Cuyahoga Valley National Park

It has waterfalls? While it is a beautiful park and it's origin came to be because of people in the area wanting to conserve the park... It is also very much chopped and broken up with housing developments and the signs of Cleveland Metroparks still line the park. I know it's listed as one of the 58 National Parks but it seems to be an odd partnership.

The girls were able to see a partial lock demonstration and learn about the shipping history which helped grow Ohio's economy and we were able to see quite a bit of wildlife. It is a beautiful park.... but it truly has an atmosphere different from any other National Park we have visited. I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not. I'd rate it as a 6 out of 10.

Brandywine Falls

Isle Royale National Park

Ferry to an island, explore as long as you like, head back. It's a fantastic park and so untouched. We loved it... and no, we did not see a moose. We have just missed several moose on several occasions but we seem to repel the buggers. My kids are desperately searching at this point so if you happen to see one in the wild, moose finding tips are wanted!

***If your tip involves quiet children... We've tried it.***

Make sure to bring a water filter as you need to filter water on the island. As much as Athena enjoyed Voyageurs N.P. both girls preferred Isle Royale and the general ecology of the island.

It's perfect for nature studies! We brought along our pocket microscope, specimen jars and went to town journaling. Athena loved this park!

We left to the island from Copper Harbor but you can also leave from Houghton- though the boat ride is longer.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

We visited the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin because we came in prior to the start of the tourist season so we took the boat tour around the islands. It was an interesting way to explore but as much as we enjoyed the boat ride, I think we will plan on exploring via hiking and kayaking in the future. I could definitely see snowshoeing in the winter here. In fact, we've agreed it might be better to experience the park in the winter. This lakeshore is added to our list of return spots and we highly recommend trying it out.

***This was an umplanned stop, I would recommend taking a taxi to the islands and exploring them on foot and camping on the islands.***

We took the Grand Tour with Apostle Island Cruises, for the three of us it was under $70. A2 was a discounted rate of $1.00. Overall, more than fair, the staff on the boat was great but it was difficult at times to hear due to the wind. I would rate the tour, for what it is an 8/10.

It's amazing how life can grow from what seems like nothing.

Devil's Island, I would love to snowshoe and kayak here in the coming years. 

Evil spirits or erosion? A1 and I have differing views.

A little bit of winter lingering behind. 

Lighthouses.

Family picture at the end of the day.

Voyageurs National Park- Minnesota

Most of Voyageurs National Park is only accessible by boat so we rented a canoe and took off for a day. The weather in the midwest at this time was awful so we didn't get a chance to see as much of the park as we had hoped but my kids love canoeing so it was a win! *Less the fact that we were tossed around during the start of a lightning storm and some pretty intense waves.* Lesson learned, check the forecast. You can explore more with tours but coming prior to the start of the tourist season really limited our ability to explore more of the park. In the end, we would definitely come back to this area- I'd recommend visiting in mid June- Labor Day.

The girls did a nature study and played with algae, water bugs and observed several loons on the lake. We paddled to Beaver Island as well as a few other smaller islands around. Athena really enjoyed the park and rates it on her top ten with Yellowstone and Arches.

What really stood out at Voyageurs and that really caught my attention was the visitor center at Rainy Lake! The visitor center has been set up to really engage kids and they celebrate Jr. Rangers. Not only did the kids receive a patch and a badge (which is pretty rare in the West unless NPS changed this) but they were also given a moose head eraser and a pencil. There were also crafts and drawing where the kids could make bracelets.

We also spent some time at the Duluth Children's Museum which is free with an ASTC membership. It's a nice museum and has a lot of science- hydraulics, lifts, tinkering and locks. Going into the Great Lake states it was a good first introduction to how the locks and shipping industry work together. It really helped A1 understand the transportation of food and goods in the Midwest.

The Duluth Children's Museum- is probably best for kids under the age of five, maybe up to seven if they enjoy tinkering or have a friend.

Summer 2015 kickoff in S. Dakota!

We decided to head toward Michigan via the Upper Peninsula for the first part of our trip heading out through the Dakotas. We chose Rapid City because of the Lakota history and the rich geological features in the area.  

On the way up we stopped at the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs as a shake our sillies out stop. Normally, we pick parks for these stops but it had been raining and snowing on and off all day and both the girls objected. 

The dig site itself is fully enclosed and has a wonderful exhibit on the topic of mammoths locally and abroad, theories of extinction and even covered the usage of the bones outside of the Americas.

I lost most pictures on my phone after it met the highway, my phone backed up the week prior to the trip and had not done so since. 

Overall, there were two species of Mammoths in the pits and all mammoths in the pit were male. 

After the dig site we headed up to Rapid City where we spent our time exploring he caves at both Jewel Caves and Wind Caves learning about bacon formations, calcite crystals, stalactites and stalagmites as well as box work. A1 was fascinated while A2 preferred the hiking above ground. 

