The Parks Adventurer

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Reconstruction Era National Historical Park (very briefly) and Congaree National Park, SC

NPS Unit Count: 84

Hey there Adventurers! That NPS Unit count is getting up there! I never really intended (and still don’t!) to hit all the NPS units – just the National Parks. That being the case it appears that 200 or so of them is probably not out of the question when this journey to 63 (or however many that number ends up being) concludes!

After departing Ft. Pulaski, Bark Ranger Maisy and I headed northwest toward Congaree National Park with a side trip to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. This was the same day as Fort Pulaski. We spent a lot more time at Pulaski than planned, it was such a great spot to visit with Maisy! That meant we were really pushing it on time.

Maisy and I really didn’t actually “do” Reconstruction Era. Found in Beaufort, SC, Reconstruction Era is about a 35 minute detour off the I-95 path from Savannah to Congaree. I definitely wanted to get to Congaree before the visitor center closed. In addition, most of the sites to visit in Reconstruction were an additional 15 to 20 minutes further, one way- the wrong way, and there was no way to visit them and still make Congaree before the visitor center closed up. Instead, we basically hung out with the Reconstruction Park Rangers for a bit and talked Bark Ranger stuff! They also have a Meow Ranger tag for well behaved cats to earn! How cool! In any event, Maisy and I took pictures with the park sign, then the rangers came outside and visited with her! Definitely worth the side trip, even if not seeing the park proper!

We nearly forgot to get this pic! Taken by me.

The park features several notable sites. The visitor center is an historic firehouse. There is a church, Brick Baptist, built by slaves who were not allowed to be seen by white parishioners. The church was taken by a large group of slaves in 1861 and is the oldest church in the area. Darrah Hall is a school that was built in the 1860s and was used by freed slaves. It is also part of the larger Gullah cultural heritage in the area. I have included a link to Wikipedia about the Gullah culture. I strongly encourage you to read it. This is not something you learn in school. At least I sure did not. Maybe folks in the local area do, but I cannot recall ever hearing about it until I made this trip! Lastly, there is the Emancipation Tree in a location where the Emancipation Proclamation was first read to the slaves and then were invited to enlist in the army. If you make it to this area, give it a visit and do better than I was able to!

After the brief stop at Reconstruction we were off to Congaree National Park. I visited this park previously in 2019 and now it is included in a short list of Denali, Everglades, Rocky Mountain, and (maybe) Kenai Fjords as National Parks with multiple visits. As was the theme with the trip, the importance to getting to Congaree was to Bark Ranger! This park is extremely dog friendly. In fact, every single trail is dog friendly, and they are allowed off trail as well (a warning on that later). They do have a checklist of activities to do for being a Bark Ranger, however, they only have a generic Bark Ranger sticker and dog tag for purchase.

Not cooperative. Again. Taken by me as best as could be done!

Most visitors, myself included, are probably going to mostly stick to the 2.5ish mile loop trail behind the visitor center. This trail is entirely boardwalk, very buggy, very muggy, and at times is elevated pretty high up and very confined. If you or your dog have a problem with any of those things, be warned. There are a couple side trails off of this boardwalk, and there is a good spot to get out into the wilderness. Note that there is a lake near the wilderness access area. I saw a gator hanging out, so they are in the area. There are also snakes here, including a handful of venomous species. And never forget about ticks!

This is one of the first things a visitor sees when entering the Visitor Center!

This is one of the next things you see when coming to the visitor center!

This view gives you an idea of the enclosed area of the boardwalk trail.

Here is another area of the boardwalk. If your dog is the type that likes to dart through spaces, be careful in these sections – there is no barrier between the boards!

Here is another section of the boardwalk. This is ground level and obviously has no barriers. This particular spot is where one can go off the board walk out into the woods…

But be careful, this fella was not too far from that off-boardwalk spot!

As an aside, Congaree is oftentimes given a bad rap about being a National Park. You are not going to get any great stunning views here. Outside of some flat trails, and some kayaking and canoeing opportunities in the namesake Congaree river, you aren’t finding a great variety of exciting things to do. The park was created to protect the largest remaining track of bottomland hardwood forest left in the country. Some of the trees are gigantic, and the largest in the eastern part of the country. To me, it’s a well deserved National Park, but I can see why some people are not so gung ho on this one. Another great reason to visit is the park’s very close proximity to Columbia, SC. There are major airlines serving the city, plus it is relatively close to both Atlanta and Charlotte. The park is only 30 minutes or so outside of town. And on that note, I do have a dog friendly Columbia recommendation: Jakes. This is a fun, very dog friendly spot. There is an outdoor bar and music area where dogs can be off-leash. There is an inside area, as well, to order food. You are allowed to eat outside with all the dogs, which is the only thing I would warn in case food aggression is something to worry about.

