Top 10 Guided Tours

Our National Parks offer a number of guided tours, hikes, programs and activities for the whole family to enjoy. I've put together a list of the Top Ten guided tours that Tara and I have done in the National Parks. As I was compiling the list, I realized that we haven't done too much of these. Nevertheless, here are the Top 10:

10. Kettle Falls Tour - Voyageurs National Park

Cruise comfortably along Lake Kabetogama to the historic hotel at Kettle Falls Dam in this beautiful park in northern Minnesota. The cruise was very nice and not a big crowd (only about 20 people can fit on the boat), therefore reservations are a must. We saw some bald eagles and other birds and the ranger on board provided lots of interesting stories about the history of the park. Once you get to the Kettle Falls area, you have about 2 hours to explore the dam, the historic hotel (which you can still reserve a room for the night if you wish, it is the only lodging in the park and his only accessible by water), and grab a bite to eat (lunch not included with tour price).

9. Buckstaff Bathhouse - Hot Springs National Park

Maybe this is cheating, I don't know if this counts as a guided tour, but it is definitely a pampered tour. 😁 Step back in time and go through the traditional bath experience that was all the rage in the 20s and 30s. If you wish, you can do it au naturel (or in a swimsuit if you're not comfortable with that). You'll have you're own bath where you can soak for about 10 minutes in nice hot water, an attendant will scrub you down, then you take a sitz bath, vapor closet, and a needle shower. It's definitely a unique experience.

8. Domes and Dripstones Tour - Mammoth Cave National Park

The Domes & Dripstones is the great tour for families at Mammoth Cave. It's not too long and is a good showcase of both distinct sections of the cave (the dry part and the formations of Frozen Niagara). The tour starts with a huge descent down a number of stairs way to the bottom of the cave (make sure to use the railings), you hear lots of stories about the history of the cave and then it concludes with the spectacular Frozen Niagara.

7. Cranberry Islands Tour - Acadia National Park

Acadia offers some of the greatest views in the country, and the Cranberry Islands Tour is a great way to observe the rocky coastline of Mount Desert Island from the crystal blue waters of Frenchman Bay. We saw some seals, birds, and the spectacular "cottages" of the wealthy elite dotted along the shore. You have a short 40 minute stay on Cranberry Island and the tiny village of Islesford. It's pretty short, but it's enough time to see the small museum and the historic church. A very pleasant and beautiful tour.

6. Cliff Palace Tour - Mesa Verde National Park

The tour of the largest cliff dwelling in North America is impressive and awe-inspiring.

5. King's Palace Tour - Carlsbad Caverns National Park

This section of Carlsbad Cavern is only available to visit on a guided tour. This tour was very cool. Carlsbad Cavern is a simply amazing cave that left Tara and I breathless. Our tour guide was very entertaining and well-informed and she gave us the experience of total blackout for about a minute (which is always incredibly frightening) and then lit a candle to experience the cave in a whole new light, no pun intended.

4. North Canoe Program - Voyageurs National Park

This is a very fun tour where you learn about the history of the Voyaguers (French trappers) and then board a model of a 26-foot north canoe and paddle out on Lake Kabetogama. The best part is that your tour guides are dressed in traditional Voyageur garb and stay in character the whole time. It's lots of fun and entertaining.

3. Yankee Freedom III Ferry - Dry Tortugas National Park

One of the few ways to visit this National Park is to board the ferry: Yankee Freedom III in Key West (it operates almost every day of the year) and head out to the Dry Tortugas. It's an all-inclusive trip and they take care of everything for you. You might want to take some Dramamine for those high seas (but if you forgot to pack any they have some on the boat you can purchase). They provide breakfast, lunch, guided tour of Fort Jefferson, and snorkel gear. The staff are super friendly and helpful and will make your stay at Dry Tortugas unforgettable.

2. Shark Valley Tram Tour - Everglades National Park

Tara and I loved this tour of the Everglades. Not only is the natural scenery amazing, the wildlife you will see along this tour is spectacular. There were lots of birdwatchers on our tour, so they were going crazy due to all the exotic birds we saw. And of course, lots of lots of alligators. I thought we would be lucky and see one or two, we saw DOZENS. The tour guide was right, by the end of the tour the novelty of seeing an alligator will wear off. 😃 Also, our tour guide was amazing for this tour. Very entertaining and informative.

1. Balcony House - Mesa Verde National Park

Gear up for this adventurous tour at Mesa Verde National Park (known as the "Indiana Jones" tour). This exquisite cliff dwelling is a bit of a task to get to. First up is the climb on a 32-ft ladder, then the tour of the historic dwelling (once again, our tour guide was fantastic) and then squeeze through 12 foot, 18 inch wide tunnel and up a narrow pathway back to the top of the plateau. This was an exciting and thrilling tour.

