Category: Alaska-national-parks

April 24, 2016: National Parks Week: Spotlight: Alaska and Hawaii National Parks

4/24/2016

This week, from April 16-24, is National Parks Week and we will be featuring tons of information as well as fun memories about past trips we have taken.

This year, 2016, also happens to mark the 100 Year Anniversary of The National Parks Service.

There are 58 national parks in the United States waiting to be explored.

To celebrate its centennial anniversary, the National Park Service is offering 16 days of free admission to 127 parks which usually charge entrance fees.

These "free admission" parks including the Everglades, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Alaska's Denali National Park and Joshua Tree National Park in California.

In 2016, the 100-year-old service will add seven additional free days (to the nine from 2015), including National Park Week, this week!

Here's to a Wonderful National Parks Week!!!

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 25 DAYS

From Alaska to Hawaii

Helloooo Everyone!
Happy Sunday to you!

So glad that you can join Elisa and I as we are about to take you to a few more National Parks on this last day of National Parks week.

But before I do, I'll share with you some pictures from yesterdays IPC performance at Pretend City...

(c)travelincousins.com

There were even a few special visitors in the audience - Jet, Andrew, and Chaplin.

Chaplin has NEVER seen the kids perform!!! (Neither has Andrew) Jet had come to see Brigitte perform waaaaaay back before either Dominic or Cosette was old enough to be in the choir, and my sister Brigitte was involved for a very short period (circa 2002).

After the performance, the kids went to go play in the Pretend City.

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Wanna know a little secret? Well maybe it's not so much a secret, but it's a funny little thing...
I've wanted to take Dominic and Cosette to Pretend City since they were much younger, but with our insane schedule - we just never made it over there.
The kids then got too big and would have no interest - but mom (me) loves places like this (or at least how I had imagined it)...
So fast forward to my 2012 birthday and guess where I wanted to go???
Yep - good ol Pretend City. While my kiddos were 10 & 13 at the time, Mika was 3, and Chaplin was almost 1! I figured that if the wee little ones came that it wouldn't seem so weird for me to be in there "pretending"! But guess what - neither Mika, nor Chaplin could make it over, and there we were at the admission desk surrounded by wee little ones and their parents - completely OUT OF PLACE!
Then until the kids had a performance there last December (another very busy day), I had never actually go tot step inside and take a looksie loo.
And then not until yesterday did I finally get to walk around with the kids as Chaplin played for a bit.
FUNNY STUFF
And just FYI it wasn't quite as great as I was expecting (I had taken the kids to many a Children's Museum around the country and got to see the best of them - I was hoping this would be just as grand).
Oh well, I guess it's just me and my HIGH expectations. Not saying that it was bad in any way shape or form - just not as great as I was hoping for.

So after playing, we had to make a stop at Dover Saddlery. I had been there once before (last month), and I knew that Cosette would just love the store and that she did!!!

(c)travelincousins.com

She was so totally overwhelmed. She really loved the store! At times she was just speechless - and we are talking Cosette here (doesn't happen)!
Currently my big little girl is saving as much money as she can for the HUGE shopping spree that she is planning at Hogwarts in Universal Studios Florida (October trip).
So as she walked around the store, she would say that this isn't good, she's gonna go broke, don't let her spend any money until after the trip, she's gonna spoil Dream, this store is just too close (to where we live), and the list went on...

(c)travelincousins.com

She even found Cannolis made for horses - it's difficult enough to find Cannolis for Vegans!!!
Anyhow I knew she was gonna just LOVE it!

Okay so how about some National Park scoop.

Let's first go to the beautiful last frontier state of Alaska.
I was fortunate enough to visit Alaska in 2013 and this was after years of actually not having any interest in going...that was until I flipped through a picture book that my friend had taken on a trip he took up there a few years back.

The pictures were so amazing, that they really inspired me to go and check it out for myself!

(c)travelincousins.com

While it was only days after my trip to Alaska and to Glacier Bay National Park that my SLR camera was stolen, as was my sd card full of all the amazing pictures that I took. Sad sad day.

Luckily I travel with at least 2-4 cameras, and still had the pictures from my point and shoot.
I had already known that I want to go back and explore some more, now I obviously have to!!

How about some facts about Glacier Bay National Park?

16 Interesting Facts about Glacier Bay National Park:

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Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains, dynamic glaciers, temperate rainforest, wild coastlines and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska's Inside Passage and part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site—one of the world’s largest international protected areas.