That concludes the Reconstruction and Congaree portion of our big road trip! Both spots are great dog friendly spots to visit and worth the trip if you are in the vicinity! Next up: Nintey Six National Historic Site.

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia.

NPS Unit Count: 83

Hey there Adventurers! Sorry for the delay. There were hurricanes, etc! Fort Pulaski National Monument was the next stop of Bark Ranger Maisy’s grand summer tour! When I began this whole National Parks thing several years ago, I always envisioned completing all the “big” parks and doing the smaller units only if they were an easy. I have since altered my opinion on that somewhat! Some of the “smaller” NPS units are quite interesting and can offer a lengthy exploration! Additionally, Bark Ranger programs are more likely to be found at those sites! Fort Pulaski is one of those smaller units that I very much enjoyed visiting.

Maisy said she was getting tired of canons! Taken by me.

Fort Pulaski National Monument is located between Savannah, GA, and Tybee island on Cockspur Island, at the mouth of the Savannah River. The location was strategically important to the United States after The War of 1812. The Savannah River leads to a major port and the US wanted to shore up defenses here. During the Civil War, Georgia utilized the fort for Confederate purposes. Ultimately, the Union was able to take the fort at the end of 1861, blocking the port of Savannah from Confederate use.

Walking in through what I would called the ramparts, but I think technically called demilune. That was the first drawbridge for defense. Taken by me.

Today the fort seems well preserved. It was in disrepair in the 1920s and the war department handed it over to the National Park Service for preservation. It was then briefly used for military purposes, again, during World War 2 but relinquished back to the NPS afterward and has been a National Monument ever since.

Getting ready to cross the second draw bridge in to the fort proper. Taken by me.

The site is actually really neat! The fort is totally dog accessible, including the upper floor. I chose not to take Bark Ranger Maisy up there. She doesn’t always act right and I didn’t need an incident of a dog, and possibly a human tumbling over the edge! The restorations are very nicely done with several rooms restored to their old purposes. There is a gift shop inside the fort. In addition to the visitor center, a Bark Ranger tag can be procured at a kiosk outside this gift shop. The grounds around the fort are all walkable and dog friendly. There is a trail on the periphery that goes about a 2 mile round trip out to a view of a lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is a ways off and there is really no way to access it this way.

Maisy inspects the inside grounds of the fort! Taken by me.

Maisy checking out one of the restored interior sleeping rooms. Taken by me.

This is a room where the canons would have been, originally. The rails on the floor where to swivel the canons for firing. Taken by me.

Bark Ranger Maisy on patrol, monitoring the moat! Taken by me.

After inspecting the moat it was time for a quick break! Taken by me.

The Cockspur Island lighthouse found at the end of the trail.

Maisy and I really enjoyed this site! We spent several hours here exploring and learning the history of the fort! If you are looking for a fleshed out Bark Ranger Program, they no longer do that, but they do still have the nice wooden tags, and the entire area, except the visitor center, is dog friendly! Well worth the trip!

Next up: Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and Congaree National Park

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Fort Frederica National Monument, GA.

NPS unit count: 82

Hey there Adventurers! The next stop on Bark Ranger Maisy’s grand summer tour took us to Fort Frederica National Monument, halfway between Jacksonville and Savannah, near the Georgia coast. The site includes the ruins of the fort and the town that supported the fort.

This British fort was constructed in the first half of the 1700s to protect the colony of Georgia from the Spanish. In 1742 the Spanish did try to invade and were repelled by the British forces. Soon after, the British removed the troops and the town fell into hardship. A fire damaged the town in the 1750s, and by the early 1760s it was entirely abandoned. Now, all that remains are the earthworks of the wall that surrounded the town, a small sectioned of the fort ruins, a bit of the old barracks, and some of the town buildings’ foundations.

It took a lot of attempts just to even get this annoyed side eye picture!

