| The word unique will have different meaning to | | | | taken my first journey into the Grand Staircase |
| different people, and not all will agree on which | | | | Escalante National Monument also known as |
| park is the most unique. I have found one park | | | | GSENM. It was really just a quick trip through the |
| that just struck me as unique. I wonder if you will | | | | monument on one of the remote wilderness |
| agree. Visiting the National Parks, National | | | | roads that crosses from near Kodachrome State |
| Monuments, Wilderness areas and State Parks in | | | | Park to Southern Utah, near the Arizona border. |
| the Untied States can be an adventure. I've been | | | | It may turn out to be the most unique. What do |
| visiting, climbing, hiking and taking photographs in | | | | you think? All those hours of loading data in the |
| these parks for years. Certainly, I could say that | | | | adventurezonetours message boards gave me a |
| almost every park is unique. I am an outdoors | | | | chance to see parks, monuments and wilderness |
| type of person and enjoy the fresh air, sunshine | | | | areas in the USA, and some areas I have not |
| and incredible views. These parks are wonderful | | | | visited. One park stood out as a bit unique to me. |
| for people who enjoy these types of activities: | | | | It is in Michigan and I have not visited it. I doubt |
| • Hiking • Camping • | | | | that you have visited it either! The park is a state |
| Cycling • ATV • Scenic Drives | | | | park called Meridian - Baseline State Park. It is not |
| • Horseback Riding • Wildlife | | | | open to the public, so how could we have visited |
| • Rafting • Fishing • | | | | it? Here's the link for information about this park. |
| Hunting • Canyoneering • | | | | Check it out! So, I guess since this park is not |
| Photography • Water sports and boating | | | | open to the public, it has struck me as very |
| • Caves and exploring After all these | | | | unique. Would you agree? The Meridan - Baseline |
| years of traveling and exploring the hardest part | | | | State Park is 88 acres and preserves a marker |
| always seems to be the research time. I'll visit | | | | that was used for the Michigan Survey. In general |
| website after website finding the parks or areas | | | | here is what the marker preserves. At the end |
| of interest that I want to explore, then onto | | | | of the Revolutionary War, there were only |
| researching where I'm going to stay. Then to the | | | | thirteen states. The territory of land between the |
| task of mapping out the travel time details to | | | | Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River |
| make the trek comfortable as I go from the first | | | | were in question. The new Continental Congress |
| location to the next activity, to the | | | | was asking these states to give up any claims of |
| accommodations and so on. To solve this | | | | ownership of these lands to the federal |
| inefficiency a group of us outdoor enthusiasts | | | | government. Virginia, Massachusetts, and |
| have been creating a website with all the National | | | | Connecticut all claimed large chunks of this land. A |
| Parks, National Monuments, State Parks and | | | | large chunk of Michigan had been chartered to |
| Wilderness Areas all located in one forum | | | | Virginia from King James in 1609, at the time this |
| message board for adventure travelers to read, | | | | was the Northwest Territory. In 1787 a territory |
| share and post their trip reports. We bought the | | | | was established by congress in what is now |
| web domain name adventurezonetours and have | | | | Michigan. After a new territory grew to a |
| been busy loading basic data for each location. | | | | population of 60,000 free citizens, it could petition |
| Now it's all in one place. So, which park do you | | | | Congress to become a state. This new state |
| think is the most unique? I have always just loved | | | | could then have all the rights of the original 13 |
| Glacier National Park in Montana and have been | | | | states. At that time a survey would happen and |
| drawn back for visit after visit. But, in the last | | | | thus, in 1815 two men were hired to establish |
| couple of years I seem to be changing my mind. | | | | accurately the location of the base line and the |
| I've been turned onto Zion National Park in Utah | | | | principal meridian which are preserved by this |
| and the slot canyons of the southwest. Zion | | | | marker. |
| Canyon is just awesome. I have also recently | | | | |