We’ve made it a family goal to visit as many National Parks as possible and document our time exploring. The first National Park to mark off our list was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and it was a complete success. This was a fantastic park to visit because it was such a short drive from home and allowed us to “dip our toes” into the whole National Park experience. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty crummy, it was cold and rained most of the trip. As a matter of fact, most of the roads beyond the visitors center were closed due to snow and ice. However, it cleared up just long enough for us to enjoy the Mountain Farm Museum and trails around the visitors center. While exploring the great outdoors the kids ran across all sorts of plants and animals, from small plants that looked like umbrellas to elk. They also got to play in the creeks, draw in the mud with their sticks, jump off rocks, balance on logs, and generally get into all sorts of trouble…messy muddy trouble. But, the highlight for the kiddos had to have been their Jr. Rangers initiation. Ranger Shannon took her time with the kids and really made the ceremony something special. After completing 8 activities out of the Jr. Ranger activity book, they learned a bunch of interesting facts about the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. They then took the Ranger Oath and received their Jr. Ranger badges and certificates. This experience has certainly sparked an interest in the kids for the great outdoors and I think all of us are looking forward to our next National Park Adventure.
