Month: August 2011

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Pinnacles Overlook Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park is much more than just Crater Lake. For those that want to see more than Crater Lake when visiting Crater Lake National Park, it’s definitely worthwhile driving Pinnacles Road (off of East Rim Drive) to take the new Plaikni Falls Trail to Plaikni Falls. Once done, definitely keep going down Pinnacles Road (about another 6 miles) until you reach Pinnacles Overlook:

The Pinnacles are a collection of 100-foot-tall (30-meter) spires which have been created as the canyon walls around them have eroded away. The spires are “fossil fumaroles,” each marking a spot where volcanic gas rose up through hot ash deposits, cementing the ash into solid rock.

Pinnacles Overlook at Crater Lake National Park

close-up of Pinnacles at Crater Lake National Park

view from Pinnacles Overlook at Crater Lake National Park

The history of the “pinnacles” began about 7,700 years ago when the eruptions of Mt. Mazama were reaching their climax. Torrents of red-hot, gas-charged pumice poured down Mazama’s slopes at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 kph). On top of this came a flow of heavier rocks called scoria. These glowing avalanches flooded downslope for many miles, leaving deep deposits in their wake.

Temperatures in the deposits may have exceeded 750 degrees Fahrenheit (400 degrees Celsius). Plumes of vapors appeared, as gasses escaped from the settling rocks through vents called fumaroles. Minerals in the gasses combined with extreme heat, welded the sides of the fumaroles in the shape of slender cones. Since then, streams have eroded the canyon through the deposits, exposing the cones. Many of these fossil fumaroles are hollow.

The above photos were taken from the Pinnacles Overlook which doesn’t require any hiking at all (it’s a few feet away from the parking area). For those who want to see the Pinnacles from a variety of different angles, there is a short Pinnacles Trail hike that’s worth taking.

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Humpback Chub Grand Canyon National Park Rafting

The Humpback Chub is a bottom feeder fish that thrived in the warm waters of the Colorado River before Glen Canyon Dam was built and turned the Colorado River into a much colder river that it is today. It was declared endangered in 1967 and has one of its last strongholds in the Little Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Since the Humpback Chub is protected from fishing, it has learned to recognize the bottoms of the river rafts coming down the Colorado River and gathers around them when they stop to camp near the Little Colorado River. This gives the unique and special opportunity to actually see numerous examples of this endangered fish in the wild:

Humpback Chub gathering around raft in Grand Canyon

endangered Humpback Chub Grand Canyon National Park

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National Park Fees List

What is not commonly known is that the vast majority of the nearly 400 parks in the National Parks system do not charge any entrance fee at all. Of those that do charge an entrance fee, there is usually a fee per car and or a fee per individual entering the National Park. The following is a list of all the parks in the National Parks system that usually charge a fee to gain entrance to the park. The parks on this list waive the fee on National Parks fee free days.

Arizona

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Chiricahua National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Grand Canyon National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult
Lake Mead National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Montezuma Castle National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Petrified Forest National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Pipe Spring National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Saguaro National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Tonto National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Tumacacori National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Tuzigoot National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Walnut Canyon National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Wupatki National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult

Arkansas

Fort Smith National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Pea Ridge National Military Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

California

Cabrillo National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Death Valley National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
John Muir National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Joshua Tree National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lassen Volcanic National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lava Beds National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult – Only accepts cash or checks, no debit or credit cards
Muir Woods National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Pinnacles National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Sequoia National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Yosemite National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult

Colorado

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Colorado National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Dinosaur National Monument entrance fee:
No entrance fees charged in 2011 until after the Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall open on October 4
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per individual adult – Only accepts cash or checks, no debit or credit cards
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve entrance fee:
$3 per individual adult
Hovenweep National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Mesa Verde National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $8 per individual adult: May 29 – September 5, 2011. All other times: $10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Rocky Mountain National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult

Florida

Canaveral National Seashore entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per adult: San Marcos is considering increasing its admission fee to $7 per adult
Dry Tortugas National Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Everglades National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Gulf Islands National Seashore entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Georgia

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park entrance fee:
No entrance fee. Point Park at Lookout Mountain Battlefield: $3 per adult
Cumberland Island National Seashore entrance fee:
Entrance fee is $4 per adult. Ferry fee is $20 per adult round trip
Fort Frederica National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Fort Pulaski National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult

