oftentimes, seclusion, which can rarely be said of the brightest stars in the NPS constellation, especially during summer.
So this year, update your park passes and point your rigs towards these unheralded national parks.
Everglades National Park, Florida
Subtlety is key in this, the largest subtropical preserve in the United States. At the southern tip of Florida, mountains do not cast imposing shadows, mud pots do not boil and nothing is carved into granite. And yet Everglades National Park is better off without these dramatic elements.
Here, the slow-moving water itself -- sometimes called the "river of grass" -- is the attraction, along with all of the life forms and outdoor activities that this water sustains and supports. With much of it only six inches deep but spreading 60 miles wide in places, the river seems to wander aimlessly southward under the hot sun. Yet in this languid landscape, magic lies: Everglades National Park has been designated a Wetland of International Importance, an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site, for good reason.
The only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators share the same water, Everglades National Park is also home to endangered and rare species, including the Florida panther and the West Indian manatee. Wood storks, great blue herons and a variety of egrets plume the shores, bobcats and green anole lizards wander the land, and redfish, bass, sea trout and snapper swim Everglades' waters.
Yet this ecosystem is very fragile. Various complicated attempts to save the Everglades are underway, including road and bridge construction that may cause delays to visitors, and bass in some areas of the park have high mercury levels, causing advisories against human consumption. These, however, are minor inconveniences, considering the park's unique appeal and sporting activities. Numerous hiking trails weave throughout the park. Guests can peddle many of the roads on bikes or take a nature walk, and canoes and kayaks are popular methods to explore the park.
Long Pine Key Campground and Flamingo Campground together offer 342 drive-up sites and are open year-round, though they don't have hookups. For winter stays, reservations are accepted up to five months in advance.
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited park in the National Park System. The twisting, scenic mountain road that leads out of the eastern edge of Great Smoky -- the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway -- is practically a destination unto itself. Yet the north end of this vista-filled parkway ends in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, and here travelers will find plenty of nature's bounty, teeming with beauty and outdoor adventures, minus the crowds.
To the east of the park, the Piedmont country's rolling hills act as counterpoint to the park's spine, the Blue Ridge Mountains. To the west, the Shenandoah River wends its way through the oak-hickory forest, home to black bears and deer as well as 200 species of birds, including wild turkeys. Native eastern brook trout tempt anglers in the many nearby streams, and hikers can wear out their boots on more than 500 miles of trails, including 101 miles of the famed Appalachian Trail within the park. Horse owners can saddle up their mounts and explore the 150 miles of horse trails, or dudes can step into the stirrups on a guided trail ride.
Skyline Drive, the 105-mile road that bisects the length of the park, may be Shenandoah's predominant feature, since it provides stunning views of the park's mountains, valleys and forests. This road rises and dips within sight of granite peaks and zigzags among wildflowers that, in spring, brighten sections of the park's 197,000 acres. Travelers should consider this road integral to the park experience and should stop their vehicles frequently at the 75 overlooks along the route. Drivers should avoid sightseeing while moving and should abide by the 35 mph speed limit, since wildlife often cross the curvy road. Park campgrounds open in April and May, and travelers should check on road conditions before setting out.
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
Travelers looking for isolation will almost certainly find it at this unusual park. In fact, during August, its most crowded month, Isle Royale National Park welcomes fewer than 7,000 visitors; October sees only about 250. These miniscule visitation figures are partly explained by Isle Royale's short season, from April 15 through October 31. Of course, the abundant elbowroom mostly results from the fact that the park sits in the middle of Lake Superior.
Authorized in 1931 by Congress "to conserve a prime example of North Woods Wilderness," Isle Royale still retains a wilderness designation on 99 percent of its land, so travelers looking for amenity-rich RV parks should look elsewhere. In fact, RVers must leave their rigs in Houghton or Copper Harbor, Michigan, or in Grand Portage, Minnesota, then take a passenger ferry to the island. Thirty-six campgrounds allow visitors to stay overnight, as do the self-contained housekeeping cabins and the motel-style accommodations at Rock Harbor Lodge.
