Our lives have changed so much in just a week or two, haven’t they? When the news first started talking about canceled flights and cruises, my original thought was, “This might be a great year for park visits.” There’s no better place to practice social distancing than the wilderness–right?
Wrong.
National and state parks are closing left and right, with rumors of more to come. Why? As tourists flood in, they require food, gas, hotels, and other services. The medical centers in the gateway communities are typically small and designed to care for their own citizens. Rather than social distancing, we’re worsening the problem.
So, if we can’t go out to our parks, what do we do? Here are some ideas, courtesy of my little buddy, RangerBear.
Activities
- Don’t stop going outside. Sunshine and fresh air are good for both the body and the soul. Sit on your balcony or porch, if you have one. Play in the backyard. Garden. Go for a walk in your own neighborhood. Go for a run or a bicycle ride. Remember to stay six feet away from other people–to keep them safe, as well as yourself. Avoid public playground equipment.
- When you’re inside, get out your national park guides and maps and plan your next trip. Where do you want to go when this is all over? I’m dreaming of Zion National Park and Denali.
- Take an incredible virtual tour, courtesy of the National Park Service. I just explored Kenai Fjords while sitting at my kitchen table. Wow!
- Download and print various Junior Ranger booklets to work on at home.
- Dust off your national park puzzles and games. It’s going to take me a while to sort out this 500 piece map puzzle by Dowdle. I’ve got NPS playing cards and park-themed Yahtzee. What about you? I think it’s time for me to order the Trekking the National Parks board game.
- Watch documentaries about the parks. I’d highly recommend Ken Burns’s The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. I don’t see it listed on Netflix, but it appears to be available on Amazon Prime and other online sources. I recently sat and chewed my nails through Free Solo on Disney+. It has absolutely gorgeous views of Yosemite’s El Capitan, but some of the footage is a bit nerve-racking for anyone terrified of heights like me. I did find the psychology of solo climbing fascinating.
Books
As a book-lover, I’m always happy to recommend books set in our parks.
- Of course, there’s the Vintage National Parks series. But most of you have already read those, right?
- Kristen Joy Wilks has some crazy-fun romance novels, including Yellowstone Yondering.
- Gayla Hiss writes park-themed inspirational romantic suspense.
- Annalisa Daughety has written many novels, but I especially loved her Walk in the Park series. It looks like some are out of print, but there are still some paperbacks floating around.
- Regina Scott’s A Distance Too Grand is set in historic Grand Canyon National Park.
- The first book of debut author Janine Rosche’s new series, The Madison River Romances releases May 5. I’ve already got mine on pre-order! This is set in the Yellowstone area.
- Susan May Warren writes novels that pull you right into the story. You might want to check out her Montana Rescue series, set in Glacier National Park.
- Author Dani Pettrey has some intense novels that touch on park locations and issues, including her Chesapeake Valor and Alaska Courage series.
- For those of you who love historical romance, don’t miss the Heart of Alaska series by Tracie Peterson and Kimberly Woodhouse.
And there are many nonfiction books, too. Here are a couple I’ve read recently.
- Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park by Lee H. Whittlesey. This is obviously a gruesome book, but fascinating. I listened to it on Audible while I drove across several states on my way to Yellowstone. I was pretty freaked out by the time I arrived! It was good research for writing Ever Faithful. There are several similar books about other parks. I was fascinated by the one set in Yosemite, and I’ve heard great things about the companion title set in Grand Canyon NP.
- Bear in the Back Seat: Adventures of a Wildlife Ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Kim DeLozier. This is another that I listened to on Audible. It’s a very funny and sobering look at wildlife management in our national parks with plenty of entertaining anecdotes and life lessons. He also speaks of his faith on occasion. If you choose the audio version, I think kids would also get a kick out of his stories.
- I don’t have recommendations on children’s books at my fingertips, but here’s a website that lists some good ones: https://crazyhomeschoollife.com/national-parks-for-kids/
Hang out with RangerBear
For some additional quarantine fun with a national parks theme, I’d encourage you to follow my RangerBear Instagram account. I started this family-friendly account a few years ago, but I’ve seriously ramped it up this week. I’ll be posting several times a day, including some funny videos of RangerBear and Karen trying to entertain themselves at home. He’s already experimented with indoor bungee jumping and ziplining. You can find him on Instagram at @RangerBear_Adventures. If you’re not on IG, you can still see most of his posts on Twitter (@RangerBear_Adv) and Facebook (@RangerBearAdventures).
I’m sure you all have some great ideas for me, too. Go ahead and submit them in the comments below. I’m going to be staying at home, too!
Stay Home. Stay Healthy!
