USA Parks and Recreation Areas with Star Gazing

The Site preserves the 14 room mansion where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914. While living in Martinez, Muir accomplished many things: he battled to prevent Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, served as the first president and one of the founders of the Sierra Club, played a prominent role in the creation of several national parks, and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and several books expounding on the virtues of conservation and the natural world. Muir's work laid the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. The Muir house and historic Martinez adobe became part of the National Park Service in 1964. In 1992, Mt. Wanda was added to the Site. The 325 acre tract of oak woodland and grassland was historically owned by the Muir family. read more...

Phone: (925)228-8860   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No  
Nearest Popular City: Martinez   Nearest Lake/River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Birding, Hiking, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: John Muir National Historic Site

Starting as a trickle near Berlin, NJ, the Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River gradually widens as it picks up the waters of 17 tributaries on its way to Great Egg Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. Established by Congress in 1992, nearly all of this 129-mile river system rests within the Pinelands National Reserve. read more...

Phone: 215-597-9175   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No  
Nearest Popular City: Philadelphia   Nearest Lake/River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Biking / Bicycling, Fishing, Golfing, Hunting and Shooting, Backpacking, Wildlife Watching, Kayaking, Nature Walks, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Great Egg Harbor River

Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind-shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This geologic wonderland, containing over 30 square miles of massive dunes, became a national monument in 1932. With the passage of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act, resources now also include alpine lakes and tundra, six peaks over 13,000' in elevation, ancient spruce and pine forests, large stands of aspen and cottonwood, grasslands, and wetlands--all habitat for diverse wildlife and plant species. read more...

Phone: 719-378-6300   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No  
Nearest Popular City: Mosca   Nearest Lake/River: N/A   Park Type: National Park, National Preserve   Activities: Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Backpacking, Cross Country Skiing, Wildlife Watching, Rock Climbing, Camping, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Snowshoeing, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve