Happy National Park Week 2022!
Every April, the National Park Service and National Park Foundation partner to celebrate America’s best treasure, the National Parks! National Park week 2022 is April 16-24. There are a variety of events, programs and even digital experiences being hosted at parks across the country. The theme for this year’s celebration is sPark Connections, with the goal of encouraging everyone to connect to their national parks and learn all that the National Park Service has to offer. The National Park Service website has an article on all the events and theme days celebrating National Park week here; and another article on sParking Connections here.
Being from North-Central Indiana, to celebrate National Park Week, I wanted to highlight National Parks that are a quick weekend trip away that would be easy to sPark a new Connection with. These are the top reasons to visit each park according to Fodor's the Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park – Ohio
Hike a historic trade route: Explore a restored section of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath, originally used for mules pulling canal boats that transported goods on the Ohio River.
Enjoy the view: Observe the Cuyahoga Valley from an overlook atop sandstone ledges carved by glaciers. See ancient petroglyphs or ascend a giant rock staircase
Ski the slopes: ski or snowboard at Boston Mills and Brandywine Ski Resorts. Enjoy apres ski around a crackling fire in a cozy alpine lodge.
Take a Farm Crawl: Visit any one of the 11 working farms that are part of the Countryside Initiative, a partnership allowing smallholders practicing sustainable agriculture to lease land within the national park.
Board a scenic train ride: Journey through the striking scenery and varied wildlife of the Cuyahoga Valley aboard a Class III railroad.
Gateway Arch National Park – St. Louis, Missouri
Immerse yourself in the Arch: Ride the tram 63 stories to its top, and sway (up to 18 inches in 150 mph winds) along with it in the observation deck. Take in its sky-high, 30-mile views to the east and west of the Mississippi River. Stand at the bottom of one of its legs, and look up. Post your pics to the Arch’s popular and humorous Twitter fee: @GatewayArchSTL
Cruise Old Muddy: Sail through history along the Mississippi River aboard the Tom Sawyer or the Becky Thatcher, replica 19th-century paddlewheelers. First brought here in 1964 to take sightseers out to view construction of the Arch, both continue to entertain with dinner and other specialty cruises.
Time travel: At the on-site museum, touch bison fur, sit inside a pirogue (dugout canoe), walk inside a replica colonial house. Experience still more history–over 200 years of it–with interactive maps, jumbo video screens, and re-created soundtracks of life in various time periods.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Tennessee & North Carolina
Witness the wilderness: This is one of the last remaining big chunks of wilderness in the East. Get away from civilization in more than 800 square miles of tranquility, with old-growth forests, clear streams, 900 miles of hiking trails, wildflowers, and panoramic vistas from mile-high mountains.
Get your endorphins going: Outdoor junkies can bike, boat, camp, fish, hike, ride horses, white-water raft, watch birds and wildlife, and even cross-country ski.
Experience mountain culture: Visit restored mountain cabins and tour “ghost towns” in the park, with old frame and log buildings preserved much as they were 100 years ago.
Spot wildlife: Biologists estimate there are more than 1,600 bears, 6,000 deer, and 150 elk now in the park.
It’s free!: It’s one of the few major national parks in the country with no admission fee.
Indiana Dunes National Park – Indiana
Hit the beach: The park’s 15-mile shoreline encompasses eight beaches with access to the waters of Lake Michigan. They are major regional destinations on hot summer days.
Experience the dunes: Shaped by water, wind, and time, the park’s namesake dunes are in four different complexes, marked by 200-foot ridges that are separated by valleys and wetlands.
Explore a rare black oak savanna: Although oak savannas once dominated vast tracts of land from Indiana to Nebraska, most were cleared for wood in the 1800s and 1900s. Only 0.02 percent of these fertile ecosystems remain in the Midwest, and this park has several of them.
Watch the birds: With more that 350 different species of birds sighted here, Indiana Dunes ranks in the top five national parks for avian diversity. The lake, forest, and grasslands attract a variety of migratory visitors, too.
Mammoth Cave National Park – Kentucky
The world’s longest cave: At more than 400 miles of interconnected passageways (mapped so far), no other cave system on Earth comes close.
Time stops here: You lose track of time underground; on the surface, the forests seem rooted in a different age. An hour spent drifting down Green River can seem like three spent in a dream.
Bountiful botany: Within its 52,000 acres, Mammoth Cave National Park supports more than 1,100 species of wildflowers–a figure not far behind Great Smoky Mountains, a park ten times as large.
Laid-back waters: Green River has no whitewater rapids or waterfalls, but it’s an adventure all the same–mystery grottoes in the rock, unexpected creatures peering from the bank, islands to explore on a whim.
Watchable wildlife: The normally skittish wild turkey and white tailed deer are often seen in Mammoth and there’s great birdwatching.
New River Gorge National Park – West Virginia
Hiking: Lace up your hiking boots to tackle scenic trails across the park that range from less than ¼-mile to more than 7 miles.
White-water rafting: Strap on your helmet and grab a paddle for the thrill of a lifetime as you raft along the free-flowing New River.
Fishing: Fishing is one of the most popular activities at this national park. Drop in a line to catch a smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, or carp.
The bridge: Plan to take in the views of the New River Gorge Bridge from all angles, including from the overlook at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center and from below on Fayette Station Road.
There is no shortage of fun to be had within the National Parks, and there are many more waiting for you closer than you may have guessed. With the weather now getting nicer, it is the perfect time to grab your hiking boots, fishing poles, kayak, or swimsuit and enjoy the beauty inside one of the breathtaking National Parks near you!
Anderson, Karen. Fodor's the Complete Guide to the National Parks of the USA. Fodor's Travel, a Division of MH Sub I, LLC, Dba Internet Brands, 2022.
