One of my new favorite blogs on the National Park Service – Park Remark – has got a post on some info put out by the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees. Don’t let the “retirees” part fool you. The list is about the best parks to visit during the winter, and the suggestions are NOT about Bingo and Backgammon, let alone erectile dysfunction. The piece is titled “Beyond Yellowstone: Seven Winter Travel Favorites” and Park Remark rightly points out that too much is often made of Yellowstone and that lots of other parks around the National Park System offer stuff to do in the colder months. Here’s the brief list courtesy of Park Remark:
- Apostle Islands National Lakeshore – Wintertime magically transforms the Lake Superior shoreline at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore into a frozen fairyland.
- Mount Rainier National Park – Storm tracks in the northwest bring enormous snowfall to this area, in some years exceeding 1,000 inches of snow for the season.
- Dry Tortugas National Park – Not all winter national park visits have to involve waist-deep snow and sub-zero temperatures! (located among the Florida Keys)
- Big Bend National Park – “For birders, Big Bend is a great place to build those all-important life lists. “
- Yosemite National Park – “For those who want to get away from civilization and are willing to engage in a bit of strenuous activity, Ostrander Ski Hut is a wonderful destination”
- Cabrillo National Monument – Between mid-December and March, it is possible to see pods of gray whales as they migrate from summer feeding areas off Alaska to sheltered bays in Baja California.
- Statue of Liberty – To avoid long lines, plan a winter trip when visitation is way down.