Golden Spike National Historic Site

As far back as 1869 Utahns were operating on "Mormon Standard Time"...



What, you think I'm exaggerating?
 One visit to today's historic site will prove that I know exactly what I'm talking about.

Golden Spike National Historic Site

Connecting the east and west lines of the Transcontinental Railroad, the driving of the golden spike was an enormous celebration....when it finally happened.  A combination of rainy weather and labor problems pushed the arrival date of both trains back by two whole days.  Even with the national eye focused directly on Utah, we were insisting on doing it in our own time.

The adventure in visiting the Golden Spike begins in just trying to get there.  You would think the location for the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad would occur close to civilization.  Even in 1869, I'm seriously doubting Promontory, Utah, was a thriving metropolis.  Be assured that when the riders in your car insist you're lost, you're heading in the right direction and will eventually get there.

The visitor's center plays five different movies that can entertain you for over an hour.  Don't, however, drive all the way out there to see the movies.  The highlights of this historic site are the operating steam train replicas and "driving of the golden spike" re-enactment.  The trains are amazing.  The volunteer actors, less than amazing, but at least entertaining.  Even with a year passed from my last visit there, I still have chills down my spine hearing the telegraph operator announce the completion of this major feat in American transportation history.

Directions and Information:
I can't stress enough to check the National Park Service website for directions and train operating hours before leaving home...they seem to be changing all the time.  Then, traveling northbound, take I-15 exit 365, turn right, and follow the signs (approximately 35 miles).

While you're here:  Don't drive all the way out here and miss out on what else the area has to offer.  Check out the ATK Rocket Garden by continuing past the turnoff for the Golden Spike or the Spiral Jetty by continuing straight past the Golden Spike Visitor's Center.

Historic Kennecott Mining Site (Alaska)

While my mind is on Alaska, I want to share with you one other amazing national park site from there.  Nestled within the borders of America's largest national park, Wrangell-St. Elias, the historic Kennecott mining site is an astounding relic of industry and ingenuity deep within the wilderness...

Historic Kennecott Mining Site

In case you doubt the validity of saying Kennecott is in the wilderness, this glacier is it's next door neighbor...

These mine buildings are considered to be "the best remaining example of early 20th century copper mining"

The park service has begun a slow and intensive process to decide which buildings they can stabilize and preserve.  It's quite the labor of love for an operation that has always been off the beaten path and continues to be so today.

Notice the rusting bullet holes in the lamp post

More Information:

Getting to Kennecott is an adventure.  

Located 315 miles east of Anchorage

and the last 62 miles are on the McCarthy Road, 

 35mph and gravel.  

Definitely heed the warnings and be prepared for flat tires.

The village of McCarthy is the stopping point for your drive.

McCarthy is as small and rough as you'd expect a wilderness hangout to be.

Don't expect a lot and you'll be blown away by this step back in time.

A shuttle will take you the last 5 miles to the mine.  

Want a truly historic experience?

Stay at the historic Kennecott Glacier Lodge.

You'll sleep in the shadows of all there is to see.

National Park Service Week

National Park Service Week begins Saturday, and I'm excited to share about my favorite Natiional Park experiences starting Monday.  Today, though, as an introduction, I've updated a post from several years ago that still rings true to me today...

The movie "Field of Dreams" prophetically professed,

"If you build it, he will come."

 As I reflect on trips and experiences I've had in America's national parks, it seems like the same could also be said for those places;

"If you designate it [a national park], they will come."

We live in a busy world where we don't always take the time we should to stop and focus on the beauty of the place we live in.  And yet our national parks are overflowing with visitors each year.  Offering something for every type of person, from visitor center exhibits and videos to multi-day and multi-sport back-country adventures, they draw us in with the allure of grandeur and tranquility.

Nearly 80% of the state I live in, Utah, is designated in one way or another as public lands.  Year after year the controversy brews over the fairness and necessity of the government controlling where and how we live within our own borders.  Oftentimes the blame gets put on the lawmakers and other officials "back east" who have never been here.  Would they be so quick to sign the dotted line of a land deed if 80% of their state were to be taken away (seriously, Rhode Island/Connecticut/Delaware, think what that would mean). 

While I do agree in many ways that states themselves should control their resources (yes, land is a precious resource), I am also grateful for the places near me which are protected from development and urban sprawl.  With 5 national parks and many other BLM (Bureau of Land Management) or other legally protected sites, in Utah I have been spoiled by the ease in which I can walk out my door and escape reality to peacefully wander away from it all.  I'm grateful, too, thinking of all the similarly designated sites in places I've lived or visited all across the United States.  

Several of my favorite examples are:

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

 Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Yellowstone National Park

Image source: wikitravel.org

Redwood National Park

Denali National Park, Alaska

My hope is that every citizen of this great country takes the time occasionally to step away from the daily grind, slow down, and truly appreciate the gift of nature and preservation we've been guaranteed through the national park system.  

Tell me about your favorite national park experience!

*Updated post originally shared in March 2013*

Unless otherwise noted, images in this post 

are linked to their source on nps.gov or this blog.