National Park Coloring Pages

May 16, 2020 Deanna Jensen

Just a few weeks ago at the end of April, it was National Park Week, the annual week in which we celebrate ”America’s Best Idea.” And in normal times, people would flock to the 400+ places in our National Park System to hike, camp, volunteer, and generally celebrate their amazing diversity of stunning landscapes, wildlife, and history.

This year is an oddball because the world is in the middle of a pandemic. COVID-19 has shuttered our national parks and shooed us into our homes; and depending on local guidelines, your access to the outdoors has likely become very limited.

And even as things begin to reopen and guidelines are eased, your travel plans may remain on hold for a while yet. That national park trip might need to wait just a little longer.

So what could be a more relaxing way to “head to” one of our great national parks, without leaving your own home?

Coloring pages…

Kings Canyon National Park: Zumwalt Meadow Trail

October 1, 2017 Deanna Jensen

Kings Canyon Zumwalt Meadow Trail cover.2.png

Sometimes even the smallest adventures can produce the best life lessons.

I learned this firsthand when my husband, Val, and I recently took our little family of three on a weekend trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The adjacent parks are known for their groves of Giant Sequoia trees, in particular, the superlative General Sherman tree and the General Grant tree. We spent our first two days in the parks wandering among the sequoias, marvelling at these truly majestic titans of the forest. A lot of things in nature are dubbed “majestic” and compared to cathedrals or other places of reverence, and it’s often overdone and hyperbolic in my opinion, but in this case, those poetic descriptors are perfectly accurate.

I can’t even properly describe the awe I felt among the sequoias. Standing at the base of the world’s largest trees - these massive plants that can live for 2,000 years or more, grow to heights of 300 feet, and trunks 26 feet in diameter - is something I think everyone needs to experience. Sequoias are so big and often gnarled by age and charred fire-scars, and yet they still exude a strange and alluring elegance. Once you’ve walked among these enchanting giants, you’ll never look at...

Kolob Canyons: Forgotten Jewel of Zion National Park

June 22, 2017 Deanna Jensen

An Afternoon in Kolob Canyons, the surprisingly accessible yet rarely visited corner of Zion National Park

Everyone knows Zion National Park. Even if you've never been there, you've probably seen photos of the towering red-granite cliffs and domes, standing like giant sentinels above the green valley floor, thousands of feet below. You've probably seen dramatic photos of people hiking The Narrows, an iconic slot canyon trail requiring miles of walking and wading through cold water. You might have heard of, or even tackled, the hair-raising heights and amazing views of the Angel's Landing Trail.

But, I bet you haven't seen Kolob Canyons.

And you wouldn't be the only one. When I visited Zion National Park a few years back, I skipped Kolob, too. Nearly everyone does. But this time, I was driving...