2021 National Park Adventures
February 18, 2022
Written by Sid Williamson, Hydaway Outdoor Center Manager
During the past year, I have had the privilege of seeing multiple national parks on separate occasions. The first trip was out West back in the spring with one of my friends, Abby. The second trip involved visiting Alaska on a mission trip with my small group leaders. The last trip was spent in the Smokies during Thanksgiving Break with two of my friends. I’ve dreamed of visiting national parks since I was a child, so it was cool to see how the Lord has allowed that desire to come true, especially in this past year. It’s also neat to see how the Lord has provided me with educational development through my job at Hydaway Outdoor Center; I have learned the importance of Leave-No-Trace Principles, which were a large factor in all the national parks I visited. These seven principles include thoroughly planning out your trip, traveling and camping on durable surfaces, properly disposing of waste, leaving what you find, respecting wildlife, minimizing the impacts of campfires, and being mindful of others.
Out West
Abby and I decided on flying into Las Vegas, picking up a rental car, and venturing out to the Grand Canyon for the first stop on our trip. We got to the Grand Canyon during sunset on Resurrection Sunday, camped in Mather Campground on the South Rim of the park, and woke up to watch the sunrise before heading to hike Devil’s Bridge in Sedona. The next night we stayed in Glen Canyon National Rec Area on a beach area in the canyon. Due to sand pelting us and high winds causing our tent poles to bend, we made a run for our car in the middle of the night. It proved to be a good move because it was warmer and had a much better view of the stars. A coworker had told me about kayaking to a place called Antelope Canyon, where you can eventually get out of your kayak and walk through the canyon, so we spent a day doing that before heading to Horseshoe Bend. Our last stop on our trip was spent hiking in Zion National Park. We did several hikes, but two of our favorites were Observation Point, which gave a bird’s eye view of the park, and The Narrows, which has hikers travel through the Virgin River the entire hike.
Alaska
My small group leaders, Tom and Becky, take a trip to Alaska every summer to help teach at several different camps. They invited me to go along with them about a month before they were leaving. Looking back, it’s very neat to see how the Lord provided financially for me to go in such short notice. While in Alaska, I got to visit a village called Port Alsworth, which is located in Lake Clark National Park. If you ever want to visit Lake Clark, you can only access the park by bush plane. In Lake Clark, I hiked Tanalian Falls, which is about an 8-mile roundtrip hike that leads to an astonishing waterfall. I never got to visit Denali National Park, but I did see Mount McKinley (or Mount Denali as the natives call it) from about 200 miles away. The mountain stands at over 20,300 feet tall and is known as the tallest mountain in North America, so it’s understandable why it can be seen from so far away.
North Carolina and Tennessee
My roommate, Hannah, and friend, Abby, went with me to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We visited an overlook spot in the park called Clingman’s Dome which is situated right along the Tennessee and North Carolina border. From the dome, you can see seven different states including Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama. Another stop we made on our trip was to Mount Mitchell, which is the tallest point on this side of the Mississippi River standing at 6,684 feet.
8 Takeaways and Tips for Traveling
Based on my experience traveling, here are 8 takeaways that I recommend implementing before your next adventure:
- When you look at the weather for your trip, you should look at both the daytime temperature and the nighttime temperature. Also, be mindful of the wind speed. Abby and I forgot to consider that the desert is much colder at night than during the day, and we also weren’t prepared for the amount of wind we had during our kayaking trip. The wind doubled the amount of time we were on the water and completely wore us out.
- Bring lots of water. Since it’s common to become dehydrated in the desert, we made sure to pack our 2-liter water bladders in our hiking bags.
- Pack moisture-wicking clothing that can be layered, so you have some options depending on the temperature.
- Bring change. In order to use showers and laundry in national parks, you need coins.
- PLAN! Make a budget and plan out your itinerary before going on your trip.
- Travel and hike with at least one other person.
- Share your trip itinerary with family or friends and check in with them whenever possible.
- Set aside money for firewood. Depending on the campground, you either have to buy their firewood or scavenge for downed wood on their land.
These are just a few tips I’ve learned from my experiences this past year. My main advice is to take opportunities to visit as many outdoor places as possible! If you are just getting into camping, plan to camp out at Hydaway! We offer camping on Friday or Saturday nights throughout the semester and provide rental gear if needed. Ready to go off-site? Students are able to rent our gear for off-site adventures at a low cost! Learn more at Liberty.edu/Hydaway.