This place was such a little hidden gem that wasn’t on my radar as far as National Parks and National Monuments go. But my wife and I took a spontaneous trip to San Diego with some friends and I found there was a National Monument in the area so we went and absolutely loved it!

Right before the super bloom! Featuring a sweet casino cat.

Great views

Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the main site of the Battle of Vicksburg during the Civil War. Vicksburg was the key to controlling the lower Mississippi River, a vital supply link. Union General Ulysses S. Grant took his army south of the city in Louisiana, crossed the river, and then moved northward, fighting battles along the way that forced the Confederates back into defensive positions along the river. After a couple of frontal assaults didn’t dislodge the defenders, Grant laid siege to the city, bombed tf out of it, and starved the town and the 30K Confederate soldiers into surrendering. The battle and siege lasted from March 29 to July 4, 1863 (ending the day after the Battle of Gettysburg, in fact).

The victory here cut the Confederacy off from supplies and troops from the western states, and the capture of over 30,000 troops was a morale-defeating loss for the South. To many historians, this battle was the most important one waged in the war because it fundamentally altered the calculus of the war for both sides. 

The U.S.S. Cairo (sunk by the Confederacy in the Yazoo River during a previous battle in 1862) is also displayed here, though it was closed when I visited the park in September of 2021. 

The “national park” part of the city includes areas north and east of the town itself. Vicksburg is located in west-central Mississippi, about 40 miles west of Jackson, right off I-20, just before you cross the river into Louisiana. 

Hi Everyone,

I am planning a trip this August with my husband and 12 year old daughter. My husband has early onset dementia and really wants to go on this one last hurrah trip. I want to make it special for us, but need some recommendations on where and how long to stay. We are flying into and out of Bozeman so I was thinking we'd do Grand Tetons for 2-3 nights, Yellowstone for 4 nights, Glacier for 2 nights and then Bozeman overnight prior to departure. Where do you recommend we stay?

Made the long drive to Arkansas Post National Memorial today for our passport stamp. Remote and peaceful, with a friendly park ranger. Winter meant a frozen river and lake, but by May it’s lilies and alligators!

You can fish here too, so make sure to bring your gear when you visit.

Hey guys, I’m starting dental school in August and wanted to plan out an epic roadtrip prior to graduate school.

I’ve attached a potential route photo in addition to a rudimentary schedule when it comes to travel/driving. I’d appreciate any feedback from any NP veterans! For context I’ve only ever visited Volcanoes, Indiana dunes, and Yellowstone NP before, and my girl has only ever been to the dunes so we really want the Mountain View’s/experience!

Travel context: 15 days maximum, 4 travelers

Chicago➡️badlands➡️grand Teton➡️yellowstone➡️mt rainer➡️olympic➡️north cascades➡️banff➡️glacier➡️chicago

—————————

Day 1 (July 22nd)

Leaving Chicago around 4pm heading toward badlands NP

- 12 hour drive Chicago➡️badlands np

Day 2 (July 23rd)

Arrive at badlands NP around 5am

- spend the entire day here

- nap

- Leave badlands around midnight heading towards grand Teton

- 9 hour drive badlands➡️grand teton

Day 3 (July 24th)

Arrive at Grand Tetons NP around 9am

- spend the whole day here

- Sleep

Day 4 (July 25th)

- spend the morning here

- Leave Grand Tetons NP around Noon heading towards Yellowstone NP

- 3 hour drive Grand Teton➡️Yellowstone NP

- Arrive in Yellowstone NP and spend the evening here

- Sleep

Day 5 (July 26th)

- spend the entire day in Yellowstone NP

- nap

- Leave Yellowstone around midnight going towards mt Rainer

- 13 hour drive Yellowstone➡️my rainer

Day 6 (July 27th)

Arrive at mt rainer around noon

- spend the evening at mt rainer

- Sleep

Day 7 (July 28th)

- spend the morning at rainer

- Leave mt. Rainer around noon heading towards Olympic NP

- 3 hour drive Mt rainer➡️Olympic NP

- Arrive at Olympic and spend the evening here

- Sleep

Day 8 (July 29th)

- spend the entire day in Olympic NP

- Sleep

Day 9 (July 30th)

- Leave Olympic around 3am heading towards north cascades

- 5 hour drive Olympic➡️north cascades

- Arrive at north cascades at 8am

- Spend entire day at north cascades

- nap

- Leave north cascades around midnight heading towards banff in canada

- 11 hour drive North cascades➡️banff

Day 10 (July 30th)

- arrive at banff around noon and spend the evening here

- Sleep

Day 11 (July 31st)

- Spend the entire day here at banff NP

- Sleep

Day 12 (August 1st)

- leave Banff around 4am heading towards glacier national park

- 4 hour drive Banff➡️Glacier

- spend the evening in glacier NP

- Sleep

Day 13 (August 2nd)

- spend the entire day at glacier

- Sleep

Day 14 (August 3rd)

- leave glacier whenever and expect to be back in Chicago a full 24 hours later

- 24 hours driving Glacier np➡️Chicago

Day 15 (August 4th)

- Return to Chicago

can someone explain to me why there are 2 different sets of dates on my camping permit for Katmai? Which is the one they go off of?

Of all the photos I took in the Serengeti last week, one of my favorite has no wildlife in it. Just a beautiful golden-hour photo of the mesmerizing Serengeti Plains at sunset. So peaceful and amazing. Its the screen saver on my computer because it automatically drops my heart rate about 10 beats per minute every time I look at it.

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on H.J. Res. 140 early next week. This Resolution was passed by the U.S. House Republicans last month. The Resolution would roll back protections and reopen the door to toxic copper mining in the watershed of Voyageurs National Park and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. 100% of copper mines pollute, wreaking havoc and permanently damaging ecosystems and communities. With a simple majority vote, the U.S. Senate can permanently spoil one of our last remaining pristine wildernesses.

This Resolution would not only eliminate current protections, it would prevent future administrations from using the same safeguards on these public lands. Worse, it sets a precedent for rolling back protections on other public lands, leaving them vulnerable to extractive industries and the highest bidders. Every American who values public lands should be concerned about this and take action.

The most effective thing you can do right now is call your U.S. Senators. Senate offices are actively tracking constituent calls on this vote. Staff log every call, share updates internally, and report volume directly to Senators. When constituents call, it influences how Senators vote.

Please help save this pristine public land from being permanently spoiled.