Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

We visited the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Kentucky, a small park with the country’s first monument to Lincoln, enclosing the Symbolic Cabin, a reconstruction of the tiny cabin where Lincoln was born. The memorial was built between 1909 and 1911.

Entrance sign

56 steps up to the memorial, one for each year of Lincoln’s life:

Memorial

Info

The symbolic cabin inside the memorial:

The symbolic cabin inside the memorial

Peeking inside:

Peeking inside

Model of the cabin:

Model of the cabin

Info outside:

Info

Boardwalk to the visitor center:

Boardwalk to visitor center

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Parents and kids:

Parents and kids

Visitor center

Passport stamp:

Passport stamp

Gift shop:

Gift shop

Family Bible:

Family Bible

More exhibits:

Exhibits

Table made by Lincoln’s father:

Table made by Lincoln's father

Boundary oak tree:

Boundary oak tree

Exhibits

Model of the memorial:

Model of the memorial

Mammoth Cave National Park

We visited Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. It is notable as the longest cave system in the world, with over 400 miles of passages.

Entrance sign

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Mammoth cave has several guided tours available. We did the “Domes and Dripstones” tour, which required taking buses to a cave entrance:

Buses to a cave entrance

Down into a sinkhole:

Down into a sinkhole

Cave entrance:

Cave entrance

Looking down:

Looking down

Underground ranger talk:

Ranger talk

Not too bad a picture of me:

David

Lots of steps:

Lots of steps

Historic graffiti:

Historic graffiti

Very flat cave ceiling:

Very flat cave ceiling

Ranger talk area:

Ranger talk area

Cave

Ranger talk

More steps:

More steps

The “Frozen Niagara” formation:

Frozen Niagara formation

Formations

Selfie

Formations

Steps

Formations

Vertical panorama of a dome:

Panorama

Formations

An interesting cave, but we’ve seen nicer-looking ones. Just shows that size isn’t everything.

Blue Ridge Parkway south end

South of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This park, barely wider than the highway, is 469 miles long, between Shenandoah National Park in Virginia at the north end and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina at the south end. We visited the northern end a few weeks ago.

Entering the southern end of the parkway:

Entrance sign

There were several tunnels:

Tunnel

Parkway

Tunnel

Views:

View

Fire lookout:

Fire lookout

View

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Elevation 5,820 feet:

Elevation 5,820

View

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina over several days, starting with a long drive from Pigeon Forge, north of the park, to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the southern side of the park (plus a bit further to the southernmost visitor center of the Blue Ridge Parkway; see a separate post about that).

The NPS map; click or tap to interact:

An interactive map of our route:

Entrance sign

Parking tag required:

Parking tag required

View

Loop

Tunnel

View

Elk were re-introduced to the park in 2001:

Elk

Oconaluftee Visitor Center:

Oconaluftee Visitor Center

Relief map

Passport stamp

Exhibits

Farm exhibits:

Farm exhibits

Chickens

Farm exhibits

Pigs

Stream

Farm exhibits

Elk in front of elk sign:

Elk in front of elk sign

View

An interactive map of our route for our second visit, to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and Clingmans Dome:

Sugarlands Visitor Center:

Sugarlands Visitor Center

Exhibits

Clingmans Dome:

Clingmans Dome

Passport stamp:

Passport stamp

Visitor center

Split rock:

Split rock

Path to the lookout; we decided not to go up there:

Path to lookout

View:

View

An interactive map of our route for our third visit, to Cades Cove:

Tunnel

Horses:

Horses

Old church:

Old church

View:

View

Visitor Center:

Visitor Center

Old farm buildings:

Old farm buildings

Snakes

Water mill

Old farm buildings

New River Gorge National Park: Thurmond and waterfalls

We visited the Thurmond area of New River Gorge National Park, plus a scenic drive to a couple more waterfalls.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route for visiting Thurmond and the waterfalls:

Waterfall on the way to Thurmond:

Waterfall

One-way car and rail bridge to Thurmond:

One-way road and rail bridge to Thurmond

Bridge

Thurmond:

Thurmond

Train engine:

Train engine

Passport stamps:

Passport stamps

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Train engine:

Train engine

Train

Historic Thurmond:

Thurmond

Back over the one-way bridge:

Back over the one-way bridge

Glen Ferris falls:

Glen Ferris falls

New River Gorge National Park: Canyon Rim and Bridge

We visited the Canyon Rim area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Canyon Rim section has a visitor center that overlooks the iconic New River Gorge bridge, plus has a winding scenic drive down into the canyon, that passes under the bridge three times.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route for visiting Canyon Rim etc:

Going over the New River Gorge Bridge:

New River Gorge Bridge

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Gorge viewpoint:

Gorge viewpoint

Bridge viewpoint:

Bridge viewpoint

We did the scenic Fayette Station Road driving tour, that goes down into the gorge:

Fayette Station Road driving tour

Narrow road

Bridge virw from road

One way bridge:

One way bridge

A view of the New River Gorge Bridge from the one-way bridge:

New River Gorge Bridge

Bridge view

New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge National Park: Sandstone Falls

We visited the Sandstone Falls area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Sandstone Falls section features a 1500 feet wide waterfall on the New River.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route for visiting Sandstone Falls:

Sign

Boat

Path

“Masks are optional”; haven’t seen any mention of COVID-19 for a while:

Masks are optional

Visitor center exhibits:

Visitor center

Viewpoint overlooking Sandstone Falls:

Viewpoint

Sandstone Falls boardwalk:

Sandstone Falls

New River Gorge National Park: Grandview

We visited the Grandview area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Grandview section overlooks a bend in the New River.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route for visiting Grandview:

Grandview sign

A small visitor center:

Visitor center

Grand Canyon of the East:

Grand Canyon of the East

Path to the main viewpoint:

Path

View

Road to the Turkey Spur Overlook:

Road

View:

View

The Other Grand View

Path with 150 steps to upper viewpoints:

Path

Steps

Train:

Steps

View

Antietam National Battlefield

We visited Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, where “23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862”.

Sign