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The park is bigger than the state of Connecticut, but it contains less than one percent of Alaska’s land mass.
The Alaska-Canada border crosses right through the tallest peak in the park at the top of Mount Fairweather.
Glacier Bay is the largest protected marine sanctuary in the world.
Glacier Bay tides can change as much as 25 feet from high to low tide.
During the Pleistocene era—the Great Ice Age—a 5000 foot thick sheet of ice covered the area of southern Alaska.
The most recent advance of the ice sheet occurred between 500 and 200 years ago.
Glacial ice acts like a prism when sunlight hit it, and separating the light by its wave length. The tightly packed crystals under the surface of glaciers often appear blue.
The ice in parts of Glacier Bay National Park is so thick and heavy it has pushed the earth’s crust deeper into the mantle. As the ice melts, parts of the earth in this area rise more than 1 inch per year.
Glacier Bay National Park has the only glacier in the continental US that flows directly into the Pacific Ocean.
The glacial ice breaking off and “calving” into Glacier Bay is on average 200 years old.
Since they were first discovered in 1796, the glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park are retreating faster than anywhere in the world.
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is located in Alaska on the Pacific coast. In the northwest, the park borders on the Gulf of Alaska. In the south, the Icy Strait and Cross Sound surround the park. To the East is the Canadian province of British Columbia.
It was proclaimed a National Monument in 1925, established as a National Park and preserve in 1980.
Glacier Bay became part of a binational UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, was inscribed as a Biosphere Reserve in 1986 and in 1994 undertook an obligation to work with Hoonah and Tlingit Native American organizations in the management of the protected area.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992.

(c)travelincousins.com

And now we'll travel almost 2,000 across the Pacific and to the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii.

You know how much I love love love Hawaii!
Having first visited these amazing islands in 1993 and being hooked since then!
Back in 1994 was also the first time that I got to visit Haleakala National Park.
Check out: My first time to Maui!

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And now how about some facts about this very unique National Park.

16 Interesting Facts about Haleakala National Park:

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On August 1, 1916, Hawaii National Park is created. This is a combination park of the volcanic areas on the islands of both Maui and the Big Island.
On September 13, 1960, the islands are divided, with the land on Maui becoming Haleakala National Park and the land on the Big Island becoming Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
International Biosphere Reserve status is given to the park by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as Hawaiian Islands, along with Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Hale a ka la means "House of the Sun", word for word. The stress is on the first syllable and the last, with both held just a little bit longer, maybe not quite twice as long as the other syllables. HAH-lay-ah-kuh-LAH.
Haleakala National Park extends from the summit of Mount Haleakala into the crater, down the volcano's southeast flank to Maui's eastern coast, beyond Hana. There are actually two separate and distinct destinations within the park: Haleakala Summit and the Kipahulu coast.
The dent at the top of the East Maui Volcano is not a crater. It is an erosion basin. It was former by erosion from wind and rain.
The most interesting Haleakala National Park facts surround the wildlife. There are thousands of varieties of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians on the grounds.
With an elevation change of more than 10,000 feet, plants are widely varied through climates ranging from desert to tropical rain forest.
The Haleakala Bike ride is so intense and at such high elevations that pregnant women are restricted from participating.
Paliku Standing Cliff is 7.5 miles from the visiting center and receives 10 times as much rain than any other area in the park. This is why this area has such lush shrubs and trees.
Palikea Stream received a nomination from the National Wild and Scenic River Association because it is the largest on Maui.
The average temperature in Haleakala depends on the elevation. If you are at a higher elevation, the temperature starts to drop by a minimum of 3 degrees. The closer you are to the summit, the colder the temperatures and wind speeds.
The average rainfall per year in Haleakala is approximately 53 inches, at ground level. The mountain receives less, around 40 inches or so.
To date, Haleakala is still considered an active volcano by most scientists. Over the past 1000 years, it has erupted more than 6 times.
The massive crater located at its summit carries the unique distinction of "The Quietest Place on Earth."
The name Haleakala does not refer to the whole volcano. The ancient Hawaiians used the name to refer to the summit area only. They did not have a name for the whole mountain.

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We hope that you've enjoyed spending National Park week with us & we look forward to bringing you a new week full of SCOOP starting tomorrow!

I've gotta hit the mall today and later on we'll be going to the movies to see The Jungle Book.

Hope you have a great Sunday!
-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
Visiting Long Island Maritime Museum

Hey there. Great day today.
It is unusual for us to be out at the barn on a Sunday. However, the girls' trainer switched their lesson from Saturday to Sunday this week.

I thought I would take the opportunity to visit a local Long Isalnd attraction I had not been before. So, today after dropping the girls off, I will venture back west to the Long Island Maritime Museum.

I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!

Today is the Last Day of National Parks Week...
Considering today is the last day of National Parks Week, Tanya and I thought we would feature those parks located in the last two states to join our great country - Alaska and Hawaii.

Tanya is going to take the lead with Glacier Bay in Alaska and Haleakala located in Hawaii, both of which she has visited.
Check out her blog for breathtaking photos and 16 Interesting Facts for each park destination.

As for me, I have not had the pleasure of visiting either of these two states' National Parks, however, I want to enlighten you about what makes them so special...

Alaska is home to 15 national parks, preserves, monuments and national historical parks.

