Jeni’s List of National Parks
There is something about great parcels of wilderness that touches a deep part of me. I want to see them, be in them, explore the largest and smallest of flora, and witness all of the fauna. I want to touch the monoliths of stone, the seas of sand, the cool cushion of moss, and even the sharp delicacy of the cacti.
More than almost anything though, I want to be in the places that spark stories of ancient lore, paranormal events, and especially cryptid sightings.
This is a personal list of my top places to try to wander within the National Park System. Abroad is another story for another time.
Grand Canyon- Arizona
Even though I may not be able to legally go off trail and explore caves, I still want to feel the history of this place. Some Pueblo tribes believe this to be where their culture began when their ancestors emerged out of the original Sipapu near the Confluence of the Little Colorado River and the Colorado River. You can take overnight backpack trips to this mystical area, which to this day, still has a profound effect on park rangers and indigenous people alike. There’s the added lure of mule carried day trips, which never detracts from an adventure.
Chaco Canyon- New Mexico
Chaco is a National Historical Site, which fits it into a category not quite aligning with the rest of the National Parks on this list, however, the history in this one is pretty intense. It houses around 4000 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, covering more than 10,000 years of culture. And the people who thrived there? The Anasazi. For those familiar with Indigenous history, these were the ancestors of twenty different tribes. For those with a more paranormal slant, these are a mysterious, nearly mythological, sometimes dark, always ahead of civilization peoples. I could repeat the thousands of paranormal events that have been reported in and around the area, along with the cryptid sightings, the extraterrestrial occurrences, or the idea of lay lines, but the digging is half the fun. All I know is that whenever I visit one of these ancient sites, there is a profound feeling of connection and an undeniable undercurrent that everything is not as it seems, and you are walking in very mystical footprints.
Olympic National Park- Washington
First of all, Bigfoot. We’re talking about nearly 700 documented sightings in Washington State. I’ve been fascinated since Harry and the Hendersons, and my belief only got stronger as I aged, supported by my idolization of Jane Goodall who does, in fact, also believe. I’m not sure there needs to be more of a reason to go anywhere, but I’ll give some anyway. Next reason, Goblin Gates. I’d visit for the name alone, but this area also contains a description of an area of gorge that likens it to the “throat of a monster”. How does this not make your cryptid bone itch? Boasting a temperate rainforest, the immense swath of land looks like something out of a primeval landscape. This isn’t even including the atmosphere of magic running through the fairytale like caverns of green growth and huge waterfalls. It might be the closest I get to the fae.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park -Tennessee
Spear finger might be one of the most intriguing witch figures since Baba Yaga. Disguising herself as an old woman, she would lure children to her and then use her sharp, spear finger to steal their livers to eat. This goes back to Cherokee lore, warning children not of the dangers of the wild, but rather against leaving one’s family or tribe. She is known to haunt these mountains especially in fog and mist. Witches notwithstanding, the area is part of the Appalachian Mountains, and that alone makes this an intriguing park, given the sheer amount of lore and myth surrounding Appalachia, from cryptids, to goblins, to UFO activity.
Haleakala National Park-Hawaii
Due to my love of the ocean and scuba, you might think this one is just an excuse to get in the water, and I won’t lie, that’s a part for sure. To my defense, there are many creepy things about the ocean and what may dwell at the depths, but Megalodon reports are not the primary drive here. Rather, this park is often the site of ancient ghosts and incidents of Pele’s influence and guardianship of native Hawaiians and their protected lands. Items taken from this park without authorization are often returned to park rangers from across the world due to the bad luck and hauntings that come with. This area is integral to indigenous people's creation lore and remains a sacred space, which as if you can’t tell by now, raises a huge amount of curiosity for me. Sacred places are sacred for a reason, and if approached with respect and a real interest to learn of the peoples who have resided there for thousands of years, these places imprint and leave a lasting impression on our psyche, and I believe, our ability to be open to the unusual.