| by Ben Long  (ARA)
- We were a small flotilla of canoes and sea kayaks drifting down the Green River in
Canyonlands National Park. Every day on the river we went deeper into wilderness. Every
day we went deeper into ourselves.
Each bend of the river presented a new landscape: A falcon
rising from a box canyon; a sheer sandstone wall a thousand feet high; an ancient shelter
left by some extinct tribe.
We wanted to somehow quantify these scenes, to compare
them. So we invented the Wow Factor.
If we spied a new slickrock canyon and half of us said,
"Wow," the scene earned a Wow Factor 5. If a certain quality of light caught
almost everyone's eye, it received a Wow Factor 7. The ultimate scene left us all
slack-jaw and amazed: Wow Factor 10.
National Parks, it seems to me, are the Land of Wow.
Most national parks aren't designed around rivers. They are
built around geologic features such as Yellowstone's geysers or Yosemite's granite, or
historic sites like Gettysburg or Little Bighorn battlefields. Still, our finest
rivers-those with the highest Wow Factors-flow through our national parks.
Every summer, millions of us launch our own personal
adventures, heading for these select parks. RIVER Magazine has compiled a list of some of
the best National Parks for river lovers And if you go without a canoe or kayak atop your
car, or without packing your fly-rod ... well, don't blame us for the "wows" you
miss. Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Yellowstone is the granddaddy of all national parks. It's
fabled for wildlife and geysers, but five percent of its 2.2-million acres is water. That
includes some of the cleanest, wildest, and most storied rivers anywhere. Rivers like the
Yellowstone-with its waterfalls and its Grand Canyon-and the steaming Firehole, but also
the Madison, Lamar, Lewis, and Gardiner rivers.
Yellowstone Park is not welcoming to river paddlers. The
rivers are cold and swift, and boats are generally prohibited. Still, there are many other
ways to enjoy the park's running water. Most famously, there is fishing. Yellowstone's
eighteen species of fish attract flycasters from across the world. The native Yellowstone
cutthroat trout are the most prized, but there are also exotic browns and rainbows.
Flyfishing in Yellowstone suffers, though, from its own
reputation. You can literally be shoulder-to-shoulder with other fishermen. The same trout
may be caught-and-released dozens of times annually in the park's most popular waters.
The alternative to this zoo is simple: Walk. Most park
visitors seem to be attached to their cars by an invisible rope, and the quietwater is
just beyond the length of that rope. Another tip: Don't overlook the small streams and
tributaries.
The other way to avoid the hordes is to visit in the fall
or spring. September is my favorite month in Yellowstone: The fishing is the best and the
bull elk are bugling their challenges through the high country. I hope Heaven is half so
good.
Just to the south is Yellowstone's little sister, Grand
Teton National Park. Here, the headwaters of the Snake River flow from jagged 12,000-foot
peaks. The Snake coils through a cottonwood-forested bottom, each bend offering a gleaming
new view of the Tetons. Driftboats bob past, filled with anglers casting for the Snake's
fine-spotted cutthroat trout.
The thirty miles of the Snake that flow through Grand Teton
are divided into 3 segments, rated from beginning to advanced. The advanced segment
presents paddlers with logjams, sweepers, and braided channels. "It's a seemingly
innocent river, but will hammer anybody from beginner to advanced on a given day,"
says one river ranger.
Wow Factor? Take your pick: Feeling the mist from the falls
in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Watching bison ford the Lamar. Soaking in the
geothermally heated Boiling River as snowflakes melt in the steam.
Contact: Yellowstone National Park Superintendent, PO Box
168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. Phone: (307) 344-7381. Grand Teton National
Park, PO Drawer 170, Moose, WY, 83012. Phone: (307) 739-3300. C&O Canal and Harpers
Ferry, in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland
Harpers Ferry is a former federal armory saturated with
American history. It also happens to be at the confluence of two of the East's most
notable rivers, the Potomac and the Shenandoah. When Lewis and Clark explored the West,
they carried guns forged at Harpers Ferry. When John Brown revolted against slavery, he
attempted to take over the armory here. During the Civil War, the town was the scene of
bloody battles.
And if you're visiting Washington D.C. and need a river
fix, this is the place for it. "The passage of the Patowmac through the Blue Ridge is
perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in Nature," wrote one early visitor named
Thomas Jefferson. The bluff above Harper's Ferry is the most westerly spot Jefferson ever
reached.
Nowadays, the Appalachian Trail passes through town. The
mountains flanking Harpers Ferry are still cloaked in hardwoods. If you catch the fall
colors at their peak, consider yourself blessed.