Lava Beds National Monument

Visited: Sept 2014

Nearby city: Tulelake, CA

This area of northeastern California is home to the basaltic lava fields from the eruptions of Medicine Lake Volcano, whose last major eruption was back in 1000 AD. This monument is similar to Craters of the Moon in Idaho, here you will find over 700 caves and lava formations such as lava tubes, fumaroles, cinder cones, spatter cones, and volcanic fields. 

We basically did a drive through of this Park. It was a very short stay. Our first stop was Petroglyph Point. We made a big mistake and thought the petroglyps were on top of the hill.  So we hiked up to the top of the hill (it took about half hour or so)...oops, the petroglyps aren't on top of the hill, they're on the bottom along the cliff face. 

good view from the top...but no petroglyphs

the petroglyphs were at the bottom of this cliff

here they are … not that impressive 😃

So, the hike wore us out a little bit and wasted our time. Therefore, we didn't do much here but drive through. This area has an interesting history, it was the site of the Modoc War of 1872-1873. When members of the Modoc Tribe refused to leave their lands in California and move to Klamath Reservation in southern Oregon, hostilities broke out between Modoc and white settlers. A group of about 150 Modoc, led by Kintpuash (known as "Captain Jack"), hid out in these lava fields and resisted the US Army. The hostilities led to the death of General Edward Canby, the only US general to be killed during the Indian Wars. There is a cross in the monument that marks the spot where he died.

   

Again, we we're short on time, so we only stopped at one of the lava tube caves, Skull Cave.

If you're going to hike through the caves you'll need to bring your own light source. There's a lot more to explore here...but we just didn't have enough time. If we do go back though, we'll make sure to skip the petroglyphs. 😁 More info here: https://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm

Pinnacles National Park

Visited: May 2018

Nearby town: Salinas, CA

Hidden away in a rather remote area of central California is one of the state's lesser known gems, Pinnacles National Park. This relatively small park is one of our newest ones, created in 2013 (however, it had been a national monument since 1908).

The park's towering and somewhat eerie pinnacles, crags, and spires were created by plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. The park is relatively compact, but bear in mind there is no through road in the park boundaries that connects the East and West Entrances (you'll have to take about an hour and a half loop either from the north or south to hit both entrances). Because of that you may want to spend at least two days in the park, one for the west entrance and one for the east entrance.

We started our journey at the East Entrance of the Park, and did the incredible Bear Gulch/High Peaks/Condor Gulch loop trail. This combination was a great hike, pretty long (about 6.7 miles), but well worth it. And it showcases pretty much all there is to see here. If you don't have enough time you can shorten it by just doing the Bear Gulch section, or just the High Peaks section, etc.

The trail first heads to the Bear Gulch reservoir. This hike is very cool because you go through a cave. It's a talus cave, which means it is formed by openings in large boulders piled up on mountain slopes. Therefore, it is not entirely enclosed, but it would be a good idea to have a flashlight for the particularly dark sections.

a rather tight squeeze

Going through the talus cave was very enjoyable. As you can probably tell, Pinnacles is an outstanding destination for rock climbers. We did see a number of climbers throughout the park. Eventually, you emerge from the talus cave and get to the Bear Gulch reservoir.

At this point, the trail heads up to the top of the craggy peaks, this is the High Peaks section.

Just a heads up as you go along the High Peaks portion. Once you get to the top of the mountain, there are some narrow ledges and steps along the trail. There are railings to help you along. It's a little intense, but not too crazy.

As you go along the High Peaks section, look toward the skies for condors. You'll also see lots of turkey vultures. Here's how to spot the difference, the bottom of the wings of a turkey vulture are brown. The bottom of California Condor wings have a white patch along the top part of the wings, like this:

Along the trail, we were treated to a rare surprise. We saw a juvenile condor and two adult condors right along the trail. We we're right next to them! It was awesome.

Condors have been a huge success story in the park. In 1987, these large rather majestic birds actually went extinct in the wild, and only 27 individuals in captivity. They have since been re-introduced in northern Arizona and central California, including the park boundaries. Pinnacles National Park now manages 86 wild condors within the boundaries (notice the numbered tag on the adult condors). As of 2017, there are now 463 condors living either in the wild or in captivity. Seeing these condors in the wild up close and personal was a highlight of our visit.

The next day we headed to the West Entrance and did the Balconies Loop Hike. This hike was good (although not as cool as the High Peaks loop), and the cave section is a little more difficult than the Bear Gulch cave, some scrambling and bouldering required. Nothing too intense.

 Although Pinnacles is not as well-known as other California national parks (such as Yosemite, Sequoia, Death Valley, etc.), it is well worth a visit. Pinnacles exceeded our expectations big time. For more info: https://www.nps.gov/pinn/index.htm