Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TIPS FOR VISITING NATIONAL PARKS
Park entrance fees vary, from nothing at all to $25 per vehicle. The 'America the
Beautiful' annual pass ($80;
http://store.usgs.gov/pass
)
, which allows admission
for four adults and all children under 16 years old to all federal recreational lands
for 12 calendar months, is sold at park entrances and visitor centers. Lifetime
senior-citizen passes ($10) are also available.
Park lodges and campgrounds book up far in advance; for summer vacations, re-
serve six months to one year ahead. Some parks offer first-come, first-served
campgrounds - for these, try to arrive between 10am and noon, when other
campers may be checking out. For overnight backpacking and some day hikes,
you'll need a wilderness permit; the number of permits is often subject to quotas,
so apply far in advance (up to six months before your trip, depending on park regu-
lations).
Skiing & Winter Sports
Vermont's first-rate Stowe Mountain offers sweet slopes - freeze your tail off on the lifts,
but thaw out nicely après-ski in timbered bars with local brews. In Lake Placid, New
York, you can luge or bobsled at old Olympic facilities. Snowmobiles rev in northern
Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota; in Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park hosts lots
of wintry action on its frozen waterways.
Resources
Ski Resorts Guide
(
www.skiresortsguide.com
)
Provides lodging info, downloadable trail
maps and more.