Vacationers who pamper themselves on trips may ask why anyone would bother visiting Isle Royale, especially once they learn that the park's official Web site has a Bugs button that describes how flying critters can turn a visit into not such a slap-happy affair. True fans of the outdoors scoff at such questions, since kayakers gleefully skirt the island's dramatic, rocky coastline, while canoeists and anglers do their thing on 47 inland lakes. Day hikers and backpackers scurry up wooded basalt ridges that are home to timber wolves and moose, and divers explore the underwater treasure trove created by the sinking of 10 major vessels in these frigid waters.
Granted, an Isle Royale visit has many restrictions -- from consecutive-night-stay limits at the campgrounds to an absolute prohibition of pets -- but these are small prices to pay for travelers who have a wild streak in them.
Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
RVers to this southern section of the Canadian Shield do not necessarily need to bring a birch-bark canoe with them, but to best take advantage of Voyageurs National Park's 218,000 acres, visitors should be familiar with -- or want to experience -- some kind of watercraft. Since four large interconnected lakes -- spangled with more than 500 islands -- make up Voyageurs, lovers of water and its various aqua-borne activities may never want to leave this lush national park.
Dozens of campsites sit on bluffs and in thick pine forests on the park's abundant islands, which are only accessible by boat. RVers can stay in private campgrounds, some on the shores of the national park, or they can sleep in the 61 rustic sites at Woodenfrog State Forest Campground (218-753-2245) for $10 a night. Rendezvous, a park publication that travelers can request by phone from park headquarters, lists the area's various camping options.
Of course, the original Voyageurs -- French-Canadian canoemen who paddled these seemingly endless waters in birch-bark canoes -- had to rough it more than today's visitors. Guests not willing or able to set out in their own canoes, kayaks or small crafts can travel in a replica of a voyageur canoe during the summer. Or, visitors may want to explore Rainy Lake or Kabetogama Lake by tour boat. Some guests may prefer to investigate the remnants of the Rainy Lake Gold Rush, viewing obsolete mine shafts and artifacts on Little American Island.
Obviously, the opportunities to explore this waterway -- 55 miles of which form the border with Ontario, Canada -- are plentiful, but Voyageurs offers abundant winter activities, as well. The Black Bay Beaver Pond cross-country ski trails and the Rainy Lake Ice Road allow winter guests to perfect their propulsion techniques, and the Chain of Lakes snowmobile trail allows the scenery to pass at a faster clip. Of course, anglers in Voyageurs can pursue their hobby/sport/obsession year round.
Death Valley National Park, California
Despite its inhospitable name, Death Valley National Park can, in fact, be quite welcoming. Of course, to endure the summer heat -- which in 1913 reached 134 degrees F -- it helps to be a reptile, yet even the hottest months find tourists investigating this park's unusual natural features and man-made attractions. Most of Death Valley's visitors, however, explore the park's 3.3-million acres between November and April, when temperatures are less severe.
Certainly, people visit Death Valley specifically for its extremes -- the lowest point in the western hemisphere, Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level, is located only 15 miles from 11,049-foot-high Telescope Peak. This spectacular elevation change, as well as the stark desert scenery, draws travelers to this rugged land that skirts California's eastern border.
RVers should stop at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to acquaint themselves with the park's resources. Once they're aware of the geologic and meteorological forces that created --and continue to affect -- the 156-mile valley, RVers can figure out which activities they have time to pursue.
Four-wheelers seeking seclusion can set out from Badwater Basin and head 40 miles north to the four-wheel-drive-only Chloride City road. Off-roaders or mountain bikers looking to raise their heart rate can conquer two 5,000-foot climbs in the Grapevine Mountains, in the northeast corner of the park, on the 26-mile Titus Canyon jeep road. The park offers hikers all their legs can handle, with nearly 60 named canyons; Mosaic Canyon's two-mile climb, with 1,000 feet of elevation gain, starts things off nicely. Dante's View and Zabriskie Point show off the valley's striated scenery.
After checking out the ancient caldera of Ubehebe Crater and examining some of the nearly 1,000 plant species that live in the park, visitors may want to stop by Scotty's Castle and Furnace Creek. The former offers a 50-minute tour of the stylish Moorish retreat, and the latter provides a desert respite in the form of a luxury inn, a family-style retreat and three campgrounds.
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(click images to enlarge)
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Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
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Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
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Death Valley National Park, California
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