We spent a lot of fun days in Yosemite over a couple years doing our research, and now we are excited to share what we learned with you!  This park has many amazing sights to see, and some of our favorites could be found at the end of delightful hikes of every ability level.  There are also unique opportunities in this park for rafting, bicycling, and horseback riding that are worth a look.

Yosemite was one of the first special places to be set aside as a park, check out our book and you'll soon see why!

Built in 1914 by the Great Northern Railroad, the Sperry Chalet in the Lake McDonald region of Glacier National Park has succumbed to the Sprague Fire.

The park service had evacuated the building prior and a crack team of firefighters was stationed there to try and save the building.  Pumps were set up to douse the structure with water, a fireproof wrap was placed around the base, and helicopters were also aiding in the effort.  But a few days ago a strong wind picked up that drove the fire so aggressively that even these efforts were not enough. The firefighters are safe.

Of the 9 structures that the railroad built from 1910-1915, one was lost to avalanche, another by fire, and 5 were removed by the service in the 1940's because they had deteriorated so badly from the sever winters.  Sperry and Granite Park chalets were built from native stone and were the last two standing.  The Glacier NP Conservancy has discussed rebuilding the structure, but no firm plans are set at this time.

We have always wanted to visit Yellowstone in winter, but since that is also school season it is tough to do.  Snowmobiling in the winter is more adventurous than driving the roads in the other seasons, but your definitely need the right equipment and clothing!  If you have your own snowmobiles and gear, you can apply for a private non-guided permit to ride your snowmobile through the park for up to 3 days.

The permit applications are open September 1-30, and they are available at recreation.gov.  Just follow the link and type 'yellowstone snowmobiles' in the search bar.  Costs are $6 to apply and $40 per day for each day of your stay.  If you go, drop us a note to tell us about it!

We had a wonderful time in Yosemite early in August and we dealt with some smoke from fires west of the park at that time.  But a new fire in the Wawona area has taken hold and has forced the closure of Glacier Point Road for fire fighting measures.

If you are planning a Labor Day weekend around Yosemite you might need to adjust your plans.  More details can be found at http://www.sierrastar.com/news/local/article169960032.html

This is truly the year to get out and discover our national heritage in our National Parks!  This year, as many of you know, marks the centennial of the park service.  They have all sorts of fun events going on as part of the celebration this year.  We are excited to share that ALL national parks will be offering FREE admission to everyone April 16-24!  I know that is right around the corner but it isn't too late to do a little planning and get out to visit a park near you.  Spring is a great time to get out-water is flowing, flowers are blooming, the weather isn't too hot or too cold.  Find a park near you and go check it out for free this April!  Let us know where you went and what you loved about it.  

Bryce was one of my favorite parks due to the sheer outlandish beauty of the hoodoos.  The colors were so bold and vibrant that if you were to see them in a painting you would think the artist had gone overboard.  There are short walks to the rim of the canyon where you can look out over a wide expanse of the hoodoos, and such vistas inspire me.  But what is even better about Bryce is that there are several trails that wind right through the 'forest' of hoodoos and you get unique views with every turn.  There are hidden canyons, towering spires, occasional tunnels, and little alcoves everywhere you walk. 

Another neat aspect to these colorful formations is that they really catch the colors of sunsets and sunrises if you make the effort to be there at those special times.  And the lack of light pollution in this park make it perfect for stargazing, so much so that the park has special "night rangers" that put on excellent astronomy talks and will even let you use their telescopes.

And finally, if you are blessed to visit this area on the fall, try to make it there at the start of October.  Perhaps the greatest surprise for us was the amazing display of fall Aspens that we were fortunate enough to witness on the way to and in certain portions of the park.

I loved walking through the Hoodoos. I remember it was like walking in a giant maze. It was especially fun because you were able to look at the Hoodoo maze from above before you entered. Then while you were in the Hoodoos, you would try and guess where you are in the maze.

There were many different cool rock formations. There were, in a few places, trees growing in crevices, reaching up toward the sky. We took pictures next to certain signs. Then later, we showed the pictures to the rangers for some cool pins!