Hawaii

Haleakalā National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Idaho

Craters of the Moon National Monument entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult / $20 per snowmobile or motorcycle

Illinois

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
Varying prices for tram, movie and riverboat or combinations: see here

Indiana

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial entrance fee:
$5 per family / $3 per individual adult

Maine

Acadia National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle June 23-early October; $10 per vehicle May 1-June 22 and early October-October 31 / $5 per individual adult

Maryland

Antietam National Battlefield entrance fee:
$6 per family / $4 per individual adult
Assateague Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $3 per individual adul
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Fort McHenry NM and Historic Shrine National Monument entrance fee:
$7 per adult
Fort Washington Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Mississippi

Gulf Islands National Seashore entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Massachusetts

Adams National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Cape Cod National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Michigan

Isle Royale National Park entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Minnesota

Pipestone National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Mississippi

Vicksburg National Military Park entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Missouri

Harry S Truman National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
Varying prices for tram, movie and riverboat or combinations: see here
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Montana

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Glacier National Park entrance fee:
Summer: $25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult: May 1 – November 30
Winter: $15 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult: December 1 – April 30
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult / $20 per snowmobile or motorcycle

Nebraska

Scotts Bluff National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult

Nevada

Death Valley National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Lake Mead National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

New Hampshire

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult

New Jersey

Thomas Edison National Historical Park entrance fee:
$7 per adult
Morristown National Historical Park entrance fee:
$4 per adult

New Mexico

Aztec Ruins National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Bandelier National Monument entrance fee:
$12 per vehicle / $6 per individual adult
Capulin Volcano National Monument entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Carlsbad Caverns National Park entrance fee:
$6 per adult
Chaco Culture National Historical Park entrance fee:
$8 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
El Morro National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Fort Union National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per family / $3 per adult
Pecos National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
White Sands National Monument entrance fee:
$3 per adult

New York

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site entrance fee:
$8 per adult for Val-Kill Guided Tour
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site entrance fee:
$14 per adult
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site entrance fee:
$12 per family / $5 per adult
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Saratoga National Historical Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site entrance fee:
$8 per adult for Vanderbilt Mansion Guided Tour

North Carolina

Wright Brothers National Memorial entrance fee:
$4 per adult

North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Ohio

James A. Garfield National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial National Memorial entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Oklahoma

Fort Smith National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult

Oregon

Crater Lake National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Pennsylvania

Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Fort Necessity National Battlefield entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Johnstown Flood National Memorial entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Steamtown National Historic Site entrance fee:
$7 per adult, Train rides $5 per individual

Puerto Rico

San Juan National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult for 1 fortification, $5 per adult for both fortifications

South Carolina

Fort Sumter National Monument entrance fee:
No entrance fee for visitors who arrive by private boat. Ferry concessioner does not accept America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes. Ferry tickets are: Adults: $17 Seniors: $15 Children (6-11): $10 Infants (5 and Under): Free

South Dakota

Badlands National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $7 per individual adult
Jewel Cave National Monument entrance fee:
Enterance to grounds is free. Cave tours: $8 per adult / $4 per youth ages 6-16

Tennessee

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park entrance fee:
No entrance fee. $3 per adult for Point Park at Lookout Mountain Battlefield
Shiloh National Military Park entrance fee:
No fee for Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center. $5 per family / $3 per adult for Shiloh Battlefield

Texas

Big Bend National Park entrance fee:
$20 per vehicle / $10 per individual adult
Fort Davis National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Guadalupe Mountains National Park entrance fee:
$5 per adult
Padre Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult

Utah

Arches National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Bryce Canyon National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult
Canyonlands National Park entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Capitol Reef National Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Cedar Breaks National Monument entrance fee:
$4 per adult
Dinosaur National Monument entrance fee:
Entrance fees will not be charged in 2011 until after the Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall open on October 4
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $7 per individual adult
Golden Spike National Historic Site entrance fee:
Summer: $7 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Winter: $5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Hovenweep National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Natural Bridges National Monument entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Zion National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $12 per individual adult