Great Falls of the Potomac and the C & O Canal offer a
natural diversion after a day of touring museums and monuments in Washington. The sound of
the river drowns out the hum of traffic and the lush forest stands in contrast to the
urban landscape hidden not far away.
The historic C & O (Chesapeake and Ohio) Canal is a
184-mile long greenbelt running along the Potomac. It runs from the posh Washington D. C.
suburb of Georgetown, past Harpers Ferry, to the upstream community of Cumberland,
Maryland.
Historically, mules pulled barges ferrying coal and other
raw materials up and down the canal from a tow path along the bank. Now, the path hosts
joggers, walkers, and anglers. The Potomac crosses the Washington Beltway near the Great
Falls. Here, kayakers peel out of wetsuits, slip into suits and ties, and head back to
work after a mid-day paddling break.
The canal path has 34 primitive campsites, right along the
river. In theory, a canoer can float between campsites. Check your map carefully, though,
because the campsites are not always visible from the water. The paddling is Class II, and
the major danger is a series of small dams that must be portaged.
Wow Factor? Standing in the footsteps of George Washington
and Thomas Jefferson, pondering how the nation they founded 223 years ago treats its
rivers, both for work and for play.
Both Harpers Ferry and C & O Canal Headquarters can be
contacted at, PO Box 4, Sharpsburg, MD, 21782. Phone: (301) 739-4200.
Congaree Swamp National Monument, South Carolina
When Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto marched through the
territory of the Congaree Indians, South Carolina had perhaps a million acres of
old-growth floodplain. After four centuries of exploitation, a mere 13,000 acres remain.
Fortunately, 11,000 of those acres are protected in this national monument.
This is the largest old-growth floodplain east of the
Mississippi River. A visit is akin to time-travel. The Congaree River floods the monument
10 times a year. The floods replenish the soil and grow some of the biggest trees in the
East. Loblolly pine, cypress, and cherrybark oak tower overhead.
The 87 species of trees here support a broad array of
wildlife, from native otters and bobcats to exotic wild boar. Birders are drawn by
Congaree's eight species of woodpeckers and the Swainson's warbler. In summer, a dense
canopy of leaves arches over the river. In places, canoers paddle through a lush, green
tunnel. Warblers sing and frolic overhead while the river gently pulls your boat
downstream.
Canoe travel along the Congaree can consist of short
outings or overnighters. The paddle from Cedar Creek to the Highway 601 bridge is a
20-mile route that lends itself to a primitive overnighter. On land, the Park Service
maintains a trail network, with hikes ranging from short boardwalks to 10-mile treks.
Fishing for catfish, black and striped bass is allowed in most of the monument under state
regulations.
The river fluctuates with upstream rains. Rising water can
swamp camps and falling levels can leave your boat stranded. The main water trail is
periodically cleared of debris, but a wrong turn can force you to drag your canoe through
a field of downed logs. Also, beware of copperheads, cottonmouth, and other venomous
snakes, mosquitoes and deer flies, and poison ivy.
Visiting the monument is free, although donations are
accepted. Primitive camping is also free, although a permit is required. "This is a
four-season park," said one official. "It can be enjoyed every month of the
year."
Wow Factor? Joining hands with your paddling friends,
trying to measure the girth of a giant cherrybark oak tree that somehow survived decades
of logging and 1989's Hurricane Hugo.
Contact: Congaree Swamp National Monument, 200 Caroline
Sims Road, Hopkins, S.C. 29061. Phone: (803) 776-4396.
Yukon-Charley River National Preserve, Alaska
If you're the kind of paddler who has longed all your life
for a true wilderness paddling experience, Yukon-Charley in interior Alaska may be your
destination. It's the kind of place that requires long planning and plenty of experience,
but it offers rewards that only comes from wilderness adventure.
The 1,800-mile long Yukon is one of our nation's mightiest
and most legendary rivers. This preserve protects 100 miles of that river.
Moreover, the preserve protects the entire Charley River
drainage, from source to mouth. That's a 108-mile river and a 1.1 million-acre watershed.
The drainage has no roads. It doesn't even have any maintained trails. Because of its
clear water, bold whitewater and untouched vistas, Alaskans consider the Charley one of
their most spectacular rivers.
The preserve was created in 1980 and encompasses some 2.5
million acres, the size of Yellowstone Park. It is home to wolves, caribou, and Dall sheep
and has the continent's highest concentration of nesting peregrine falcons. Technically,
Yukon-Charley is a national preserve, not a national park. The land is managed by the
National Park Service, but is open to some uses that are barred in traditional parks, such
as hunting and trapping.
