Parks & Points Celebrates Its First Anniversary

Today we are marking the first anniversary of Parks & Points. The website grew from our love of national parks, smart travel strategies, and a desire to share our passions with others. Over the course of the last year, we’ve made many new friends (especially with our Twitter pals each Wednesday night during #ParkChat) and had many opportunities to meet new friends in person. In our first year we have traveled to National Parks Service sites in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

Along the way, we have met fellow travelers and shared our passion for exploring natural and historical wonders.  We have found folks who share this passion at hotels, campgrounds, visitor centers, trails and of course, waterfalls! We’ve added National Wildlife Refuges to our itineraries, and hope to feature these with even more frequency as we progress, along with city and state parks. We’re also proud to present and develop an annual fall essay contest and a spring poetry series, which is ongoing right now, during National Poetry Month. Both projects have introduced us to some amazing guest writers and their creative work about public lands.

We look forward to continuing this adventure with all of you. We are excited to grow the site along with your readership, and we look forward to presenting our thoughts and strategies for visiting our amazing shared public lands with an eye to saving money.

Parks & Points wouldn’t be the same without our friends and families. We are grateful for their solidarity as we carry it forward into year two!

A Primer for Planning Your Adventure to Glacier National Park

As we head into National Parks Week, we're pleased to present our primer on Glacier National Park. There's plenty to say about Glacier National Park, one of the most popular and scenic national parks — it is defined by glacial lakes, alpine valleys, vast green meadows and striking mountain tableaus. Based on our experiences with Glacier National Park thus far, we’ve synthesized our ideas, thoughts and suggestions to get you started in planning a Glacier adventure. Consider it a primer, as there is an abundance of information out there.

Our Tour of National Parks Service Sites in Northern Arizona

Now is a great time to start planning a trip to northern Arizona. The snow will be melting soon, and the weather will be temperate. Our tour covers one thousand miles of desert landscape in one week — though it can be modified based on your timing!  The 1.25 million acre Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Canyon de Chelly National Monument — a network of canyons shared by the NPS and the Navajo Nation — Petrified Forest National Park, and of course Grand Canyon National Park, are all spectacular highlights. The region is best toured in the summer, now is the time to start planning!

Spotlight on Yosemite Writing Retreat

We were excited to learn of a unique writing retreat that dovetails our two passions — parks and writing. We invited Jennifer Moss, founder of the Yosemite Writers Retreat, to write a guest post telling our readers more about how her retreat series originated, and what attendees can expect to focus upon as writers. Click here to read.

Spotlight on the Eastern Kansas Prairie

Kansan poet, historian, and educator Duane L. Herrmann celebrates the awesomeness and vastness of the prairie in this spotlight on eastern Kansas. Click here to read.

On Yellowstone National Park's 145th Birthday

We're pleased to celebrate the 145th birthday of Yellowstone National Park, America's first national park. 

Chris Umpierre spots an injured bison staying strong for its calf, and a host of wildlife that fills him with wonder. Peter W. Fong recalls a summer as a curator at the Madison Museum and a host of fascinating visitors. Read both, and revisit Wendy Johnson's "Two Days in Yellowstone." While on a cross country, she pauses for a quick tour. To read each piece, click on the author's name above.

Banner image: The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Thomas Moran, Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Vision in Denali

Cecilia Worth's sense of time slows and deepens as she forms a relationship to the land in Denali National Park, click here to read.

At the Park: Spotlight on Reid State Park in Maine

Stephanie Paterson's moving chronology of many summers spent working at Reid State Park spans from her undergraduate years though completion of her doctorate. Click here to read about her lifelong connection to this remarkable coastal park in Georgetown, Maine. 

Spirit Lake: Spotlight on Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin

In J.d. Lin's essay, "Spirit Lake," a stop in Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin offers a measure of peace during a time of professional transition. Click here to read.

Meet Parks & Points' Poetry Editor

We have been thrilled, in our first Parks & Points & Poetry series, to receive so many entries which express the natural beauty and profound impact parks and designated natural spaces have on visitors. We are doubly thrilled to welcome P&P contributor Celeste Hackenberg as our Poetry Editor.

Celeste Hackenberg earned her MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College in December 2016. As a graduate student, she assisted in planning the Sarah Lawrence College Poetry Festival, and co-created an annual Alumni Festival to showcase the talent of previous students. She also served as Art Director and reader for LUMINA, Sarah Lawrence’s student-run literary magazine, for two years. Currently, she is based in Westchester county, with her three cats and one person. She works as an academic advisor at CUNY Start and writes mostly prose poems and haiku.

Heartbreak and Enduring Love: Two Valentines

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For Valentines Day, Parks and Points is proud to publish the two Honorable Mention winners from our Fall 2016 Essay Contest. Allyson Whipple's "Heartbreak on a Hill" describes putting oneself back together after a breakup in Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, in Texas. Jean Jackman's "50th Anniversary in the Wilderness" set in the Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado National Forest, gathers nine family members together in celebration of fifty years of marriage. 

Heart Lake, Olympic National Park photo by brewbooks / CC BY