Hiking is our family’s go-to way to explore national parks, but we found another great way on “down days” is via the water.

We loved relaxing and taking in the gorgeous views (although it was hazy) while riding the Sinopah, Glacier Boat Company’s oldest wooden boat in their fleet, across Two Medicine Lake.  The lake is located in one of GNP’s quieter, less trafficked areas (and it also does not require a day pass).

Once across, we enjoyed a short amount of time exploring the west shore area of the lake before our ride back to the dock. It was such a great way to spend a relaxing and peaceful evening.

We are just drawn to the water! Whether it be rafting, floating, SUPing, kayaking, or boating, we always try to take in the beauty of a National Park from the water if we can.

Pro Tip:
You can also take the boat across Two Medicine Lake and hike back via the South Shore Trail. Or once across, take some time to hike up to Twin Falls. Unfortunately, we’re on the last boat of the evening and weren’t prepared for either, but it’s on the list for our next visit for sure!  See the boat schedule here and bring bug spray!

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These photos were created using a 360 camera and uploaded to Kuula.

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Have you ever heard of KARS Park? We visited for a “second time” in March of 2021 and thought we would share how much we enjoyed ourselves! We stumbled on this place in January 2020, but it quickly became one of our all-time favorite places to stay (Excluding National Parks). It has stunning waterfront sites along the Banana River. If you’re interested in the backstory of how we found it, you can read about it at the end of the article, but for now, we’ll get right to the good stuff.  

The Kennedy Athletic, Recreation & Social (KARS) Parks

KARS Park is located on Merritt Island, Florida. It’s a recreation center, RV park, and Marina for the employees of NASA. It is open to active and retired NASA, Civil Service, and some Contractors assigned to Kennedy Space Center or Patrick Air Force Base. It has been recently made available to all active and retired Military ID cardholders as well.  If you’re unsure of eligibility, check this site and call to see what proof you’ll need before arriving. 

Here is where this place starts to shine!  

It’s a prime viewing spot for rocket launches in the area! One of the best features about KARS Park is it’s just across the water from Kennedy Space Center. You’ll have a front-row seat to watch day-to-day operations at NASA, including launches. We saw one launch during our first trip in 2020 and two on our second visit in 2021. Viewing launches so close makes this park one of a kind for us! 

Lots to do in the Area Near KARS Park

World Famous Cocoa Beach Pier

You won’t leave this place hungry or thirsty! There are five restaurants on the pier to choose from for whatever your libations desire. We enjoyed some appetizers and local brew at the Pelican Bar and Grill. 

Ron Jon Surf Shop

Growing up in South FL, Ron Jon’s was always a stop if you were in the area.  It’s amazing how the place has grown and has become an attraction. It’s a must-see if you’re in Cocoa Beach.  

Kennedy Space Center

If you plan to visit the space center, I recommend visiting here early on in your stay. You’ll get an idea of operations and a geography lesson which will help you know what’s going on across the river when you see equipment moving around.  In 2020 we made a day trip, and it’s totally worth it.  

Night Biolumenice Kayaking Tour

We took this trip in March of 2021 and got to see a lot.  It’s typically recommended for the best viewing between May-July (during the new moon).  The wildlife is just incredible!  Kayaking at night in the Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge, seeing bioluminescent jellyfish and plankton reminded Caleb of the movie Avitar.  Just remember to keep an eye out. You’re not necessarily at the top of the food chain at night in the FL swamp.   

Some Facts to Know about KARS Park (2021)

• This park, like Patrick AFB, is a first-come, first-serve park. No reservations, but if you call, they’ll usually share with you what they know about who is leaving and when.
• Waterfront sites are limited to 14 days. Once you pull into a waterfront site, you can claim it for two weeks. If you want to stay longer, you’ll have to go into some of the other loop sites, but you can come back. 
• The park is access controlled. During the day, a guard will check your pass when you come to the gate. After 10 PM, you’ll need a remote ($10 deposit) or have to wait for someone to open the gate for you. 
• The park has 50, 30, and 20 Amp service and water at each site. No sewer at the sites at the time of this post. You’ll need to dump if you plan to stay long. You can also hire some folks who full time at the park for $20-$30 to pump and dump for you. 
• A small camp store is open on the installation. Beer prices aren’t bad!  
• You will see wildlife! Like gators and snakes, so watch where you step and your pets.
• As of March 2021, waterfront rates are $25 per night. You’ll also need an annual pass which will cost $20. They have non-waterfront sites, monthly and tent camping rates posted on their page. 

