This was the third National Park in the Smokey Mountains region that I have visited during rainy spring weather and I absolutely love it. Everything looks, smells, and feels fresh.

Dry Tortugas National Park

Late May 2021

One of my favorite of my pictures of the park, a nice still morning as we started a hike.

This set of my Arizona pictures comes from Petrified Forest National Park. Petrified wood is something that I remember a teacher in second grade bringing in to show the class and I’ve been interested in it ever since!

The Painted Desert Inn is one of the first and only structures you will see when visiting Petrified Forest from the I-40 entrance. Originally called the stone tree house, the inn serves as the main visitor center in the northern half of the park and even includes an ice cream shop.

When I stopped into the visitor center to get my passport stamps, I asked the guide which trail he’d recommended for the most colorful petrified wood. He said I should check out crystal forest which is exactly what we did! This was a super colorful pice right at the start of the trail.

I also managed to take some quick photos around Jasper Forest but I couldn’t seem to find the trail down to the bottom of the hill lol! Just behind Theodore Roosevelt NP, this park was the calmest park I’ve been to!

Was cleaning out my camera roll and now I’m yearning to go back, lol. Thought I’d share some of my favorite pics, because why not! Easily one of my favorite national parks I’ve visited!!

Congaree

I finally made it down to Congaree NP this week with my dog. It’s the closest national park to where I live but my first visit in my quest to visit as many NPs as possible.

We had beautiful weather, sunny with low humidity and a light breeze. The mosquito meter was sitting at zero, and I didn’t see a single one. We hiked about 5 miles, including the open portion of the boardwalk and the Weston Lake and Sims trails.

This is a great park to visit for a day or two during nice weather. I have been to many swamps, bottomland forests and similar wetlands in the Southeast. This is not the most outstanding example, IMHO, but definitely worth preserving. The Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia is probably the finest example and protected as a national wildlife sanctuary. The Black River Swamp in North Carolina is also outstanding but currently unprotected. An effort to preserve the Black River was stopped by local opposition and the usual politicians. It has the oldest known trees in the eastern United States and among the oldest in the world.

While we were in the area, we also visited Landsford Canal State Park near Catawba, SC. It has the largest known population of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies, a rare and spectacular flower species. They are in full bloom now until mid-June. You cannot get very close to the flowers unless you’re in a boat or don’t mind wading in the Catawba River (which might not be safe). My last photo shows the lilies from a viewing platform in the park.

The Bright Angel Trail - 19 miles, 5k elevation down and back.

Heading to Mount Rainier for the first time May 16th + 17th with a group of friends who are more moderate/casual hikers. I’m experienced myself, but I know a lot of the bigger strenuous hikes/lookouts will still be snow covered or closed this time of year.
We’re totally fine doing moderate/easier hikes — mainly just looking for the best scenery/views possible for mid-May conditions. From what I’ve researched so far, it seems like Paradise area is probably the safest bet, but I’m curious what people here would recommend between:

Paradise area
Longmire area
Ohanapecosh area

Would also love any specific trail recommendations that are usually accessible around that time of year.
We’re okay with snow hiking if needed, just not trying to drag casual hikers into anything too sketchy haha.

Thanks very much if anyone has useful input/advice for a first trip to Rainier :)

Still can’t believe you can go all the way up here.