This site is very dog friendly! It is very hot in the summer so we appreciated the dog water station!

Maisy posing in front of the British Flag. The background structure is the King’s Magazine, and the only remaining structure from the fort.

This site is on our map for Bark Ranger locations, but there is no actual Bark Ranger Program here anymore. Once upon a time they did have an actual program, but now all that is available is purchasing a site specific metal Bark Ranger tag. That being the case, the entire site is dog friendly except for the visitor center/gift shop and is a nice stop to take your Bark Ranger! Maisy enjoyed her time here a lot! She also was very interested in the deer that wandered through the site, so be on the look out for that! The R in B.A.R.K. stands for “Respect the wildlife”, so be sure to mind that! I will also add that the park closes at 5 PM but they have a gate that opens when you leave after hours.

Maisy posing in front of some of the ruins in the town area.

Maisy wonders what these redcoats were all about!

The Bark Ranger investigates the info cards of the town!

All that remains of any of the town buildings are the foundations, if even that.

This is the King’s Magazine, the only remaining part of the fort.

Maisy says she’s tired of posing in front of forts and canons!

The dad gets a picture too! This is all that remains of the barracks.

Next up: Fort Pulaski National Monument

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve/Fort Caroline National Memorial, FL

NPS unit count: 80, 81

Well, that title is quite the mouthful! Fort Caroline National Memorial is a part of Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, but they are regarded somewhat separately at the same time. This spot was the next stop of Bark Ranger Maisy’s big summer tour!

This visit to Timucuan National Ecological and Historical Preserve included stops to Fort Caroline, the Ribault Monument, and the Kingsley Plantation. As of the writing of this entry in September, there is currently no Bark Ranger program here, though there was just a year ago in the Spring of 2023.

As became a feature of this trip, it took a great many attempts to get a decent Bark Ranger and sign picture!

Our first stop was to Fort Caroline. The Ranger I spoke with here seemed very excited about our group. He asked for video of my OG Ranger Bella’s swearing-in in 2023, took pictures of Maisy in her bandana, and took pictures of my USBarkRangers T-shirt! He is hopeful they can restart the program soon. Fort Caroline is essentially where the French tried to establish their presence in Florida after Spain had already done so. The local Timucua peoples, where the name of the site comes from, numbered nearly 200,000 at the time. A few hundred years later they were essentially extinct. The fort is on the southern shores of the St. John’s River between Jacksonville and the Atlantic coast. This entire area is dog friendly, other than inside the visitor center! We walked the nice 1.5 mile loop around the area which includes the fort. It’s pretty level, save for a couple slopes and big steps. Dogs are allowed in side the fort. There is another trail across the street to the Spanish Pond which is also dog friendly and about 2.5 miles long. It was pouring, so we opted to skip. We also visited the nearby Ribault Monument nearby and then took the long side trip to the Kingsley Plantation.

This is the outer wall of the fort. Taken by me.

Bark Ranger Maisy investigating an info sign about the people who were involved with the fort.

The view inside of the fort. Taken by me.

Bark Ranger Maisy checking out the canon aim!

This is the monument. It is a replica of a marker put here to commemorate France taking Florida in 1562. Taken by me.

North of the St. Johns River is where you find more of the Timucuan preserve area and the Kingsley Plantation. Even though I said it’s a long trip from Ft. Caroline, it should be noted that near Ft. Caroline there is a small car ferry which leaves every 30 minutes to take you much closer to the plantation site. However, I drove the long way to avoid waiting a potentially longer wait for the ferry. The plantation is pretty remote but offers a complicated history, steeped in slavery. The site is dog friendly, save for inside the structures. Be sure to check it out if you are in this neck of the woods! You do have to go out of your way to get to both Ft. Caroline and the plantation, but the fort is far more easily accessible. If you have your pup, it is well worth the side trip to do some Bark Rangering!

Ruins along the road up to the plantation. Tabby is a type of concrete made using oyster shells that was used by Spanish settlers in Florida. Taken by me.

Maisy checking out the plantation grounds.

Maisy investigating the ruins of the sites slave quarters.

Next up: Fort Frederica National Monument

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Fort Matanzas National Monument, FL

NPS unit count: 79

Hey there Adventurers! Stop number 2 on #USBarkRangers Maisy’s grand tour of the southeast was Ft. Matanzas National Monument in St. Augustine, FL! I forgot to take a picture of the sign, so the cover photo is just the Ft. Matanzas beach….oops!

