Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

Happy New Year! In 2025, I visited just eight National Park Service units, three of which were brand new to me. It was a slower year for national park travel than usual, for a few unavoidable reasons.

The National Park Traveler’s Club annual convention was held at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, but it coincided with our long-planned trip to Ireland. While that meant missing the convention, it did not mean missing out on meaningful exploration. I visited several remarkable sites overseas that will eventually become part of a special European series here on National Parks with T.

Later in the year, an October trip to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit family included plans to explore several NPS units. Those plans were derailed by the federal government shutdown. Fortunately, California’s outstanding state park system stepped in, and I still came home with plenty of stories, photos, and future posts in the works.

Paterson Great Falls➢

The first National Park Service unit I visited in 2025 was Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, where I attended an International Women’s Day event in March hosted in partnership with the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson. Held in the park’s amphitheater, the morning featured seated yoga, breath work, and gentle movement, all with the calming backdrop of the Great Falls cascading nearby. The program concluded with a nurse practitioner’s talk on healthy lifestyles and holistic wellness, making the event both restorative and informative. I’ll be sharing more about this visit—and the park itself—in a future post.

15. Paterson Great Falls NHP (revisit)

Rally at Morristown➢

On March 22, I visited Morristown National Historical Park to participate in a Resistance Rangers rally held in response to the mass firing of National Park Service rangers by DOGE. Arriving early, I joined a guided tour of the Ford Mansion and spent time exploring the museum before the rally began. The gathering, held on the sidewalk in front of the mansion, was well attended and overwhelmingly positive, emphasizing community, shared stewardship of public lands, and support for federal workers. After the rally concluded, I drove up to Fort Nonsense, the only section of the park I had not previously visited, rounding out a meaningful and full day at this historic site.

• Morristown NHP
  • Ford Mansion
  • Fort Nonsense

Manhattan Sites Tour➢

In June, I took advantage of a day off to complete the New York City National Park Service units, starting with an early subway ride to Lower Manhattan. I joined the first ranger-led tour of the day at Castle Clinton National Monument. Although I had passed through countless times when it served as the security checkpoint for the Statue of Liberty ferry, this was my first true visit to the historic fort itself. From there, I walked north to Trinity Church, exploring the cemetery with the goal of finding Alexander Hamilton’s grave, before revisiting Federal Hall and continuing on to the African Burial Ground National Monument.

From the African Burial Ground, I took the subway uptown to Stonewall National Monument. This was my first visit to the site, and I spent time exploring the new visitor center, including watching the park film. Afterward, I walked through Christopher Park across the street and took photos of the exterior of the Stonewall Inn before heading home, bringing a full and meaningful day of exploring New York City’s National Park Service sites to a close.

15. Castle Clinton NM
16. Trinity Church (revisit)
17. Federal Hall NMEM (revisit)
18. African Burial Ground NM (revisit)
19. Stonewall NM

Spring Fling at the Grange & Zimmerman Open House➢

I visited Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area twice in 2025, each time exploring parts of the park that were new to me. My first visit was in April for the Spring Fling, with events held at the Grange and the Foster Armstrong House on the New Jersey side of the river. Rangers and docents were on hand at both locations, offering tours, sharing the history of the buildings, and providing free seeds along with practical planting advice. Later in the year, I returned for the annual open house at the Zimmerman Estate on the Pennsylvania side of the river. I met up with a friend from the National Park Travelers Club, and together we toured the house and grounds. Docents spoke about Marie Zimmerman and her artwork, while artists were spread throughout the property, painting the old barns and surrounding outbuildings.

12. Delaware Water Gap NRA (revisit)
    • The Grange
    • Foster Armstrong House
    • Zimmerman Open House

Fire Island➢

In September, I visited Fire Island National Seashore with my friend Patty on a bright, sunny day when New York schools were closed for Rosh Hashanah. Rangers and volunteers were stationed throughout the site, offering talks and interpretation. We climbed the Fire Island Lighthouse, attended a ranger program in the Fresnel lens building, walked the boardwalk trail, and finished the visit with a long walk along the beach back to the car—an ideal way to experience the seashore as summer began to give way to fall.

12. Fire Island NS

The Year in Review➢

This year was a reminder that national park travel isn’t only about adding pins to the map. Even with fewer visits, 2025 offered meaningful moments—learning from rangers and docents, supporting public lands, and discovering new stories within parks I thought I already knew. These visits reaffirmed why I keep returning to National Park Service sites, and why there’s always more to uncover, even in a slower year.