Parked at home: Most will celebrate National Park Week online

Earth Day, April 22, is going online for the first time in 50 years and so it makes sense that the theme for the annual National Park Week, April 18 through 26, is Parked at Home.

The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, the charitable partner that helps provide resources to protect the more than 84 million acres of national park land, still want you to explore but they are amending their usual hashtag #FindYourPark to #FindYourVirtualPark.

“Knowing that national parks can provide a source of comfort and strength, the National Park Foundation is focused on bringing the beauty and wonder of parks to people digitally during National Park Week,” Will Shafroth, National Park Foundation president and CEO, said in a news release.

The National Park Service manages 419 individual units, though there are just 62 named a national park. There are 18 other categories, including monuments, historic sites and battlefields. Each site has made its own decision whether to close entirely or close just its buildings. The most well-known, and therefore most crowded parks as recently as March, have closed completely.

Thinking of where you’ll go when the stay-at-home order is lifted and you feel safe to travel again is a popular mental escape these days. As I started hearing about National Park Week, my mind drifted to the sand drifts at White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico, the nation’s newest national park.

I visited for the first time last October, while it was a national monument waiting to hear news on whether its status would be elevated. The legislative process to redesignate it after 86 years as a national monument was complete in December.

The National Park Service website says: “A national monument is intended to preserve at least one nationally significant resource, whereas a national park is usually larger and preserves a variety of nationally significant resources.”

There’s 275 square miles of desert covered by a sea of sand for what is the world’s largest gypsum dune field. Park rangers explain that the dunes here started to form as many as 10,000 years ago and are not made of typical quartz but from gypsum, a soft mineral left behind when water bodies evaporate.

White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of the field, its shallow water supply as well as the ecosystem of plants, animals and the largest collection of ice age fossilized footprints known.

Think mammoth, saber-toothed cat and humans. There are tens of thousands there, according to the park’s chief of interpretation Kelly Carroll, giving researchers the ability to study interaction among and between the species. Though they are in an area inaccessible to the public, there’s plenty you can explore.

The newest national park is about a 600-mile drive from Wichita, though I visited by flying into El Paso, Texas, and driving 90 miles north into the Tularosa Basin. Las Cruces is about 50 miles to the west, while the smaller city of Alamogordo is just 15 minutes east of the park entrance and a good base for a multi-day stay.

There’s one way into the park and that’s Dunes Drive, a 16-mile round-trip curvy road that has to be plowed to keep dunes from forming. The white sand looks like snow banks as you drive through. We had a picnic under a cool retro shelter, found a steep dune to sand sled (all the local stores carry them year-round), looked for footprintless sand drifts for photos and got a little turned around out in the dunes.

I was there for just a few hours, so I plan to go back and stay longer. I didn’t get to have the experience with my husband, catch early morning light or what I’ve seen in photos is an amazing sunset, explore one of five designated trails or participate in one of their special events.

Plan on a few days in the area in case the wind picks up; you won’t want to visit the dunes if it’s windy. The park is surrounded on four sides by the Department of Defense, including a missile range. Occasionally, military missile tests will close the highway leading to the park or a portion of the park for a few hours at a time. These are scheduled, so it’s easy to check the park’s website or call the visitor center to check for closures.

Until we can travel, though, we’ll have to settle for digital experiences. Many of the national park sites have been more active on social media during the travel restrictions, as has the National Park Service and National Park Foundation. Websites feature photo galleries, videos, webcams, podcasts and sound recordings. The virtual escapes will ratchet up this week with additional activities including scavenger hunts, trivia contests and downloadable junior ranger programs.

Kansas sites

Of the five sites in Kansas that are administered by the National Park Service, all but the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka remain at least partially open. Buildings, including visitor centers, are closed and all events are canceled, but you can explore some outdoor areas at Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Scott National Historic Site, Nicodemus National Historic Site and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, where the 40 miles of hiking trails remain open.

The closest to Wichita is Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Strong City, about 80 miles northeast of Wichita. There are more than 40 miles of hiking and nature trails that are open 24/7 to foot traffic, except during prescribed burns. A collaboration between the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy, this preserve encompasses 11,000 acres among the largest remaining intact tallgrass prairie left in North America.

Backcountry hiking trails range from 3.8 to 13 miles of moderately difficult terrain; no pets or camping allowed. Dogs on a leash are allowed on three frontcountry nature trails. These are a mix of gravel ranch roads and mowed paths: the 6.1-mile round-trip Fox Creek Trail, the 1.75-mile Southwind Nature Trail and the Bottomland Nature Trail, with either a three-quarters of a mile loop or a half-mile loop. Please continue to follow posted safety warnings and guidelines when hiking through the bison pasture.

In Larned, 120 miles west of Wichita, the park grounds and the History and Nature Trail are open; you can also visit the Santa Fe Trail Ruts south of the main park grounds. Fort Scott is 150 miles east and its walkways, trails and the tallgrass prairie are accessible. The park’s app (www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/photosmultimedia/mobileapp.htm) is recommended for in-person or virtual visits. You can walk around the historic town of Nicodemus, 220 miles northwest of Wichita, and the surrounding countryside.

Keep in mind restrooms and access to water will be limited. If you’re thinking of visiting, be sure to check the webpage for your park destination at https://www.nps.gov/. It will list closures and other alerts, as well as provide details on what there is to do. As always, follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines when in public.

Each site also has a Facebook page that is more active than usual, with photos, videos and activities added daily. Expect them to tie into the programming for National Park Week.

This story was originally published April 19, 2020 at 8:00 AM.