Click on the image to go directly to the interactive map on #USBarkRangers facebook group!

Some of the entries in this tour will be shorter than others, and this will be one of the shorter ones. If traveling with your pup, this is not going to be a long stop. If you look at the park website it indicates there is a Bark Ranger Program there, however there is not, and this location is not on our map, accordingly. That park website page was last updated over 4 years ago! The out of date info found on NPS websites is one of the reasons why the Sidekick and I created the Bark Ranger group!

Fort Matanzas proper, is accessed only by ferry, and neither the ferry, nor the fort are dog friendly. This fort is old but not as old as others around. Originally a Spanish fort, this one was built in the mid 1700s to protect a backdoor into St. Augustine that would get around the much older, but larger Castillo de San Marcos, the fort that everyone associates with St. Augustine. Fort Matanzas was only engaged in one altercation, and it wasn’t too many years later that it fell into British control, then back to Spain, before the US gained control about 80 years after it was built. By that point the fort has fallen to ruin so the US never really utilized it. The part of the park that is accessible by pups includes the visitor center grounds and a beach across the main road. There are a couple really short trails nearby that dogs can use, on leash of course! I did speak very briefly to the ranger in the small visitor center/ticket facility. It was crowded so I only chatted briefly. He mentioned the park used to have the program years back but has no real plans to bring it back.

Bark Ranger Maisy looking over taking pictures!

The short trail near the visitor center that is dog friendly is only about 3 tenths of a mile long, and is mostly boardwalk. It does not really lead to anything, more of just a small stretch break. Across the road from the entrance is the access to the Ft. Matanzas Beach. This is a dog friendly, on leash beach that’s actually on park land! Be sure to watch out for stranded or dead jellyfish on the beach! The highlight of this park for Maisy and I was the beach. This NPS unit would be best combined with a day trip to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, also in St. Augustine, and/or Canaveral National Seashore a little ways down the road.

She is a water dog through and through though, and loved it!

Next up: Timicuan Ecological and Historical Preserve.

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Canaveral National Seashore, FL

NPS Unit count: 78

Hey there fellow Adventurers! If you have a dog, enjoy the national parks, and want to make great memories with your Bark Ranger(s), please join our now 35,000 member community! I am proud to share that #USBarkRangers is now an affiliate with both AllTrails and GuideAlong (formerly the Gypsy Guide)!! If you click on those links, AllTrails will give you a free trial, and GuideAlong will discount 15 percent off any tour, INCLUDING those on sale, and their bundled packages as well! Check out the shot below of our interactive map! We are now actively compiling US Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Forestry Service, AND state and local/county/city park systems that offer Bark Ranger programs into our map! Clicking on the sites brings up the info we have that is as most up to date as we can find! Additionally USBarkRangers is active on IG @USBarkRangers and Maisy has an IG also @BarkRangerMaisy!

A screenshot of the interactive map on the #USBarkRangers Facebook page. Black borders are NPS sites, blue is everything else. There are over 200 of them now!

In an effort to actually, you know…upload posts or something, for a weird change of pace, I am going to do a time jump. I am actively working on Death Valley, and still have Tennessee/Great Smoky Mountains, both of which happened before this roadtrip, and then Glacier, and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks afterwards. In the meantime my new Bark Ranger baby Miss Maisy Daisy got to explore many national park sites in the southeast, including many that have Bark Ranger programs or Bark Ranger badges! All of them had some pretty dog friendly rules, of course, so we had a blast! This will be a lengthy series of posts, and thankfully they are already mostly done, so expect to see a good amount of posts coming soon! I will keep my NPS unit count correct, as best I can!

Our first stop took us to a very windy and rainy Canaveral National Seashore in Florida. This site does NOT have anything Bark Ranger, but is very dog friendly! I found no rangers, so I spoke to the lady running the small bookstore and left some of our cards. The short and easy rule here is that dogs are not allowed on the Atlantic side of the road but they are allowed on the other side of the road along the lagoon. The biggest site to see on the lagoon side is the Eldora Village State House. The house dates back more than 100 years when there used to be a village there. This is possibly a museum to visit, but it was not open when I was there, and it was not clear about hours or anything like that.

Maisy checking out the Eldora Statehouse.