Because they are caves both parks require tours, both were equally fun but a few older people complained about the hikes taking a toll on their bodies. A2, now 3, did not share their complaints. 

Our ranger at Wind Caves told the Lakota immersion story which sparked a major interest in a unit, perhaps for this fall? 

This is probably a good time to mention A1 helping to plan this trip. She has spent a great deal of time researching national monuments and parks, museums and more. She begged me to do this and I am ashamed to say I paid $11 to park but I did...

As we left the visitor  center with our Jr. Ranger booklets and as I thought, "I can not believe I spent money to see this..." A1 proclaimed at the SAME moment, "I can't believe you took me here!" It was funny and made it worth it:) 

We started learning about the colonial history when she became obsessed with George Washington or "General Washington" as she refers to him. She was elated to see his face carved in stone. 

Exploring Badlands, they are gorgeous... The girls loved spending the day hiking and climbing. For some reason I'm okay with kids playing near the edge of the Grand Canyon or in an arch at Arches but I was freaked out a little by!

Perhaps it was the cracked ground? Either way, I will admit my pretty mellow attitude on hikes disappeared- fast. A1 pointed out I seemed a little tense. Nauseated would probably be more accurate;) Overall, S. Dakota seems to be a strong favorite for our family. 

We can also recommend the Keystone Climbing Area for a campsite, while it is very basic it is in a nice location and great for kids to play near.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

We started the summer field trip season with a trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Admittedly, this park has been on our to do list since we moved to Colorado five years ago. Yes, five years ago we planned the trip down and five years ago we wound up postponing the trip... 

I'm sad to say it took so long because I have never heard a friend say anything bad about this park and we've known dozens of people from the Boulder- Denver area to visit and come back, some yearly. 

I'm also sad to say it took five years because this park is naturally fun! We've been to many parks and monuments within the NP system and very few I have described as naturally fun. While our wanderlusting family almost always has fun on a hike, viewing animals or learning, most parks are very "rulesy" for important reasons... This depends on parks of course some being better than others but GSDNP is mellow. I don't think we saw a ranger patrolling at all and the rangers we met were friendly. 

We started the morning off by picking up our Jr. Ranger books from the visitor center. A1 noticed both the badge and patch and told us you get both. Petrified Forest is so far the only park to give us each upon completion so I asked about it and the ranger told me the kids get one or the other when they finish the book but if you make a donation the kids get both. 

Fast forward several hours when A2 turned in her book and showed both to me I asked J if he had given a donation, it turns out they did not even mention it. I thought maybe it was a token for the younger kids but the same ranger we talked to that morning did so with all of the kids and never once mentioned donations to the families ahead of us in line. 

We did not spend time in the mountains area of the park as we met with "thunder sn-ail" mid day but the dunes were great! Natures sandbox and I think A2's favorite thing ever! Combine climbing, sand, water and sledding- it turns out she was in heaven! Even when flying down some very steep dunes, she had a blast... Maybe not when she realized she was alone at the bottom of the run but she was happy when J boarded down and met her at the bottom. 

A1 had a fantastic time learning to board and playing with Uncle E. She has since asked to go back... Today and every year in the future. This has only happened with four parks in the past: Mesa Verde, Arches, Yellowstone and Chaco! I love to see parks make a lasting impact on her for whatever reason that may be. As we were getting ready for bed tonight she asked to learn about the dunes and ecology at the park. NPS has fantastic guides for teachers on their website and tons of information about various parks. I pretend like our tax dollars only fund the Dept. Of the Interior for this reason alone.

So... The list of things we love: 

Sand sledding- they allow you to rent from two locations, one in town the other near the entrance to the park. Those sleds fly! While they were expensive to rent at $21/ sled they provided wax and we damaged a sled hitting a piece of debri. We were not charged as it was considered normal wear and tear. 

You can also bring your own sleds but several people mentioned it works better with a rental. I think we will look on line for one.... It's probably a better value if you head down for a long weekend.

Sand boarding- again $21/ board but the adult boards are useable by both adults and kids... 

She got quite far on her runs! 

Sometimes J can get bored, this park meets his requirement to have a possibility of ER visit. 

Full disclosure: I tried Sandboarding, not my thing... I will stick to skiing, which coincidentally, you can also do so bring your skis and wax. Word on the dunes is to wait for the wet sand and you should probably leave the powder skis at home.

Thank goodness I was the one with the camera... I doubt my memories will fade so I can do without the photos and videos. I am happy I tried though... 

The creek is great, both of our children have raynauds so cold generally repels them but racing across the creek and playing alongside it was fun none the less. 

We also love that GSDNP allows dogs! Not many parks do! 

Dislikes may come on future visits which I would blog about but this visit was short and fantastic excluding the mildly flooded roads on the way down and the mildly flooded and semi snow covered roads on the way home.