Great American Wilderness: Touring the National Parks of the Northwest
By Larry Ludmer
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Great American Wilderness - Larry Ludmer
The Great American Wilderness:
Touring the National Parks of the Northwest
Larry H. Ludmer
Hunter Publishing, Inc.
Introduction
General Planning
Using This Book
Facts & Figures
Special Activities
Accommodations
Hotels & Motels
Camping
Dining
Where Do We Go From Here?
The Northwest
Crater Lake National Park
Facts & Figures
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Special Activities
Accommodations
Dining
Where Do We Go From Here?
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Facts & Figures
Auto Tour/Short Stops
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Accommodations
Dining
Where Do We Go From Here?
Glacier National Park
Facts & Figures
Auto Tour/Short Stops
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Special Activities
Organized Tours
Float & Whitewater Trips
Scenic Drives
Accommodations
Where Do We Go From Here?
A Side Trip to Waterton Lakes National Park
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
Facts & Figures
Auto Tour/Short Stops
The Idaho Side
The Oregon Side
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Special Activities
Accommodations
Dining
Where Do We Go From Here?
Mount Rainier National Park
Facts & Figures
Auto Tour/Short Stops
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Accommodations
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Facts & Figures
Auto Tour/ Short Stops
West Side
East Side & South Side
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Special Activities
Accommodations
Dining
Where Do We Go From Here?
North Cascades National Park & Ross Lake NRA
Facts & Figures
Auto Tour/ Short Stops
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Special Activities
Accommodations
Dining
Where Do We Go From Here?
Olympic National Park
Facts & Figures
Auto Tour/Short Stops
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Accommodations
Dining
Where Do We Go From Here?
Sawtooth National Recreation Area
Facts & Figures
Auto Tour/Short Stops
Getting Out/Longer Stops
Special Activities
Accommodations
Dining
Where Do We Go From Here?
Suggested Trips
Suggested Trip 1
Three Crown Jewels
Suggested Trip 2
Idaho Adventure
Suggested Trip 3
The Cascades/Olympic Odyssey
Suggested Trip 4
Trail of the Volcanoes
For More Information
National Park Service
State Tourism Offices
Introduction
One of America's greatest treasures is the diverse beauty that nature has bestowed upon the its landscape. While many parts of the world may contain majestic mountains, eye-popping geological phenomena, rushing waterfalls, and more, nowhere is there a greater variety or concentration of such wonders as in the United States. The very best of these have been set aside in parks, monuments, and other special areas administered by the National Park Service. They are truly the crown jewels of America. The national parks have been created to be seen, felt, touched and enjoyed by everyone.
And that is precisely what this book is about: seeing and enjoying nature at its most inspiring, its most unusual, and its most powerful. Nearly 400 separate areas are administered by the National Park Service, a great many of which are dedicated to people, places, events or ideas that have played a significant role in the development of our nation. Since the theme of this book is the scenic treasures of America, we have selected those that seemed especially worthwhile, regardless of how popular
they are. This eliminates, for example, many heavily visited areas whose primary attraction is miles of beachfront for frolicking in the ocean. However, a brief look at dozens of other scenic NPS sites is given in the Suggested Trips section at the end of the book.
This book assumes you will be visiting the parks by car, which eliminates some highly inaccessible locations that are generally limited to adventure
touring. While almost all of the places described in this book can satisfy the desires of the most ardent adventure traveler, they also appeal to a much broader public.
Most of the existing books on our nation's scenic areas may describe park features in exquisite detail, but they don't really tell you how to see what has been described. It also seems that most books are aimed at people who will be spending a great deal of time hiking and camping in the back-country. Admittedly, this is the best way to see what the parks have to offer, but the reality is that many thousands of people have neither the time nor the inclination to rough it
in the wilderness; or they may have physical limitations. The primary goal of this book is to show how to make the most out of your time in the park, detailing those highlights that should not be missed even if you can't spend days trekking through the back-country or hiding in a blind with binoculars waiting for a rare bird to appear.
The National Park Service has designated the areas it administers as National Parks, National Monuments, Recreation Areas, and so forth. (Actually, Congress is the only body that can designate an area as a National Park.) Frequently, but not always, national parks are large, famous, and have the greatest attraction for visitors. But there are a number of non-park
areas that are every bit as worthwhile. In this book, 53 different areas are described. Three have non-scenic aspects that were of primary importance in establishing the area, but there is enough natural beauty to be seen there to have included them in this book. Four areas aren't administered by the National Park Service at all, but their beauty is such that they had to be included. It's of little concern which agency of the government has jurisdiction when the scenery is so marvelous.
General Planning
Some people like to do things on an ad hoc basis, and there is definitely something to be said for spontaneity. But unless your time is unlimited, proper planning is essential. The longer the trip and the more you wish to accomplish during your vacation, the truer this axiom becomes.
Some major decisions should be made in advance:
What exactly do you want to see?
How many miles are you willing to drive and how much time do you have to spend?
What types of accommodations will suit you?
The first and most important step in the planning process is to write down your proposed itinerary. Block off each day's activities by how long they will take, allowing enough time for driving, rest stops and meal breaks. Once you have a basic outline, it's easy to make adjustments as you secure additional information and decide that you want to add or delete an activity.
When you actually begin your trip, the itinerary serves as your travel guide, and you can always alter it as you go along.
Be sure to bring touring materials on additional sights that may be available should you find yourself running ahead of schedule with some extra time on your hands. Why not put that time to good use?
The information in this book will enable you to create an itinerary for each park. This does not mean that you will not need or want other information. One source that is a natural partner to this book is the National Park Service itself. Each park or area has a superintendent's office that will be happy to furnish you with brochures. The information they send is generally clear, concise, and extremely useful. Moreover, most Park Service literature will include an excellent map. While narrative description is important, a good map is absolutely indispensable, except perhaps for the smallest of our national parks. The maps in this guide should be used as a base to draw from. When you arrive at the park, pick up the Park Service's map, usually found at the Visitor Center. It will help you keep on track
once your trip actually begins. You will also need adequate maps of your routes to and from the parks. AAA maps are excellent, as are many state maps that can be purchased in book or travel stores or are available from state tourism offices. Do not rely on the small maps in pocket-sized road atlases.
Look for detailed maps. The more detail on a map, both in and outside the park destinations, the easier it will be to find what you are looking for without getting lost or going far out of your way.
You also might want to consider picking up an Auto Tape Tour. These can be rented or purchased at many of the larger national parks or you can get them in advance (purchase only). The company that specializes in such tapes is CC Inc., PO Box 385, Scarsdale, NY 10583. Tapes are not available for every area.