Actually cooperating on the porch of the Eldora House!

The website says dogs are not allowed on “beaches or boardwalks” in one paragraph, but then says in another paragraph where they are allowed – which says the lagoon side and specifies locations. There is a boardwalk on the lagoon side, specifically at one of the listed locations. There were no signs indicating pet allowance either way at that location, so it’s unclear to me what the rule is there.

This is a pristine and undeveloped seashore, but honestly….this is the least attractive coast of Florida. Still, a nice untouched area of Florida worth checking out! Maisy was fine in my air conditioned car for the less than 5 minutes it took me to go out here and snap a few pics!

Maisy checking out the area! This is the boardwalk on the lagoon side. This area was specifically mentioned as dog friendly. But it’s a boardwalk…I apologize if I broke rules, but it isn’t very clear.

There a a few other things to point out for Canaveral National Seashore. When driving, watch out for gopher tortoises! We saw a few hanging around the side of the road. The beaches look pristine, but bear in mind that this is the Atlantic side, which is absolutely the least scenic of the 3 Florida beach environments. There is a marked nude area in this unit as well! Canaveral looks easy to get to on the map, and is, but it actually takes a decent amount of time to get to off of the highway. Lastly, there is another section of the Seashore that is accessed nowhere near this area. Where I went is the “main” section, with the visitor center accessed through New Smyrna Beach. However, if you go through Titusville and NASA land you can access an area called Playalinda. We did not go to this area, and there are a fair amount of launches now, so be sure to check that its accessible!

Watch out for these guys! This was pretty close to the road and in the middle of the day!

I bet there aren’t too many of these signs in the NPS system….

Thanks for reading, next up will be nearby Ft. Matanzas!

Joshua Tree National Park, CA. March, 2024

National Park Count: 39 NPS Unit 69

Hey there Adventurers! The Sidekick and I embarked on the first trip of 2024 to Joshua Tree National Park near Palm Springs, CA! The trip actually encompassed this stop, a stop at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, a very brief stop at the Mojave National Preserve, a visit to Death Valley National Park, and quick stops at the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Sin City!

We flew into Palm Springs with Southwest Airlines. I love free flights with a companion pass in tow! Our first stop was nearby at the really neat Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, taking us up to San Jacinto Peak overlooking Palm Springs. This is a must visit if you are in the area. There is a 15 dollar parking fee, plus 30 bucks a person to go up the tram, but it is very much worth it! The tram itself is floor to ceiling glass and rotates while it ascends nearly 6000 feet up the side of San Jacinto Peak. Fun fact, Captain James T. Kirk narrates the trip! At the top you find trails accessing the 8000 plus feet elevation of San Jacinto Mountain State Park. There is a restaurant, bar, and a gift shop to take your money. There are also some awesome views up there! Note that to get up on the tram you need a ticket for an exact time and you will probably have to wait a little bit for that time. I think we had an hour plus wait. The bottom of the tram has a gift shop, a museum, and a cafe to tide you over for the wait.

View from the tram looking back down the mountain. Taken by me.

The Sidekick and I at the Mount San Jacinto State Park sign.

The start of one of the trails at the top of the tram. Taken by the Sidekick.

View from the top, over Palm Springs. Taken by me.

The town of Joshua Tree is at the western entrance of the national park and about a 45 minute drive from Palm Springs. We checked into our AirBNB and hurried to the Visitor Center before they closed to do a little recon. The main visitor center for the park actually lies within the town and NOT within the park proper. If you are the type to head into the park before sunup and then are looking for the visitor center while inside the park, just note that it is quite a bit outside! The town of Joshua Tree does not have a ton of amenities. The closest proper store is several miles down the road in the previous town. However, the spot to hang is the Joshua Tree Saloon, a bar/restaurant with a large outdoor patio in addition to the dining/bar area. It was good one night but a miss the second…so take your chances!

The following morning we got up very early and headed into the park. We intended to catch sunrise at the Cholla Cactus Forest, located pretty far down in the park. On the way to the cactus forest, seeing the park’s namesake Joshua Trees in the dawn light made for a pretty alien setting! If you are wondering what a Joshua Tree is…you aren’t alone. I call these “Dr. Seuss” trees because they look like they came straight from his imagination! Despite their name, these plants are not trees at all, and they aren’t a cactus either – they are actually a succulent! The name Joshua was given to these trees by Mormon settlers based on the Biblical figure Joshua. We made a stop at the interesting, and usually very busy Skull Rock (no one was there pre-sunrise) and made the Cholla Cactus Forest just in time for sunrise. I have to say this is probably the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen! The beauty isn’t the sky here, but rather the gorgeous lighting on the cactus!