Virgin Islands

Christiansted National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult

Virginia

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park entrance fee:
Memorial Day until Labor Day: $10 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult
Off Season: $5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Assateague Island National Seashore entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle
Colonial National Historical Park entrance fee:
$10 per adult
George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Manassas National Battlefield Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Petersburg National Battlefield entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Prince William Forest Park entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle / $3 per individual adult
Shenandoah National Park entrance fee:
March through November: $15 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $5 per individual adult
December through February: $10 per vehicle / $10 per motorcycle / $5 per individual adult

Washington

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site entrance fee:
$5 per family / $3 per individual adult
Lewis & Clark National Historical Park entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Mount Rainier National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Olympic National Park entrance fee:
$15 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Whitman Mission National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult

West Virginia

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park entrance fee:
$6 per vehicle / $4 per individual adult

Wyoming

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area entrance fee:
$5 per vehicle
Devils Tower National Monument entrance fee:
$10 per vehicle / $5 per individual adult
Fort Laramie National Historic Site entrance fee:
$3 per adult
Grand Teton National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $20 per motorcycle / $12 per individual adult. Good for both Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks
Yellowstone National Park entrance fee:
$25 per vehicle / $20 per motorcycle / $12 per individual adult. Good for both Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks

If you know of any National Parks fee changes that have taken place, please contact me so I can update this list.

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Motor Fire Yosemite National Park: First Hand Account & Photos

There has been a fire nicknamed the Motor Fire (because it started when a motorhome caught on fire. The motorhome ended up catching the roadside foliage on fire which spread out of control into the current fire) burning just outside Yosemite National Park which has closed down highway 140 (the main entrance into Yosemite).

I happened to drive through Yosemite today coming in from highway 120. The entire ride up you could see forest fire haze hanging in the air and the smell of burnt material. I assume from the beginning that this was all from the Motor Fire, but as I approached the Yosemite Big Oak Flat entrance, there were fire crews setting managed fires in that area, so all the smoke was likely a combination of the two.

Heading along Big Oak Flat Road, you could see the smoke billowing up on the left and I took these photos of the Motor Fire at one of the view stops:

The Yosemite Motor fire

Yosemite Motor Fire from Big Oak Flat Road

The wind was blowing in a direction that the smoke and haze wasn’t heading toward Yosemite Valley or Tioga Road, so it was a beautiful day to visit (although a wind change could quickly change that). Since the main entrance is closed, there were far less people than would usually be there on a Sunday which made it rather nice. I was just passing through, but the views from Olmsted Point gave crystal clear views of Half Dome.

Here is a video of how the Motor Fire started:

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Lassen National Park Photo Contest

Get those photos out from your recent visit to Lassen Volcanic National Park (or head out to the park right away) Lassen Volcanic National Park is having a photo contest that is ending quite soon (entry deadline is September 9) to select the image which will grace the 2012 Lassen Volcanic Annual Pass. The rules are pretty straight forward and simple:

1. Photos have to show some aspect of Lassen Volcanic National Park.

2. Photo entries must be submitted no later than September 9, 2011.

3. The winning photographer will receive photo credit along with a $50 gift certificate compliments of the Lassen Association.

4. Photo prints must be no larger than 5 x7 and printed on quality paper.

5. There is a limit of two photos per household.

6. Photos will not be returned. The photo becomes the property of the U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

7. Photos should be mailed to the following address:

Lassen Volcanic National Park
Attn: Fee Office
P. O. Box 100
Mineral, CA 96063-0100.

8. Along with each photo submitted, a separate sheet of paper with the photographer’s name, address, phone number, the photo subject and the photo location must be included.

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Bumpass Hell Lassen Volcanic National Park

The reward for hiking the Bumpass Hell trail at Lassen Volcanic National Park is reaching Bumpass Hell. If you enjoy hydrothermal activity, you will definitely enjoy the mudpots and fumaroles that Bumpass Hell has to offer. As you come off the Bumpass Hell trail, you round a corner and get a grand view of the hydrothermal activity and a beautuful turqoise pool as your first glimpse of what is to come:

Bumpass Hell at Lassen National Park

Turquoise blue pond at Bumpass Hell Lassen National Park

You also get the first whiffs of the sulfur “rotten-egg” smell that is so familiar with hydrothermal activity:

The lava rock that once filled this area has been eaten away and altered into clay by sulfuric acid. The acid can be linked to a high temperature form of sulfur (sulfur dioxide) released from the magma body that fires Bumpass Hell. The rotten-egg smell that fills the air can also be linked to sulfur. It is hydrogen sulfide gas, a forerunner to the formation of sulfur — yellow, pyramid-shaped crystals that form on the ground here.

