The National Parks: A Bucket List Goal

The first time I truly got a sense of the United States National Parks was the summer between eighth and ninth grade. My grandparents decided that it would be a great tradition to take the grandkids on a big trip once we reached a certain age. My grandparents had ventured out west several times before and took care of all of the planning. My older cousin and I were excited and along for the ride. After a brief flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, we traveled to Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. After venturing into Canada with a brief stint on a ferry to Victoria Island, we ended the trip in Seattle, Washington. During this two week road trip adventure, I was introduced to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, and Glacier National Park. I knew from then on out I was hooked on going to all the National Parks. 

My first time learning about the National Parks was on a road trip with Sweetie, Pop, and my cousin, Bailey.

Besides my grandmother being sick and tired of listening to Whip My Hair by Willow Smith, we have so many fond memories from that trip including adventures at the largest rodeo in the world, white water river rafting, and staying at the Come On Inn. Those memories going to the National Parks continued into college since the University of Tennessee was a quick drive to Smoky Mountain National Park. I made many friends by adventuring in the parks, and I found my favorite way to hike was to leave super early in the morning before sunrise, hit the trail early to see wildlife, and end with a gigantic brunch at one of the numerous pancake houses. This may have helped us avoid the crowds, but it also helped me avoid getting my National Park passport stamp in the Smokies for seven years. 

Even though the Smokies is the most visited National Park in the United States, it always felt like secluded home to me. My dad has several memories of backpacking through the park in his college years, and I always loved the idea of hiking in his footsteps. I found myself taking several well known hikes, such as Alum Cave, with family members. This was also around the time I started going with my now husband, Drew, on hiking adventures. He has always loved nature and pushed me a bit farther with my hikes such as doing Mt. Leconte in one day. I will never forget how bad my feet hurt the last mile of that journey, but it was well worth it. It was also important to note it was well worth it baking and packing homemade cookies for these longer hikes. 

Hiking Mt. Leconte with my now husband, Drew. The photo looks aged because I was in the middle of a photo editing era.

Once Drew and I got married, I let him in on my goal to visit each National Park. This singular goal morphed into a tag-teamed event. We have slowly started ticking parks off our list, but by no means are we close to accomplishing this goal. During the Summer of 2021, Drew and I did long distance as I found myself working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for three months as part of my doctorate degree. While we made several trips back and forth from Tennessee to Ohio, we realized that a good meet in the middle spot was Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. By the end of the summer we had booked our campsite for an adventurous weekend. 

The campsites on the National Park grounds ended up being exactly what we needed outfitted with a camp store and everything. This was the first time I had slept overnight in the parks, and I definitely relied on my Boy Scout husband for the majority of setting up the tent in the dark. Let’s be honest, I was way too proud of myself for gathering firewood for the sole purpose of me eating smores. Nevertheless, I look back on that trip fondly and learned a lot about outdoor cooking and living. 

After having a nice slow morning outside making coffee and toasting bagels at the campsite, we took the short walk to explore the cave. In hindsight, I would highly recommend getting a guided tour into Mammoth Cave. While we thoroughly enjoyed our trip, we were limited to what parts of the cave we could explore since we didn’t have a guide. Apparently you had to get on the list for the guided tour a month or so in advance, and we were sort of kicking ourselves for not doing that. The day trip to the cave ended up being the perfect amount of time we needed and ended the afternoon with a picnic lunch and nap under a tree.

Inside Mammoth Cave the summer of 2021. Fortunately, the aged photo editing era was short lived.

2022 brought many opportunities to go to several parks throughout the country. One of my very good friends had recently moved to Tuscan, Arizona and was so gracious to host us for the entire week of my Spring Break at her house. The city of Tuscan is nestled right in between the two halves of Saguaro National Park. While in Arizona we were able to see both parts of this desert and take pictures with too many cacti to count. I fully understand now how people get lost in the desert because on our hike, every viewpoint looked extremely similar. We also saw many bikers at this park, and I think it would be so fun to go back and bike the main trail through the Rincon Mountain District in Saguaro East. 

Drew posed for almost every Saguaro cactus photo this way so that he could prove to family members just how tall they were.