Boats and airplanes, often in combination, are the two most
popular ways to visit Yukon-Charley. Floaters load rafts on bush planes and fly to the
upper reaches of the Charley to float downstream. But planes cost money. A bush plane from
Tok to the headwaters of the Charley runs $1,200. The downstream run includes a steady
course of Class III whitewater.
Other potential floats don't require aircraft. One option
is the Yukon, between Eagle and Circle, which is a 150-mile trip. Just outside the park,
the Fortymile River also affords whitewater floating and has road access. But take this
trip seriously. The Park Service brochure is blunt: "Novice boaters have no
business...on these wilderness rivers."
The Yukon tends to run silty and is not known for its
fishing. Several tributaries, however, are clear and sport grayling and other species.
Start dreaming.
Wow Factor? The moment the bush plane leaves you at the
put-in when you become aware of the total silence and know your party is utterly on its
own for the next hundred miles.
Contact: Yukon-Charley National Preserve, Box 167, Eagle,
AK 99738. Phone: (907) 547-2233.
Big Bend National Park, Texas
The Rio Grande River is a border between Mexico and the
United States, but also is the life-blood of Big Bend National Park. Technically, the
dividing line between nations is the center of the main channel, but the border once
fought over by nations is ignored by Nature.
Ironically, most of the water in the Rio Grande flows in
from the south, from Mexico. The American tributaries of the Rio Grande are tapped so
heavily for irrigation they offer just a trickle to this landmark river. This is tough
country, long inhabited by tough people.
Big Bend National Park offers desert adventure for paddlers
willing to venture to the remote park. The Rio Grande-or the Rio Bravo del Norte, as it's
called in Mexico-carves through 118 miles of Big Bend. The park itself is 800,000 acres
but sees a mere 300,000 people a year, making it one of the largest, yet least visited,
parks in the National Park system.
The park includes the canyons of the Rio Grande, a sweeping
desert plain rising to modest, isolated mountain ranges. All of it lies under a vast, blue
sky. As you might easily imagine, summer temperatures in Big Bend can be blistering.
Daytime highs can surpass 100 degrees for weeks. This makes Big Bend a prime off-season
destination.
The banks of the Rio Grande form an abrupt contrast between
desert uplands and the lush riparian corridor. Both are rich habitat, but are strikingly
different. Because of that variety, Big Bend hosts some 450 species of birds and more than
1,200 species of plants. That's more varieties of birds and cacti than any other national
park. Whoever said a desert is lifeless? There are even a few black bears living in those
isolated mountains.
Besides the living creatures, Big Bend visitors ponder
fossils from the dinosaur eras. Paleontologists have found enormous, fossilized
pterodactyls here. With a little imagination, it's not difficult to transform circling
black vultures into flying dinosaurs.
The Rio carves through limestone, cleaving steep-walled
canyons 1,500 feet deep. River trips can be one-day, 10-mile trips, or longer journeys of
33 miles or more.
Just outside the national park is Big Bend Ranch State
Park. Access to the river can be arranged on neighboring ranches as well, with a few phone
calls and a little diplomacy.
Wow Factor? Reading Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses
by flashlight, after a camp dinner and a cold beer along our nation's southern border.
Contact: Superintendent, PO Box 129, Big Bend National
Park, TX, 79843. Phone: (915) 477-2251.
No wonder the rest of the world thought America's national
parks were such a good idea. But National Parks are victims of their own popularity.
Crowds of people have resulted in long lists of rules to protect the parks' wonders for
future generations. The Land of 'Wow!' is also the Land of 'No!' Rules vary from park to
park and it's the visitor's responsibility to know and follow them.
Fees and permits also vary widely. Congaree Swamp, for
example, charges no fees for boating and camping. Yellowstone Park, however, requires a
park sticker on every "floating craft," including a float tube. Thanks to some
recent legislation in the United States and Canada, both the US National Park Service and
Parks Canada have gone on a fee-spree. The bad news is that services like backcountry
camping permits that were free a few years ago may now cost money. The good news is that
the money goes toward projects that better serve visitors and the park.
But who can complain? Our National Parks are still the best
adventure value in the world. Where else can you experience wonders like this? No where
but the Land of Wow!
Ben Long is a regular contributor to RIVER Magazine, a
national magazine dedicated to moving water and the activities surrounding it. For more
information on Paddling the Land of Wow and a list of more National Parks that feature
outstanding rivers, look for the June 1999 issue of RIVER at  Barnes & Noble, and specialty outdoor shops in
your area, or contact RIVER at 877-582-5440.
Courtesy of Article Resource Association, www.aracopy.com,
e-mail: info@aracopy.com
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