This glow is legit and seems to only occur at this angle of the sun! Gorgeous! Taken by the Sidekick.

After hanging around the Cholla Cactus forest for a bit, and avoiding touching said cacti (well I did…the Sidekick seems to attract cactus spines…), we continued down to the southern entrance of the park. Here we checked out the Cottonwood Visitor Center (this one is pretty small), got the required sign picture, and then continued back into the park. This was mainly backtracking, because this is the only paved road here. But we made some stops to snap some pictures. One stop was Ocotillo Patch. Ocotillos are a very weird plant! Technically a type of succulent shrub, these guys can grow to 20 feet tall and live for decades. They are very distinct for several reasons. Their height is one reason, but they are also very green, some with pretty red flowers at the top, they are essentially a collection of thorny canes, and those canes have no limbs so the leaves grow straight from the canes. They really look quite alien…kinda how the entire park looks!

Not to harp on the need to really catch sunrise in these beautiful places, but we stopped back at the cholla forest, now well into the morning, and the stunning view at sunrise had given way to a much more muted view. Still cool, but nowhere near what we saw at ealier! We continued on to some spots we drove past at dawn and stopped for some small hikes and sightseeing. We hiked an easy 1.6 mile round trip trail to a couple rock formations in the middle of the park. These included Heart Rock, Arch Rock, and what I lovingly named Butthole Rock! We made a stop at Cap Rock to see what that was all about. And from there, we took a side road up to the highest part of the park. Keys View sits at about a mile elevation and offers a stunning view of the Coachella Valley and across to the San Jacinto Mountains! There are a couple Joshua Trees trying to exist up here, but mostly this is a good spot to just take in a view. The only problem is that air quality issues definitely affect the view.

Close up of a cholla cactus with those pretty yellow tips. Taken by me.

What I lovingly call Butthole Rock ;). Taken by the Sidekick.

Arch rock without any people. Taken by me.

Now don’t be awestruck here, but that rock hanging at the top is why this is called Cap Rock. Taken by me.

Taken in front of some Joshua Trees in the Cap Rock area. Taken by the sidekick.

Smog filled view of the Coachella Valley from atop Keys View. Taken by the Sidekick.

As we exited another side of the park we went to explore a spot called the Oasis of Mara. There are a handful of oases in the park, but I understand that none of them are still on the surface, and most of them require lengthy hikes to get to. So we made the easy access Oasis of Mara our one oasis stop. This used to be the park headquarters/main visitor center and the oasis is a short walk behind the building. There isn’t much to see here, and again, the oasis has no water, but there is a spot that definitely has more access to underground water. The picture below is essentially the entire oasis now. To end the day we trekked back into the park from the western entrance and caught a beautiful sunrise.

Not too much to see here. This is about the entirety of the oasis, and there is no water above ground anymore. The rest of the area is desert. Taken by me.

This is the area around the Oasis of Mara. Desert with some pretty cactus hanging around. Taken by me.

Sunset over Joshua Tree National Park. Taken by me.

The next morning was the end of the Joshua Tree portion of this trip but there were still a couple things to do! We headed back into the park for the last time to check out two spots in the same area. There is a nice little 1 mile loop trail through Hidden Valley, and if you are a rock climber, this area is your place! This valley is named as it is because farmers (or outlaws) would hide cattle here, either from the elements or from people looking for them. The last spot we checked out was Barker Dam. This is a man made dam, first constructed 125 years ago. The Dam is found along an easy 1.3 mile loop trail. People get great rock reflection pictures in the water here, but on our visit there was no water in the reservoir. Along this trail you can also find old native petroglyphs as a reminder of the history of this land. And that concluded National Park Number 39!

Never seen this before. They painted this in the parking lot in a couple spots in this park. This is the entrance to the Hidden Valley area. Taken by me.

This is inside the Hidden Valley. What is not seen is the rocks basically encircle the entire area offering good protection for cattle and rangers…and cattle thieves. Taken by me.

Barker Dam. Water would be held back on the other side. Taken by me.