Looking for a Map?

I couldn’t find an official map of KARS Park, but I found the next best thing.  This post is a little dated, but the hand-drawn map is accurate.  Note the waterfront sites.

Ongoing Improvements

They’ve been making a lot of improvements to the facilities over the past year. A new sewer system, stormwater drainage, waterfront launch viewing platforms, and electrical posts are currently being installed in various sections of the park.  

They’re also installing several structures and platforms for picnicking at the campground and the marina.   

Some of the info on the KARS Park websites is a little dated, but you can either call the park directly or check with the Facebook Group for specific questions.

Conclusion

KARS Park was really a gem find for us.  Its waterfront views, location, and cost make this an exceptional place to take the Ohana.  While it’s hard to time a perfect arrival, the park works with you the best they can to get you in.  Once you’re in, enjoy those waterfront views!

In case you’re interested –

The Backstory 

In January 2020, our RV travels took us to Cocoa Beach, FL. Our goal was to stay at the very popular Jetty Park and then move to Patrick AFB FamCamp for a few weeks. Jetty Park only had three days available all winter, and Patrick AFB FamCamp was pretty packed with seasonal RV’ers. The AFB works on a first-come-first-served basis, so we had no guarantees after our three days at Jetty Park. What to do?

I went to my favorite planning tool (RV Trip Wizard) and opened up all the search filters for campgrounds in the area. An icon popped up on the map with an American flag on (aka Military Campground) that I never heard of just across the bay called “KARS Park.” We jumped in the truck to go check it out. This is where it got AWESOME!!!

Upon arriving at what looked like a typical military Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) facility, we found an RV Park with stunning waterfront views on the Banana River just south of Cape Canaveral Launch Facility. We talked to the camp store manager, who confirmed availability for us in the park.  We made the move over the following day and scored a waterfront site.  

Fast forward to March of 2021. We caravanned back with our some of our RVing ohana and were able to snag two waterfront sites near one another.  We enjoyed our second stay just as much as our first, so it was time to post about it.  

This is where we also got our first flat tire!

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Did you know the Everglades National Park is the 3rd largest National Park in the lower 48 states? The park was established for its abundance of diverse plant and animal species rather than its scenic views. We actually grew up not far from the park, but this was the first time we ever visited, and it’s not what you would expect. While it doesn’t have breathtaking peaks, rivers, and valleys, Everglades National Park offers visitors a lot.

Everglades National Park Campgrounds

There are two campgrounds located within the park. Both campgrounds can accommodate tents and RVs. A limited number of group sites are also available.

Long Pine Key Campground is located six miles from the Main Visitor Center. Sites are available in the Long Pine Key Campground on a first-come, first-serve basis only. There are no electric or water hookups at the sites, but the campground has a dump and potable water station. There are modern restrooms with flush toilets, a dishwashing station, and solar-powered hot-water showers. (We stayed here)

Flamingo Campground is located much further into the park near the Flamingo Visitor Center, about a 45-minute drive southwest of Long Pine Key Campground. This campground does take reservations (via Reserve America) and run by a contracted company for NPS. They offer a wide range of services, rentals, and accommodations. You can check the current offerings on this website.

Wildlife

Everglades National Park is home to many threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Some of the best known are the Florida Panther, American Crocodile, American Alligator, and the West Indian Manatee. If you look closely, you see a lot of wildlife. Careful with small children and pets as gators are very common along the road.

Park Programs

Everglades NP has a very active event schedule. The park is open every day of the year, with ranger-led and self-led programs available all year.  Visit the events calendar here.

Prescribed Burns

Is that smoke in the background of our photo?  Yes!  Don’t be alarmed if you see large plumes of smoke lingering over the park. In “most cases,” these are persecuted burns managed by NPS. Everglades NP has one of the most extensive prescribed burn programs in the NPS.

Area Attractions

Biscayne National Park

If you’re on a journey to visit all National Parks (like us), what better to get a two-for-one deal on visits. Biscayne’s NP Visitor Center is about 20 miles from Everglades NP Visitor Center. This is a great day trip from Everglades NP.  Be sure to check out our article on Biscayne National Park.

Nike Missile Base

The Nike Missile Site HM-69 is a former Nike-Hercules missile base west of Homestead, Florida, now designated as a historic site. It’s on Long Pine Key Lane and has static displays you can see. Check here for the schedule.

