Happy Centennial, Yellostone!
With the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful Inn just past on May 7, visitors can look forward to four program days planned by Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the concessionaire responsible for running this marvelous hostelry. They are organizing Heritage Days events on June 19 and 20 and on August 28 and 29. These days will see historic restoration demonstrations, musical performances, an art exhibition, interpretive programs, tours of the inn, exhibits from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody WY and the Yellowstone Historic Center in West Yellowstone MT, and more. The "rustic style" of architect Robert Chambers Reamer, used to construct this marvelous lodge, has been copied many times, but nothing can beat the original. Although the inn appears to be book for much of the 2004 summer season on its website, Xanterra says that cancellations do occur and you can find out about those and the some remaining spaces by calling reservations at 307/344-7311. You can learn more about the lodge online at www.travelyellowstone.com.
Best of the Parks List for 2004
The National Park Foundation has just released its 2004 "Best of the Parks" pick list, ten unique summer experiences that they say you can only find in America's national parks. This list was developed by a panel of park experts and long-time visitors.
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Best Sunrise: Acadia National Park, Maine
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Best Photo Op: Yellowstone National Park, Montana, Wyoming
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Best Beach: Olympic National Park, Washington
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Best Watering Hole (for People): Teton National Park's Jackson Lake, Wyoming
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Best Park Date for Someone Who Hates to Camp: Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Virginia
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Best Access to Breathtaking Beauty (including wheelchair accessible hiking): Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
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Best Proud Moment ("Walking in the footsteps of giants"): Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site, Alabama
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Best Fossil-Watching: Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
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Best Stargazing: Glacier National Park, Montana
- Best Goosebump Experience: Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland
For complete details, visit www.nationalparks.org/proudpartners/partner_bestpark_2.shtml.
Amtrak Can Take You There
For this summer season, Amtrak has added ten new See America's National Parks vacation packages, making a total of 13 National Park vacations to date. Get one of these trips, complete with hotel lodging, sightseeing excursions, car rentals, National Park Passes and your rail travel, and then relax. Vacations include trips to the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, the Statue of Liberty in New York, and the redwoods at Muir Woods National Monument in California. For more details, check out www.amtrakvacations.com/amtrak_vac/destinations/parks.html.
Big Bend
The Big Bend National Park in Texas celebrates its 60th birthday this month, an afternoon of events taking place at the Panther Junction Community Room there on June 12, at 1:30 PM. A social with refreshment and cakes will follow a few speeches, an award presentation, and a PowerPoint presentation of the park's early history. More information can be found at http://nps.seeamerica.org.
Denali
In order to keep Denali National Park as pristine as possible, officials of this gorgeous spot in Alaska have closed the road to private vehicles for most of the year. You can drive in for about 14.8 miles, and from there, you have to take the park's shuttle, a tour bus, or go on bicycle or foot. A lottery for private vehicles to go farther was begun back in 1990 when the park managers stopped the unrestricted travel that used to be allowed after Labor Day. The road now is open to private vehicles on only four days each fall, with a maximum, they say, of 400 vehicles per day. To be among those 400, you have to enter a lottery at a $10 cost, mailing your application in between July 1 and July 31. When you win one of the 1,400 permits, you pay another $35 to drive into the park in mid-September. For complete (and strict) rules on how to enter, go to www.nps.gov/dena/home/news/2004/04roadlottery.html.