After a few days of desert exploring, the three of us loaded up the vehicle and took a road trip to the northern part of Arizona to see one of the crown jewels of the National Parks system: The Grand Canyon. We ended up booking a cozy AirBnB cabin in Munds Park. We had a bit of a drive to the Canyon, but regardless of where you stay, it would take you at least forty-five minutes to get to the canyon from your accommodations. We stuck to our typical outdoor adventure style by waking up before dawn and made it to the canyon not long after the first light. My breath was truly taken away when seeing the canyon emerging from the evergreens. That canyon is indeed grand.

We took the tour bus alongside the South Rim of The Grand Canyon and were dropped off at one of the farthest stops. Since it was March, the North Rim was closed for the season. Fortunately, the South Rim stays open year round. We ended up taking the trail alongside the rim for several miles all the way back to the visitors center. During this day-long adventure we learned so much about the history and forming of the canyon through the different stops, and I never got tired of looking at the view. We ended up packing a picnic lunch and enjoying homemade cookies with a spectacular view. At this point, I believe packing homemade cookies and sandwiches has become part of our outdoor style too.

We ended the day watching the sunset over the canyon which will forever be etched into my memory. The colors were absolutely gorgeous, but my feet were absolutely freezing. I am so grateful we brought several layers of clothing on our trip because the temperature greatly varies in the dry climate. Drew attempted to wait for the stars to appear, but the moon was incredibly bright. If we were to visit again I would want to track the phase of the moon so we could have the best view of the stars since The Grand Canyon is a dark sky zone. I would also love to do a guided overnight trip hiking rim to rim, but I think that idea would take a little more time convincing Drew. 

Enjoying the scenic views of the Grand Canyon with my friend, Cara. Don’t be fooled- there was a ledge underneath us.

Quick cookie break while hiking around the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

During 2022, we were also able to visit Congaree National Park in South Carolina on our second wedding anniversary. This new-ish addition to the National Park Systems (2003) was previously a state park, but was taken into account to become a National Park due to its biodiversity. We went glamping overnight and took a day trip to this park with a guided tour through the boardwalks. I have found through our trips that not all National Parks are created equal. Some of them I could spend days trekking through, like The Grand Canyon or Yellowstone, but others, like Mammoth Cave and Congaree, are easy day trips. In my opinion this doesn’t make these parks less than, just enjoyed in a different way.

Posing on the boardwalks at Congaree National Park in South Carolina after our guided tour.

So far in 2023 we have been able to make it to Everglades National Park. We also ended up camping in this park at the Flamingo Campgrounds to much concern from our families (something about alligators, pythons, and bears oh my!?) The Everglades is a gigantic section of reserved land in Florida, and I could easily find more things to do if we are ever able to go back. On this particular trip we stuck to exploring the southern part of the park. We enjoyed renting kayaks and taking a boat tour out into the bay. The Everglades has an immense amount of biodiversity with seven different biomes, numerous species of birds, and, yes, those other types of animals that could kill you. In fact, the Everglades is one of the only places in the world that has both alligators and crocodiles.

We ended up campfire cooking most evenings in the Everglades, but unfortunately our traditional homemade cookies did not make an appearance. I would recommend, if you are in the southern part of the Everglades, stopping at one of the tents alongside the road for some authentic Hispanic food. We also made sure to pop by the Robert Is Here fruit stand, which is more like a petting zoo with a small grocery store. We were also supposed to go snorkeling at Biscayne National Park on this trip since it is not too far from the Everglades, but unfortunately the boat broke down, and we were unable to make our trip. I guess that means we will have to go back soon!

Nothing is more enjoyable to me than getting up early and exploring the parks while drinking a hot cup of coffee. We had the boardwalks to ourselves at The Everglades on our final morning, and it was glorious.

While we still have many parks to attend (54 to be exact), I am grateful for the views and core memories we have made thus far on our trips. If I could leave any words of advice when it comes to visiting the National Parks it is this: visit with open expectations and gratefulness for preserving the land, plan to plan but also plan to get lost in the beauty of nature, and, most importantly, pack the homemade cookies. 

Toll House Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon water

2 eggs

2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift or whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and water. Use a hand mixer to beat until creamy. Then, beat in the eggs. Once all the ingredients are blended together, add in the dry ingredients. Once again, use the hand mixer to blend well. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, mix in the chocolate chips and optional nuts with a spatula. Use a cookie scoop or teaspoon to drop dough on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.