The petroglyphs found along the Barker Dam trail. Taken by me.

View of maybe San Jacinto Mountain from the Barker Dam area. Taken by me.

Overall Impressions: Joshua Tree National Park is super cool! It really looks like another planet! It is small, which is positive in that you can see most all of the park easily and quickly, but also negative that you can …. see all of the park relatively quickly and easily! Still, it’s a super cool place and being close to a major airport makes it a must see spot!

The Adventurer’s Rating: 4.5 Arrowheads!

#USBarkRanger Updates!

Hey there adventurers! I haven’t made a post in a hot minute, but they are coming! In the meantime please check out another #USBarkRanger update! IG, website, new items, and some affiliate info can be found below!

In my last post, the Bark Ranger facebook group the sidekick and I started had about 7000 members. That was in February. In just ten weeks, we are now nearly to 18 THOUSAND!!!!! We have an amazing community of members sharing their pictures, promoting the BARK Principles, and providing on the ground information so we can keep our amazing interactive map as up-to-date as can be! Please check it out! If you join, be sure to answer the questions for membership! We now have an amazing 9 member mod team looking over everything to make our group scammer and spammer free! And, there is more exciting news as well:

We are now on Instagram @usbarkrangers. We follow back and share content!!

Check out usbarkrangers.com ! This is an early stage website put together rather haphazardly by yours truly! Here you will find a link to our most important info that tends to get pushed down on the facebook group!

We have a few new items for sale in our ebay store! We have a new Live. Laugh. B.A.R.K. sticker that I can also make into a magnet! We have a new emergency sticker with our logo to put on your doors and windows! I can make that one into a magnet also which is perfect for RV doors! And through JUNE 2 we have a beautiful T-shirt for sale! This is a time limited store, and my apologies for not having this available sooner!

And, lastly, we have a couple exciting affiliate opportunities! Check out Rex Specs to find some awesomely amazing dog goggles, leashes, collars, and much more! Through June 15 Rex Specs has partnered with us to offer a 15 percent discount on your purchase using code BARK15. And EVEN BETTER: There is currently a sale of up to 40 percent off selected items, and that 15 percent stacks! Amazing! Be sure to check it out!

Check out these cool #USBarkRangers rocking out their hot USBarkRanger gear with their Rex Specs googles!

We love to hike, of course, and many of our members do as well, accompanied with their Bark Rangers! We use AllTrails and think you should, too! In addition to all the other awesome features that AllTrails offers you can easily find out if a trail is dog friendly or not just by scrolling along the filter buttons at the top! Or checking on the trail page itself! The best part about AllTrails is that it is FREE. Simply click that link and download the app and/or create your free account! You can also so a one week preview of the paid version of AllTrails Plus. That’s what I have been using for years and it is vital! But the free one is great too! Just be sure to create a free account to keep track of your hikes, pictures, etc!

See the “Dogs on leash tab.” It’s there by default. This is the desktop view.

And this is the mobile app view where you can see the dog friendly tab at the top for easy trail searching!

We would love to see you all on our group and sharing the best pictures of your #USBarkRangers doing their best Bark Ranger things!!

Bark Ranger Media!

Hey there Adventurers! I just want to share an important update for the US Bark Rangers of the US National Parks! The Sidekick and I have been interviewed on two podcasts recently featuring the group! I wanted to share this one done by Brad of Changing Roads!

Apple Podcast

Spotify

If you would like to learn about Brad and Rangers story click here! (Apple podcast) Ranger is a medical service dog assisting Brad and the story of them completing all 63 parks is very interesting!

Keep Barking Adventurers!

2023 In Review

Hey there Adventurers! As we draw near to the end of the first month of 2024 (already!) it is time for a belated 2023 review!

Last year was another jam packed year with several really cool trips! The year started off with my first ever trip to Mexico, tagging along with the Sidekick. Then there was a short solo weekend trip to Pinnacles National Park in CA. Spring Break saw the Sidekick and I checking out The US Virgin Islands National Park in St. John. In the summer, the Sidekick and I visited Juneau, AK and nearby Glacier Bay National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California, and I took a solo trip to Northern California to check out Lassen Volcanic and Redwood National Parks. The final trip of the year was to Texas to see the annular eclipse. Here are some of my favorite pictures of each trip!

Ixtapa, Mexico: South of the Border Volleyball Vacations