What Park Would You Visit? (Continued)

The next park I absolutely want to visit is Banff National Park.  This park is in Canada, and none too close either, like other side of the country above Washington.  It would take 34 hours to get there from Fredonia, but no big deal (I'll make sure to fly or bring a group of people for driving).  So Banff National Park is pretty amazing.  Banff was actually Canada's first founded national park, and the third to be established in the world in 1833.  The park is made up of 2,564 miles of valleys, mountains, glaciers, meadows, and rivers.  Banff is also home to the Canadian Rockies.




Besides the hiking and the scenery, Banff also has Hot Springs!  It's pretty cool because the Rockies are in the background, so you can relax in a hot spring and look at the mountains (pictured below).



Banff also has a series of cave systems with mineral springs inside which were discovered in 1885.  The water from the springs flows outside of cave and has an emerald color to it.

Banff offers hiking, skiing, white water rafting, and a lot of other activities to partake in.  The park also has a fantastic museum from what I can tell from the website, giving a history of Banff as well as Jasper and Glacier National Parks.

And finally one of the most iconic pictures (pictured above as the first picture) is Lake Moraine.  The scenery there is just breathtaking.  There is a hike that leads you out to this view (also pictured below) which is called the Rockpile Trail.  Sometimes the trails around the Lake are closed due to grizzly bear sightings (a little scary) but I would hope that on my trip I wouldn't encounter one.




I think of all the parks I would want to visit, I definitely think this one would be the most breathtaking in terms of views.  I hope I can one day visit, because it really does look like a pretty spectacular place.  I have former friends from high school who actually just took a trip there on their spring break and their pictures definitely made me want to go even more.  They even did a helicopter tour over Banff, Jasper, and Glacier which just sounds like an amazing experience.  So I hope to one day make it here!  Feel free to comment your dream park that you would one day like to visit and it doesn't have to be in the U.S (this one wasn't)!  Who knows, maybe one day you'll have the opportunity to visit.

What Park Would You Visit?

For these last two blog posts, I am going to talk about two national parks that I will definitely be visiting at some point in my life.  After I talk about mine, feel free to comment what your dream park visit would be!

The first park on my list is Yosemite National Park.  This park is definitely one of the most iconic in terms of its landscape.  Within the 1,200 miles of park land you can find waterfalls, meadows, and deep valleys. Two rivers run through Yosemite National Park, which are the Tuolumne and Merced rivers.  There are also some pretty magnificent waterfalls.  Lower falls in Yosemite is one of the pictures that most people have probably seen when they hear about Yosemite.  Lower Falls is one of North America's tallest waterfalls at 320 feet tall! (pictured below):

   

Another part of Yosemite that I want to visit is hiking the Half Dome.  The Half Dome rises 5,000 feet from the ground in Yosemite and is apparently a very hard hike.  The entire hike to reach the top is a 14-16 mile round-trip.  So it's not for the faint-hearted, but I'm definitely up for the challenge and the view from the summit is supposedly breathtaking.  If I want to hike this trail, I would have to leave really early in the morning, I guess it takes 10 to 12 hours to hike it (pictured below), but I mean just look at that view, I totally think it's worth it!














And finally, Glacier Point.  Glacier Point is where you can see all of Yosemite, including the Half Dome, the waterfalls I mentioned, and a lot more.  (pictured below)

I definitely chose Yosemite because there are so many sites to see, and some are accessible by car (like Glacier Point), but also by hike like the Half Dome.  I like the challenge of if I want to see a view I have to hike there myself.  I'm sure the satisfaction of the view is twice as great because you spent the whole day hiking up there.

Be sure to comment the park you'd love to visit!



(photos from Google and Yosemite National Park, Park Service website)

Letchworth State Park

Letchworth Sate Park is located just outside of Geneseo, and I assume a lot of people have either been there or heard of it.  Letchworth is the "Grand Canyon of the East Coast," so if you haven't been to Letchworth, just think it's a smaller Grand Canyon and who wouldn't want to visit the Grand Canyon if it were within a few hours of you!  Unlike a few of my previous blog posts, there are A LOT of things to do and sites to visit in Letchworth. If you go for a day trip, make sure to get there early in the day if you want to even get close to seeing everything, and believe me, you'll want to see everything.

Letchworth has 66 miles of hiking trails, but there is also a road that follows next to trails in case you don't want to walk.  I definitely recommend hiking the lower trails by the waterfalls, but the upper trails you can drive to and stop to admire the views.  You'll also probably want to check out the Glen Iris Inn.  The Glen Iris is positioned right over the most known waterfall of Letchworth, and the biggest.  The Glen Iris is very picturesque and homely, and the waterfall is magnificent.  I camped at Letchworth two years ago during Spring Break and Letchworth's water levels were in the flood zone.  The water was so high and it made for some really powerful waterfalls and great views.  This year I camped again with my family in Letchworth for Spring Break and the water levels were normal; still awesome views but not quite the same.

Another cool thing to do is visit the museum, if you have time after sight-seeing and hiking!  The history of Letchworth is really interesting.  Many of the buildings and trails were created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1900s.  Letchworth was also known for its Indian heritage sites as well.

If you're lucky and you go on a sunny day, you'll also most likely see rainbows over the waterfalls.  This is probably one of my favorite things about Letchworth and there are sometimes double rainbows too!  They're beautiful!  So take a trip to Letchworth this summer or in the Fall!  Make sure to pencil out a whole day so you can really experience the beauty and views of Letchworth fully!

                                                      

The Mohonk House, New Paltz

This next post is kind of an interesting one... Over Spring Break, my parents expressed interest in going to New Paltz to visit the Mohonk House.  If you've never heard of it, it's pretty amazing.  The Mohonk House is a hotel/spa getaway location on top of a mountain in New Paltz, NY.  The Mohonk House is huge-- like 3 well-sized hotels combined together (I mean, just look at the picture below).  The original building has quite a few add-ons, all keeping to a general theme but different and unique in their own way.  We happened to go because there are great hiking trails and views around the hotel.  At the highest point, a person can see 4 states.  Along the trails are little pavilions, where you can sit and gaze at the lake or view the landscape.

What the Mohonk House is really known for is it's hiking and lands.  The Mohonk House has 85 miles of hiking trails.  The area is very secluded from the town, so guests are able to enjoy nature and quiet time.  While the trails are fantastic and the inside of the Mohonk House elegant, the hotel is pretty pricey.  My parents had a friend that works there, so we got a free lunch in between exploring trails.  Lunch was a buffet style and was pretty good.  My mom looked up how much a meal would have been if we had to pay, and it was 64 dollars!  We also looked up the rates for the hotel and it's around 400 dollars a night.  Very classy place and quite popular, so I guess the expensive stay is worth it!  But most people visit for the trails.  I think I would have enjoyed my visit if it was a little warmer, so perhaps another visit is overdue in the summer.

I think places like the Mohonk House are really special; it's great that places like these can be so popular.  It's great that its hidden on top of a mountain in New Paltz--really a place that no one would think to look.  I also liked that it was about 2 miles away from civilization, just the woods and the hotel.  I feel like if I was a guest at the hotel, I would definitely get the ultimate escape from reality.  Most vacations are focused on going to the beach or going abroad, but staying in New York and going to a place like the Mohonk House where you get to experience nature and seclusion in a beautiful, huge hotel feels to me like a pretty fantastic vacation.  So if you're from near New Paltz or you're just looking for an adventure this summer, visit the trails around the Mohonk House.  Just maybe don't stay there (it would be awesome, but like me you probably couldn't afford it as a recent grad)!

                                     
                                           

(screenshots from @mohonkmountainhouse)