Things I Love Thursday!

Okay, so this is totally cliche and "everyone's doing it," but it would seem that I need something to encourage me to blog once in a while, so here's my very first Things I Love Thursday post.

I have recently rediscovered just how much I *love* the National Park Service website. It's really one of the best out there.....easy to navigate, tons and tons of information about every single park, monument, recreation area, historic site, battlefield, etc, that the Park Service manages.

Some of the information available:

• Basic park information--how to get there by plane, train, or automobile, entrance fees, hours, road closures, etc.
• Reservation information for lodging and/or camping within the park, usually operated by a private company.
• Links and/or contact information for area hotels and camping outside the park.
• Reservation information and/or links to privately operated tours in the park.
• What to do in the park, including a handy list of ways to maximize your time. The lists include things like "If you have a half a day in the park......" up to "If you have several days in the park...." These lists give you a good idea of how long things might take and things you don't want to miss while there.
• Hiking trail information, including how difficult the hike is, trail conditions (back country or paved loop and everything in between), elevation gain, distance, how long the hike should take, and other information about the trails. Many times I've found that this information is more comprehensive than some of the brochures you'll get at the park.
• Maps and brochures to download, including the pretty one they give you when you arrive at the park!

Then there's the FUN stuff at the website! If you look at the links on the side of the page that say "For Kids," and "For Teachers," there's even more fun and information! (Links included show you what I used for our Mesa Verde trip).

• Under "Planning a Field Trip," you'll find information about how long activities will take.
• For some of the parks, you'll find classroom resources and materials. I've printed some worksheets for the kids to do (Bruce calls it my "Mesa Verde Homework." Brat!)
• You may also find fun worksheets for kids (under "for kids"), like a word search or maze or matching game.

So, if you're planning a visit to any one of the hundreds of public areas managed by the National Park Service, check out the website. The website is truly a sterling example of our tax dollars doing it right!

And, this summer, for two more weekends, the Park Service is waiving fees to all of the parks. How cool is that?! You can visit a park for free during the weekends of July 18-19 and August 15-16. For more information on that, click here.