Discussions of reorganizing the National Park Service and changing the boundaries of Yosemite. Border wall construction at Big Bend. A presidential proclamation to shrink Bears Ears National Monument to a tenth of its size. As some national lands face uncertainty, five Post Opinions writers share appreciations of their favorites.
James Hohmann: Big Bend
When my wife and I went on a canoeing trip along the Rio Grande in Big Bend, the currents kept guiding us toward the Mexican side of the winding river. There is no discernible difference between the two shores.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt envisioned a transnational park that would span both sides of the Rio Grande when he designated Big Bend a national park in 1944. His Mexican counterpart loved the idea. But the plan functionally died with FDR.
President Donald Trump is now determined to build barriers that river guides fear will put them out of business. The administration has paused construction until Sept. 30 amid litigation and pushback from local conservatives who correctly argue that natural barriers make a wall unnecessary.
It’s worth the trip to see Big Bend before Trump has the chance to spoil the landscape. Bulldozers have already damaged sensitive habitats near Santa Elena Canyon, where you can walk into the mouth of a gorge with limestone walls rising 1,500 feet above the Rio Grande.
Stop in Marfa to break up the six-hour drive from El Paso. Big Bend’s remoteness rewards everyone who makes the trip with solitude and the darkest skies of any park in the Lower 48. You’ll see why they sing that the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas.
Jenna Portnoff: Crater Lake
A handful of years ago, some friends and I decided to visit Crater Lake National Park.
Years before that, I had visited Yosemite and Zion national parks. Both were pretty awe-inducing: epic waterfalls, towering sandstone cliffs, the reddest sand that stretches as far as the eye can see — things I had anticipated seeing, even if I couldn’t have known how seeing them would make me feel.
There was something about Crater Lake, though, that caught me off guard. When we arrived at the lake’s rim, it was eerily quiet. There was no foot traffic. The air was still. It was just us, standing at the edge of a crater whose strikingly blue water runs more than 1,900 feet deep.
I went knowing virtually nothing about the site, so my expectations were fairly muted. Maybe that’s why I felt so slack-jawed. None of us said much of anything. I felt so small standing against the enormity of this volcanic landmark that is many thousands of years old.
This is one of my favorite things about visiting landmarks: realizing my smallness, in the grand scheme of things.
Thomas McKenna: Acadia
Drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain, and you’ll find out from 1,530 feet up why Acadia draws the second-most visitors of any national park east of the Mississippi. From the highest point on the Eastern Seaboard, I saw to the west the sloping evergreen mountains and, to the east, the blue of the Atlantic Ocean.
You can make the trip a crescendo from one to the other. At first, a quiet hike among the pines and blueberries. Then, a light swim or some nighttime stargazing at Sand Beach. Finally, about an hour-long drive up to Schoodic Peninsula, where the waves hit granite clefts and shoot high into the air. I remember backing up as the tide came closer; soon, a rock on which I was standing only minutes before was swallowed in a crash.
One last thing: Right next to the park is a “Dive-in Theater.” It’s a boat tour that takes you out to sea, where Diver Ed suits up, grabs a camera and plunges to the ocean floor to retrieve lobsters, starfish, urchins and other creatures. On our visit, he swam to the surface with his prizes, held up a slimy sea cucumber and stuck it in his mouth.
Clare Ramirez: Joshua Tree
“I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder.”
My millennial self couldn’t help but quote Donkey from “Shrek” the first time I visited Joshua Tree National Park. Wandering among the boulders, I felt like a little girl again — scaling giant rocks and roaming around nature’s playground. Renowned formations such as Skull Rock and Arch Rock were at the top of my list to explore.
Located just a two- to three-hour drive from Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park is the most accessible desert escape for Southern Californians needing a break from the city. You may have seen a Joshua tree before, but seeing groves of these whimsical succulents across the Mojave Desert is a different experience. Like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike, and each has its own personality. If you’re up for a hike, the trees look especially impressive from the panoramic summit of Ryan Mountain.
Yet, as incredible as it is to scramble over boulders and take in the desert by day, nothing tops the park after dark. Far from the city, a clear sky will give you an incredible view of the stars under the moonlight. That, to me, is true desert magic.
Rachel Page: Bryce Canyon
Situated roughly 150 miles north of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon is often overlooked for its more famous neighbor. As a child on a family road trip, I was mesmerized by the red and orange hoodoos — the word for the park’s tall, totem-pole-like rocks. I loved the intense color of the canyon so much that it inspired me to paint my childhood bedroom an obnoxiously bright orange (I’m still surprised my parents let me do that).
Bryce Canyon is the only national park I have been to more than once. Thirteen years after my first visit, I went on a road trip with some friends, and I was just as mesmerized as before. We took the Navajo Loop Trail, which led us down into the canyon. It felt otherworldly to stand at the bottom, surrounded by the orange glow and towering hoodoos.
I highly recommend a visit — but I must warn, it may lead to brightly colored walls in your home.
The post ‘I felt so small’: Five writers on the best national parks appeared first on Washington Post.