Of these, there are 8 National Parks, which include:
* Denali, Gates of the Arctic
* Glacier Bay, Katmai
* Kenai Fjords
* Kobuk Valley
* Lake Clark
* Wrangell-St. Elias.

Interestingly, all of the above, except Kenai Fjords and Kobuk Valley are classified as both national parks and national preserves.

A mecca for nature and great outdoors lovers, Alaska's natural beauty is abounding, as is the scenery and terrain.

Today, we are going to highlight Denali National Park and Preserve.

16 Interesting Facts About
Denali National Park & Preserve

(credit: alaskagirlatheart.com)

1. Denali National Park was created February 26, 1917 and has about 400,000 visitors annually.

2. The Park and Preserve encompasses 6 million acres of Alaska’s interior wilderness.

3. Mount McKinley is North America’s tallest peak, at 20,310 feet high.

4. Made of a variety of landscapes, at lower elevations, Denali is a mix of forest including deciduous taiga.

5. The preserve is also home to tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, rock, and snow at the highest elevations.

6. The park is home to wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, moose, caribou and Dall sheep.

7. Human habitation in the Denali Region extends to more than 11,000 years before the present.

8. The oldest site within park boundaries is the Teklanika River site, dated to about 7130 BP.

9. The mountain was named after newly elected US president William McKinley in 1897 by local prospector William A. Dickey.

10. On February 26, 1917, Woodrow Wilson signed the bill into legislation, creating Mount McKinley National Park.

11. In 1980, Mount McKinley National Park was combined with Denali National Monument, and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act named the combined unit the Denali National Park and Preserve. At that time the Alaska state Board of Geographic Names changed the name of the mountain to "Denali" which means "the high one" in Koyukon, a subset of the Athabaskan language family.

12. The park was designated an international biosphere reserve in 1976.

13. Glaciers cover about 16% of the 6 million acres of Denali National Park and Preserve.

14. The 5 largest south-facing glaciers are Yetna (20 miles long), Kahiltna (30 miles), Tokositna (23 miles long), Ruth (31 miles long), and Eldrige (30 miles long). The largest glacier, Muldrow glacier (32 miles long), is located on the north side.

15. Over 450 species of flowering plants fill the park and can be viewed in bloom throughout summer. Images of goldenrod, fireweed, lupine, bluebell, and gentian

16. a variety of Alaskan birds and mammals inhabit Denali, including grizzly bears and black bears, caribou, Dall sheep, moose, gray wolves, coyotes, hoary marmots, shrews, Arctic ground squirrels, beavers, pikas, and snowshoe hares, Red foxes, martens, Canadian lynxes, wolverines.

Denali National Park (credit: theatlantic.com)

Moving to the warmer weather, the Aloha State is home to 8 National Parks, Preserves and historic sites. Of these, two are National Parks. They include:

* Haleakala National Park in Maui
* Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii's Big Island

Today, we are going to highlight Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

16 Interesting Facts About
Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park

(credit: best-big-island-hawaii.com)

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was created August 1, 1916.

2. The park is home to two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive subaerial volcano.

3. Kilauea Volcano is the most popular visitor attraction in Hawaii and a sacred place for Native Hawaiians.

4. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park was designated as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987.

5. The park possesses a great diversity in environments, ranging from sea level to the summit of the Earth's most massive active volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet.

6. Comprised of over 323,431 acres or 505.36 sq miles of land, more than half of the park is designated as the Hawaii Volcanoes Wilderness.

7. In 2012 the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was honored on the 14th quarter of the America the Beautiful Quarters series.

8. The Chain of Craters Road is the main entrance to the park which provides the scenery of many craters from past eruptions as visitors make their way to the coast.

(credit: npobserver.com

9. Kīlauea and its Halemaʻumaʻu caldera have historically been considered the sacred home of the volcano goddess Pele, and Hawaiians would visit the crater to offer gifts to the goddess.

10. A party of warriors, and women and children in the area were caught in a violent eruption which many. Those that survived left footprints in the lava that can still be seen today.

11. The English missionary William Ellis and American Asa Thurston were the first westerners to visit Kīlauea in 1823, resulting in Kīlauea becoming a tourist attraction in the 1840's.

12. Volcano House is the only hotel or restaurant located within the borders of the National Park.

13. It is the 11th National Park in the United States.

Credit: Wikipedia.com

14. An additional 115,788 acres from the Kahuku Ranch were added to the park, making it 56% larger. This was an area west of the town of Waiʻōhinu and east of Ocean View, the largest land acquisition in Hawaii's history.

15. Located on the island of Hawaii, the islands are fairly young, from less than 1 million years at the youngest to nearly 6 million at the oldest and new formations continue to be formed today.

16. The nearby Volcano Art Center, located in the original 1877 Volcano House hotel, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contains historical displays and an art gallery.

Well my peeps, hope you enjoyed our trip through these amazing national parks and natural wonders and our coverage for National Parks Week!

See you tomorrow for s brand new week!

-E
Xoxo