National Geographic Secrets of the National Parks, 2nd Edition: The Experts' Guide to the Best Experiences Beyond the Tourist Trail | cycling-equipment

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From the Publisher GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS Location Its location, within a day’s drive for tens of millions of Americans, helps make Great Smoky Mountains the most popular national park in the United States. The 800-square-mile international biosphere reserve is split about evenly between Tennessee and North Carolina, and it protects some of the oldest mountains on Earth. More than 1,500 species of flowering plants and 60 species of native mammals, including deer, black bears, and elk, live within these often mist-shrouded mountains. The 384 miles of park roads and more than 800 miles of hiking trails make it easy to stroll along a rushing stream without straying far from your car. Or join a ranger-led program to discover, among other things, a few of the park’s 30 species of salamanders, the world’s most diverse population for an area this size. Local Intelligence Those students and tourists you see throughout the park catching, tagging, and releasing monarch butterflies in a meadow or mapping fungi locations with a handheld GPS likely are “citizen scientists.” With a little advance planning, you can be one, too. Check out the website (gsmit.org) to see if there is a program—like bird-banding or monitoring the streams for salamander populations—that you can participate in during your visit. Data you collect could become part of the All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI), the long-term effort to identify and map all of the park’s 50,000 to 100,000 estimated species. Secret Tip Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail Grab a pair of trekking poles to hike this less traveled trail to the top, suggests Vesna Plakanis, an experienced Smokies guide and tour operator. Reach the bypass by turning left at the Forney Ridge Trail sign (just before the paved path) and then right on the AT. This short, twisting route leads past exposed metamorphosed sandstone rocks more than 570 million years old. “While these rocks were forming, there was almost no multicelled life on Earth, and the rocks are devoid of fossils. You are truly walking across the spine o time,” says Plakanis. THEODORE ROOSEVELT Location Few other national parks besides Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota offer such a combination of epic scenery, wildlife, and history yet remain so secret to the average American. Only some 750,000 people experienced this park in 2018 (in contrast to the more than 11 million who visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park that year), and the numbers would be even lower if it weren’t for the interstate highway running through it. (You can exit I-94 and be at the visitor center in less than five minutes.) An easily accessible scenic drive lets visitors cruise through, stop at a couple of overlooks, and be on their way again. That’s a nice attribute for people in a hurry, but why rush? Take time to see the complete park—and to explore a landscape that inspired the nation’s greatest conservationist president. Local Intelligence Taking a canoe or kayak trip along the Little Missouri River can be a wonderful way to experience Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s scenery and wildlife. May and June are usually the best months for floating, but that can change depending on rainfall. Check at the visitor center for current water level in the river and for other advice on paddling. Many people bring their own boats, but rentals are usually available in Medora. Secret Tip Petrified Forest Loop Trail A significant portion of the park is designated wilderness, and in the South Unit that wilderness contains the third-highest concentration of petrified wood in North America. The reward for leaving the beaten path on this 10-mile hike includes traversing large areas of prairie while also descending dramatically into the petrified forest. Stumps have eroded out of colorful hillsides here, allowing visitors to imagine ancient times when this was a swampy plain where forests of magnolia, sequoia, and bald cypress grew. It’s not necessary to do the entire 10-mile loop to see petrified trees, however. Take the West River Road exit off I-94 and follow dirt roads to the western edge of the park. From here, it’s just a 1.5-mile (3 miles round-trip) hike to some petrified trees. Get a map and directions at the visitor center, pack plenty of water, and check the weather forecast before setting out. Note that a high-clearance vehicle may be needed. ROCKY MOUNTAINS Location The highest elevation national park in the United States, Rocky Mountain protects more than 415 square miles of some of the most spectacular scenery in Colorado. Almost a third of the park lies above the tree line, a harsh alpine environment reaching its summit on 14,259-foot Longs Peak. Rugged mountains dominate vistas from anywhere in the park, which encompasses more than 70 peaks above 12,000 feet in elevation. The lure of the high country is understandably irresistible, and nearly all visitors feel the urge to immerse themselves in the alpine scenery. The park makes it easy to do just that. Fame

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