Robert is Here Fruit Stand

This is a family-run fruit stand in Homestead, Florida. They specialize in rare and exotic fruits and vegetables, which are mostly grown at their farms. Although it began as a simple fruit stand on the road’s side, Robert is Here has developed into a full-fledged tourist destination with an Animal Farm, Play Area, and picnic tables. The smoothies are the best!

Everglades Outpost Wildlife Rescue

The facility takes hurt and injured wildlife, rehabilitates it, and releases it back to the wild when possible. Most of the animals at the Everglades Outpost have been confiscated from illegal, traumatic, and abusive situations. You can get pretty up close and personal with the animals at this park if you desire.

Conclusion

For many years (as somewhat locals), we overlooked Everglades National Park as a must-see destination. The park is not all swamplands and mosquitos but an exciting place to learn about Florida’s unique wildlife and ecosystem. We were able to see more wildlife at this park compared to several other National Parks combined. It’s an excellent destination for RV’ers in the wintertime as temperatures are manageable, and it’s outside of hurricane season for the area. We spent a week in our spot and managed well with our generators and would go back without hesitation. Be sure to add Everglades to your must-see list if in the area.

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We spent nearly a month in the State of Maine this summer. Eight days of it was staying in Acadia National Park on the Schoodic Peninsula. The Schoodic Peninsula, the only part of Acadia National Park found on the mainland, boasts granite headlands that bear erosional scars of storm waves and flood tides. Although similar in scenic splendor to portions of Mount Desert Island, the Schoodic Coast is a more secluded area. It is about an hour’s drive to the Hulls Cove Visitor Center in the entrance area of the park.

You can access the main attractions of Acadia and Bar Harbor by driving around on Route 3 or by taking the ferry boat from Winter Harbor. The trip takes about an hour, regardless of what method you choose. The ferry drops passengers off in picturesque town of Bar Harbor, where you’ll be able to have walking access to restaurants, bars, gift shops, and the free buses called Island Explorer. The Island Explorer is a network of bus routes that moves you around the park.

Once on the bus from Bar Harbor, you can get to any area of the park you desire to explore. Jordan Pond is a top-rated destination due to the beautiful lake, hiking trails, and famous Popovers they serve at Jordan Pond House. Popovers are a pastry baked in a well-greased popover pan or muffin tin. They are traditionally served warm or hot with butter and strawberry jam. They were sooooo delicious, warm and ready to eaten when we got them….we didn’t even get a chance to take a photo of them.

A list of bus destinations and timetables are available here. They are seasonal so be sure to check before you visit.

One of the more popular areas you’ll need to find transportation to is Cadillac Mountain. The bus service does not provide a direct drop-off to the overlook, but you can hike to this location from surrounding bus stops. Sunset and sunrise are the key times to visit Cadillac Mountain. When the visibility is good, it’s truly a sight to behold!

As with all the great National Parks, the hiking options are endless in Acadia for all abilities.  One our whole family enjoyed was the Ocean Path hike.  It’s a fairly easy 3+ mile trail that begins at Sand Beach, a stunning sandy beach in the middle of the mountains & rocky shoreline.  Once on the path, you will come along various side trails that are absolutely worth exploring, as you will be treated to exceptional views of the coastline and local wildlife.  A stop not to miss along the trail is Thunder Hole.  If you’re able to time your stop with the tides you will be treated to a thunderous show of sound and the oceans power.  Even on a calm day, this was still a gorgeous place to stop and explore.   Following down further, you will hit Otter Point.  This was our stopping point and where we caught the bus back around the island. Only after we found a great little area where we could enjoy our packed lunches and and breathe in that cool, soothing salty air.

We’ve been to many National Parks (Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Volcano, Sequoia, etc…), and Acadia is one of the most beautiful parks we have visited. The peninsula is lovely to get away from the crowds and get quiet, but to have relatively easy access to the more extensive park attractions is nice. Planning a visit to incorporate both sides of the park might be even better.

Some other tidbits:

If you’re a road cyclist, mountain biker, or beach cruiser, then you’ll love the several miles of biking trails Schoodic Peninsula offers. I enjoyed riding the Schoodic Loop Road and the 8.3 miles (13.4 km) of bike paths! Bicyclists must obey the one-way traffic flow on the road and are encouraged to use free Island Explorer buses and bike paths to get around. Steep and winding bike paths provide spectacular views both on pavement and off.

Acadia also has a “light pollution program.” This means at night, it will be dark, dark, dark! No city lights to throw off your celestial views! We took advantage of this by doing some nighttime photography, but you can see much of this with the naked eye. Absolutely incredible to see!

