Challenge The National Parks! Week 6
Wow! Week 6 of Challenge The National Parks! I don’t know about you, but I think I wore out a pair of boots already. How about you? Let’s check on how MissionFiT’s teams of hikers are handling the heat of the next parks: Saguaro, Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef.
Team Standings fo Week 6 of Challenge The National Parks:
- Team “A-Mays-ing Hikers”
- The Seelig Family
- The Bishop Family
- The McRory Family
Let’s Check Out Some Trails on Week 6 of Challenge The National Parks!
Which came first? The Cactus or the Park?
Cristate Saguaro Cactus
The largest and most recognizable catcus in the west is protected by Saguaro National Park. The park property borders Tuscon, Arizona to the east (Rincon Mountain District) and west (Tuscon Mountain District). Both areas allow visitors to view the sites via car, bicycle, horse and by foot, using over 30 miles of trails in different areas of the park. Take a virtual tour of the park or rest your weary bones on a nearby rock and take in the local news.
Arches National Park
Delicate Arch. Photo by Neil Herbert
In Southeast Utah, we visit Arches National Park; another park named for the unusual formations within its borders. However, these formations are geologic in nature. Unfortunately, time and the elements, especially water, chip away at these magnificent structures so that, over time, they take on a different appearance.”
Fiery Furnace
One of the more challenging hikes to conquer is the Fiery Furnace. This hike is ranger-guided and comes with a guaranteed adventure into and through red rock formations and canyons. It is not for the faint of heart or the very young. So, make sure you are prepared before you make your reservations. Explore the Arches by video! Learn about the interesting places and hieroglyphics seen throughout the canyons within the park.
Bryce Canyon
2 Piaute outside their hogan in a village setting.
“Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, but here is the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the park’s high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description.” Hiking is a favorite activity of Canyon visitors. Everyone, from the novice to the backcountry hiker, can take advantage of the many trials and tours through Bryce Canyon. You can even visit the canyon’s wonders from the comfort of your living room. Just visit the Park’s YouTube Channel for a quick tour or enjoy any one of the social media options about the park.
Did You Know The Earth Was SO Old, It Has Wrinkles??
Waterpockets, depressions in the sandstone rock layers, are important to the desert animals. Photo by Al Hendricks, NPS
The name Capitol Reef National Park may give you a vision of brightly colored fish in a deep blue ocean. However, this park is as far away from water as one can get in the lower forty-eight. Utah is home to this area of geologic formations, including Waterpocket Fold, a “wrinkle” on the earth’s surface extending some 100 miles in South-Central Utah. Day hikes and backpacking are great ways to see Capitol Reef up close & personal. Choose from one of 15 hiking trails or get a backcountry permit and make your own way through the park. Enjoy these presentations to learn more about the park.
“Rooty Tooty, Fresh & Fruity”
Orchards within the park are historic remnants of the peoples who settled the land in 1880. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a fresh apple, apricot, cherry, peach, pear, or plum. Visitors can pick the ripe fruit right off the trees. Park staff keeps up the orchards now. The site is also on the National Register of Historic Places
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