Top 3 National Parks in the Midwest to Visit this Fall
(Feature Story)
2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service, which preserves and protects America’s natural wonders for future generations. The best way to celebrate the centennial is to visit a park here in the Midwest. The region provides expansive plains and dense forests, with the Great Lakes giving life to the landscape. All the natural beauty of the Midwest is only made that much more beautiful in fall colors.
Isle Royale National Park in Michigan
Isle Royale National Park is a remote island in Lake Superior, rich with forests, cliffs, and lake views that are all that more beautiful when the fall colors come. Isle Royale’s shoreline is lined with balsam fir, white spruce, paper birch, aspen and mountain ash trees. The cooler atmosphere created on the shoreline by Lake Superior, and warmer and drier conditions on the inner island favor a distinct array of trees. The Greenstone Ridge Trail provides the best foliage views for hikers.
The park offers many activities, from day hikes, camping, and canoeing, to fishing, boating and scuba diving. Did you ever imagine scuba diving in the Midwest? It is home to about 1,300 moose, and many wolf packs.
Chris Amidon, supervisory park ranger, says his favorite spot is Grece Creek Overlook, with its sweeping view of Lake Superior. He said he likes the feel of the park in the summer when many visitors come, but the visitors in the fall can enjoy the true serenity of the park. Visit this park early because it closes for the winter on October 31, and reopens in the spring on April 16.
Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota
Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota, a five hour drive from the Twin Cities, was formed by earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. European voyagers traveling by bark canoes to trade beaver pelts in Canada named the park. Rich with bald eagles, moose, gray wolves, loons, black bear, and beaver, it is a hidden getaway.
Perhaps the most enticing aspect of this park is its night sky, with views unspoiled light pollution. The park holds breathtaking views of the aurora borealis and meteor showers. “Half the park comes out at night,” says the National Park Service website. Cole Donelson of Switchbackkids.com recommends boating on Locator Lake as a way of finding true solitude in the wild. “To really appreciate the beauty of the park you have to get on the water,” says Cole. The park has many scenic trails, and guided boat tours on Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake.
A must-see in the park is the Ellsworth Rock Gardens, an art environment made of natural sculptures created from rock. Sculptor Jack Ellsworth engineered 62 terraced flower beds on a prominent rock outcrop, and added 200 abstract rock sculptures. Trees surround the garden and add color in the fall when the flowers have begun to die. Voyageurs National Park and Rainy Lake Visitor Center are open year-round, the visitor center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio
Cuyahoga National Park is near Breckesville, Ohio. The National Park Service reports that cool autumn nights following warm and sunny days turns the maple first to vibrant red, yellow and orange. Visitors can stop by Brandywine Falls for a view of the falls with colorful foliage in the background.
James Frost, park guide, says the park is easily accessible to city dwellers, including people from Cleveland and Akron. He recommends fall visitors to the park hike the Ledges Trail, where they will be rewarded with expansive views and geological rock outcrops. “It’s a really neat area,” Frost says. He says fall is his favorite season because of “the migration of the water foul, the changing foliage, and cooler hiking weather”. The Ohio park is home to standard Midwestern wildlife like deer, opossum, raccoon, osprey, and the occasional bald eagle. The mink, muskrat, otters and beavers in the park are not unique to the Midwest and provide visitors with a different wildlife experience.
Fall fades fast, so take advantage of these great Midwestern parks while you can. Cuyahoga and Voyageurs are both free, and Isle Royale costs $4 a day to enter. These parks were created for you, so get to know your country.
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The National Park Service was established on August 25, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. It now protects 84 acres of American territory, including 58 national parks.
FB Post:
“Love getting outdoors, but looking for some advice on where to adventure next? Check out the 3 best national parks in the Midwest to visit this fall! (link)”
Isle Royale National Park in Michigan
Isle Royale National Park is a remote island in Lake Superior, rich with forests, cliffs, and lake views that are all that more beautiful when the fall colors come. Isle Royale’s shoreline is lined with balsam fir, white spruce, paper birch, aspen and mountain ash trees. The cooler atmosphere created on the shoreline by Lake Superior, and warmer and drier conditions on the inner island favor a distinct array of trees. The Greenstone Ridge Trail provides the best foliage views for hikers.
The park offers many activities, from day hikes, camping, and canoeing, to fishing, boating and scuba diving. Did you ever imagine scuba diving in the Midwest? It is home to about 1,300 moose, and many wolf packs.
Chris Amidon, supervisory park ranger, says his favorite spot is Grece Creek Overlook, with its sweeping view of Lake Superior. He said he likes the feel of the park in the summer when many visitors come, but the visitors in the fall can enjoy the true serenity of the park. Visit this park early because it closes for the winter on October 31, and reopens in the spring on April 16.
Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota
Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota, a five hour drive from the Twin Cities, was formed by earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers. European voyagers traveling by bark canoes to trade beaver pelts in Canada named the park. Rich with bald eagles, moose, gray wolves, loons, black bear, and beaver, it is a hidden getaway.
Perhaps the most enticing aspect of this park is its night sky, with views unspoiled light pollution. The park holds breathtaking views of the aurora borealis and meteor showers. “Half the park comes out at night,” says the National Park Service website. Cole Donelson of Switchbackkids.com recommends boating on Locator Lake as a way of finding true solitude in the wild. “To really appreciate the beauty of the park you have to get on the water,” says Cole. The park has many scenic trails, and guided boat tours on Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake.
A must-see in the park is the Ellsworth Rock Gardens, an art environment made of natural sculptures created from rock. Sculptor Jack Ellsworth engineered 62 terraced flower beds on a prominent rock outcrop, and added 200 abstract rock sculptures. Trees surround the garden and add color in the fall when the flowers have begun to die. Voyageurs National Park and Rainy Lake Visitor Center are open year-round, the visitor center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio
Cuyahoga National Park is near Breckesville, Ohio. The National Park Service reports that cool autumn nights following warm and sunny days turns the maple first to vibrant red, yellow and orange. Visitors can stop by Brandywine Falls for a view of the falls with colorful foliage in the background.
James Frost, park guide, says the park is easily accessible to city dwellers, including people from Cleveland and Akron. He recommends fall visitors to the park hike the Ledges Trail, where they will be rewarded with expansive views and geological rock outcrops. “It’s a really neat area,” Frost says. He says fall is his favorite season because of “the migration of the water foul, the changing foliage, and cooler hiking weather”. The Ohio park is home to standard Midwestern wildlife like deer, opossum, raccoon, osprey, and the occasional bald eagle. The mink, muskrat, otters and beavers in the park are not unique to the Midwest and provide visitors with a different wildlife experience.
Fall fades fast, so take advantage of these great Midwestern parks while you can. Cuyahoga and Voyageurs are both free, and Isle Royale costs $4 a day to enter. These parks were created for you, so get to know your country.
###
The National Park Service was established on August 25, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. It now protects 84 acres of American territory, including 58 national parks.
FB Post:
“Love getting outdoors, but looking for some advice on where to adventure next? Check out the 3 best national parks in the Midwest to visit this fall! (link)”