A hui hou Maine….we definitely fell in love with all your gorgeous mountains and coastlines. While very different in appearance, this is one place that reminded us of our island home with it true natural beauty.  We will be back to explore again very soon!

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Quick Note: My “rudimentary history” knowledge of North American forests over the past 120 years consist of ONE CHAPTER from the well-known book by Bill Bryson “A Walk in the Woods.” I was gifted this book by my buddy Justin who plans to hike the AT with me one day!

If you ever want to see what the landscape looked like when Native Americans lived across the land, then Congaree National Park is a pretty good representation. Astonishing biodiversity exists in Congaree NP, the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States. Waters from the Congaree and Wateree Rivers sweep through the floodplain, carrying nutrients and sediments that nourish and rejuvenate this ecosystem and support national and state champion trees’ growth.

Hiking is aplenty at Congaree, with all levels of trails & many of which are accessible. We visited the Harry Hampton Visitors Center and easily walked the Boardwalk with our group (ages 10-46).

I’ll be honest; this park appears to be a little underfunded so much that you may see some older displays at the visitor center or 1/2 completed work in progress on the trails, but don’t let that discourage you!  We found the Rangers to be overly welcoming and eager to share information about the park with us.

This park only gets about 130,000 visitors a year, so it probably won’t be busy if you choose to visit. While it doesn’t have the expansive views of Glacier National Park or the breathtaking visuals of the Grand Canyon, Congaree is definitely worth a stop if you’re traveling along I-95 or I-26 in SC.

What also made this day trip pretty awesome is we got to visit with some of our Ohana.

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The oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, the Castillo de San Marcos is a large Spanish stone fortress built to protect and defend Spain’s claims in the New World. It’s a National Monument and, at over 315 years old, it’s the oldest structure in St. Augustine. It’s also one of the main attractions visitors to St. Augustine.

Construction began on the Castillo de San Marcos in 1672 and lasted 23 years, until 1695. Many Spanish forts preceded the Castillo, however, this one made of coquina was impenetrable to enemy attack and was fire resistant.

The fort came under fire for the first time in 1702. British forces, led by General Moore, burned the city but could not penetrate the Castillo’s walls. Subsequent attacks in 1728 and 1740 yielded similar results, and the British were never able to take the city of St. Augustine by force.

In 1763 however, Florida became a British colony with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, thus beginning a 20-year period of English rule. The Castillo was used as a military prison during the Revolutionary War, and at one time it held three signers of the Declaration of Independence within its walls.

At the end of the Revolutionary War, Florida was returned to Spain in 1784 until Florida became a United States Territory in 1821. The Americans called the Castillo Fort Marion, honoring the revolutionary patriot from the Carolinas, General Frances Marion. The U.S. Government used Fort Marion as a prison for Native Americans in the late 1800s. Natives from both Florida and the Great Plains were held at the fort during this time.

The fort was officially taken off the active list of fortifications in 1900 and it was preserved and recognized as a National Monument in 1924. Congress renamed the fort in 1942, reverting to the Spanish name, the Castillo de San Marcos. At over 315 years old, the fort is a lasting landmark of seventeenth-century St. Augustine.

If you can’t make it visit you can do a 3d tour here!

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Down we go! Off on the “Great Onyx Lantern Tour” at Mammoth Cave National Park.

Mammoth Cave National Park preserves the longest known cave system on earth (400+ miles) and 53,000 acres of beautiful forest. With nearly a dozen miles of cave trail below ground, there are also nearly 70 miles of surface trail, 13 backcountry campsites, three campgrounds, and over 20 miles of navigable river for visitors to explore and enjoy. It really is two worlds in one.

The Great Onyx Cave is beautiful in its own right. It houses an abundance of beautiful geologic formations that sparkle in the lantern light of this tour. Visitors on this tour can see many stalactites, stalagmites, gypsum crystals, and helictites. This cave was also the site of very important cultural history in the early days of Kentucky cave tourism. This tour is ideal for people with interest in cave tourism history and unusual rock formations.

Check out our visits to other National Parks.

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The sky’s were amazing tonight!!! Not a cloud to be seen. Got some great photos of the #milkyway. #acadianationalpark #winterharbor #maine

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Quick visit to @greatsanddunesnationalpark yesterday. That’s National Park #3 done so far! Minus the Chicago skyline – the dunes look like beaches you’d find in NC. Very cool! #nationalparks #greatsanddunesnationalpark #nofloatiesneeded #sanddunes #fulltimerv #fulltimefamily #summertimefun

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