OT - Friday Drinking/Favorite National Park Thread

Submitted by MGoBender on

Watching the Tigers, drinking a few Oberons, and researching our next National Park trip.

What's your favorite National Park?  Least favorite?  Just read this 538 interesting article on how the NPS has never been more popular: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-national-parks-have-never-been…

Like many, I have a goal to hit all 58 National Parks. My stretch goal is to accomplish that by the time I turn 40 (10 years... god, I'm getting old).  But, Alaska and Hawaii will make that tough.

I'm new to the NP-craze and I've hit some of the big ones, but not many: Smoky Mtn,  Arches, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Everglades, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Rocky Mtn, Grand Canyon most recently.  Just 49 to go!  Hoping to hit California this fall for a few; maybe Cuyahoga since it's so close.

My favorite was easily Zion.  I'm a water guy, in general, and hiking the narrows was so fun. Angel's Landing was fun despite my relative fear of heights.  I'll definitely go back.  I barely remember much of Everglades; I was a kiddo.

Atop my list to hit include: Glacier, Olympic, Crater Lake and (believe it or not) Death Valley.

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rob f

June 10th, 2016 at 11:09 PM ^

7 National Parks so far and here's how I'll rank them as favorite to least favorite: 1) Yellowstone. So beautiful, spectacular and wild, I'd love to spend an entire summer and early fall there. We spent 3 days there 10 years ago, but even 3 weeks wouldn't have been enough to see the entire park. 2)Rocky Mountain. Great place if you're into hiking, as I was in my younger days. Oh, to be young and in shape again! 3) Grand Canyon. Spend a day on the rim watching the kaleidoscope of colors. Spend a couple more hiking down and back up, with time set aside to experience the rapids of the Colorado River. I wanna go back! 4) Badlands. Only spent half a day, so I really have to mark it incomplete. But the landscape is oh so eerily alien that I'll never forget it. 5)Mt Rainier. Another park of such great scenic beauty, but my kids called it boring. What do they know!? 6) Wind Cave. IMO, kinda underrated by anyone that goes only for the cave experience. Very uncrowded, I found the wildlife there fascinating. 7) Everglades. First National Parks I ever visited, only saw a bit, but as a college student on spring break at the time, had other plans and priorities that were much more inviting. "Incomplete" would be a more fair grade.

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BlueMan80

June 10th, 2016 at 11:27 PM ^

Which is a pale ale with just the right amount of hops for my tastes. The wife and I toured through Arches, Dead Horse Point (Utah state park), Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, and Zion two weeks ago. All of them were spectacular. Hard to pick a favorite but Arches and Bryce Canyon have very unique geology. I agree with others that Isle Royale is great. Did a week of hiking there many years ago and loved it.

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itsbigcat

June 11th, 2016 at 12:53 AM ^

No drinks for your favorite Brewer tonight. Saving my sobriety. I'm going to need a good nights sleep for England and US soccer tomorrow, and a fuuuulllll day of drinking Sunday between Poland, Tigers baseball and the NASCAR race. Giving the liver a night off tonight. Cheers, I guess.



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MGoBradley

June 11th, 2016 at 12:54 AM ^

Enjoying an amazing Russian River Supplication. It's a sour ale aged in Pinot Noir barrels for over a year with cherries added. Man I love basically everything Russian River brews...

Joined: 07/01/2015

MGoPoints: 43

drjaws

June 11th, 2016 at 1:22 AM ^

Smells Like a Safety Meeting and Kamikaze Kaleidoscope from Dark Horse and Space Rock from Shorts.

Smoky Mountains is tied with Yellowstone for my favs.



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Mgodiscgolfer

June 11th, 2016 at 7:57 AM ^

Go to the Mammoth Caves they are awesome. Being as cheap as I am. The wife and I went and brought the camping gear and drove there through Indiana to Kentucky.  Indiana had a few Disc courses that were fairly challenging so we golfed our way through Michigan and indiana. Simple, cheap and fun just the way we like it.

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goblueram

June 11th, 2016 at 11:18 AM ^

Kruger National Park! Maybe that doesn't count... Anyway I'm drinking tons of Grolsch since I've got two batches of home brew fermenting and plan to bottle into the swing tops. Playing some hockey too so likely Labatt. And hitting up Half Acre brewery's tap room here in Chicago this afternoon. So, yeah, lots of drinking.

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GGV

June 11th, 2016 at 12:19 PM ^

It wasn't voted to be the most beautiful place in America for nothing!  Swimming, surfing, dune climbs, beaches and great food.

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Kyllor06

June 11th, 2016 at 9:30 PM ^

Death Valley was very nice, as I was in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend. We stopped in Death Valley on Friday around noon to 2. The drive from Vegas to Death Valley was very nice and scenic, other than the over 100 temp. If you do go, don't forget to go to the Indian refuge and get some of the Hawaiian ice they got. It is very good.

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