Nat. Park/Forests
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Video of Belle Fourche Campground – Devil’s Tower National Monument, Wyoming
Devil’s Tower, elevation 5,117 ft., rises 1,267 ft. above the Belle Fourche River. Col. Richard I. Dodge, who commanded a military escort for the USGS in 1875, is credited with naming this steep-sided mass of igneous rock, Devil’s Tower. The site was and is a sacred inspirational location for many Native Americans. President Teddy Roosevelt proclaimed the Tower the nation’s first National Monument in 1906. The 8 miles of hiking trails are worth every step. The Belle Fourche Campground has 40 sites without showers or RV hookups. This video includes all campsites in Loop B. Music by Malignant Choir, Maury Smith coypright 2008, Paul Ehlers copyright 2009. Drumming and singing recorded live at the Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Treaty Rights – Bayfield, Wisconsin, July 2, 2009. Slideshow and photographs copyright 2009 by Creative Juice LLC.
Devil’s Tower National Monument
Belle Fourche Campground, Devil’s Tower National Mounument
Blog entries for Devil’s Tower National Monument
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Video of Signal Mountain Campground, Grand Tetons National Park – Wyoming
The Tetons first received government protection in 1897 when Congress created the Teton Forest Reserve. In 1929, the central peaks of the Teton Range and a half dozen lakes at their base officially became Grand Teton National Park. In the mid-1930s John D. Rockefeller, Jr. bought 35,000 acres of property next to the park. In 1943 the Jackson Hole National Monument was created with a 221,000 acre tract of valley lands around the Snake River. By 1950 the original 1929 park was united with the 1943 Jackson Hole National Monument to create the present day 485 square mile park. The Tetons, rising abruptly from the floor of the Snake River Valley, are fault block mountains with their origin about 13 million years ago. Elk and pronghorn antelope make annual migrations through the park. Moose are seen around the Snake River wetlands and mountain lakes. Black bear and grizzlies roam the mountain slopes and wooded lake shores. The park has five campgrounds with 200 miles of trails to explore. The Colter Bay Visitor Center houses an Indian Arts Museum. Music copyright 2008 by Maury Smith. Slideshow and photographs copyright 2008, Creative Juice LLC.
Campgrounds in Grand Tetons National Park
Grand Tetons National Park blog postings
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Video of the Rising Sun Campground, Glacier National Park
With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a hikers paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude. This entire area holds great spiritual importance to the Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai people. The Blackfeet Indians controlled the vast prairies east of the mountains. The Salish and Kootenai Indians lived and hunted in the western valleys. In 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition came within 50 miles of the area that is now the park. George Bird Grinnell was an early explorer to this part of Montana and spent many years working to get the park established. The area was made a Forest Preserve in 1900. President Taft, in 1910, signed the bill establishing Glacier as the countrys 10th national park. The final section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, over Logan Pass, was completed in 1932 after 11 years of work. The road, a National Historic Landmark, is one of the most scenic roads in North America. Miles of hiking trails follow routes first used by trappers in the early 1800s. Several hotels and chalets, built by the Great Northern Railway in the early 1900s, offer lodging for summer guests to the park. Music by Maury Smith, copyright 2008. Slideshow and photographs copyright 2008 by Creative Juice LLC.
Blog entries for Glacier National Park, MT
Weather forecast for the East Glacier Park, Montana vicinity
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Video of the Many Glacier Campground, Glacier National Park
With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a hikers paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude. This entire area holds great spiritual importance to the Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai people. The Blackfeet Indians controlled the vast prairies east of the mountains. The Salish and Kootenai Indians lived and hunted in the western valleys. In 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition came within 50 miles of the area that is now the park. George Bird Grinnell was an early explorer to this part of Montana and spent many years working to get the park established. The area was made a Forest Preserve in 1900. President Taft, in 1910, signed the bill establishing Glacier as the countrys 10th national park. The final section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, over Logan Pass, was completed in 1932 after 11 years of work. The road, a National Historic Landmark, is one of the most scenic roads in North America. Miles of hiking trails follow routes first used by trappers in the early 1800s. Several hotels and chalets, built by the Great Northern Railway in the early 1900s, offer lodging for summer guests to the park. Music by Maury Smith, copyright 2008. Slideshow and photographs copyright 2008 by Creative Juice LLC.
Blog entries for Glacier National Park, MT
Weather forecast for the East Glacier Park, Montana vicinity
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Video of Island Lake Campground – Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming
The Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212), along the Montana/Wyoming border, is a spectacular drive that winds through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Well above the tree line the summit is reached at the 10,947 ft. Beartooth Pass. The Asaroka Range is visible on the horizon. Following the road down through a chain of glacial lakes on your way to grizzly country, you find a number of alpine forest campgrounds. The Island Lake, Shoshone National Forest Campground is at an elevation of 9950 ft. Further along, the Beartooth Butte with the deep blue Beartooth Lake at it’s base, marks another special campground. A side trip down the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (Wyoming 296) will put you in touch with a special Native American humanitarian and peacemaker. This video includes all 20 campsites. Music by Malignant Choir and other tunes downloaded from GarageBand.com . Slideshow and photographs copyright 2009, Creative Juice LLC.
Camping in the Shoshone National Forest
Maps and brochures of the Shoshone National Forest
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Video of Redrock Falls and Trail- Glacier National Park, Montana
Redrock Falls is in the Many Glacier area on the east side of Glacier National Park. The historic Many Glacier Hotel is located on the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake. The trail can be accessed from this point as well as the campground. The trail follows a path through lush meadows, glacial lakes and tumbling waterfalls. The scenery is some of the best anywhere in America. The experience is overwhelming for any outdoor adventurer. Redrock Falls is about half way down the Bullhead Lake Trail. The round trip from the Swiftcurrent Motor Lodge to the falls and back is approximately 4.5 miles. Bears and moose are often encountered so always follow the precautions of the Park Rangers. Slide show copyright 2008, Creative Juice LLC.Day Hikes in Many Glacier area, see hike #31
Blog entries for Glacier National Park, MT
Weather forecast for the East Glacier Park, Montana vicinity
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Video of Effigy Mounds National Monument – Harpers Ferry, Iowa
This Monument, near Marquette, Iowa and across the Mississippi River from Prairie du Chen, Wisconsin, has some of the best preserved effigy mounds in the Midwest. There are over 200 mounds in this 2,500 acre Monument. 31 mounds are in the shapes of birds or bears. The largest, the Great Bear, is 137 feet long. President Harry Truman designated the area a Monument in 1949. Research has revealed evidence that the mound-building cultures existed here for at least 1,800 years. The mound building cultures of the upper Midwest built their mounds sometime between 800 b.c. And a.d. 1200. The effigy mounds were built in the latter half of that time period. Music copyright 2007 by Maury Smith. Slide show by John Wanserski.
Effigy Mounds National Monument
Indian Mounds of Wisconsin by R. A. Birmingham and L. E. Eisenberg
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Video of Far View House – Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Ancestral Puebloans lived at Far View 200 years before the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings were built. Approximately 50 villages existed over time within a half mile area of each other. Peak populations on this site occurred between A.D. 900-1300. Six excavated sites are connected by trails; Far View House, Pipe Shrine House, Coyote Village, Far View Reservoir, Megalithic House, and Far View Tower. Slide copyright 2008, Creative Juice LLC.