From the first look at Bumpass Hell, it is a short walk down to the Bumpass Hell boardwalk which allows you to see all the different types of hydrothermal activity taking place at Bumpass Hell.

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Limekiln Beach Limekiln State Park California

After hiking to Limekiln Falls and to the historic lime kilns, it’s also worthwhile visiting Limekiln State Beach at Limekiln State Park (CA). The beach is at the other end of the parking lot as the hiking trails (easily seen from the parking lot). You cross a small bridge over Limekiln Creek and enter the Limekiln beach campground. The Limekiln beach is at the far end of the campground just beyond a huge bridge that carries cars across the Limekiln Canyon on highway 1:

Limekiln beach campground at Limekiln State Beach California

Although it would seem that the beach would be quite noisy with the highway bridge right above, that is not really the case. The bridge is high enough that there is very little car noise on the beach. When I visited, someone has set up a small love seat directly next to one of the bridge support columns:

Loveseat at Limekiln State Beach

That provided a wonderful view of Limekiln Beach when sitting on it:

the view of Limekiln Beach from loveseat

Limekiln Beach itself is pretty interesting. On the left side, Limekiln Creek empties into the ocean bringing down a rocky bed of stones and boulders to the sea:

Limekiln Creek emptying into the ocean at Limekiln beach

To the right is a the beach, although it is littered with large stones that have been swept down the creek in the past:

With the campgrounds nearby, there were plenty of kids and families enjoying the beach and the creek. I would imagine that it would be a wonderful place for families to camp giving everyone plenty of choices of how to spend the day depending on what they enjoyed doing most. If interested, here are some more photos of Limekiln State Park. Unfortunately, Limekiln State Park is on the list of California State parks to close.

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Manzanita Tree Mount Diablo State Park California

I am far from an expert photographer, but I do enjoy taking photos when I am wandering national and state parks. Every once in awhile I take a photo that I do like that seems to stand out from the rest. This is a photo I took at Mount Diablo State Park (CA) of a Manzanita tree.

Manzanita tree at Mount Diablo state park in California

There are plenty of Manzanita trees at Mount Diablo and the way that their trunks curve and twist allow you to get some fun and interesting photos of them. I think I could have probably spent an entire afternoon simply searching for cool looking Manzanita trees to photograph.

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Turquoise Mineral Pools Little Colorado River Grand Canyon National Park Rafting

The Little Colorado River is a breathtaking turquoise color due to the alkaline and minerals content of the water. In addition to creating the wonderful color of the Little Colorado River, the minerals settle in the Little Colorado River channel to create pools which the river cascades over on its way down the canyon:

Pools made of minerals created in the Little Colorado River

Turquoise mineral pools at Little Colorado River

The turquoise waters of the Little Colorado River cascading over these mineral deposit pools makes it look like you have left Grand Canyon National Park and been teleported to some tropical paradise on the other side of the world. With the Little Colorado River’s water being much warmer than the Colorado River’s temperature (about 70 degrees versus 50 degrees), you can comfortably sit in any of the hundreds of mineral pools which have been created to relax and cool off from the hot Grand Canyon sun — something that I took full advantage of.

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American Samoa National Park Photos

I’m hoping to make it to all the National Parks over the next few years. While I know about the vast majority of them, there are a few that I have no idea what they may look like. One of these is American Samoa National Park, but after seeing some of the photos taken at American Samoa, I can’t wait to eventually get there:

View from Mount Alava at American Samoa National Park:

view from Mount Alava
Courtesy of Naomi T

Palm Tree & Ocean View from Mt. Alava at American Samoa National Park:

Palm tree at American Samoa National Park
Courtesy of Naomi T

View of island from American Samoa National Park:

view of island from American Samoa National Park
Courtesy of benmiller23

If you have ever been to American Samoa National Park and have taken photos there, we’d love for you to share them (and your experience at the park) with us!